Indy's New Director of Latino Affairs

Carolin Requiz Smith (right) will be director of Latino affairs in the administration of Indianapolis Mayor-elect Greg Ballard, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal. Requiz Smith is director of the office of minority health for the Indiana State Department of Health, as well as executive board member for the Indiana Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs.

Foreign Investment in Indiana

This map shows the location of foreign investment in Indiana. Below the map is a detailed list of this investment, and where each company can be found on the map.

Terri Morris Downs named Executive Director of Immigrant Welcome Center

The Immigrant Welcome Center, a not-for-profit program that connects immigrants to resources and services in Indianapolis, has named Terri Morris Downs as its first Executive Director. The centerpiece to the Immigrant Welcome Center is a volunteer program known as Natural Helpers. The program recruits recent immigrants to share information at a grassroots level on how to access services for basic needs, such as health care, government, transportation and employment. Natural Helpers can be anyone in the neighborhood or community who has demonstrated leadership abilities and a first-hand understanding of the challenges facing those entering a new country and community. The Immigrant Welcome Center currently has 12 Natural Helpers with home countries ranging from Mexico, Ethiopia and Venezuela to Senegal, India and Burma. Through contributions from the Efroymson Fund, a CICF fund; The Clowes Fund, Inc.; and individual donors, the Immigrant Welcome Center provides Natural Helpers with formal training on topics ranging from accessing community resources to supporting immigrants in a crisis or difficult situation. Beginning 2 January, the center will be located at 2236 East Tenth Street, Indianapolis. For more, click here.

International Center Gets Lilly Grant

The International Center of Indianapolis recently received a $300,000 grant from Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment to be used for current and future services provided by the non-profit organization, reports Inside INdiana Business. Part of the award is based upon the endowment matching gifts from other donors up to a total of $100,000. Earlier this month, ICI reported that it received a $25,000 grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. The funds will be used to enhance the Center’s ability to provide educational materials and "cultural" training about U.S. citizenship and immigrant naturalization for Indianapolis area school children.

Emmis Adds Bulgarian Radio Chain

Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corporation announced it has acquired Inforadio, a national radio chain broadcasting in 13 Bulgarian cities, according to Indianapolis Business Journal. Balkan Broadcasting EAD, an Emmis subsidiary, purchased 100 percent of the stations' parent company, Infopress & Company OOD, a Bulgarian limited liability company. Emmis International also owns and operates national stations or networks in Belgium (Be One), Hungary (Slager Radio), and Slovakia (Radio Expres).

Nigerian Author to Speak at Butler University

Chris Abani (pictured), will speak about his writing at 7:30 p.m. 9 April 2008 in the Reilly Room of Atherton Union at Butler University. Abani, from Nigeria, wrote his first novel at 16. Two years later he was imprisoned on the grounds that this work had served as a blueprint for the failed coup of General Vatsa. His experiences as a political prisoner and of civil war in his homeland under Abacha's rule are articulated in a highly personal and explicit way in his work and in his speaking. His prose includes Song For Night (2007), The Virgin of Flames (2007) and Becoming Abigail (2006). He is a professor at the University of California, Riverside. Abani's presentation is part of the Spring 2008 Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series at Butler. All events are free and open to the public; no tickets are required. For more information, call 317:940-9861.

Canada's Ag Growth Industries Comes to Union City

Canada-based grain handling equipment manufacturer Ag Growth Industries has announced the company's plans to locate a new manufacturing facility in Union City, with plans to create more than 70 new jobs by 2010. The company, which manufactures and distributes augers, conveyors, grain storage bins and other grain handling equipment, will locate its new operations in the 163,000 square-foot former Union City Body Company building on the city's west side. The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Ag Growth up to $475,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to $70,000 in training grants based upon the company's job creation plans. The City of Union City and Randolph County have committed to provide the company property tax abatement and each have committed up to $100,000 in grants to the company. Ag Growth is a leading manufacturer of portable and stationary grain handling, storage and conditioning equipment, including augers, belt conveyors, grain storage bins, grain handling accessories and grain aeration equipment. Ag Growth's sales, marketing, and distribution system includes approximately 1,400 dealers and distributors in 48 states and nine provinces.

Belarus Poet to Speak at Butler

Valzhyna Mort (right) will speak at 7:30 p.m. 27 March in the Krannert Room of Clowes Memorial Hall as part of Butler University's spring 2008 Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series. According to Blue Flower Arts, "Valzhyna Mort was born Valzhyna Martynava in 1981 in Minsk, Belarus. At 26, as a poet and translator, her work has been translated into many European languages, the most recent being a book in Swedish, released in 2007. She has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies, including an Anthology of Belarusian Poetry (Sofia, 2002). Her first Book, Factory of Tears, is forthcoming by Copper Canyon Press in the spring of 2008, co-translated with Franz Wright. Valzhyna is famed throughout Europe for her remarkable reading performances, which display a talent not normally associated with one so young. She is the winner of several poetry competitions in Belarus, and in 2004 she received the Crystal of Velenica Award in Slovenia, which is awarded for reading performance. Valzhyna’s first collection, I’m as Thin as Your Eyelashes (2005), is startlingly assured and reveals a powerful poetic voice. She is the 2005 recipient of the Gaude Polonia stipendium. In 2006 she was a poet-in-residence at Literarisches Colloquium in Berlin, Germany. She currently lives in the United States. Valzhyna writes in Belarusian at a time when efforts are being made to reestablish the traditional language, after governmental attempts to absorb it into the Russian language have been relinquished. She reads her poems aloud in both Belarusian and English.

Purdue Researchers Assess Socioclimatic Exposure

Researchers have taken a first step toward quantifying the "socioclimatic" exposure of different countries to future climate change, according to the Purdue University News Bureau. A research team from Purdue and the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy, found that China, India and the United States face substantial exposure relative to other nations, but that every area of the world faces high exposure in at least one category. The research will be published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Regionally, the most exposed nations are China, Bangladesh and Myanmar in Asia; western Sahel and southwestern nations in Africa; Brazil in South America; the eastern United States in North America; and the Mediterranean nations (including France, Italy and Spain), Russia and Scandinavia in Europe. The study found that the climatic and socioeconomic variables together determine the international variations in socioclimatic risk. The Purdue Climate Change Research Center is affiliated with Purdue's Discovery Park. The center promotes and organizes research and education on global climate change and studies its impact on agriculture, natural ecosystems and society. It was established in 2004 to support Purdue in research and education on regional scale climate change, its impacts and mitigation, and adaptation strategies. The center serves as a hub for a range of activities beyond scientific research, including teaching, public education and the development of public policy recommendations. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics was founded in 1964 by Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam. The center operates under a tripartite agreement among the Italian Government and two U.N. agencies, UNESCO and IAEA. Its mission is to foster advanced studies and research, especially in developing countries. While the name of the center reflects its beginnings, its activities today encompass most areas of physical sciences, including geophysical and environmental sciences.

FCGS Renamed for Richard G. Lugar

Marian College in Indianapolis announced today that it is renaming its global studies center to The Richard G. Lugar Franciscan Center for Global Studies at Marian College. The center has been directed by Dr. Pierre M. Atlas, a political science professor at the college, since its founding in 2004. The center sponsors an academic program in global studies for Marian College students as well as the Global Studies Speaker Series, a platform for public discussions and workshops featuring international diplomats, journalists, academics, clergy, and global activists. Senator Lugar (pictured), who grew up in the neighborhood near Marian College and attended Shortridge High School, has been a longtime friend of the college.

French Optical Company Acquires GK Optical

Essilor a multinational firm based in France, has acquired GK Optical, a group of two prescription laboratories in Greenwood and Fort Wayne. Essilor, a manufacturer of opthalmologic optics, produces 195 million eyeglass lenses each year. Its brands include Varilux® (progressive lenses), Crizal® (multiple-coating lenses), Transitions® (variable photochromic lenses), Airwear®, Nikon® (high-technology lenses) and Xelios™ (corrective lenses for sunglasses).

Chinese Delegation Plans Visit to Anderson

The city of Anderson will welcome a visit from a delegation of eight Chinese from Anderson’s sister city of Yuhang District, Hangzhou, next Friday (14 December), it was announced by Mayor Kevin S. Smith. The visit is in response his November 2006 trade mission (pictured) to the Chinese cities of Shanghai, Ningbo and Hangzhou. He noted that, "While in Hangzhou, we formalized a sister-city relationship between our two cities. Business in China begins with relationships and this visit to Anderson will further our cultural, educational and business exchange." The eight Chinese visitors will include six men and two women, representing government, health, education, art and culture for the Yuhang District. Anderson is the only Indiana city these Chinese will visit while in the United States. Mayor Smith and city of Anderson representatives, Anderson University officials and business leaders will participate in a state dinner on Thursday night (13 December). Anderson Mayor-Elect Kris Ockomon and other representatives of the new city administration have been invited by Mayor Smith to participate in all of the events with the Chinese delegation to assure continued relationships and business opportunities. Friday (14 December) will include a breakfast and meeting with city officials, a press conference, visit to Anderson University and the Falls School of Business, a tour of the Paramount Theater, luncheon at the Flagship Enterprise Center, tour and meetings at the Flagship Enterprise Center and the Flagship Education Center.

Bloomington Connects with Ukraine

Bloomington's Herald-Times and Kafa, a thrice-weekly in Ukraine, are in the fifth year of a partnership that benefits both small newspapers (the Herald-Times has a circulation of 28,000, and Kafa, published in the Crimea, has a circulation of 35,000). The two were paired by the Ukraine Media Partnership Program operated by the non-profit International Research and Exchanges Board.

New BMV Rules Are Problematic

The new Indiana law requiring a valid Social Security number in order to obtain an Indiana Driver's License is having all sorts of unintended (and negative) consequences. The Japan-America Society of Indiana has issued an information sheet for their members that has relevance to many of us. Check it out here. It may help you resolve your BMV dilemma!

"The State of India's Democracy"

A new book co-edited by an Indiana University professor marks the 60th anniversary of India's independence and subsequent transition to democracy and will receive major recognition when released there next week, according to the IU News Bureau. The new book, The State of India's Democracy (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007), will be released in New Delhi next Tuesday (11 December) in a ceremony at the official residence of Mohammed Hamid Ansari, vice president of India. It will be widely distributed nationally afterwards. It already is available in the United States. Sumit Ganguly (pictured), the Rabindranath Tagore Professor of Indian cultures and civilizations, professor of political science and director of the India Studies Institute at IU, co-edited the book.

Danish Company Acquires Peerless Pump

One of Indianapolis' oldest industrial businesses, Peerless Pump Co., has been sold to Grundfos Group, a pump-making giant headquartered in Denmark, for an undisclosed price, reports the Indianapolis Business Journal. Peerless, whose origin dates to the 1920s, had been owned by Monaco-based Thyssen-Bornemisza Group since 1976. Peerless manufactures pumps for fresh water. Much of its $110 million in sales is generated by pharmaceutical plants, offshore oil platforms and other industrial projects. Peerless also sells to municipalities and to office buildings for fire protection. Its fire protection pumps move water to upper floors of some of the world's tallest buildings, including the Sears Tower in Chicago and Taipei 101 in Taiwan. According to Grundfos, its current sales in North America are $300 million. "The U.S. pump market alone is estimated to be $6 billion, so the business potential for Grundfos is huge. With the latest acquisition, Grundfos expects to double sales within a four year period reaching $600 million."

KVK Koetke GmbH Comes to New Castle

A German company is opening a plant in New Castle because the weak value of the American dollar lowers the cost of the investment, according to a report by the Indianapolis Business Journal. Founder Claus-Dieter Koetke told The Star-Press of Muncie that he located the facility in the eastern Indiana city because the person who will be president of the facility, Chad McClung, lives in nearby Connersville. The $3 million project by KVK Koetke GmbH will be located in an existing building and will employ 25 workers by 2010. The plant will pay workers $18 an hour. KVK Koetke GmbH produces customer-oriented hollow parts for technical parts of the automobile industry, heating technology, medical technology as well as for the packaging industry and other branches of the thermoplastic resins industry.

"Indians Indians" -- East Meets West in Indy

East meets West at the Garfield Park Arts Center, 2432 Conservatory Drive, Indianapolis, during a unique event beginning at 6 p.m. Friday (7 December).
The India Association of Indianapolis and the Arts Center will present a program combining artistic and cultural elements from Native American and Eastern Indian societies through a celebration of fine art, photography, regalia & customary dress, music and dance. The exhibit will feature works by renowned architect and artist K.P. Singh, contemporary Eastern Indian artist Gautam Rao, and cultural documentary photography by Chris Pehlivan. Enjoy a performance featuring world-renowned Miles Davis’ veteran tabla player Badal Roy (pictured) and former Paul Simon bandmember, flutist Steve Gorn. Native-American Pow-Wow dancers will join Eastern Indian musicians for a once-in-a-lifetime performance for the entire community. And, it's all open to the public at no charge!

IU, IUPUI Collaborate with University in Russia

Indiana University has been awarded a two-year, $400,000 federal grant for a project in which faculty and students from two IU campuses will work with a Russian university on language learning and the study of public health and health policy, according to the IU New Bureau. The grant, from the U.S. Department of Education's Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, will provide $199,093 in the first year and is expected to provide a similar amount the second year. It was awarded to the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at IU Bloomington in partnership with the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. IU will collaborate on the project with Southern Federal University, Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Ronald Feldstein (pictured), professor and chair of the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, is the principal investigator for the grant.

Chinese Ambassador Postpones Visit to Indy

According to John Clark Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, Chinese ambassador to the US Zhou Wenzhong (pictured) has had to postpone his visit to Indianapolis, which had been scheduled for Thursday (29 November).

$60 Million to AMPATH

AMPATH, a program that grew out of the partnership between Indiana University School of Medicine and the Moi (Kenya) University Teaching and Referral Hospital, has received a 5-year, $60-million grant to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in Kenya, according to the IU School of Medicine. In addition, the IU School of Medicine will augment this with $6 million over the 5 years of the grant. With this agreement, the goal is to expand the program to provide care to an additional 150,000 Kenyans with HIV by 2012, of which at least 70,000 will be on antiretroviral drugs, and to interrupt the transmission of HIV through home-based counseling and testing in communities served by 19 facilities. In addition, the partnership intends to improve and expand control of tuberculosis, and assist and engage communities and families to meet the basic needs of 20,000 orphans and vulnerable children within the first 2 years of the grant. The grant was announced in Nairobi on Nov. 19 during a signing ceremony in the Ministry of Health Headquarters attended by Henrietta H. Fore, the administrator of USAID; Robert Einterz, M.D., associate dean for international affairs at the IU School of Medicine and co-founder of the IU-Moi partnership and AMPATH; U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Michael E. Ranneberger; AA/AFR Katherine J. Almquist; USAID/Kenya Mission Director Erna Kerst; Joe Mamlin, M.D., IU professor emeritus and co-founder of the IU-Moi Partnership; and, Moi University and USAID administrators and staff members. (AMPATH is the Academic Model for Prevention and Treatment of HIV/AIDS, which now treats over 55,000 HIV-positive patients at 19 sites in both urban and rural Kenya -- locations are shown on the map.)

Graduate Law Program in Middle East

With classes scheduled to start in January 2008, Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis will become the first U.S. law school to offer an American Bar Association approved, fully-accredited law degree program in the Middle East, according to the Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis news bureau. The U.S. law school, located in downtown Indianapolis, will offer a master's degree with a focus on international commercial law at two law schools in Egypt: the Faculty of Law at Alexandria University and the Faculty of Law at Cairo University. As part of its initiative to help Egypt modernize its economy and its legal system, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has awarded the Indiana law school a three-year, $6.7 million grant to operate the U.S. Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program in Egypt.

Festival of the Trees

"Countries of the World" is this year's theme at the annual Festival of the Trees at the Grover Museum, 52 West Broadway, Shelbyville. Christmas trees decorated in the traditional styles of 15 different countries will be on display at the museum of the Shelby County Historical Society through 2 January. There are also vignettes created by world travelers using artifacts, souvenirs and memorabilia they collected on their journeys.

Taiwan: From Within the Mist

Taiwan: From Within the Mist is an exhibit featuring the work of 21 artists in media such as painting, photography, digital imagery, sculpture, printmaking, video and multimedia installations. The exhibition, in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center at the University of Indianapolis, highlights Taiwanese avant-garde art as presented by a new generation of artists. It's sponsored by the Department of Art and Design at the University of Indianapolis, in conjunction with the Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the Culture Division of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office, and the University of Indianapolis Asian Programs. The exhibit is open to the public at no charge through 7 December -- look for free parking in the lot located on the corner of Hanna Avenue and Shelby Street, Indianapolis. For more information, call 317:788-3253.

Indy's International Festival!

See website for details!

Foreign-Language Film Series

If you'd like to work on your foreign language fluency or just learn about another culture, watching a film in your target language or culture is a good way to do it. Three opportunities are on the calendar this week:

*Wednesday: "To Live" (Chinese, 1994) at 2007 World Film Forum. 5 p.m. Free. West Lafayette Public Library, 208 West Columbia Street, West Lafayette. Sponsored by Purdue University's Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. This film, by award-winning director Zhang Yimou, covers the experiences of a small family that loses its wealth in the 1940s to the 1970s.

*Wednesday: "Everything Is Illuminated" (2005). 6-8:30 p.m. Lilly Auditorium, University Library, Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. Although in English, the showing is sponsored by IUPUI Russian Speaking Student Association. Refreshments as well as traditional Russian deserts will be provided. A quick discussion will follow the movie, which deals with a young American Jewish man (pictured), who goes on a quest to find the woman who saved his grandfather in a small Ukrainian town called Trachimbrod that was wiped off the map when the Nazis liquidated Eastern European shtetls.

*Thursday: "Midnight Sun (Taiyo no uta)" (Japanese, 2006). 7 p.m. $5; free for students. Historic Artcraft Theater, 57 North Main Street, Franklin. Sponsored by Japan-America Society of Indiana and Japan Information Center of Consulate General of Japan. Sixteen-year-old Kaoru suffers from a rare genetic disease in which exposure to direct sunlight could prove fatal. Unable to lead the life of a typical teenager, Kaoru is resigned to her fate, finding her only solace in performing as a nocturnal street musician. The safety of her solitary, insular world is jeopardized when she encounters and falls in love with Koji, who challenges her to confront the world in new ways.

Celebrating world cultures in Bloomington

Indiana University Bloomington will celebrate its international diversity on Thursday (8 November) with the IU World's Fare. Ethnic food from every continent (except Antarctica) and performances by 22 international student groups highlight this first-time-ever event. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. in Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union, 900 East Seventh Street, Bloomington. IU Bloomington's celebration includes a concert by the Latin American Ensemble at Auer Hall, International Family Night (co-sponsored by the City of Bloomington), and performances at the Monroe County Library Auditorium, as well as lectures, discussions, and exhibits. The complete schedule is available here. For the first time, international students comprise 10 percent of the student population.

More Connections between IUPUI and Moi University

Peter Basara and Ruth Otunga, two professors from the Moi University School of Education, are in Indiana to learn how to improve teacher training in Kenya, according to the news bureau at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. The Indiana University School of Education at IUPUI is working on a continuing relationship with the school of education at Moi University, located in Eldoret, Kenya. The IU School of Medicine, located at IUPUI, joined forces for health care in 1989, primarily focusing on fighting the AIDS pandemic. During their stay in Indiana, the professors will visit Indianapolis schools, attend several School of Education classes and go to a professional education conference in Pittsburgh. Much of the visit is focused on creating a professional development center for educators at Moi.

India in Diaspora Captured in Photographs

Many Americans see India as the world's fastest-growing democracy or as a destination for outsourced jobs, reports the Indiana University news bureau. But another story, about perhaps the most successful migration in modern human history, often gets overlooked.

While India has a population of more than 1 billion, the sun never sets on its people, who also include between 20 million and 25 million in more than 100 other countries. It was their story that Steve Raymer, an associate professor of journalism at Indiana University and a former photographer for National Geographic magazine, set out to tell and photograph.

His expansive new 228-page book, Images of a Journey: India in Diaspora (Indiana University Press), is the first photographic record of a migration which began 200 years ago. It documents the struggle of Indian immigrants to survive and succeed wherever they have settled.

Taiko Drumming Returns to Indiana

Those of you who heard the amazing San Jose Taiko Drummers at last year's International Festival in Indianapolis might want to drive to West Lafayette tomorrow (1 November). Yamato - the Drummers of Japan will perform "Shin-On - Heartbeat" at 7:30 p.m. Purdue University's Elliott Hall of Music. Tickets $15-35 for adults and $15-25 for children 18 years and younger, Purdue students and Ivy Tech Lafayette students. Tickets are available at the Elliott Hall and Stewart Center box offices at 765:494-3933 or 800:914-SHOW. The performance is part of Purdue Convocations' Lively Arts series.

Indy Partnership in Western Europe

Members of The Indy Partnership are finishing up a week-long trade mission to England, France and Germany. Mike Dellinger, director of business development for The Indy Partnership, told Inside INdiana Business that the group focused on several sectors during the trip including life sciences, advanced manufacturing and information technology.

Exports Up, Say Experts

Exports from Indiana to foreign countries reached a record $22.6 billion in 2006, up 5.3 percent over the previous year. A new study, conducted for the Indiana Economic Development Corp. (IEDC) by the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business, also suggests that Indiana exports will grow at a faster pace in 2007. In the first six months of 2007, Indiana exported $12.9 billion worth of goods, for a year-over-year increase of 10.6 percent. The full report, titled "Indiana's Global Exports: Report for 2007," is available online.

Rose-Hulman Launches Observatory in Australia

According to Inside INdiana Business, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology students are now aiming their sights toward the sky after funds helped to pay for a new observatory in Australia. Students and faculty are able to operate the telescope from their classroom through an Internet connection.
(The photo is an image of the edge of a galaxy was taken from a telescope at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Oakley Southern Sky Observatory in Australia)

Indy's International Festival

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the big one! Indy's International Festival is open to school groups on 15 and 16 November, and to the public 16-18 November 2007 in the West Pavilion of the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Y'all come!

International Educators Meeting in Indy

Region VI of NAFSA: Association of International Educators meets for its 2007 conference at the Hyatt Regency in Indianapolis Saturday (27 October) through 30 October. Topic for the gathering of educators from Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio is "Exploring Cultural Crossroads".

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).

I.U. Connects with University in Siberia

Mark Long (left) CEO of Indiana University’s Research and Technology Corp., discussed how academics transfer their research discoveries to the market in presentations at Tyumen State University in the Siberian region of Russia last month, according to an article in the Indianapolis Business Journal. In May, a delegation from Tyumen State University visited I.U., and another arrives in Indianapolis next month.

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.

'Healthy Asians" Needed for Clinical Study

The Indiana University Division of Clinical Pharmacology is conducting a research study looking at how a liver breaks down a drug called pantoprazole and helps remove the drug from the body. The study will involve taking a study drug, performing breath tests, and collecting blood samples. Participants must be healthy Asian males or females between 18 and 49 years of age. For more information, contact Phuong (Lina) Nguyen, 317:630-8310.

Become a Volunteer ESL Tutor!

An immigrant's need to learn English is exceeded only by the dearth of opportunities to learn the language. Become part of the solution by learning how to be an effective ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor during a 9 a.m.-noon workshop on 10 November. It's free. For information and to register, email or call 317:274-2555.

Presented by the Indiana Center for Intercultural Communication and Catholic Charities of Indianapolis for the Spirit & Place Festival, it's hosted by Dr. Ulla Connor, Dr. Bill Rozycki and Chuck Fischer. It'll be held in room 508 of Cavanaugh Hall, 425 University Boulevard, Indianapolis (on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis).

Specialty Coating Systems Buys Japanese Company

Specialty Coating Systems, Inc., has acquired Parylene Japan K.K. According to Inside INdiana Business, the company says it is also expanding its operations in Singapore. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, SCS provides Parylene conformal coating services, systems and materials.

Japan's Role In East Asia

"Japan-China-United States--Looking Ahead: East Asia's Political and Economic Future" is the topic for a luncheon presentation on 19 October that's co-sponsored by the National Association of Japan-America Societies and the Japan-America Society of Indiana in partnership with the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research and Ice Miller. It's part of the Japan Caravan wherein the National Association of Japan-America Societies (NAJAS), the Embassy of Japan in Washington D.C., and Keidanren-USA (Japan Business Federation) collaborate explain the Japanese economy, global issues involving Japan, and Japanese corporate practices to American audiences around the United States.

Speakers are: Masataka OKANO, Counselor of Political Affairs, Embassy of Japan; Masayoshi YAMASHITA, NTT, Chief Corporate Representative; William FARRELL, Dynamic Strategies Asia, Chairman, and Atsushi YAMAKOSHI, Director, Keidanren (Japan Business Federation), Washington D.C.

It takes place noon to 1:30 p.m. in the offices of Ice Miller, 30th Floor, One American Square, Indianapolis. Registration by 17 October is required. For information, contact the Japan American Society of Indiana: Ana Zekants or Tamayo Fukumoto, or call 317:635-0123.

Purdue Marches to China Next Year

Purdue University's "All-American" Marching Band is heading to China this spring. It has been invited by the China Performing Arts Agency, a division of the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China, to perform in the Meet in Beijing International Arts and Music Festival. The event will be in late May prior to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Purdue's invitation to perform in the festival is the first issued by the Ministry of Culture to an American college band, said director of bands Jay Gephart, in a Purdue News Bureau press release.

Sutton Named Associate Vice Chancellor at IUPUI

Susan Buck Sutton has been named associate vice president of International Affairs for Indiana University and associate vice chancellor of International Affairs for Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. Sutton, Chancellor's Professor of Anthropology at IUPUI, will continue to oversee the IUPUI Office of International Affairs, which has a staff of about 35 employees and serves as IUPUI's hub of international activities. Sutton, who received her doctorate in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1978, has been associate dean of international affairs since 2003.

HGIS Germany Comes to IUPUI

Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis is one of the United States launch sites for the English-language version of HGIS Germany, an innovative web-based mapping and information system on German history and culture, reports the IUPUI News Bureau. The event, open to the public, will be held in University Library 1126 from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesday (16 October).

Developed by a team of scholars and technologists from the Institute of European History and the Institute for Spatial Information and Surveying Technology, both located in Mainz, the system allows users to examine the various dynastic, state, and economic relationships that existed in Germany from 1820 to 1914. Plans are underway to extend the system soon to cover entire twentieth century as well.

The event is sponsored by four IUPUI units: the Max Kade German American Center, the Department of Geography, the Department of History, and the Polis Center. For more information, send an email or call the Polis Center, 317:274-2455.

It's German-American Week

German-American Day is Saturday (6 October), and there are numerous events scheduled to celebrate!

A mini-Oktoberfest takes place tomorrow (4 October) on the campus of Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. This German-American Heritage Day celebration is 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. along the BS Breezeway on the downtown Indianapolis campus. It's cosponsored by the IUPUI German Club and Department of World Languages and Cultures, who say, "Come enjoy tasty German food, hear and sing contemporary German tunes, and participate in an interactive reading of Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel on time travel, the firebombing of Dresden and the absurdity of war by the famous Hoosier author Kurt Vonnegut, who passed away on 11 April 2007."

At the Athenaeum/Das Deutsche Haus tomorrow evening (4 October) is the final film in a German-American Week Film Festival sponsored by the Indiana German Heritage Society. "The Lives of Others" (a 2006 film in German with English subtitles) will be screened at 7 p.m. in the Damenverein Room of the Athenaeum, 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis. This film is Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's Academy Award winning film debut.

The official commemoration of German-American Day takes place 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Friday (5 October) at the Indianapolis City Market, downtown. It's also sponsored by the Indiana German Heritage Society, which promises music by Die Doppel-Adler, a dance performance by Die Fledermaeuschen Tanzgruppe, colorful German-American pins, interesting handouts and books for sale.

On Friday evening (5 October), there's a German-style Oktoberfest in Marion, featuring Jay Fox and the Bavarian Showtime Band from 7-11 p.m.

On German-American Day itself (Saturday, 6 October) there'll be a Sangerfest in the Athenaeum with the Indianapolis Liederkranz, Damenchor, Saengerchor, and Maennerchor from 3-5 p.m., followed by a 5-6 p.m. dinner in the Athenaeum Biergarten with the Meisterwinds and a sing-along with Eb Reichmann. Rain location is the auditorium.

For information on and reservations for events at the Athenaeum, contact Jim Gould, 317:630-4569, ext 1.

Indy Contemplates Events in Myanmar

A trio of events spotlighting the crisis in Myanmar (the country formerly known as Burma) starts Wednesday in Indianapolis.

A Candlelight Vigil for Peace, Democracy and Freedom in Burma will be held from 6:30-7 p.m. Wednesday (3 October) on Democracy Plaza at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. It's sponsored by the IUPUI Burma Student Association. Organizer is Aye-Nu Elizabeth Duerksen (at right).

A discussion on "Burma In Crisis" sponsored by Provocate.org is planned from 3:30-5 p.m. Thursday (4 October) in the offices of the International Center of Indianapolis, 32 East Washington Street, Indianapolis. According to the organizer John Clark (above, left): "Featured will be Burmese activists and scholars who have helped draft the new constitution for their country. They will help clarify the context and implications of the events we see on the streets of Rangoon."

Provocate.org also has arranged "Burma Beautiful/Burma Brutal: Images & Ideas from a Country on the Edge" from 6-9 p.m. Friday (5 October) in the Harrison Center for the Arts, 1505 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis. John Clark notes: "This will be a multimedia presentation of images and videos from Burma, which will serve as a backdrop for informal conversations about topics such as the prospects for peaceful change, political dimensions of Buddhism in Tibet and Burma, challenges of Burmese communities in Indiana, and other topics. Featured will be: Photos and art from Burma by Indianapolis artist Jude Odell; Images from 'The Sold Project', a documentary in production by Indiana 20-somethings exposing the human side of sex slavery in Burma; Photos from refugees camps on the Burmese-Thai border by Emily Jacobi, an Indianapolis photo-journalist; Video montage of current street protests by Geo-Pol analyst Pedro Cardoso; Burmese scholars and dissidents from Indiana University's Center for Constitutional Democracy in Pluralist Societies, who are drafting a constitution for a democratic Burma; Members of the Chin and Karen ethnic minorities from Burma now in living Indianapolis."

Clark adds that Provocate.org "is delighted to present two major events this week about the current situation in Burma. Some day, perhaps soon, a democratic Burma will bear the faint stamp: 'Made in Indiana'. Burmese dissidents and constitutional scholars are drafting a new constitution in Bloomington. Ties between the state and crisis-ridden Burma will intensify if things turn badly, too: Indianapolis is the major destination for refugees from Burma, and we will get a lot more if the goons in Rangoon respond as brutally as they have in the past."

South Bend Hosts International Concert

Rock fans from six countries and 34 states will converge on South Bend Saturday (6 October) for the 10th annual Melodic Rock concert, held for the first time at the Morris Performing Arts Center. The ten-hour concert will include several performers playing three-hour sets, reports Inside Indiana Business. The Morris , built in 1921, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

International Photo Contest at IUPUI

Study Abroad students compete each year in a photo contest at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis. This photo by Alysia Schwartz won First Place for Cultural Adventure and was the Grand Prize Winner: "No Change, No Course! Election time in Jamaica". Other winners include Rebecca Cluck, Josie Frisinger, Romel Collins, Kimberly Watlers, Treva Mitchell, Christin Johnson, Kristina Moorhead, Courtney Harris, Sarah Bowens, Anna Adrizzone and Abhishek Dube. You can see all the winning photos here. More than 250 photographs were submitted by IUPUI students who participated in study abroad programs during the 2006-2007 academic year. IUPUI is unique in the variety of study abroad programs offered to suit many majors as well as its selection of short-term programs. Students in the Schools of Medicine, Law, Liberal Arts, Herron School of Art, Engineering and Technology, Dentistry, PE/TCEM, Business, Nursing, Education, Science, University College, Social Work, Informatics, General Studies (CLN), and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs studied in 35 different countries in 2005-2006.

Vietnam Motors Industry Lures Cummins

Columbus-based Cummins Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a joint venture to produce on-highway diesel engines in Vietnam, according to Inside Indiana Business. Cummins will work with Vietnam Motors Industry Corp. Financial terms of the deal have not been set and no timetable for completing the joint venture agreement has been established.

Neil Jacobs at the Artsgarden

Gypsy, classical, Balkan and 12-string fingerstyle guitar are promised during the 12:15-1:15 p.m. performance Tuesday (2 October) of Neil Jacobs (pictured) in the Indianapolis Artsgarden, above the intersection of Washington and Illinois streets in downtown Indianapolis. A self-taught musician now living in Columbus, Ohio, Jacobs draws inspiration from his world travels and experiences, especially the Gypsy music of Eastern Europe and the Balkans. His critically acclaimed fourth CD, Secret Places, was released in 2005, and featured a collage of musical styles and textures reflecting his diverse background. Jacobs' performance is open to the public at no charge.

Hoosiers in Shanghai

The Indiana team has departed for the Special Olympics World Summer Games, set for 2-11 October in Shanghai, China.

Cambodian to Speak at Earlham

International human rights leader Arn Chorn-Pond (right) will be in Richmond this week share the story about how music saved his life and how it led him to help others recover from the trauma of war during Earlham College's first Artist and Lecture Series event of the semester, according to the Earlham news bureau. Chorn-Pond presents "Healing and Restoring Cambodia through the Arts" at 7 p.m. Tuesday (25 September) in Goddard Auditorium's Carpenter Hall. Tickets, available at the Runyan Center desk, are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors and students. Arn Chorn-Pond's life is featured in the documentary film The Flute Player and more recently in Where Elephants Weep, a Cambodian opera. This Artist and Lecture Series event is sponsored by the Kazue Fukuda Hawkins Endowed Fund.

Indy Schools Host Chinese Educators

Five educators from Dalian, China, visited Indianapolis last week to observe classes, meet students and staff in Washington Township (Marion County) public schools. Pioneered by Crooked Creek Elementary (where students take Chinese-themed classes once a week), the program has spread to Spring Mill Elementary, Greenbriar Elementary, Westlane Middle School and North Central High School. Each has a Chinese partner school (Crooked Creek has had a partnership with Wusilu primary school in Dalian for about seven years). Read more here, at least until The Indianapolis Star takes the link down!

International Copyright Law

A United Nations agency has recruited an Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis professor to do a study that could affect libraries and copyright laws around the world. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has commissioned Kenneth Crews (right), the Samuel R. Rosen Professor of Law at IU School of Law-Indianapolis, located on the IUPUI campus, to conduct a worldwide study of copyright statutes related to libraries and library services, according to the IUPUI News Bureau. The study will encompass the laws of more than 180 countries that are members of WIPO, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland. A final report is due in March 2008. Crews's work should help identify policy issues that national governments may need to address in the near future. Professor Crews is director of the Copyright Management Center at IUPUI.

Hoosier Storytelling Festival

Indiana's diversity is highlighted during the annual Hoosier Storytelling Festival from 10-14 October at Military Park and the Indiana History Center. Featured storytellers include Cuban-American Carmen Agra Deedy (right) and Baba Jamal Koram (left), who tells African tales. Sponsored by Storytelling Arts, there's a complete schedule here.

Tartan Ball in Lafayette

The Lafayette Tartan Ball: An Evening of Music, Dinner & Dancing begins with a cash bar at 6 p.m. Saturday (3 November), followed at 6:30 p.m. by dinner and an evening of Scottish Country Dancing. All this takes place at Duncan Hall, 619 Ferry Street, Lafayette, and it's sponsored by Fountain Trust Pipe Band.

Jayne White, 765:294-4405, has more information. There'll be entertainment by the Fountain Trust Pipe Band (of course) plus The Whole Nine Yards Scottish Country Dancers, fiddler Deb Shebish and guitarist Johnandrew Bellner. Formal attire, highland attire or business attire is requested. Tickets are $40 per person before 15 October, and $45 per person if postmarked after 15 October. Tickets are limited to the first 160 registrants, and will be sent in the mail. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Humboldt Award Goes to Dr. Meyer

Hans-Otto Meyer (left), professor of physics at Indiana University Bloomington, has received a Humboldt Research Award in recognition of lifetime achievements in research, reports the Indiana University News Bureau.

The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany annually honors up to 100 internationally renowned scientists and scholars from abroad. Each awardee receives $80,000 and is invited to carry out research projects of his or her choice in cooperation with colleagues in Germany.

Born in Basel, Switzerland, Meyer was educated at the University of Basel, from which he received a Ph.D. degree in 1970. After postdoctoral and visiting appointments at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility, the University of Washington at Seattle, and the University of Basel, he joined the IU physics faculty in 1978.