Indiana's International Festivals

Major thanks to the F.C. Tucker Company of Indianapolis for publishing a brochure the Nationalities Council of Indiana has been trying to get funded and printed for decades! "International Festivals", mailed to its extensive list this week, includes details on sixteen different cultural celebrations around the state, from "Taste of Noble County Ethnic Festival" on 17 May in Ligonier to our very own International Festival 20-23 November in Indianapolis (all the festivals -- and more -- are on our calendar). As it says in the brochure, "We embrace our mixture of heritages and ethnicities with annual city festivals that feature crafts, entertainment, demonstrations, parades, and, most of all, food (because Hoosiers have never met a cuisine that wasn't worth celebrating!)." Next time you see a Tucker agent, say thanks!

Festivals included (in chronological order): Taste of Noble County Ethnic Festival (17 May), Dragons on the Ohio (6-7 June), Indiana Highland Games (14 June), International Festival of Arts and Culture (14 June), Oldenburg Freudenfest (18-19 June), Middle Eastern Festival (18-20 June), Swiss Days (24-26 July), Pierogi Festival (25-27 July), Jasper Strassenfest (31 July-3 August), Schweizer Fest (4-10 August), Swiss Wine Festival (21-24 August), Little Italy Festival (29 August-1 September), Greek Festival (5-6 September), Columbus Scottish Festival (13-14 September), Seymour Oktoberfest (2-4 October) and Indy's International Festival (20-23 November). Of course, there are many more ethnic festivals than these in Indiana, but this brochure is a great start!)

China Business 2008: Expanding Opportunities for U.S. Companies

Minister Xie Feng, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China to the United States will be the keynote speaker for a seminar on 26 March titled "China Business 2008: Expanding Opportunities for U.S. Companies".

Sponsored by the Indiana District Export Council, the seminar takes place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 409 of the Campus Center at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, 420 University Boulevard, Indianapolis. Fee is $75 per person or $65 for two people from the same company.

Opening Remarks are planned for 8:30 a.m. by Dr. Zao C. Xu, professor at Indiana University School of Medicine at IUPUI and executive director of the newly established Confucius Institute of Indianapolis.

For more information, contact Mark Cooper, 317:582-2300 or 317:294-0242. Cooper is Director of the Indiana Export Assistance Center of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

New Global Leaders Network at IU

Indiana University has announced formation of a Global Leaders Network at IU's Kelley School of Business.

It will be funded by a gift from Fred G. Steingraber (pictured), a 1960 IU graduate who was chairman and chief executive officer of A.T. Kearney. Steingraber's gift provides $1.5 million in funding for GLN, which will consist of a worldwide network of business leaders and experts who will provide timely insight and unique commentary on a wide range of global business issues.

The GLN, initially implemented through the Kelley School's online MBA program, Kelley Direct, will provide learning resources for students in all Kelley School programs. Ultimately, the GLN will provide a global expert knowledge network that will serve alumni, students, faculty, business leaders, corporations and other IU programs.

The second part of the $2 million gift from Steingraber will dedicate $500,000 to provide resources for students aspiring to a career in management consulting by supporting Kelley's burgeoning consulting academy, institute and workshop.

International Interfaith Symposium

An innovative series of programs kicks off tomorrow evening with “Stories and Photos from the Middle East, 1978-2003”, a presentation by Bill Foley, photojournalist, at 7 p.m. in Marian College's Allison Mansion.

The event, titled “International Interfaith Symposium”, kicks into high gear on Wednesday (19 March), with all events in the Campus Center at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

The first speaker (2 p.m.) is Klaus Martin Finzel, founder of the International Interfaith Initiative, followed by Giles Hoyt (discussing German philanthropist Mas Kade), Robert J. Helfenbein (on faith and civil society), Bill Foley and others discussing the Middle East, Shaw Towfighi (Persian New Year), Henry Cole (citizen diplomacy), Ref. Felipe Martinez and John Clark (Hispanic America).

Thursday’s (20 March) packed schedule, also in the Campus Center of IUPUI, begins with a youth dialogue (10 a.m.) and continues through the day with Dr. Chalmer Thompson, Ayumi Suzuki, Terry Morris-Downs, Sally Brown, Michael Greven, Charlie Wiles, Dr. Kevin Logan and more.

A film festival and book discussions will take place on Friday and Saturday (21-22 March). Exhibits will be open on the fourth floor of IUPUI’s Campus Center between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. All events are free and open to the public.

The complete schedule is here. For more information, see website or call Charlie McDonald, 317:283-2730.

International Interfaith Initiative is a collaborative effort between Indiana University School of Education’s Center for Urban and Multicultural Education, Peace Learning Center, Max Kade German American Center, Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, and members of the Indianapolis community - all working toward the realization of the vision to create a network that facilitates and initiates interfaith cooperation to strengthen civil society.

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.

"Sisters of the Good Death" at IU

Documentary filmmaker Yoruba Richen will visit Indiana University and speak at a screening of her new documentary, Sisters of the Good Death, according to the IU News Bureau.

Sisters of the Good Death (see photo) follows the filmmaker's journey to the town of Cachoeira in northeastern Brazil to uncover the origins of a three-day Catholic festival that has taken place for more than 200 years. A celebration of emancipation from slavery in the Americas, the festival mixes Catholicism with the Afro-Brazilian religion of Candomblé, freedom, women's resistance and Afro-Brazilian culture.

The film and Richen's presentation will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday (19 March) in Room 111 of Woodburn Hall, 1100 East Seventh Street, Bloomington. It is being presented by African American and African Diaspora Studies, the Black Film Center Archives and the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.

Another Canadian Link for Indy

According to Inside INdiana Business, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co. has reached a licensing and collaboration agreement with Transition Therapeutics Inc. The Canadian company specializes in an emerging class of potential disease-modifying therapies for diabetes patients. The agreement gives Lilly exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the therapies.

The Middle East in Stories and Photos

“Stories and Photos from the Middle East, 1978-2003,” is the topic for a talk by Bill Foley (left) at Marian College in Indianapolis.

Foley is an award-winning photojournalist who grew up in Indianapolis and has worked in 47 countries over the last 30 years, including nine years in Cairo and Beirut. His series on the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacres earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1983.

Foley’s talk, at 7 p.m. 18 March in the college's Allison Mansion, is sponsored by The Richard G. Lugar Franciscan Center for Global Studies at Marian College, in conjunction with the International Interfaith Initiative, and is part of the Global Studies Speaker Series.

The event is free and open to the public; registration is required.

The event is part of the 2008 International Interfaith Symposium, “Faith, Civil Society, and International Relations,” which will take place 19-22 March at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Presentation on African Chimpanzees at UIndy

An anthropologist who is making headlines with her pioneering studies of African primates will speak on 28 March at the University of Indianapolis.

Jill Pruetz (right) shattered preconceptions about animal intelligence by documenting a group of chimpanzees in Senegal that use deliberately sharpened sticks to spear small mammals hiding in tree hollows, according to UIndy. Before she and a colleague published their observations last year, the use of tools to hunt vertebrate animals was thought to be an exclusively human ability.

An associate professor of anthropology at Iowa State University, Pruetz will discuss her work in a free public presentation at 7 p.m. 28 March in UIndy’s Ransburg Auditorium, 1400 East Hanna Avenue, Indianapolis.

Purdue Biomass Refineries in Iraq

According to the Associated Press, the United States Army is preparing to deploy to Iraq two four-ton biomass refineries designed to turn piles of trash into electricity. Each can run for 20 hours on a ton of trash, producing enough power to light a small village.

The novel machines were built by defense contractors and Purdue University scientists, the AP reports, as part of the Army's push to reduce troops' diesel fuel use in Iraq.

Concert in German at Second Pres

Alan Bennett (pictured) sings the role of Evangelist in Sunday's performance of "The Passion of St. John" by Johann Sebastian Bach in Second Presbyterian Church. The concert, sung in German, begins at 6 p.m. in the church, 7700 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis.

Mr. Bennett, associate professor in the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, also has an active career in oratorio, recital and opera. Also performing are the Sanctuary Choir, other soloists, and the Festival Orchestra.

Bionanotechnology and Pharmaceuticals

Researchers from Purdue University will join colleagues from the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology in India next week for a symposium that is expected to draw more than 100 researchers and students from across the globe.

"Bionanotechnology and Pharmaceuticals: A Glimpse into the Future" takes place Thursday and Friday (13-14 March) in Hyderabad. Lectures, a panel discussion on transforming pharmaceutical manufacturing, and a poster session for students and researchers are planned.

Pankaj Sharma (pictured), associate director for operations and international affairs at Purdue's Discovery Park and associate professor of industrial technology, is co-organizer of the conference.

Funding for the event is provided by Discovery Park, Oncological Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, Asian Research Initiative, Office of the Vice President for Research at Purdue as well as the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, the Department of Science and Technology, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research and the government of India.

"Coming to America" Feature in The Indianapolis Star

Marred only by its selection of three immigrants from one demographic, Dan McFeely of The Indianapolis Star has penned a provocative front page piece on immigration to Indy in today's newspaper.

Check it out here, at least as long as The Star lets the public access the site! (Photo, at right, by The Star's Matt Detrich, shows Juvenal Gamarra, who emigrated from Peru.)

Internationalizing the Curriculum at IUPUI

A symposium on "Internationalizing the Curriculum at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis" is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 20 March in Room 409 of the IUPUI Campus Center.

The prospectus notes, "IUPUI is dedicated to graduating students who understand and function well in the globally interdependent world of the 21st century. We will offer practical suggestions to bring international perspectives into yout courses, cover current internationalization efforts at IUPUI, and provide resources to leverage IUPUI’s international partnerships in your classrooms and research."

This event is cosponsored by the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning and the IUPUI Office of International Affairs.

Click here for registration information.

Presenters are Susan Buck Sutton, David Jan Cowan, Albert Ho and E. Angeles Martínez Mier. Dr. Sutton (pictured) is Associate Vice President for International Programs at Indiana University and Associate Vice Chancellor of International Affairs at IUPUI. Dr. Cowan is the Director and an Assistant Professor in the Architectural Technology Program within the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI.
Dr. Ho is an associate professor of the School of Public & Environmental Affairs at IUPUI. Dr. Mier is an Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry at Indiana University School of Dentistry at IUPUI.

Indiana University-Kenya Partnership Honored

The International Center of Indianapolis announced today (7 March) that it will honor the Indiana University-Kenya Partnership as the recipient of its annual International Citizen of the Year Award, to be presented in September. In addition, ICI will recognize other as yet unnamed organizations and groups that have an Indiana-Kenya tie and meet the recognition committee’s criteria.

Immersion Spanish Institutes

A series of immersion Spanish institutes will be held next week by Continuing Studies of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis.

Beginning, level II and level III will be held concurrently from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday (10 March) through Friday (14 March)in Community Life and Learning Center, 515 East Main Street, Carmel. Fee is $559.

"Spanish Conversation: A 3-Day Immersion" will take place at the center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday-Friday (12-14 March). Fee is $339.

For registration, contact Continuing Studies, 317:278-7600.

Purdue as Hub for Global Collaboration

Purdue University President France Córdova (right) said Purdue needs to continue what it has been doing and serve as a hub for global innovations and collaboration, according to Inside INdiana Business. She said such a role helps open new markets for the state, while attracting talent and access to new opportunities.

"We are working to increase the number of U.S. students at Purdue who take part in all types of international experiences, especially formal learning experiences abroad directly related to their profession," she said. "After spring break next week, our College of Engineering will have had 193 students in foreign universities this year. The percentage of Purdue Engineering students in study abroad is twice the national average and is growing at four times the national rate."

She made the comments during a speech to the Economic Club of Indianapolis today (6 March).

Economics and the Commercialization of German Heritage

The monthly programs of the Indiana German Heritage Society are open to the public at no charge. The topic for March is a provocative one: "Economics and the Commercialization of German Heritage". Presenter is Brian Greer, a student of German and history at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis, who will discuss how communities have utilized their German heritage to achieve touristic success while building community spirit.

The program begins at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (12 March) in the Athenaeum/Das Deutsche Haus, 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis. Those who'd like to participate in an informal, no-host dinner will gather for a Stammtisch in the Rathskeller Restaurant at the Athenaeum at 6:30 p.m.

For information on this meeting and/or the Indiana German Heritage Society, contact Giles Hoyt, 317:274-2330.

German-American heritage in DuBois County, Indiana, will be explored during the 24th annual meeting and symposium to be held 14-15 March in Jasper. Cooperating groups are the IGHS, Jasper Deutscher Verein, Sister Cities of Jasper, Inc., and the Jasper Partnership Commission.

Supplying Japanese Customers

"Becoming an Effective Supplier to Japanese Customers: Successful Strategies for Doing Business with the Japanese" is a seminar to help American companies that are interested in supplying to Japanese companies understand how cultural and business practices affect their ability to break into this market segment.

Sponsored by the Japan-America Society of Indiana in partnership with Japan Intercultural Consulting, the seminar will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 28 March in the 5th floor auditorium of Barnes & Thornburg LLP, 11 South Meridian Street, Indianapolis. Instructor is Gary Jamison, Consultant, Japan Intercultural Consulting.

The fee for JASI members is $195; members of the public may attend for $275; attendance is limited to 50. Registration information is here.

The Japan-America Society of Indiana, a member of the Nationalities Council of Indiana, is a not-for-profit cultural and educational organization whose mission is to serve as a bridge of friendship between the people of Indiana and Japan.

Peerless Pump Buys Canadian Company.

Peerless Pump Company, which has its corporate offices in Indianapolis, announced today (3 March 2008)that it has acquired Flometrico of Burlington, Ontario.