Lilly to Unveil Several Studies in Canada

According to Inside INdiana Business, Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Company will present 14 studies involving its osteoporosis medications at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research annual meeting, which begins today in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The drugmaker will share data about Forteo and Evista.

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Oscar Arias to Speak at DePauw

Oscar Arias (pictured), a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and two-time president of Costa Rica, will visit the campus of DePauw University in Greencastle on 8 December. Arias, who stepped down as president five months ago and is known as a crusader for peace, will discuss "Moral Leadership in Today's World."

The program begins at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium, located in DePauw's Green Center for the Performing Arts (605 South College Avenue, Greencastle). The speech is presented free of admission charge and the public is invited.

Dr. Arias served two terms as Costa Rica's president, first leading the country from 1986 to 1990 and then returning to the presidency from 2006 until his term ended86174 in May of this year. In 1987, he authored what came to be known as the Arias Peace Plan, an initiative that led to the end of military conflicts in five Central American countries. His efforts led to his being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on 10 December 1987.

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McRobbie Becomes U.S. Citizen

Indiana University President Michael McRobbie has been sworn in as a U.S. citizen, reports Inside INdiana Business. The Australian has been in the U.S. for more than a decade and was named IU president in 2007. His three college-age children, who were born in Australia, also took the oath of citizenship.

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Native American Frybread Cook-Off

The Native American Frybread Cook-Off and Round Dance is set for 1-3 p.m. 7 November at Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, 500 West Washington Street, Indianapolis.

Learn about the history of frybread and the many variations that exist within Native American cultures while you watch participants battle it out for the Golden Frybread Award. Sample frybread and cast your vote for the People's Choice Award. Guest judge, Chef Nephi Craig (White Mountain Apache/Navajo) will select the Judges Choice award.

Following the competition, join Tony Showa (Navajo) in a round dance to celebrate community.

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Electric Vehicles Confab

Members of the United Kingdom’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders will meet with American electric vehicle manufacturers next week to discuss potential investment opportunities. Representatives will be in Indiana from 10-12 October.

The UK summit, sponsored by Ice Miller, Indianapolis Power and Light and Purdue University, will allow representatives from UK-based electric vehicle developers and manufacturers to meet with Indiana-based manufacturers in the industry to share information and discuss potential partnerships in areas including powertrain technology, battery management, infrastructure engineering and testing.

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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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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.

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First, Japan; Next, Germany

The Indiana State Fair will spotlight Germany in the International Pavilion at next year's state fair. German heritage throughout the Hoosier state will be highlighted. It's estimated that at least 1/4 of all Hoosiers claim some German heritage.

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Taiwnese Group Visits Indiana This Week

On Tuesday (5 October), a delegation from Taiwanese DDGS (dried distillers grains – a co-product of the ethanol industry) and grain buyers will be visiting the farm of David and Mary Howell of Middletown. In addition to the morning farm visit, the Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) is hosting a welcome reception for the group and local leaders in Muncie that evening.

The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) is sponsoring the Taiwanese delegation on a tour of Ohio and Indiana prior to the USGC-Export Exchange Conference in Chicago. David Howell serves as chairman of the Asia Advisory Team of U.S. Grains Council, as well as a farmer-director of the Indiana Corn Marketing Council. The group will also be touring the POET ethanol facility in Alexandria and Rydman & Fox, a farm fertilizer service and grain elevator in Anderson.

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It's Almost International Festival Time in Indy!

Plans are well underway for the next International Festival. It's set for 18-21 November in the West Pavilion of the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 1202 East 38th Street, Indianapolis.

Hours for school groups and other student tours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both 18 and 19 November. The festival's open to the public from 2 to 9 p.m. 19 November, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 20 November and noon to 6 p.m. 21 November.

Come see the world without leaving home (and bring your appetite: there'll be authentic, traditional cuisine from around the globe).

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Indy’s Ethnic Heritage

"Indy’s Ethnic Heritage", the 15th annual genealogy conference, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 13 November in the Indianapolis Senior Center, 708 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis. It's sponsored by the Genealogical Society of Marion County.

Cost (which can be paid at the door) is $30. To register, send an email to GSMC-Indiana@Comcast.net.

Among the topics are Native Americans in Indy, German-American Landmarks of Indianapolis, Scottish and Scots-Irish in Indiana, Ethnic Populations of Indy and the Roman Catholic heritage of Indianapolis.

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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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Indiana Looks to Grow India Connection

Some Indiana business and community leaders say enhancing economic ties with India could mean big business for the state, reports Inside INdiana Business. Thursday (23 September), Indianapolis law firm Barnes & Thornburgh LLP convened a meeting with more than two dozen Indian executives and Hoosier business leaders representing technology, energy, education and manufacturing. The goal is to help increase business between Indiana and the Asian nation.

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Valpo Joins Internationalization Project

Valparaiso University has been asked to join a national organization focused on internationalization efforts, reports Inside INdiana Business.

The school is one of eight institutions invited to be a part of the American Council on Education's 2010-2011 Internationalization Laboratory Cohort. Valparaiso will help develop strategies for campus internationalization by forming campus leadership teams to work on strategic planning and student outcomes. It will also attend three community meetings in Washington, D.C. and conduct site visits and peer reviews.

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PowWow This Weekend

The 15th Annual Gathering of the People (Native American) PowWow opens at 10 a.m. tomorrow and Sunday on the VCCC Club Grounds, 10382 Grotto Road, Terre Haute.

It's sponsored by Vigo County Conservation Club.

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10th Celebration of Indy's Diversity

The Indianapolis Mayor’s Office is accepting applications for the 10th Annual Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards. The awards will be presented on 21 January to businesses and organizations throughout Marion County that embrace, celebrate, and apply holistic inclusion and participation of a diverse people, making the workplace a better environment in which to work and the community a better place in which to live, work and raise a family.

(The Nationalities Council of Indiana received its diversity award from Mayor Bart Peterson in 2003.)

Recognition will be given for outstanding performance, in one or all of the following four categories: Community Relations - Activities that encourage and support diversity in the community; Development - Opportunities for diversity strategies within the organization; Leadership – Vision develops and supports
diversity strategies throughout the organization; Workforce Diversity – Diversity representation in the workplace.

Also, the top award given is the special Sam H. Jones Award, named in honor of the first president of the Indianapolis Urban League, who was a tireless advocate for peace, justice and racial understanding. It recognizes a business or organization with exemplary performance in all four categories, the “Best of the Best”.

Nomination forms are available online or by calling 317:327-5091. Nominations may be submitted online or postmarked by 4 p.m. 21 October.

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Today is Fiesta Time in Indy

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Arzberg, Germany, visits its Sister City in Indiana

South Bend Mayor Steve Luecke, Common Council Members, and community representatives met with a delegation from South Bend's Sister City today in the Mayor's Office, reports Inside INdiana Business.

South Bend formed a Sister City relationship with Arzberg in 2005. This year's delegation includes new Mayor Stephan Gocking, former Mayor Winfried Geppert and his wife Anne-Marie.

Other members of the delegation include Arzberg City Council Member Baroness Silvia von Waldenfels, City Council Member Roland Koffmane and Christa Koffmane, Adam Seyferth, former mayor of neighboring Thiersheim and Dagmar Seyferth, Thomas Zeitler, member of the city administration, Ingrid Eisenkolb and son Dr. Alexander Eisenkolb, Karl-Heintz Freina and Heide Freina and daughter Kathrin, Horst Gebhardt, trip organizer Jurgen Stowasser, and from North Carolina, Oscar and Ingrid Dobereiner. The delegation will be in South Bend through Sunday.

The connection between South Bend and Arzberg is more than 150 years old, the mayor notes. Throughout South Bend, there are reminders of that heritage, from the former Muessel Brewery to the local Zion Church, Muessel School and Elbel Golf Course.

Gabrielle Robinson, former Director of International Programs at Indiana University South Bend has been the driving force in establishing this relationship, and organizing the activities and exchanges that have happened to date. She is also the author of German Settlers of South Bend, and worked with the Center for History and other sources to develop a comprehensive history of the South Bend German immigrants.

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Kinder Lernen Deutsch

German classes will be offered again this academic year to first-grade children at Valparaiso University's Kade-Duesenberg German House and Cultural Center.

Beginning 27 September and ending on 25 April, Valpo's "Kinder lernen Deutsch" classes emphasize learning German through fun activities, games and songs, and are taught by undergraduate students of German.

The weekly classes meet for one hour, beginning at 4 p.m., for a total of 19 sessions.

Jennifer Bjornstad, associate professor of foreign languages and literatures and director of the German House, supervises the program and said approximately 300 children have enrolled in "Kinder lernen Deutsch" over the past decade.

Children who begin taking German in the first-grade program can continue for two additional years in "Kinder lernen Deutsch." In fourth and fifth grades, children then have the option of continuing their German or starting a new language in the "Bridges to World Languages" program, a separate after-school program offered by Valparaiso Community Schools in partnership with Valparaiso University.

Registration will continue until the class is full. To register a child, call 219:548-1569 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The registration fee for the full year is $60 and is due on the first day of class.

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Ugandan Healthcare

Bill Flavin (center in photo), an undergraduate student in biochemistry at University of Notre Dame, South Bend, was given the opportunity to conduct research in Uganda this summer.

His three-week research project was funded and organized in partnership with the Ford Family Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity as part of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies.

After spending the past three summers researching in the Digestive Diseases Research Core Center at the University of Chicago Medical Center, Flavin decided to focus his research in Uganda on enteric and diarrheal diseases caused by impure water, as a consequence of extreme systematic poverty and grassroots economic growth and development. In addition to researching the healthcare system, Flavin also spent time working with local businesses and schools to address the issues.

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