Mekong - U.S. Partnership
Yangon, Myanmar, December 12-13, 2019. Over 100 researchers and scientists from the U.S. and the five countries of the Lower Mekong Initiative (LMI) – Myanmar, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam – gathered for the LMI Young Scientist Program annual symposium in Yangon December 12-13.
Forty young scientists from the five Lower Mekong countries presented their collaborative research to improve health and environmental sustainability in the Lower Mekong region. Participants in the Symposium represented academia, industry, government and non-profit organizations from the U.S. and the five Lower Mekong countries.
“The United States wants more young scientists from Myanmar and throughout the Lower Mekong region to work together to find innovative solutions to cross-border environmental and health challenges,” U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission George Sibley said. Together with Ministry of Education Chairman of the National Education Policy Commission, Prof. Dr. Myo Kywe, Deputy Chief of Mission Sibley spoke during the opening session of the second annual Young Scientist Symposium on December 12.
The Annual Scientific Symposium gives participants in the LMI Young Scientist Program an opportunity to compete for an annual seed grant of up to $15,000 USD to develop their collaborative research projects. The 33 young scientists who participated in the 2019 Young Scientists Program presented their collaborative research through poster shows and discussions during the event. The LMI Young Scientists Program promotes equitable, sustainable, and inclusive economic growth through education, science, and technology. Arizona State University (ASU) implements the LMI Young Scientists Program.
