Naturalization Ceremony Welcomes Public

There's free admission to the Naturalization Ceremony set for 10 a.m. (rain or shine) 2 July at the President Benjamin Harrison Memorial Home, 1230 North Delaware Street, Indianapolis. Federal Judge Sarah Barker will preside over the summer naturalization ceremony for people who have qualified for U.S. citizenship.

The approximately 90 new citizens come from 42 countries, including 18 from India, nine from Mexico, eight from China and five each from Canada and Nigeria.

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Indiana and Kenya: More Connections

Here's an announcement from John Clark at Provocate.org.

Wednesday June 30 at 5:00 pm Provocate and the Center for Interfaith Cooperation will host a discussion of two trips from Indy to Kenya in July. This discussion will take place at the Indiana Center for Interfaith Cooperation, 1100 W. 42nd St. Indianapolis (at the corner of Michigan Rd. and 42nd, across the street from the Indianapolis Museum of Art). If you would like to learn more about some of the many links connecting Central Indiana and Kenya, this will be the place to be.

• Provocate's Zach Patterson will travel to Uganda and Kenya with the Village Experience in July, then spend several more weeks in an internally displaced persons camp in Nakuru working on microfinance projects. You can learn more about Zach and follow his trip at Provocate.org.

• IUPUI student Raynesha Rogers will spend July in Eldoret with a team of professors to turn a high altitude distance running training facility into a world-class sports tourist destination. You can read more about this fascinating project here: http://newscenter.iupui.edu/4705/IUPUI-Students-Faculty-Travel-to-Kenya--to-Help-Make-High-Altitude-Training-Center-into-a-Sports-Tourism-Destination. And you can also follow Raynesha's trip on Provocate.org.

You'll also have a chance to meet high school students from the Muslim Alliance of Indiana's Youth Leadership Institute, who are raising $10,000 to fund the education of 40 Kenyan students.

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Kiwanis Targets Tetanus

Indianapolis-based Kiwanis International is teaming with UNICEF in an effort to help save babies and mothers in developing nations from tetanus, reports Inside INdiana Business. Kiwanis says The Eliminate Project could save 129 million lives. The initiative is aiming to raise $110 million over the next five years to help provide an estimated 387 million doses of the vaccine.

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Caring Int'l Research Collaborative

The Caring International Research Collaborative (CIRC) will become part of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI). Based in Indianapolis, STTI is the Honor Society of Nursing.

As a STTI community, CIRC will network online through a platform that will allow members to dialogue, share documents and connect with others who have similar interests and goals. CIRC members are scientists, educators, administrators and direct-care providers.

To learn more about STTI, contact Teresa Ransdell, and for CIRC, email John Nelson.

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Southeast Asian Officials Coming to Purdue

Officials from several Southeast Asia universities will visit Purdue University on Monday (28 June) for a workshop on government-private sector partnerships and the role of intellectual property as an economic development tool, reports the Purdue News Bureau.

The campus event, hosted by Purdue's Discovery Park, is part of a two-week seminar on innovation and intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement supported by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The visit will include IP officials from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Gibson County Courts Japan

Gibson County economic officials have used a cultural trip to strengthen business ties with Tahara City, Japan, reports Inside INdiana Business. Princeton is home to the mother plant of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana Inc. Gibson County Economic Development Corporation President B. Todd Mosby says he also spent time marketing the county to other Japanese corporations.

Seven Gibson County high school students and two teachers were on the trip to Tahara City, Japan. The "Experience Tahara 2010" educational delegation spent nine days living the Japanese lifestyle and attending school with host family students. The "Experience Tahara 2010" delegation was sponsored by the Gibson County Economic Development Corporation.

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Ball State to Help Iraqi University

The U.S. Department of State has awarded a $1 million grant to help Ball State University revamp the curriculum at Tikrit University in Iraq, reports Inside INdiana Business. Faculty from Ball State will help develop a more student-centered approach at the Iraqi institution. Ball State professors will also utilize internet and videoconferencing technology to teach Tikrit students.

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Indy's Clarian Recognized for Diversity

Clarian Health has been recognized as a top ten finalist by the Institute of Diversity in Health Management and was designated Best in Class for Strengthening a Diverse Workforce. Additionally, Clarian was noted for having Promising Practices within the remaining award categories of Expanding the Diversity of the Organization’s Governance and Leadership; Effectively Engaging Diverse Communities; and Delivering Culturally Competent Patient Care.

A nonprofit organization committed to expanding leadership opportunities for minorities in health services management, the Institute for Diversity in Health Management was established through an alliance of The National Association of Health Services Executives, the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Hospital Association.

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King Systems Gains China’s Regulatory Approval

King Systems received approval by the State Food and Drug Administration, P.R. China (SFDA) to sell its anesthesia, respiratory care, and airway management products in the Chinese marketplace, according to a news release from the Noblesville company.

During the product registration process, King Systems established a relationship with the Chinese based medical device company Beijing Gloryway Technology Co. Ltd.; and, once granted the formal Certificate of Registration entered an exclusive partnership with the company to distribute and sell King Systems’ products in China.

Through Gloryway, all of King Systems’ circuits, masks, and breathing bags and many of its airway devices are now available to over 1,700 targeted hospitals with a combined total of 8 million general anesthetic procedures a year.

King Systems, founded in 1977, is an international leader of quality anesthesia, airway management, and critical care products that manufactures and markets over 2,000 product configurations.


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Purdue Librarian Off to Alexandria, Egypt

Michael Witt (pictured), an assistant professor of library science and interdisciplinary research librarian at Purdue University, has been named a Fulbright Scholar, reports the Purdue news bureau.

The Fulbright Scholar Program is administered by the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars for the U.S. Department of State.

The award will support Witt in relocating his family to Alexandria, Egypt, where he will lecture and conduct research at the Bibliotheca Alexandria from January to May 2011.

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McRobbie Honored by Australia

The government of Australia announced yesterday (14 June) that Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie (pictured), a native of that country, has been appointed as an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia, a national award signifying "distinguished service of a high degree to Australia or to humanity at large."

Recipients of the award were announced in the "honors list" published 14 June, which is the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II of England, who is also the Sovereign of Australia. McRobbie was among 21 Australians to receive the "Officer in the General Division" designation, according to the report by the IU News Bureau.

The Order of Australia, which was created by Queen Elizabeth in 1975, is one of the highest honors an Australian can receive in recognition of outstanding or meritorious service.

McRobbie came to the United States from Australia in 1997 to serve as the university's first vice president of information technology and chief information officer. He later assumed the additional duties of vice president for research. In 2006, he was named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at the Bloomington campus, and in 2007 he was chosen by the IU Board of Trustees to become the university's 18th president.

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Rieseberg Elected Fellow of the Royal Society

Loren Rieseberg (pictured), an evolutionary biologist at Indiana University in Bloomingtonhas been elected a 2010 fellow of the Royal Society, the United Kingdom's largest and most important academy of sciences, reports the IU News Bureau.

The projects Rieseberg supervises integrate high-throughput genomic methods, bioinformatics, ecological experiments, and evolutionary theory to study the origin and evolution of species, domesticated plants, and weeds. He is primarily interested how new plant species arise -- speciation being one of biology's most fundamental questions. Rieseberg has examined a number of different plant species, but most of his work has focused on members of the genus Helianthus, which includes wild and domesticated sunflowers.

Rieseberg has joint appointments in Indiana University Bloomington's Department of Biology and the University of British Columbia's Department of Botany.

Rwandan Genocide Survivor Speaks in Indy

Immaculee Ilibagiza (pictured), New York Times' bestselling author of Left to Tell, will share her story about surviving the Rwanda genocide during the 28th annual "Salute to Women of Achievement" sponsored by the YWCA of Indianapolis. The event begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday (15 June) in the Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 West Washington Street, Indianapolis. Tickets are $75 per person or $130 per couple.

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Brazil in the World Cup!

Brazilians, Brazilianistas, futbol lovers and just plain Hoosiers are gathering from 2 to 5 p.m. 20 June in the Rathskeller Restaurant, 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis to root for the All-Brazil team in World Cup 2010 play. The soccer match, held in South Africa, is between Brazil and the Ivory Coast.

Tickets are $5 in advance ($7 at the door) for adults (which includes a caipirinha or a beer); children are free. Food is available for purchase from the Rathskeller.

To purchase tickets in advance, go online.

The World Cup rally is sponsored by Indiana Partners of the Americas and Brazilian Mothers of Indiana.Questions? Email Rosane Zelmanovitz.

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Chinese Furniture Manufacturer Opens Indiana Headquarters

Chinese furniture maker, Anji Yuankai Furniture Co., Ltd. ("Y.K. Furniture") will establish its United States headquarters in Marion. The company, which manufactures upholstered furniture, plans to invest $24.3 million to establish its first U.S. subsidiary, King's Group U.S.A., LLC, at 1500 South Western Avenue, Marion. The facility will house assembly and distribution operations for King's Group.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered King's Group up to $475,000 in performance-based tax credits. In addition, the IEDC will provide the city of Marion $200,000 from the Industrial Development Grant Fund toward road improvements needed at the site. The city of Marion has negotiated a favorable sale price to King's Group of the currently blighted 12-acre site in return for short term rehabilitation, new construction and job creation in concert with establishment of the "Global Marion Center" by King's Group to recruit more Chinese manufacturers.

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Develop Indy Travels to Europe

Develop Indy will lead a series of international trade missions throughout the next few months as part of its efforts to attract more jobs to Indianapolis.

First up: Paris, France, from 14-17 June, with a focus on aerospace/defense and renewable energy industries.

Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 5-15 July, with a focus on clean tech, motorsports, information technology, exports (Brazil to U.S.)

The International Air Show in Farnborough, England, from 19-25 July, for aerospace/defense.

Valencia, Spain and Rome, Italy, September 6-10, for the photovoltaic industry.

Develop Indy is Marion County's local economic development organization.

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Indiana Popcorn Sold in Chinese Movie Theaters

Noblesville-based Weaver Popcorn Company has signed an ongoing strategic partnership with Stellar Cinema Group of China, reports Inside INdiana Business. The announcement came as the movie theater company opened its 100th screen in China at an event attended by Indiana's delegation currently on a trade mission in the Asian country.

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Indy Company Expands in China

An Indianapolis-based chemical company continues its initiative to expand an operation in China, according to Inside INdiana Business. Vertellus Specialties Inc. has announced plans to break ground on a new production unit at its facility in Nantong, Jiangsu, China. The company says the project will increase its manufacturing capacity for Vitamin B3 in China.

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Vietnamese Students to Enroll in SPEA

Fifteen students from Vietnam will enroll this fall in the Master of Public Affairs program at Indiana University Bloomington through a new program co-sponsored by the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training, reports the IU News Bureau

The program, called Vietnam Young Leader Awards, will provide full scholarships for outstanding Vietnamese government employees. This marks the first time that Vietnam has taken part in a specific program to send young people to the United States for training in public policy.

SPEA will support the program by charging Indiana resident tuition rates for the Vietnam Young Leader Awards students. The Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training will pay tuition and other expenses.

The first class of Vietnam Young Leader Awards recipients will be selected this summer and will travel to Bloomington for an academic preparation program at IU. The students will enroll this fall in the two-year M.P.A. program, on schedule to graduate and return to Vietnam in May 2012.

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Indianapolis Prize Announced

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

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

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

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

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World Cup Kickoff Party

Join soccer fans at a World Cup Kickoff party beginning at 8 p.m. 10 June in the Jazz Kitchen, 5377 North College Avenue, Indianapolis. Stacie Sandoval and Trio Con Paz will perform on the deck from 6:30-10 p.m.

Play begins 11 June in South Africa, running through 11 July.

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