Immigrant Success

Your Ethnic Hoosier usually avoids policy, but this comment from Thomas Friedman's column in today's New York Times needs to be shared. As we in the Nationalities Council of Indiana know, the United States is constantly renewed --and improved -- by its immigrants. This says it all:

"Last week, the 32 winners of Rhodes Scholarships for 2011 were announced — America’s top college grads. Here are half the names on that list: Mark Jia, Aakash Shah, Zujaja Tauqeer, Tracy Yang, William Zeng, Daniel Lage, Ye Jin Kang, Baltazar Zavala, Esther Uduehi, Prerna Nadathur, Priya Sury, Anna Alekeyeva, Fatima Sabar, Renugan Raidoo, Jennifer Lai, Varun Sivaram."

Yes, Indiana's winner is Esther O. Uduehi (pictured, at left) of Evansville. Her parents emigrated from Nigeria. A senior at Indiana University, Bloomington, she majors in biochemistry and mathematics. She was also a visiting student at Oxford. A Wells Scholar, Presidential Intern and Senator Richard Lugar Scholar, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, she is president of the IU Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students. She has won several awards for her research in organic chemistry, and has participated in a U.S.-Russia global health care study program and done research at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Esther plans to do the D.Phil. in chemistry at Oxford.

(Photo courtesy of Indiana University Bloomington)

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Heartland Film Festival Runs Through 23 October

Heartland, the annual 10-day celebration of international film, includes movies from Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan (and the United States).

For more information, including a schedule, go online.

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Purdue Teams with Russian Universities

Purdue University and three other U.S. universities have announced a multiyear partnership aimed at strengthening efforts by Russian National Research Universities to commercialize their research and foster campus entrepreneurship, according to the Purdue News Bureau.

In launching the Enhancing University Research and Entrepreneurial Capacity, or EURECA, program, Purdue will collaborate with the University of California-Los Angeles, University of Maryland and the University of Washington and a consortium of program operators, led and financed by the U.S. Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law.

The initiative, officially announced on 30 September, will be administered by a consortium of non-governmental organizations: the Russian-based New Eurasia Foundation and two U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, the American Councils for International Education and the National Council for East European and Eurasian Research.

A Russian delegation will visit Purdue from Sunday through Tuesday (10-12 October) to tour the university's research facilities, technology transfer offices and business incubators. Meetings also are planned with researchers, graduate students and faculty members to discuss potential collaborations.

University representatives from Purdue, UCLA, Maryland and Washington joined five Russian research universities today at an event to formally launch EURECA in Washington, D.C.

The participating Russian universities are Lobachevsky State University, St. Petersburg Institute of Information Technology along with the National University of Science and Technology, National Research Nuclear University and Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

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International Violin Competition Announces Winners

The laureates for the 2010 International Violin Competition hail from three continents. They are:

Gold medalist: Clara-Jumi Kang (pictured, near right), Germany/South Korea
Silver medalist: Soyoung Yoon (pictured, far right), South Korea
Bronze medalist: Benjamin Beilman, United States
4th Place Laureate: Haoming Xie, China
5th Place Laureate: Antal Szalai, Hungary
6th Place Laureate: Andrey Baranov, Russia

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USA International Harp Competition

After 10 days of fierce competition amongst 39 harpists representing 15 nations, a gold-medal winner was chosen in the 2010 USA International Harp Competition 17 July at the Musical Arts Center (MAC) of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, reports the IU news bureau.

Agnès Clément (pictured, left) of Lyon, France, won the gold over two other finalists in front of a crowd of more than 1,400 people. The 20-year-old Clément led a field that included Rino Kageyama of Japan, 20, who won the silver medal, and Russian harpist Vasilisa Lushchevskaya, 21, who took the bronze. Susann McDonald, competition founder and artistic director, is pictured, at right.

The eighth triennial contest, which opened 7 July, featured an all-female field. After traveling thousands of miles and memorizing over two hours of required repertoire, competitors vied for more than $100,000 in cash and career assistance.

The fourth- through eighth-prize recipients were:

* 4th Prize: Coline-Marie Orliac, France
* 5th Prize: Jimin Lee, United Kingdom/South Korea
* 6th Prize: Ruriko Yamamiya, Japan
* 7th Prize: Gwenllian Llyr, United Kingdom (Wales)
* 8th Prize: Marta Marinelli, Italy

Special Prizes went to:

* Jan Jennings Prize for Best Performance of "Awakening Stillnesses" by Michael Maganuco: Coline-Marie Orliac, France
* Mario Falcao Prize for Best Performance of Concerto for Harp and Orchestra by Reinhold Glière: Rino Kageyama, Japan

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'The Cherry Orchard' at Butler Next Weekend

Butler Theatre will present 'The Cherry Orchard', a play by the Russian Anton Chekhov, 24-28 February in Theater 168 of Lilly Hall Studio on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis. It is part of “The World Comes to Butler,” the theater's 2009-2010 season.

All performances take place in Lilly Hall Studio Theatre 168. They'll be at 8 p.m. 24-27 February, and 2 p.m. 27 and 28 February. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students. Call 317:940-9247 for tickets.

The play, in a translation by Paul Schmidt, will be directed by Elaina Artemiev. Written in 1903, the play was given its first production early in 1904. Chekhov viewed the work as a comedy and was deeply frustrated that Konstantin Stanislavski, directing at the Moscow Art Theatre, made it into a tragedy. Most people would have difficulty thinking of the play as a comedy because the loss of the family estate seems so poignant. Yet, as we observe the life onstage we conclude that the characters’ actions are either ridiculous or utterly inept. One might feel sorry for the family – but then surely they could have done a better job of preserving the heritage that they claim is so important to them.

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Lilly's Transfer of Technology to South African Company

Eli Lilly & Company has announced the US$1 million milestone payment to Aspen, a pharmaceutical manufacturer, as part of the joint collaboration on expanding access to medicines to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), according to Aspen Pharma.

The milestone is part of a Transfer of Technology agreement between Aspen and Lilly, initiated in 2003 under the umbrella of the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership, a global project to tackle the growing MDR-TB epidemic. Aspen is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The collaboration involved the transfer of Lilly’s drug manufacturing and packaging technology to enable Aspen to manufacture two essential anti-TB drugs. Lilly provided manufacturing know-how, access to technical experts, and other assistance to assure the quality and sustainability of the manufacturing processes.

The partnership with Aspen represents one of four similar partnerships Lilly holds with pharmaceutical manufacturers based in high burden countries where MDR-TB is most prevalent. These additional partnerships are between Lilly and SIA International (Russia), Shasun Chemicals and Drugs (India), and Hisun Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (China).

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US Ambassador-Designate to Serbia Speaks at Valpo

The United States Ambassador-designate to the Republic of Serbia will present the commencement address at Valparaiso University's ceremonies honoring mid-year graduates, reports the Valpo news bureau.

Ceremonies for students expected to complete requirements for undergraduate, graduate and law degrees begin at 2:30 p.m. 13 December in the Chapel of the Resurrection.

Mary Burce Warlick (pictured), a Valpo alumna and a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, was nominated to the ambassador post by President Barack Obama in September. Her experience at the U.S. Department of State began in 1983 and she has served in several posts at U.S. embassies in Asia and Europe and as minister-counselor for economic affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. During that assignment, she traveled extensively in Russia and worked on a wide range of trade, investment and energy issues, including Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization and the protection of intellectual property rights.

Warlick's assignments in Washington, D.C., include serving most recently as acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia policy. Prior to that, Warlick served as acting deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia at the National Security Council, director of the State Department's Office of Russian Affairs and as director of the Office of Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus Affairs.

Warlick graduated from Valpo in 1979 with a degree in political science and humanities, and was a Christ College (honors college) scholar. She later earned a master's degree in international relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. In 2006, she received the Secretary of State's Award for Public Outreach and she has received eight Superior Honor Awards from the State Department.

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The World Comes to Butler

“The World Comes to Butler” is the theme for the 2009-10 theater season at Butler University in Indianapolis. It opens with Bertolt Brecht’s The Caucasian Chalk Circle on 7-11 October, followed by William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (11-15 November), Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard (24-28 February) and a fourth production to be directed by Colombian-born Bernardo Rey (pictured), a visiting artist in residence next spring (14-18 April).

Purdue, Lilly Partner For Russian Pharmaceutical Training

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Company and a Purdue Research Park firm were part of a partnership that provided training to the Russian agency that is equivalent to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, reports Inside INdiana Business. Lilly and the Chao Center for Industrial Pharmacy & Contract Manufacturing conducted sessions with health policy-makers from Rozdravnadzor, which is the inspection agency for medicines and medical supplies within Russia's Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development. Russian officials are also expected to participate in training at manufacturing simulation facilities in Indiana.

Media in the Former Soviet Bloc

Ken Jaques, president of Global Communication Strategies, will speak on “The Evolution of Media and Media Relations in the Former Soviet Bloc” at 4 p.m. 14 October in the Oak Room of the Indiana Memorial Union on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington.

An overview of the problems of transition that confronted media, business, and governments on the territory of the former Warsaw Pact in the last two decades, his talk will also address the recent conflict between Georgia and Russia in the context of the "media war" which it generated.

Mr. Jaques has worked extensively as a communications and business consultant to the U.S. government and the governments of Georgia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Croatia, and Russia. He also served as press secretary to US Senator Frank Lautenberg for many years and as a reporter for leading news organizations including CNN and the Congressional Quarterly magazine.

Moscow-based Novolipetsk Steel Buys Beta Steel

Novolipetsk Steel, the leading Russian steel producer, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Beta Steel, a U.S. hot-rolled steel producer, from a group of private shareholders for an all cash consideration of $400 million, on a debt free, cash free basis.

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2008. The sale is reported by Inside INdiana Business today.

Russian Automobile Quarterly Planned

An Indiana publisher has established a partnership to publish a Russian edition of AQ/Automobile Quarterly, reports Inside INdiana Business.

New Albany-based Automotive Heritage Publishing & Communications LLC is joining with Luxocrat Media and Moscow-based Mediacrat for Russian version. It will be published four-times a year and has an initial circulation of 55,000.

Russia After Putin

Experts on Russian politics will discuss "Russia After Putin" at noon Friday (21 March) in State Room East of the Indiana Memorial Union in Bloomington.

Prof. Elizabeth Wood (History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Prof. Stephen Hanson (Political Science, University of Washington at Seattle), Ambassador Jim Collins (former United States Ambassador to Russia), and Prof. Regina Smyth (Political Science, Indiana University) will discuss the events of the recent Russian residential elections and the future of Russian politics.

The panel discussion is cosponsored by the Indiana University Russian and East European Institute, Department of History, Department of Political Science and Office of the Vice President for International Affairs. For more information, contact Andrew Burton, 812:855-3087.

Russia, Romania...and Europe

Aurelian Craiutu will discuss “Dilemmas of Democracy: 1989 Echoes of the 1789 French Revolution” in his consideration of Russia, Romania and Europe at 7 p.m. Wednesday (27 February) in the Reilly Room of Atherton Union at Butler University in Indianapolis. Dr. Craiuti is Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Purdue Researchers Assess Socioclimatic Exposure

Researchers have taken a first step toward quantifying the "socioclimatic" exposure of different countries to future climate change, according to the Purdue University News Bureau. A research team from Purdue and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, found that China, India and the United States face substantial exposure relative to other nations, but that every area of the world faces high exposure in at least one category. The research will be published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Regionally, the most exposed nations are China, Bangladesh and Myanmar in Asia; western Sahel and southwestern nations in Africa; Brazil in South America; the eastern United States in North America; and the Mediterranean nations (including France, Italy and Spain), Russia and Scandinavia in Europe. The study found that the climatic and socioeconomic variables together determine the international variations in socioclimatic risk. The Purdue Climate Change Research Center is affiliated with Purdue's Discovery Park. The center promotes and organizes research and education on global climate change and studies its impact on agriculture, natural ecosystems and society. It was established in 2004 to support Purdue in research and education on regional scale climate change, its impacts and mitigation, and adaptation strategies. The center serves as a hub for a range of activities beyond scientific research, including teaching, public education and the development of public policy recommendations. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was founded in 1964 by Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam. The center operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government and two U.N. agencies, UNESCO and IAEA. Its mission is to foster advanced studies and research, especially in developing countries. While the name of the center reflects its beginnings, its activities today encompass most areas of physical sciences, including geophysical and environmental sciences.

IU, IUPUI Collaborate with University in Russia

Indiana University has been awarded a two-year, $400,000 federal grant for a project in which faculty and students from two IU campuses will work with a Russian university on language learning and the study of public health and health policy, according to the IU New Bureau. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, will provide $199,093 in the first year and is expected to provide a similar amount the second year. It was awarded to the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at IU Bloomington in partnership with the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. IU will collaborate on the project with Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Ronald Feldstein (pictured), professor and chair of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, is the principal investigator for the grant.

Foreign-Language Film Series

If you'd like to work on your foreign language fluency or just learn about another culture, watching a film in your target language or culture is a good way to do it. Three opportunities are on the calendar this week:

*Wednesday: "To Live" (Chinese, 1994) at 2007 World Film Forum. 5 p.m. Free. West Lafayette Public Library, 208 West Columbia Street, West Lafayette. Sponsored by Purdue University's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. This film, by award-winning director Zhang Yimou, covers the experiences of a small family that loses its wealth in the 1940s to the 1970s.

*Wednesday: "Everything Is Illuminated" (2005). 6-8:30 p.m. Lilly Auditorium, University Library, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. Although in English, the showing is sponsored by IUPUI Russian Speaking Student Association. Refreshments as well as traditional Russian deserts will be provided. A quick discussion will follow the movie, which deals with a young American Jewish man (pictured), who goes on a quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather in a small Ukrainian town called Trachimbrod that was wiped off the map when the Nazis liquidated Eastern European shtetls.

*Thursday: "Midnight Sun (Taiyo no uta)" (Japanese, 2006). 7 p.m. $5; free for students. Historic Artcraft Theater, 57 North Main Street, Franklin. Sponsored by Japan-America Society of Indiana and Japan Information Center of Consulate General of Japan. Sixteen-year-old Kaoru suffers from a rare genetic disease in which exposure to direct sunlight could prove fatal. Unable to lead the life of a typical teenager, Kaoru is resigned to her fate, finding her only solace in performing as a nocturnal street musician. The safety of her solitary, insular world is jeopardized when she encounters and falls in love with Koji, who challenges her to confront the world in new ways.

I.U. Connects with University in Siberia

Mark Long (left) CEO of Indiana University’s Research and Technology Corp., discussed how academics transfer their research discoveries to the market in presentations at Tyumen State University in the Siberian region of Russia last month, according to an article in the Indianapolis Business Journal. In May, a delegation from Tyumen State University visited I.U., and another arrives in Indianapolis next month.