Indianapolis Prize Announced

Save the Elephants founder Iain Douglas-Hamilton (center in photo) has been named the 2010 recipient of the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. In recognition for his
lifetime achievements, Dr. Douglas-Hamilton will receive $100,000 and the Lilly Medal at a gala ceremony 25 September at The Westin Hotel, Indianapolis.

Born in Dorset, England, Douglas-Hamilton grew up in Constantia, Cape Town, South Africa, attended Gordonstoun School in Scotland and received his bachelor’s degree and doctorate from the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. He currently works and resides in Nairobi, Kenya.

In 1993, Douglas-Hamilton founded Save the Elephants (STE) in Northern Kenya, in order to create an effective and flexible nonprofit dedicated specifically to elephants. The organization works to sustain elephant populations and preserve the habitats in which elephants are found, while at the same time fostering a heightened appreciation and visibility for elephants and their often fragile existence.

The biennial $100,000 Indianapolis Prize represents the largest individual monetary award for animal conservation in the world and is given as an unrestricted gift to the chosen honoree. The Indianapolis Prize was initiated by the Indianapolis Zoo as a significant component of its mission to empower people and communities, both local and global, to advance animal conservation. This biennial award brings the world’s attention to the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spend their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species.

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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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Ye banks and braes of bonny Doon, How can ye bloom so fresh and fair...

Yes, it's that time of year again when Scots worldwide pay homage to their favorite bard, Robert Burns!

The 28th Annual Burns Supper sponsored by the Scottish American Club starts at 6 p.m. 31 January in Ritz Charles, Carmel. Tickets range from $15 to 55. For information, contact Marguerite Hendrie, 317:872-8179.

The evening starts with a complimentary whiskey tasting, cheese and fruit plate, and gourmet dinner followed by a traditional Burns Supper program and songs of Burns by Pat Grant. A lively ceilidh completes the evening with performances by the Indiana Caledonia Pipe Band, exhibition of Highland dancing, and Scottish Country dancing for all. There will be a special children's program during the formal speeches and a silent auction.

Burns penned "Auld Lang Syne" and is also responsible for "the best laid schemes o' mice and men", "my love is like a red red rose" and other familiar refrains.

To get in the mood, surf on over to some poetry sites and recite a bit of Rabbie Burns yourself!

Scots Visit Indiana

A delegation of business, community, and government leaders from the Dumfries-Galloway Region of Scotland began a tour of the state last Monday (15 October) to learn about the Hoosier state's rural development strategy. They head back across the pond tomorrow (20 October). Hosts here include the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Rural Development (USDA RD).

AGROW Award to Indy's Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences has been named a winner in one category and as a finalist in four other categories in the AGROW awards competition, which honors corporate and individual excellence in the crop protection and production industry.

Winners, named on 16 October in Glasgow, Scotland, included Dow AgroSciences' innovative EcoZome™ new century formulation technology as the 2007 Best Formulation Innovation. Other entries from Dow AgroSciences that were nominated in the following categories and named as finalists are: Product Stewardship and Risk Mitigation for ProFume® Fumigant – Best Stewardship Program; Aminopyralid-containing Herbicides – Best New Crop Protection Product; Spinetoram – Most Innovative Chemistry, and Agricultural Science Outreach Tours – Best Public Program.

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is an agricultural company providing crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seed, and agricultural biotechnology solutions. Global sales for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, are $3.4 billion.

Dr. Hendrie Receives Award for Geriatric Psychiatry

Scotland native Hugh Hendrie (left), M.B., Ch.B., D.Sc., has been honored with the prestigious Jack Weinberg Memorial Award for Geriatric Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association. He received the award at the 2007 APA National Meeting in San Diego on 21 May, according to the I.U. News Bureau.

The Jack Weinberg award was established in 1983 in honor of the late Jack Weinberg, M.D., past president of the APA and a pioneer in the field of geriatric psychiatry. The annual award honors a psychiatrist who has demonstrated special leadership or who has done outstanding work in clinical practice, training, or research initiatives in geriatric psychiatry anywhere in the world.

Hendrie, who served as chairman of the IU School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry from 1975 to 2000, is an internationally respected researcher in psychogeriatrics and the epidemiology of dementia. His work focuses on risk factors for Alzheimer's disease and other aging-related brain diseases, especially in African-Americans and Africans. While chairman he developed and also directed a section of geriatric psychiatry, one of the first in the United States.

Hendrie received his M.B., Ch.B. and D.Sc. from the University of Glasgow. He also holds a diploma in psychiatry from the University of Manitoba and a M.S. from Wayne State University in Detroit.

Hendrie is a past President of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry and the Geriatric Psychiatry Alliance and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Psychiatry, as well as a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.

Go to Scotland with University Professors!

Indiana University Kokomo professors Robert Strikwerda and Terri Bourus are collaborating with Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis professor Erik Lindseth to take students, alumni and community members to Scotland 23 July - 3 August.

IU Kokomo and IUPUI students going on the trip must take one of several classes that will be held on their respective campuses during the second summer session prior to departure.

Students may choose from three classes including H399 and F200: "Tartans, Bagpipes, and Cloned Sheep; L383: "Early Scottish Literature, Shakespeare, and Macbeth," and H425: "The Scotland of Mary, Queen of Scots."

The trip includes a visit to Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Culloden near Inverness, and Glasgow. Travelers will visit Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument, Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood House, Linlithgow Palace, Loch Leven, Dunfirmline Castle and Dryburgh Abbey, to name only a few.

The deadline is 20 March. Here are the details.

Indianapolis Liederkranz' Cabaret Series

The next cabaret evening at the Liederkranz, 1417 East Washington Street, Indianapolis, stars Patrick Grant. His "Songs of My Homeland" will feature music from Ireland and Scotland.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, 10 March, with food and drink available for purchase.

Tickets for the show, starting at 7:30 p.m., are $12. To purchase, call Mrs. Chandler, 317:782-9216.

Ye banks and braes of bonny Doon, How can ye bloom so fresh and fair...

If you hear poetry wafting through the ether this weekend, don't fret.

It's just the Scots gearing up for their annual Burns Suppers. There are three scheduled in central Indiana this weekend.

The Scottish American Club of Indiana will salute the bard at 6 p.m. Saturday in Ritz Charles, Carmel. The Scottish Society of Greater Bloomington holds its celebration Saturday in the Indiana Memorial Union, Bloomington. The 42nd Royal Highlanders hold their annual Burns Dinner on Saturday at Judy's Place in Lafayette. (See the Nationalities Council's calendar for more on these and other events.

Burns penned "Auld Lang Syne" and is also responsible for "the best laid schemes o' mice and men", "my love is like a red red rose" and other familiar refrains.

To get in the mood, surf on over to some poetry sites and recite a bit of Rabbie Burns yourself!