Stories
At GKI, we believe in the power of words to influence and inspire action. We actively pursue humility, curiosity, and reflection in our work as we share our insights, experiences, and resources with the broader community of decision-makers, change-makers, and practitioners.
Rockefeller Foundation Names GKI one of 100 “Next Century Innovators”
From GKI Chief Operating Officer, Sara Farley: Dear Friends, I write to share the exhilarating news that the Global Knowledge Initiative’s program, Learning and Innovation Networks for Knowledge and Solutions (LINK), which brings people and organizations together around big development goals, was just recognized as one of the world’s top 100 most transformative innovations for…
Thinking While Doing: What We’ve Been Reading, Round II
Because we read quite a few interesting articles, books, and reports while going about our work, we thought it would be nice and potentially helpful to share now and again. In the last few weeks, many members of the GKI team have spent substantial time poring over research on dynamics of successful teams, how design…
New research collaboration with Rwanda Ministry of Education & UNECA
Happening Now: A GKI team is headed to Rwanda to work with the Rwanda Ministry of Education and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) to analyze Rwanda’s Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Policy seven years after its publication. We will identify areas of success, challenges to the policy’s implementation, and work to build…
Makerere-Penn State Team wins 2013 Africa Collaboration Challenge Prize
The Global Knowledge Initiative and Penn State University are thrilled to announce the winners of the 2013 Africa Collaboration Challenge Prize. A research team composed of Michael Kansiime and John Kabasa from AFRISA (African Institute for Strategic Animal Resource Services and Development), a center at Uganda’s Makerere University, and Sjoerd Duiker and Ephraim Govere from…
Featured Collaborator: Dr. Susan Jackels, Seattle University
Meet Susan Jackels, our featured collaborator. One of the most fulfilling parts of solving development challenges through collaboration is having the opportunity to work with researchers who are pushing the boundaries of their particular scientific niches. For nearly a year, the Global Knowledge Initiative has had the privilege of working with Dr. Susan Jackels, a…
GKI nominated for Rockefeller Foundation Award
The Global Knowledge Initiative has been nominated for a Rockefeller Foundation Next Century Innovators Award. We’ve been contacted by the Rockefeller Foundation to let us know of our nomination, and are crossing our fingers that we make it all the way! The Foundation will choose 100 innovators/innovative organizations to feature, all of which will have…
GKI’S LINK Program Named One of the Global Top 100 Social Innovations for the Next Century
The Global Knowledge Initiative’s flagship partnership-forging program (LINK, which stands for the Learning and Innovation Network for Knowledge and Solutions) has been awarded an exciting honor. This humbling designation comes courtesy of the Rockefeller Foundation, a leader in global philanthropy with a storied history of support for science, technology, and innovation. While celebrating a century…
Kenya Stakeholder Dialogue on Water Harvesting: See After-Action Report Here
In January, a group of us from GKI were in Kenya with Dr. Kennedy Mwetu and the LINK Kenya team. The trip was exciting for a number of reasons, including having the chance to visit farmers in Kitui County, and sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Kenyatta University. One of the most important parts of…
Thinking while Doing: What the GKI Team Read this Week
We read a lot of interesting articles/websites/books in the course of working to solve development challenges through collaboration. This reading ranges from articles on processes we want to implement, such as pieces on better measurements for network success, to content-based web stories on water use in Malaysia or food security in Ethiopia. In order to…
PlantVillage helps people get answers on growing food, from Penn State to Kenya
Our friend, collaborator, and Penn State University assistant professor of entomology Dr. David Hughes has a venture aimed at sharing knowledge on gardening and farming that he’s started with Penn State biologist Dr. Marcel Salathe (check out Salathe’s lab here). They have designed their website, PlantVillage, to help people garden, farm, and generally grow their…