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.