Copenhagen, China...and DePauw

"We have learned quite a few things after a week as student observers at the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen," DePauw University students Pucong Han and Anthony Baratta wrote in the China Daily last week. Their letter was reported by the DePauw news bureau. The pair are among a group of DePauw students who traveled to Denmark, for the climate change conference known as COP15. (photo, l-r: DePauw students Taylor Cantril, Anthony Baratta, Andrew Maddocks)

"Our class of 13 -- four students from China, one each from India and Myanmar, and seven from the United States -- walked around the Bella Center and took note of the positions articulated by different countries," the two undergraduates write (Pucong Han '11 hails from Beijing, while Anthony Baratta '11 is from Ohio). "Although the negotiations were complex one thing was clear. Irrespective of the outcome at Copenhagen, our generation of Chinese and American youth has the opportunity to work together to solve the issue of climate change. The youth in both countries can cooperate by raising awareness about global warming. In fact, many students have already taken the lead."

Their letter to the editor continues, "We helped found the DePauw Environmental Policy Project, the program that brought us to Copenhagen. The youth in both nations can cooperate by facilitating understanding between China and the U.S. There is often suspicion between our nations. Both wonder -- 'Is the other sincere in its promises?' Here in Copenhagen, a 'China-U.S. Youth' dinner brought together 50 Chinese and an equal number of American students. We ate Gong Bao Chicken, Zuo Jiao Beef, and other delicious dishes. During the meal, we discussed what we had learned about global warming, as well as the contentious issues debated at the climate summit. By the end of the evening, we had become friends and better understood the reasons for our countries' disagreements regarding a new climate change treaty. We were no longer mistrustful of the others' intentions. We hope that more American and Chinese students would have opportunities to learn from each other. Maybe, we will play a small part in encouraging cooperation between our countries."

They add, "We are doing this because we are the leaders of tomorrow. Climate change is an issue that will not disappear anytime soon, and we must try to mitigate its impact and adapt."

China Daily is the most widely-circulated English-language daily newspaper published in the People's Republic of China.

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Lilly to Develop Treatments With Danish Company

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. is partnering with Danish biotech firm NeuroSearch to develop medicines for treating central nervous system disorders, reports Inside INdiana Business.

Under the three-year deal NeuroSearch could receive as much as $30 million in initial payments and research funding and up to $320 million in milestone fees for each product developed and commercialized.

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BASi Receives European Patent

West Lafayette-based BASi has received a patent in Europe for a new data collection system designed at its laboratory and office in the United Kingdom, reports Inside INdiana Business.

The patent for the Culex Automated In Vivo Sampling System is valid until 2019 and is effective in Germany, Denmark, France, UK and Sweden. BASi has its corporate headquarters at the Purdue Research Park and also has operations in Evansville.

Marian's Haberski Receives Fulbright Award

Dr. Raymond J. Haberski Jr. (pictured), associate professor of history and director of the Honors Program at Marian College, has been named the Danish Distinguished Chair in American Studies through the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The Marian news bureau reports that during the 2008-09 academic year, he will teach courses at the Center for the Study of the Americas at Copenhagen Business School and further his research on U.S. intellectual and cultural history.

Haberski has taught at Marian College since 2000 and written three books that use American movie culture to explore how mass culture has changed assumptions about what constitutes art (It’s Only a Movie, 2001), how culture becomes controversial (Freedom to Offend, 2007), and why free speech protection for movies is significant (The Miracle Case, 2008).

Danish Company Acquires Peerless Pump

One of Indianapolis' oldest industrial businesses, Peerless Pump Co., has been sold to Grundfos Group, a pump-making giant headquartered in Denmark, for an undisclosed price, reports the Indianapolis Business Journal. Peerless, whose origin dates to the 1920s, had been owned by Monaco-based Thyssen-Bornemisza Group since 1976. Peerless manufactures pumps for fresh water. Much of its $110 million in sales is generated by pharmaceutical plants, offshore oil platforms and other industrial projects. Peerless also sells to municipalities and to office buildings for fire protection. Its fire protection pumps move water to upper floors of some of the world's tallest buildings, including the Sears Tower in Chicago and Taipei 101 in Taiwan. According to Grundfos, its current sales in North America are $300 million. "The U.S. pump market alone is estimated to be $6 billion, so the business potential for Grundfos is huge. With the latest acquisition, Grundfos expects to double sales within a four year period reaching $600 million."

Brightpoint Buys Dangaard Telecom

Brightpoint Inc. has completed the purchase of the largest wireless phone distributor in Europe, according to The Indianapolis Business Journal.

The purchase for $385 million in stock is a deal that balloons the Plainfield company's annual revenue from $2.5 billion to $4.6 billion.

The deal for privately held Dangaard Telecom of Padbord, Denmark, creates the world's largest distributor and provider of logistics services to the wireless phone industry.

The merged company has 3,700 employees and 25,000 customers in 25 countries.

Plainfield Connects with Denmark

Plainfield-based Brightpoint Inc. has agreed to purchase Dangaard Telecom of Padbord, Denmark, in a $308 million stock deal, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

Dangaard Telecom is the largest wireless phone distributor in Europe, and the deal balloons the cell phone distributor's annual revenue from $2.5 billion to $4.6 billion.