Before many of us began living life from the comfort of our own homes, Director of the School of Communication Science and Disorders, Professor Hugh Catts, was able to make a philanthropic trip to India. The goal was to assist the Indian Government to set up a reading research center to improve reading instruction in the country.

This is an important initiative to Catts who works alongside FSU researchers Yaacov Petshcer and John Mathias at the Florida Center of Reading Research. The trip came to be when a researcher from St. Mary’s University, Dr. Chakravarthi, and a colleague in India, approached Petscher about setting up a similar program in India.

While in India, the group met with leaders from the National Center for Educational Research and Training to begin discussing the new partnership. They also got the chance to visit several local schools. “Initial discussions went well and we are in the process of setting up an official relationship between the Indian Government, FCRR, and Dr. Chakravarthi at St. Mary’s,” says Dr. Catts.