Indiana Tech to Recruit in China

As part of efforts to increase international enrollment, Indiana Tech reports it has entered an agreement with the Foundation for International Education to recruit students from China.

The Foundation for International Education (FIE) will recruit transfer students who have completed three years of post-secondary education in China and wish to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Indiana Tech, 1600 East Washington Boulevard, Fort Wayne, Indiana. FIE also will help identify qualified high school graduates with a similar interest, as well as potential partner universities for Indiana Tech. Under the terms of the agreement, FIE will be Indiana Tech’s sole representative in China for an initial, renewable period of 18 months.

Indiana Tech plans to recruit international students from a variety of countries by establishing articulation partnerships with colleges, developing recruitment agency agreements, and arranging exchange agreements with higher education institutions abroad. Such exchange agreements are intended to increase the university’s international enrollment, while also creating more study abroad opportunities for Indiana Tech students.

.

International Education Week

In celebration of International Education Week, program directors will be promoting their study abroad programs at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

An information table will be on the second floor of Cavanaugh Hall on the IUPUI campus from 15-18 November, where students can find out more information about programs traveling to India, China, France, Germany, Dominican Republic, South Korea, Greece, Canada and many more.

.

Unintentional Intolerance

Steve Robbins (pictured) will discuss "Unintentional Intolerance: What Nice People Need to Know" during a 3 p.m. event 17 November in 93 Auditorium at Eli Lilly and Company's corporate headquarters in Indianapolis.

Dr. Robbins, a diversity expert, notes that "cognitive flexibility and behavioral adaptability are necessary for navigating a 21st century world". A reception follows his presentation.

The event is sponsored by Lilly India Network, Eli Lilly Asian Network, Chinese Culture Network at Lilly, Middle Eastern Network at Lilly and the Asian-American Alliance of Indiana. For reservations, please send an email; deadline is 8 November.

.

Daniels Off to China and Japan

Governor Mitch Daniels will lead a delegation of Hoosier business leaders and elected officials on an economic development and jobs trip to China and Japan. This will be Daniels' second trip to China and fifth trip to Japan since 2005.

The governor will depart Indiana on 6 November, returning 17 November. He will travel in China from 7 to 13 November in Shanghai and Zhejiang (Indiana's Chinese sister-state), then go on to Japan from 14-17 November, where he will visit Nagoya and Tokyo.

(Photo of Hangzhou, China, courtesy of the governor's office -- from his 2009 trip)

.

Purdue Prof Shares Nobel Prize in Chemistry

This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded to Richard F. Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi and Akira Suzuki for the development of palladium-catalyzed cross coupling.

Ei-ichi Negishi (pictured) is a Japanese citizen who was born in 1935 in Changchun, China (then ruled by Japan). He received his Ph.D. in 1963 from University of Pennsylvania. He is the Herbert C. Brown Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University, West Lafayette.

.

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

.

Two Fishers Teachers Return from Asia

Two Fishers High School social studies teachers received grants from the Freedman Foundation to travel and study.

Jenna Bergren traveled to South Korea for ten days through the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. Her trip will include tours of the major cities as well as travel in some small villages.

Bob Hoffman attended a summer institute for secondary teachers sponsored by the Program for Teaching East Asia (TEA.) The week-long seminar explored a variety of topics related to the growing economic and political influence of China worldwide. The teachers will meet with specialists who will share diverse perspectives on a “Chinese Century.”

Participants will be conducting in-service sessions for fellow educators in their district and communities. Hoffman, for example, intends to work with the Fishers Sister Cities Organization to make new connections with its sister city of Binjang, China.

.

Purdue to Join Forces With Chinese Researchers

Purdue University's Center for the Environment and the Chinese Academy of Sciences are forming an environmental research partnership, reports Inside INdiana Business. Officials from both institutions will take part in a signing ceremony today to establish the China-U.S. Joint Research Laboratory on Sustainable Ecosystem. The partnership will create programs that offer opportunities for student, scholar and faculty exchange in research and study.

.

Westlane Students Traveled to China

Gretchen Becker reported on a trip by 32 Westlane Middle School students from Indianapolis who traveled to China 26 May through 5 June along with school staff and parents.

Unfortunately, the link to the online version has expired from the Indianapolis Star.

.

Chinese Environmental Group to Visit Indiana

Members of the China Environment Forum will be in northwest Indiana tomorrow (17 August), reports Inside INdiana Business. They will discuss initiatives to highlight environmental improvements in the region. The information gathered is expected to help the delegation deal with severe water pollution in China's Lake Tai.

The Northwest Indiana Forum and Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission in cooperation with the Indiana Wildlife Federation are hosting the gathering, which includes a Lake Michigan shoreline boat tour and afternoon environmental discussion.

China Environment Forum Background: In 2009 the Japan Foundation’s Center for Global Partnership awarded China Environment Forum (CEF) at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Washington, DC) and its partners—the Institute of Developing Economies (Japan) and the Center for Environmental Management and Policy at Nanjing University (China)—a grant to support a project that aims to build an American, Japanese and Chinese business, non-governmental units, research and government coalition to jointly explore multi-stakeholder strategies to address pollution problems in Lake Tai (China).

.

King Systems Gains China’s Regulatory Approval

King Systems received approval by the State Food and Drug Administration, P.R. China (SFDA) to sell its anesthesia, respiratory care, and airway management products in the Chinese marketplace, according to a news release from the Noblesville company.

During the product registration process, King Systems established a relationship with the Chinese based medical device company Beijing Gloryway Technology Co. Ltd.; and, once granted the formal Certificate of Registration entered an exclusive partnership with the company to distribute and sell King Systems’ products in China.

Through Gloryway, all of King Systems’ circuits, masks, and breathing bags and many of its airway devices are now available to over 1,700 targeted hospitals with a combined total of 8 million general anesthetic procedures a year.

King Systems, founded in 1977, is an international leader of quality anesthesia, airway management, and critical care products that manufactures and markets over 2,000 product configurations.


.

Chinese Furniture Manufacturer Opens Indiana Headquarters

Chinese furniture maker, Anji Yuankai Furniture Co., Ltd. ("Y.K. Furniture") will establish its United States headquarters in Marion. The company, which manufactures upholstered furniture, plans to invest $24.3 million to establish its first U.S. subsidiary, King's Group U.S.A., LLC, at 1500 South Western Avenue, Marion. The facility will house assembly and distribution operations for King's Group.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered King's Group up to $475,000 in performance-based tax credits. In addition, the IEDC will provide the city of Marion $200,000 from the Industrial Development Grant Fund toward road improvements needed at the site. The city of Marion has negotiated a favorable sale price to King's Group of the currently blighted 12-acre site in return for short term rehabilitation, new construction and job creation in concert with establishment of the "Global Marion Center" by King's Group to recruit more Chinese manufacturers.

.

Indiana Popcorn Sold in Chinese Movie Theaters

Noblesville-based Weaver Popcorn Company has signed an ongoing strategic partnership with Stellar Cinema Group of China, reports Inside INdiana Business. The announcement came as the movie theater company opened its 100th screen in China at an event attended by Indiana's delegation currently on a trade mission in the Asian country.

.

Indy Company Expands in China

An Indianapolis-based chemical company continues its initiative to expand an operation in China, according to Inside INdiana Business. Vertellus Specialties Inc. has announced plans to break ground on a new production unit at its facility in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. The company says the project will increase its manufacturing capacity for Vitamin B3 in China.

.

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.

.

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.

.

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.

.

Muncie Gets New Sister City

The formal signing of a memorandum between Muncie and Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China to become Sister Cities took place 22 April.

Zhejiang Province is Indiana's sister-state in China.

Zhuji City is located some 53 miles south of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, and some 118 miles southwest of Shanghai. The population of Zhuji City is 1.1 million people.

.

Columbus Opens Office in Shanghai

The Columbus Economic Development Board has announced the opening of a Trade Office in China. According to Inside INdiana Business, the board voted unanimously to enter into a contract for a representative trade office in Shanghai. Columbus is the first Hoosier community of its size to establish a trade office in China.

.

Chinese Representatives Due to Visit Marion

A recent trade mission to China by Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold could lead to more investment in the Grant County community, reports Inside INdiana Business. A group of Chinese officials from at least seven companies is expected to visit the city in May. The representatives are coming to Indiana as officials work to close a deal to bring a furniture manufacturer to Marion.

.