News: May 2012
Item Posted: May 10, 2012 EF President Visits Korean Alumni
On a recent trip to Seoul, President of Eisenhower Fellowships John Wolf expressed his deep appreciation to the alumni Fellows of Korea for hosting him and for forging ties within Korea and more broadly in North Asia among the EF community. Mayor of Seoul Won Soon Park, '99, and suggested an EF conference event be held there during his term which concludes in March of 2014. Wolf said, "There are exciting opportunities ahead, and I know Korea will be on the forefront of these." He also spoke highly of the Korean alumni's efforts hosting USA Fellows, and helping them exchange ideas and insights with high-powered Korean contacts. |
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Item Posted: May 10, 2012 Irish Fellow Organizes Multicultural Athletic Event
On Saturday, May 26, 2012, the Dublin Multicultural Resource Centre (DMRC) with AkiDwA (led by Salome Mbugua, '10, Ireland), Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI), Cradle, will host a unique event: oneracehumanrace. The long-term goal of this program is to encourage integration through participation in sport and help address this imbalance in participation by people of an immigrant background or minority ethnic background, particularly people of an African background. A range of athletic events for juveniles from U-8 to U-16, as well as junior, senior and masters' events will be included. Entry for U-8 to U-12 is free. More information can be found here: http://dmrc.ie/images/africaweek.pdf. |
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Item Posted: May 10, 2012 Australian Fellow Visits Brazil
Two alumni Fellows from the 2009 Common Interest Program cohort reunited in São Paulo last month: Dr. Ben Hankamer, Australia, and Dr. Glaucia Souza, Brazil. Hankamer gave a presentation at the University of São Paulo on sustainable and high efficiency microalgae production systems. |
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Item Posted: May 10, 2012 Fellows in the News2012 Jordanian Fellow Ruba Al-Zu'bi was featured on Charlotte Talks radio (WFAE) 1989 USA Fellow Carlin Romano will be discussing his new book at the Philadelphia Free Library – Central Branch on May 21 (Free Library) 2009 USA Fellow Steve Welch's DreamIt ranked 3rd top tech incubator by Forbes. |
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Item Posted: May 7, 2012 Chinese Fellows' Project Finalist in U.S. State Dept. Competition
The U.S. Department of State's Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) received nearly 700 project ideas from all over the world and 154 finalists have been selected, including the team led by Chen Poujian, '06, China. His team's project is titled "Innovative Use of Social Media by Alumni". Here is an excerpt from their project proposal: The elderly population, especially in China, is a vulnerable group. As a society, we always say we care for them, but do we really pay enough attention to the elderly? Do we really understand how they feel? Do we hear what they are talking about? We, of course, are very busy every day, but our elderly fathers and mothers are too often lonely, disconnected and unhappy. As an aging society is growing in China, socialization of elderly people is a very important and necessary factor to make them happier and healthier. This project provides a mobile internet solution by creating mobile social networks for elderly people. The main goal is to help one local senior citizen community in Shanghai to set up their exclusive mobile society. As a pilot project, we will run it for 12 months and then hopefully recommend the model to additional elderly communities. The project will include two types of activities: 1) creating a mobile app and 2) working with a local citizens community and relevant service providers to implement. The rest of the description and other project ideas are available on the State Alumni website at: https://alumni.state.gov/aeif2012/finalist. Log-in and vote for Chen's team! Voting begins May 8 and ends May 15. |
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Item Posted: May 7, 2012 Former President of Chile to Receive Eisenhower Medal
President Dwight Eisenhower provided tremendous leadership to his country and to the world, devoting his life to service as a soldier, a president and a private citizen. Michele Bachelet has also served her country and the international community as a doctor, a president and a passionate advocate. Early in her life, she overcame enormous obstacles, including detention and abuse, because of her political convictions. Bachelet completed her training as a medical doctor with distinction and was a champion for the health needs of women and children. In recognition of her talent, then-president Ricardo Lagos of Chile appointed her Minister of Health, giving her the opportunity to further advance her cause. She also studied military strategy, knowledge which she brought to bear during her term as Latin America's first woman Minister of Defense. As president of Chile for the single four-year term permitted by her country's constitution, she promoted sound economic policies and led Chile through the global financial crisis from which the world is still emerging. She gave prominence to domestic social issues, including public health and the environment and she has been recognized as a regional leader of distinction and integrity. Today, Bachelet provides global leadership and service as the first Executive Director of UN Women, an influential organization which advocates for gender equality and the empowerment of women. For her many contributions, she will be honored with the 2012 Dwight D. Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service. Established by the Eisenhower Fellowships' board of trustees in 1988, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Medal for Leadership and Service is awarded annually to a business leader, statesperson, or other public figure who has achieved, through direct personal contacts across boundaries, widely-recognized advances toward President Eisenhower's vision of peace and productivity through person-to-person international dialogue. The first Eisenhower medals were presented to two of the organization's founding trustees: Walter H. Annenberg, ambassador to the Court of St. James, and Thomas J. Watson, Jr., former Chairman of IBM and ambassador to the Soviet Union, in May 1988. The Eisenhower Medal is awarded at a private gala dinner in Philadelphia, where recipients are honored by trustees, sponsors and current Eisenhower Fellows. (Photo credit: TheStar.com) |
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Item Posted: May 7, 2012 Indian Fellow Elected to Parliament
Last week, Vandana Chavan, '00, India, was sworn into the Rajya Sabha, India's upper house of Parliament. Chavan represents the National Congress Party (NCP), originally nominated by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Coalition, who is currently in power. From the Times of India: "Chavan said she will raise issues related to environment. 'Problems such as global warming are posing a danger to the world. Steps are required to solve these issues. I will try to deal with them from the Rajya Sabha platform,' she said. Chavan has been active in politics since the past 20 years. A lawyer by profession, she was Pune's mayor and a Member of Legislative Council. |
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Item Posted: May 7, 2012 Fellow from Taipei to be Awarded Top Japanese Honor
On May 8, Chinatrust Financial Holding Co Chair Jeffrey Koo, '71, China (Taiwan) will be recognized by the Japanese government for his longstanding efforts to promote economic and diplomatic ties between China (Taiwan) and Japan. Koo, founder of Taiwan's third-largest financial services provider, will be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Japan's first national decoration, established by Emperor Meiji in 1875, for his achievements in international relations and contributions to Japan's welfare, especially after the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 last year. More details here. |
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Item Posted: May 7, 2012 Argentine Fellow Joins Stanford Program
Laura Alonso, '08, Argentina, has been admitted to the Draper Hills Summer Fellows on Democracy and Development Program, hosted by the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford University. Alonso will join the eighth annual class of Draper Hills Summer Fellows, in the summer of 2012, at Stanford University. She was selected from among 460 applicants holding outstanding civic records and occupying high-impact positions in the policy, development, and social sectors of their countries. She will join a diverse and exciting group of change-makers from more than 20 different countries who are working to achieve or strengthen democracy, accountability, social justice, and economic development under challenging circumstances. |
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Item Posted: May 7, 2012 Irish Fellows Address Public Policy
Dr. Donal de Buitleir, '87, Ireland, recently accepted the position of Executive Director of a new think tank Publicpolicy.ie. located in Dublin. From their website: "We aim to make it as easy as possible for interested citizens to understand the choices involved in addressing public policy issues and their implications. Our purpose is to carry out independent research to inform public policy choices; communicate the results effectively; and stimulate constructive discussion amongst policy makers, civil society and the general public." It is independent and fully-funded by Atlantic Philanthropies which is headquartered in New York. Mary Walsh, '89, Ireland, is a board member. (Photo credit: PublicPolicy.ie) |
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Item Posted: May 7, 2012 Fellows in the NewsMari Pangestu, '90, Indonesia, to tap the potential of indigenous people (Jakarta Post) |
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Click here to read news from April 2012 or click here to read other archived news.Download the January 2012 e-NewsletterAll items written by Alumni Associate Holly Logan, unless otherwise noted. |
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