Officials from Kazakhstan at IUPUI This Week

For the past month, 32 Kazakhstan officials have been visiting Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis to attend a training program on public administration, notes Alfred Ho (left), associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Tomorrow and Thursday they will make some project presentations and compare Kazakhstan with the U.S. government/social/economic systems.

They will do their presentations in the Room 274 of the IT building. "Please feel free to join us if you have time and would like to exchange some ideas with the visiting officials," Dr. Ho says.

Here's the schedule for tomorrow (1 August):
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. -- A comparative study of the taxation system
11 a.m.-noon -- A comparative study of the social insurance system
1 p.m.-2 p.m. -- strategies to finance economic development / high tech industrial development
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. -- e-government strategies

And, for Thursday (2 August):
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. -- gender equity issues
11 a.m.-noon -- social policies on youth

University of Indianapolis Athens Campus

The University of Indianapolis has a campus in Athens, Greece, that was chartered in 1989 to offer a quality American educational experience there. The Athens Campus includes 30 undergraduate and eight graduate programs.

In 1998 the University established a center in Tripolis, Greece, and in 2002, became a Cisco Networking Academy, offering courses in networking in cooperation with Cisco Systems.

The Athens Campus is located at the foot of the Acropolis and is the only wholly owned branch campus of a U.S. university operating in Greece. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, and is also a founding member of the Association of American Colleges in Greece.

The University sponsors the Odyssey in Athens study abroad program designed to provide American college students with a rich cultural experience in the birthplace of Western civilization while taking accredited upper level courses in their chosen fields of study alongside Greek and other international students.

The University also cooperates with AHEPA (the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association) to sponsor "The Journey to Greece Program", a study tour that provides students with six transferable university credits. The required core course is Modern Greek Language, Society & Culture. For a second course, students will then choose between Greek Art, Architecture and Archaeology, or Olympics – the Origins.

Check it out here.

Discord on Dairies of Dutch Dreams

"Peter van der Vegt knew he'd be 'milking 70 cows for the rest of my life' if he continued to work at his family's dairy farm in the Netherlands, where milk production ceilings and land shortages add as much as $40,000 to the cost of a cow.

"'I wanted a challenge; I wanted to live the American dream,' van der Vegt said. So, in 1999, he moved to Angola, Ind., to run a 600-head dairy operation set up by Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development, a company run by six second-generation Dutch siblings from Michigan and three of their cousins in the Netherlands....

"Cecilia Conway (left) of Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development and her siblings have helped almost 50 Dutch families set up large dairies in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio over the past decade. (Photo By Kari Lydersen -- The Washington Post)"

Read the rest of the article in The Washington Post here.

Building a Culture of Inclusion

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Mumbai-Based Mastek Buys Indy-Based Vector Insurance

Indianapolis-based Vector Insurance Services LLC has been acquired by MajescoMastek of Edison, N.J., for an undisclosed price, according to The Indianapolis Business Journal.

Vector, led by founder and CEO Harold Apple, has 30 employees providing policy acquisition, administration, and processing to customers in the North American life insurance industry. MajescoMastek is the U.S. subsidiary of Mastek, a technology giant headquartered in Mumbai, India.

Dow AgroSciences Profit Surges on Latin American Gains

Strong demand in Latin America for pesticides and other Dow AgroSciences products caused profit for the Indianapolis-based agricultural arm of Dow Chemical Co. Inc. to spurt 29 percent in the second quarter, according to The Indianapolis Business Journal.

Much of the $208 million in earnings was driven by Brazilian soybean and corn growers as well as by sugar cane farmers who ramped up production to feed ethanol plants.

Swiss Independence Day is August 1!

But members of the Swiss Club of Central Indiana will be celebrating a little early.

They're gathering from 2-6 p.m. tomorrow at the Westfield home of the Honorary Swiss Consul tomorrow for an independence celebration.

If you'd like more information, call 317:217-1645.

Rose-Hulman to House International Partnership

An international partnership created to expand education to meet the increasing need for engineers to work in the rapidly growing field of wireless technology has moved its operations to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, according to the institute's news bureau.

The Global Wireless Education Consortium (GWEC) which was created 10 years ago and previously located in Arlington, Virginia will be headquartered in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Rose-Hulman.

GWEC will continue to serve as a central point of contact for new teaching materials, recruitment opportunities for business and industry, and internships for students, according to GWEC Chief Operating Officer Fred Berry, who is a professor and head of the ECE department.

Berry noted that discussion is underway to conduct the first GWEC Summit in 2008.

Indy's International Cuisine

As Terry Kirts reports in the 25 July issue of NUVO Newsweekly, the best reason to get out your world atlas: new international cuisines:

"A good number of the recently opened eateries both downtown and elsewhere have been offering food from countries not already represented in the pantheon of Indy’s international restaurants. No longer are we just a city of Italian, Mexican and Chinese places. Alongside risotto and taquitos, we now have bacalao, churrascaria and pupusas. Besides BARcelona Tapas, Brazilian Grill on West 86th Street has introduced an entirely new concept of dining with its succulent grilled meats served tableside from giant rodzios. Latin American eateries like Guatelinda have come out from under the Mexican shadow to offer authentic dishes such as plantains stuffed with black beans, pupusas and tamales wrapped in banana leaves. More common cuisines, such as Indian, are turning up in some unusual settings, such as Tadkaa, which offers plenty of Bollywood and Indian pop, as well as vodka cocktails and a full range of Indian beers. With a Somali coffeehouse just east of the airport, Filipino food available in Beech Grove and a new Cuban café called TaTa’s planned for West Market downtown, you’ll want to rush your application for a passport so you can get it stamped all around this increasingly diverse city. Need some help navigating your way? The best local Web site for checking up on restaurants, both ethnic and otherwise, is still Indy Ethnic Food."

Hill-Rom to Sell Products in Japan

Batesville-based Hillenbrand Industries, Inc., announced that its medical technology subsidiary, Hill-Rom, has entered into a distribution agreement with Paramount Bed Co., Ltd.

The agreement will allow Paramount Bed to distribute certain Hill-Rom hospital bed systems in Japan.

Paramount Bed is Japan’s leading innovator and maker of medical beds and patient support prevention and therapy systems.

Rose-Hulman's Fuel-Efficient Vehicle

Achieving a personal best -- 1,972.9 mpg -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's Efficient Vehicles team finished among the top third of 60 competitors in the Shell Eco-Marathon's United Kingdom competition -- an event where engineers and scientists of the future have gathered for over 30 years in search of automotive fuel economy.

Rose-Hulman was the only entry from the United States at the Rockingham Motor Speedway near Corby, England. Overall, the team placed 10th in the gasoline fuel division and 18th among all competitors.

The best mileage performance was achieved by team Microjoule, from France, with a mileage of 10,516.9 mpg, short of the team's world record of 10,705 mpg set in 2004. The best collegiate entry came from Britain's Bath University, a perennial top contender, at 5,958.8 mpg.

More information about Rose-Hulman's Efficient Vehicles team is available here.

IU Gets a Vice President for International Affairs

Patrick O'Meara (left)has been named to the newly created position of Vice President for International Affairs at Indiana University by President Michael A. McRobbie, according to the IU News Bureau.

O'Meara is an internationally renowned scholar of international development and African politics. He has been serving as dean for international programs at IU Bloomington since 1993 and has been at IU since the 1960s.

With the promotion, O'Meara will continue to have oversight of international programs at all eight IU campuses, and he will have principal responsibility under McRobbie's direction for implementing a new, university-wide international strategic plan. He will provide leadership and coordination of all international directions and initiatives.

Gov. Daniels Leads Delegation to Asia

Governor Mitch Daniels heads east next week on a mission to attract new jobs and investment from Japan and Taiwan, reports Inside INdiana Business.

The 78-person state delegation includes six members of the Indiana General Assembly and seven mayors; representatives of three Indiana universities (including Patrick O’Meara, newly-designated vice-president of International Affairs for Indiana University); 25 business leaders; 23 local economic development officials and longtime Nationalities Council of Indiana supporter Theresa A. Kulczak, executive director of the Japan-America Society of Indiana.

In addition to Governor Daniels, the state will be represented by Secretary of Commerce Pat Miller, IEDC President Mickey Maurer, and Agriculture Department Director Andy Miller.

It's a quick trip: the state delegation will depart Indianapolis on 30 July 30 and return on 7 August.

The governor will meet with government leaders in Taiwan and Japan as well as business leaders from potential investors including Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Fuji Heavy Industries, among others.

The delegation will also host three business seminars for potential investors, visit the Tochigi Prefecture (Indiana's sister-state in Japan) and tour the World Expo in Nagoya, Japan. The trip will conclude with a reception for Japanese business leaders prior to the Indianapolis Colts versus Atlanta Falcons pre-season game at the Tokyo Dome.

Prof. Edwin C. Marshall Appointed to Diversity Post

Indiana University President Michael A. McRobbie has announced the appointment of Professor Edwin C. Marshall as vice president of diversity, equity and multicultural affairs.

Marshall, a professor and associate dean for academic affairs and student administration at the IU School of Optometry, replaces Vice President Charlie Nelms, who has resigned to become Chancellor at North Carolina Central University in Durham.

New Bilingual Newspaper to Debut This Week

The Times of Northwest Indiana will print the first issue of a new bilingual Spanish/English newspaper Wednesday, according to Inside INdiana Business.

VIVA Los Tiempos will be a free, weekly publication that will bring local, state, national and international news and information to the Hispanic population in northwest Indiana.

IU shines at International Supercomputer Conference

Indiana University's "Big Red" supercomputer is again ranked among the world's fastest, according to a report in UITS Information Technology News.

IU accomplishments in advanced cyberinfrastructure are attracting attention and acclaim at the International Supercomputer Conference held last week in Dresden, Germany.

"Big Red" placed 30th on the June 2007 list of the world's 500 fastest supercomputers unveiled today at the conference, and Indiana University's Data Capacitor team, with partners from Technische Universitaet Dresden, demonstrated impressive performance on a distributed transatlantic Lustre file system designed to move large amounts of scientific data quickly and easily.

“Big Red is one of the most powerful supercomputers in existence in the world and it is the fastest ever in the history of the State of Indiana,” said Brad Wheeler, Indiana University chief information officer and dean of information technology at IU Bloomington.

Teaching About Asia

The Summer 2007 Teaching about Asia Seminar will be held on the Bloomington campus of Indiana University next week (16-21 July) under the auspices of IU's East Asian Studies Center.

Participants will be Social Studies and Humanities Teachers for grades 6-12. The instructor is Paul B. Watt, Ph.D., Professor of Asian Studies and Chair, DePauw University.

The East Asian Studies Center of Indiana University, with the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, is engaged in a national multi-year program to improve the teaching of East Asia in America's schools.

The East Asian Studies Center assists in the coordination of teaching, research, and outreach activities on East Asia. Established in 1979, EASC links the expertise of I.U.'s East Asian area specialists to the local and national needs of business, education, and government.

Purdue Collaborates with Korean Institute

Research teams from Purdue's Discovery Park and the Korean Institute of Science and Technology are collaborating on a $4.5 million project to develop molecular imaging and nanotechnology tools to simultaneously diagnose and treat cancer and chronic and infectious diseases, according to the Purdue News Bureau.

The Korean Institute of Science and Technology, also known as KIST, and Purdue developed a research proposal utilizing the complementary strengths of both institutions' internationally renowned research groups.

In conjunction with this project, Purdue's Discovery Park will hold an international conference on 14 September in the Burton D. Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship. More than 20 Korean researchers on this project will attend, along with other international scholars in the growing field of molecular imaging and theragnosis. The first event took place in Seoul in September 2006.

New Dean of School of Technology at Purdue Calumet

Niaz Latif (right) was approved as dean of the School of Technology and professor of mechanical engineering technology at Purdue University Calumet by the Purdue board of trustees on 6 July.

Dr. Latif earned his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri—Columbia and an M.S. from South Dakota State University; both degrees are in Agricultural Engineering. He holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Chittagong in Bangladesh.

Dr. Ejeta Named Distinguished Professor

Gebisa Ejeta (left) was named the Distinguished Professor of Agronomy in the Department of Agronomy at Purdue University by the board of trustees 6 July.

Ejeta has been a professor at Purdue, his alma mater, since 1984. His research group focuses on the genetic analysis and breeding of sorghum for resistance to the major biotic and abiotic stresses including drought, plant diseases and the parasitic weed called striga. The research also includes the nutritional quality of sorghum, its potential for use for alternative energy, as well as management and exploitation of genetic resources and influence of gene flow in crop species.

Ejeta earned a bachelor's degree in plant sciences from Alemaya College in Ethiopia in 1973 and master's and doctoral degrees in plant breeding and genetics from Purdue in 1976 and 1978.