And, the Winner Is...

Dario Franchitti, the winningest British driver in U.S. open-wheel history, won yesterday's Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. He's a native of Edinburgh, Scotland.

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Race Drivers from Around the World are in Indy Today

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Indy's Asian Fest is 5 June

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Connections to Africa

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IU Law Prof Moderates Water Scarcity Workshop

Professor Eric Dannenmaier (pictured) has been working with Italy’s National Research Council, Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, as part of the Scientific Committee responsible for designing and moderating the workshop, “Environmental Security: Workshop on Water Security, Management and Control,” set to take place in Marrakech, Morocco, 31 May through 3 June, according to the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis.

The workshop will convene Northern African and European government representatives and scientists to examine emerging risks to regional water resources and the potential for scarcity to generate conflict. Participants will discuss new approaches to the strategic assessment of critical factors (including land use practices, deforestation, water scarcity, and water quality) as a means to prevent domestic and international conflict. It is sponsored by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme and co-hosted by Morocco’s Ministry of Higher Education.

Prof. Dannenmaier, who is Associate Professor of Law and Dean's Fellow, will chair a two-part simulation among participants to deepen their understanding of institutional roles in facing and defusing water scarcity crises. He will also present a paper in the Workshop’s opening session on “Identifying Stakeholders and Engaging Policymakers,” which examines the emerging concept of environmental security and its relevance for water scarcity and degradation concerns in the Southern Mediterranean region.

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Major U.S.-China Hybrid Summit Planned For Indiana

According to Inside INdiana Business, the first U.S.-China summit on hybrid and electric vehicles in Indiana is expected to be held this week in Indianapolis. Governor Mitch Daniels, Energy Systems Network Chairman Joe Loughrey and officials from the China Consulate-General in Chicago plan to release more details about the event today.

The governor's office says a Chinese delegation of more than 70 people will include members of that country's ministry of commerce and auto executives are expected at the summit in Indianapolis Thursday and Friday.

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Global Public Health

Esther Tallah, director of the Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria will speak on "Improving Global Public Health By Making US Aid More Effective" at 4 p.m. tomorrow (24 May) in the Interchurch Center, 1100 West 42nd Street, Indianapolis. Dr. Tallah is a pediatrician who directs the Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria (CCAM). Based in Yaoundé, CCAM is recognized as one of the most effective organizations in Africa linking local civil society groups and international efforts to combat that continent’s public health crises.

This Oxfam America event is sponsored by the International Interfaith Initiative, the Center for Interfaith Cooperation and Provocate. For more information, contact Tim Filler, 317:652-6483.

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Brazilian Driver in Pole Position at Indy "500"

Helio Castroneves, who was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, captured pole position for the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race during qualifying today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His run included a lap of 228.213 mph – the fastest of the month.

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Lilly Buys Into Australian Venture Fund

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Company is investing in a $250 million Australian capital venture fund, reports Inside INdiana Business. The fund will be designed to support development of Australia's biotechnology industry.

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Notre Dame law prof to help draft peace declaration

Douglass Cassel (pictured), professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, is one of ten experts from around the world invited by UNESCO and the Spanish Association for International Human Rights Law to help draft a proposed universal declaration of the human right to peace, according to the South Bend-based university.

Cassel, who serves as the director of Notre Dame Law School’s Center for Civil and Human Rights, is a scholar and practitioner of international human rights, international criminal law, and international humanitarian law.

The drafting committee, which convenes at the end of this month in Barcelona, Spain, consists of two international experts from each of the five geographical regions represented at the United Nations: Latin America and the Caribbean; Africa; Asia; Western Europe and other western states (including the United States); and Eastern Europe. Ultimately, a draft of the peace declaration will be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council, with a recommendation that it be adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

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CIBER at Purdue Gets Grant.

Purdue University's Center for International Business and Research, based at the Krannert School of Management, has received a four-year, $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

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Magic Lantern Society Meets in Bloomington

America's only "magic lanternist" will be among the performers, scholars, artists and collectors at the 14th annual convention of the Magic Lantern Society of the USA and Canada, reports the Indiana University News Bureau.

David Francis and Joss Marsh (pictured) are helping to host the annual convention of the Magic Lantern Society of the U.S.A. and Canada. This is the first time the event is taking place in Indiana.

Indiana University Bloomington will host the 20-23 May convention, which is sponsored by the IU Department of English and the Department of Communication and Culture in conjunction with the Magic Lantern Society of the USA and Canada.

The Magic Lantern Society collects, preserves and shares information on the early lantern devices that were invented in 1659 and were used to entertain and educate audiences prior to the advent of film. Lantern slides were hand-painted in vivid colors on glass and projected on walls and cloth screens. By the mid-19th century, black-and-white lantern slides were produced photographically; popular images included travel scenes, dramatic story slides, moral tales, song slides, religious and patriotic themes and comic pictures.

In its 19th-century heyday, there was a lantern in every public institution, and most middle-class households had at least a "toy" lantern. The magic lantern has been referenced by writers such as Charles Dickens and Mary Shelley, as well as revered by pioneers and masters of the cinema screen such as Georges Méliès and Ingmar Bergman.

Because of the scarcity of lantern materials in universities, museums, archives or libraries in the United States, the devices have largely passed out of public memory, but private collectors have ensured that the lanterns are still remembered and celebrated.

Members of the public are invited to attend the public sessions of the Bloomington conference, which includes an exhibit at the Lilly Library, two shows at the Fine Arts Auditorium, a silent film screening with live piano in Whittenberger Auditorium and a "Magic Lantern Spectacular" at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. Terry Borton, a fourth-generation lanternist and the only professional lanternist in America, will take part in the performances.

To register for the conference and to view a complete schedule, go online.

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Well in Sierra Leone Funded by IUPUI Students

It began two years ago when the first dollar was dropped into a glass jar, reports the news bureau at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. It will end in September 2010 when a notice is attached to a new well to be dug in a village in Sierra Leone, thanking members of the Psychology Club and Psi Chi, the international honors society in Psychology, at IUPUI for providing the villagers with clean drinking water.

The psychology students raised $4041 toward the $4,850 cost of the well, starting in 2008. The first $100 was donated at a presentation arranged by the Psychology Club and Psi Chi by a member of the Fisher’s Rotary Club, describing that club’s efforts to raise money for wells in Africa through Water is Life, a project connected to World Hope International.

The students then obtained Water is Life t-shirts, bracelets, bumper stickers and candles to sell, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the cost of the well.

Africa Water is Life, an initiative that was launched to empower young people to help people in Africa, will contribute the remaining $809 for the well so it can be drilled this fall.

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Purdue's President Off to China

Purdue President France Córdova (pictured)is traveling to China this week to lead an academic mission focused on strengthening ties with two universities and bolstering connections with alumni and students, reports the Lafayette Journal & Courier. A main focus is for Córdova to sign partnership agreements with Tsinghua and China Agricultural universities that will expand opportunities for student and faculty exchanges and development of collaborative research.

Córdova and a seven-member delegation leave for China tomorrow (17 May), returning 24 May. Those traveling for the full-trip include Michael Brzezinski, interim vice provost for global affairs and dean of international programs; Jay Akridge, dean of the College of Agriculture; Chris Foster, Córdova's husband and Discovery Park's K-12 STEM program director, and Kirk Cerny, Purdue Alumni Association CEO.

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Help Bring World Soccer Cup to Indiana!

Hey, soccer fans! If you'd like to help Indianapolis win its bid to be one of the host cities for either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup™, go online to sign the petition! Indy is an official US Bid Committee host city.



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Bicycle with a Pro from Canada

Dominique Rollin, a professional cyclist from Canada, will be riding in Indy's Eagle Creek Park at 4 p.m. 25 May.

A member of the Cervélo Test Team, he's riding here courtesy of Zipp, a manufacturer of bicycle wheels that's based in Indianapolis.

Aspiring riders should note there's an admission fee for the park, and bicycle helmets are required. Yes, the ride will go on rain or shine!

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Indy's Director of International Affairs

Usually, we don't repeat gossip, but -- according to The Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard may be getting ready to hire Carlos May as the city’s next Director of International and Cultural Affairs (a post listed as vacant on Indy's website). The previous director, Carolin Requiz Smith, was removed for unknown reasons a couple of weeks ago (she was initially hired by Ballard as Director of Latino Affairs). Incidentally, May quit his previous city job to run for his unsuccessful bid for the GOP nomination in the 7th Congressional District.

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US-French Symposium Underway at Purdue

The Purdue University Global Engineering Program and the Chicago-based Office for Science and Technology of the French Embassy are co-organizing a French-American Symposium on “Developing Partnerships for Sustainable Water Management and Agriculture in the context of Climate and Global Change” that is underway at Purdue University in West Lafayette.

The symposium, 11-12 May, is sponsored by the The Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States, NSF, OECD, the French Ministry of Agriculture, and several French research institutions (CNRS, INRA, INPT, IRD, IAMM, ONEMA).

About 120 invited scientists from France, the United States and the international community are attending the symposium. Key themes of the presentations and discussions will be summarized in a report to be shared with scientists and interested policy-makers in France, the United States and the broader international scientific community.

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Kenyans Win "500" Festival Marathon, Again

The "500" Festival reports that Janet Cherobon has won her fourth straight Mini-Marathon in Indianapolis -- and broke a race record!

In fact, a pair of familiar faces sprinted to the finish to win the men’s and women’s races in the 2010 Mini-Marathon. Janet Cherobon made it four wins by edging out Belainesh Zemedkun near the finish, while Festus Langat won his second straight Mini-Marathon by pulling away from a three-man race down the stretch.

Cherobon, a Kenyan native who lives in Rome, Ga., has won several marathons this year. Her college resumé includes collegiate national championships in the 5,000-meter outdoor and 10,000-meter outdoor; she will be inducted in the NCAA Division III Track and Field Hall of Fame later this month. Weather conditions didn’t affect the 31-year-old Cherobon, who won in a record time of 1:10:59 – well below her 2009 winning time of 1:12.22.

In the men’s race, Langat was in a pack that included Ondara Macdonard and Alene Reta. But a late kick down the stretch put Langat in control. The Kenyan native who lives in West Chester, Pa., won in 1:02.51, three seconds ahead of Macdonard.

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Volkmar Shulz Returns to Indianapolis

"An Update on the Current Political and Economic Situation in Germany" is the topic for a presentation by Volkmar Schultz, former member of German Budestag. The luncheon begins at noon at Lutheran Child and Family Services, 1525 North Ritter Avenue, Indianapolis. Reservations (due by 10 May) should be made with Danielle Stiles, 317:359-5467 x410.

The event is sponsored by Indianapolis Eric M. Warburg Chapter of the American Council on Germany, the Indianapolis-Cologne Sister City Committee, Indiana German Heritage Society, Foundation for Lutheran Child and Family Services, and the Max Kade German-American Center at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Schultz is a former member of the Bundestag and has been a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) since 1965. From 1980 until 1994, he was a member of the State Parliament of North-Rhine-Westphalia. In that capacity he acted as the Deputy Chairman of the SPD Parliamentary Group and served as the Chairman of the Committee on Urban Renewal and Housing. Elected to the German Bundestag in 1994, he has since been one of the most active supporters of close transatlantic relations. Re-elected in 1998, he served on the Foreign Relations Committee and concentrated again on North American affairs. He also acted as the Chairman of the German-American Parliamentary Group, seeking close political and personal contacts to members of the US Congress.

After his retirement in 2002 he has volunteered as an advisor to several transatlantic non-profit organizations, among them the German Marshall Fund of the United States, The American Jewish Committee, Berlin Office, and Bridge of Understanding. He remains an observer of the transatlantic "theater", of the European development and domestic German politics. For the Association of Former Members of the Bundestag he still serves as a delegate to the Annual Congress-Bundestag Transatlantic Conference.

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Purdue's Wood Vehicle Travels to Africa

Purdue University students have designed and built a multipurpose vehicle made primarily from wood, reports the Purdue News Bureau. They will travel to Africa this month to help officials there set up a manufacturing facility for the trucks, which could help to transport everything from produce to people.

The Basic Utility Vehicle, or BUV, is produced from raw materials readily and affordably available in Africa and is designed specifically to meet the needs of villagers. The students will travel to Cameroon, Africa, on Monday (10 May) to aid in setting up a manufacturing facility in a northern village near a forest.

The BUV's body and much of the frame are built of pine, but the design can easily be adapted to African hardwoods like mahogany or eucalyptus. It could be used for many purposes - such as hauling crops, water, building materials, students or the infirm - in areas where no other transportation exists, said Kyle Bazur, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering from Fort Wayne, Ind.

The students won an innovation award for the vehicle during an April competition sponsored by the Indianapolis-based Institute for Affordable Transportation, which is promoting the use of BUVs to help people in poor regions of the world.

The three-wheel BUV is about the size of a 1980s Toyota pickup and incorporates some parts, such as the rear axle, from pickup trucks. Powered by a 10-horsepower diesel engine easily available in Africa, the BUV has a top speed of about 20 mph and achieves about 40 miles per gallon.

The all-terrain vehicle, outfitted with knobby tractor tires, can travel on small roads or cross-country and can carry at least eight passengers and up to 1,200 pounds.

The students worked with the nonprofit African Centre for Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technology, or ACREST, to set design and manufacturing parameters.

"The long-term goal is to help the organization in Cameroon build these multipurpose vehicles in Africa with local resources and materials and sell them to surrounding villages," Bazur said.

The students built the vehicle for about $2,000.

Villagers currently are unable to transport much of their farm produce to markets before it spoils, a problem that could be alleviated by the inexpensive vehicles. The vehicle has a bed that operates like a miniature dump truck, making it easy to unload cargo. Benches on the sides of the cargo bed can be used to carry people, and the sidewalls can be removed, creating a flatbed arrangement for hauling longer items.

The team completed the project in one semester during a senior design course.

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International Jurist Comes to Indy

The Honorable Patrick Lipton Robinson (pictured), President of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, will be honored at a reception 14 May at the Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis. The event will begin at 4 p.m. in room 385 at the law school, and members of the legal and international communities and the public are invited to attend.

Hon. Patrick Lipton Robinson, originally from Jamaica, has had a long and distinguished career in international law on the bench and in government service. He currently is principal advisor to the United Nations Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and has served on the International Bioethics Committee, Word Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and several world and regional bodies including the Commission of Truth and Justice – Haiti.

Following introductory remarks, President Robinson will accept questions from those attending at the reception. Admission is without charge but attendees are requested to make reservations by email, or 317:274-1917.

This event is co-sponsored by the following law school groups: PIHRL, International Human Rights Law Society, Amnesty International Law Chapter, Master of Laws Association, as well as the following organizations: Human Rights Works and the Center for Victim and Human Rights.

President Robinson was invited to Indianapolis by Christian Theological Seminary where he will receive an honorary doctorate degree at the seminary commencement exercises.

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New Sister Cities: Franklin and Luqiao, China

Franklin Mayor Fred Paris has returned from a two-week business development trip to Japan and China. He visited with companies already located in Franklin as well as potential businesses looking for American locations. Franklin College professor Yu-Long Ling, whom Paris appointed as Franklin’s Asian Affairs Liaison, traveled with the mayor.

In China, Paris formally entered into a sister city agreement with the District of Luqiao.

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Turkish Delegation Visits Indiana

On Thursday (6 May) a delegation from Turkey arrives in Indiana to research the purchase of Indiana hardwoods. The group will tour three Indiana hardwood companies: Indiana Veneers Corporation, Indianapolis; John M. Wooley Lumber Company, Indianapolis, and Pike Lumber, Akron.

On Friday (7 May), the Indiana State Department of Agriculture will host one-on-one meetings between members of the Turkish delegation and Indiana manufacturers to discuss purchasing opportunities for veneer, lumber and logs.

Last year, ISDA traveled to the Intermob Furniture Fair in Istanbul, Turkey, with the American Hardwood Export Council & Hardwood States Export Group. On that trip, Indiana landed 35 trade leads for lumber and veneer for the hardwood industry.

Jeannie Keating, manager of media relations for ISDA, has more information.

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