Southeast Asian Officials Coming to Purdue

Officials from several Southeast Asia universities will visit Purdue University on Monday (28 June) for a workshop on government-private sector partnerships and the role of intellectual property as an economic development tool, reports the Purdue News Bureau.

The campus event, hosted by Purdue's Discovery Park, is part of a two-week seminar on innovation and intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement supported by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The visit will include IP officials from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Journey Through Asia

A five-month celebration of the diversity of Asian cultures, languages and people is underway at the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Called Journey Through Asia, it includes paperfolding, folk dance, ceramics, calligraphy, puppetry, carving and music. For a complete schedule, check the calendar on the library's website.

For example, at 2 p.m. Saturday (20 March) in the Haughville branch, there'll be a class on carving mythical Burmese birds just for teens. For this event, call 317:275-4420.

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"A Poor Man Shames Us All"

Explore the alternative views of wealth and society that are exhibited in the lives of tribal cultures as seen in the film, "A Poor Man Shames Us All". Viewers journey from a New York ad agency to the jungles of Indonesia and the plains of Kenya to see how Western views of wealth and economic needs have created a society of strangers in the midst of material riches, while tribal cultures such as the Weyewa of Indonesia and the Gabra of Kenya create economies of dependency on others and measure wealth through people, not possessions. The showing will be at 6 p.m. Thursday (28 January) in the Lilly Auditorium of University Library at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, 755 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis.

After the screening, Ian McIntosh of the IUPUI Office of International Affairs will lead a discussion of this film by David Mabury-Lewis. The event, part of Partnership Africa at IUPUI is co-sponsored by the IUPUI Common Theme Project.

Partnership Africa is a year-long series of lectures, films, performances, exhibits, and video conferences focused on a part of the world with which IUPUI has strong connections, done in collaboration with colleagues, students, and public figures from that country or region.

UPDATE: This screening has been postponed; no date has been announced.

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Global Design Thailand Service Learning Project

A group of six students from Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis traveled to Thailand this summer for a service-learning project led by Jan Cowan, Associate Professor in the Architectural Technology Program in the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology, and assisted by Timothy Diemer, the school's director of international services, who has wide experience in Thailand.

The IUPUI group's current project is the design for renovation of a traditional canal-side market, reports the IUPUI News Center.

Five of the IUPUI students represent the school's Design and Communication Technology Department: Amy Clifford, Mary Jensen, Stephanie Richard, Chris Savoy and Yodit Weldu. A sixth student, Steve Lingg, comes to the group from the school's program in Computer Graphics Technology and serves as the group's multimedia specialist.

Rajamangala University of Technology in Thanyaburi [RMUTT] is the partner institution in Thailand. The protocol for cooperation between IUPUI and RMUTT was established when a general agreement for cooperation was signed in 2005.

The 2009 Thai project is an activity of Global Design Studio, an international network of students who apply their skills in architecture, interior design, and related fields in service to communities in need. Jan Cowan and his colleague Cluny Way created Global Design Studio in 2004 as a platform for international service-learning projects. In addition to the 2009 Thailand project, Global Design Studio has existing or recent projects in Indonesia, New Orleans, Canada, Hawaii, and Indiana.

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Asian Festival Scheduled for 10 May

The Asian American Alliance, Inc., and Indy's Garfield Park will host the first-ever Asian Festival on 10 May. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., you can sample food and buy merchandise from vendors from all over Asia – China, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, India and Indonesia – all under one roof in Garfield Park.

Artwork of Asian artists in Indianapolis will also be on display at the Garfield Arts Center. Plus, cultural entertainment and activities will be offered throughout the day. Admission is free.

The festival is held in conjunction with the Asian Pacific-American Heritage Month, the month of May, as designated by the United States Congress.

Almost 5,000 Foreign Students Attend Purdue

Purdue ranks second among all public institutions in international enrollment, and is third in the nation among all institutions, according to the Institute of International Education.

Of the 4,831 international students enrolled at Purdue in the current academic year, there are 1,021 students from India, followed by China (782), South Korea (680), Taiwan (222) and Indonesia (221).

(information from Purdue University)