Global Reach Fall 2014

November 2014 • Vol. 13

global.arizona.edu

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In this Issue:

Greetings!

Shaping the Future of International Higher Education........................................................... 3 U.S.-Mexico Joint Research and Innovation.............. 5 This One’s for You, Memo!...........................................6 100,000 Strong in the Americas.................................9 ‘My Students Taught Me’............................................10 The Life of a Fulbright Student.................................. 12 Fulbright Professor Set to Help Advance Research in Australia....................................................13 UA Fulbright Awards List.............................................13 Study Abroad Photo Contest Winners...................... 14

The UA Office of Global Initiatives (OGI) has spent the last year expanding the UA’S global reach and developing innovative program models to more deeply connect the UA with our friends and colleagues abroad.

This year we have welcomed new and existing partners to Tucson and increased our connection with alumni, collaborators and agencies around the world. Throughout this newsletter we will highlight several programs, events and people that make up the Arizona Global Knowledge Network. These include: · The UA hosted the 16th North American Higher Education Conference in partnership with the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC) which brought together representatives from government, industry and higher education to discuss innovative ways to expand collaboration between Mexico, Canada and the US. · The UA welcomed representatives from some of the world’s top universities as part of our first ever Partner Day at the UA; this event allowed our global partners to visit the UA and learn about our programs and our campus.

UA Faculty in Abu Dhabi............................................ 18

· UA President Ann Weaver Hart was able to join a UA delegation to Oman and the U.A.E. where she participated in the 2014 Gulf Cooperation Council reunion of over 100 UA distinguished alumni. Thanks to these alumni, this visit has led to several proposals which we expect to highlight in future editions of this letter.

Alumni Spotlight: Mohammed Sharaf..................... 19

· Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM) sent 60 students to the UA campus as part of two unique seminars in engineering and architecture.

UA Peace Corps Fellows............................................. 16 Partner Day at the UA..................................................17

Going Global: The UA Tech Park’s International Intent.................................................... 20 Student Spotlight: PharmD Students in Japan........ 21 Expanding Partnerships in the Middle East............22 International Research Development Grant...........24 2014 College Advisory Committee...........................26 2014 Institutional Partners......................................... 27 Front Cover Photo: Students from Mexico participated in RoboCup Junior during a summer engineering seminar (Full story on page 8). Photo courtesy of UA Communications.

Back Cover Photo: Partners from Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero enjoy a tour of the UA Mirror Lab. Photo by Frank Camp.

· The UA became the only institution to receive funding in three of the four rounds of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas innovation fund, providing opportunities for programs between the UA and various institutions in Mexico, Peru and Chile. · The UA continues to be among the top Fulbright institutions, and is number two in returning Peace Corps Fellows.

These activities around the world will continue to strengthen the UA’s position as a preferred partner, a preferred destination and hub of a global knowledge network, and as THE global land-grant university.

We truly appreciate your support in these initiatives. We are proud of our combined successes and are excited to continue creating a global Arizona Experience.

Best regards, Mike Proctor Vice President, Global Initiatives

The University of Arizona is proud to celebrate the 14th annual International Education Week.

IEW is celebrated nationally and is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. The week celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange throughout the world. The

UA will host lectures, films, events and special sessions throughout the week. Unless noted, all events are free and open to the public.

See the “Calendar of IEW Events” poster insert for an overview of events to be hosted at the University of Arizona.

An online calendar is also available at global.arizona.edu/iew

Shaping the Future of International Higher Education The UA was proud to host the 16th North American Higher Education Conference in partnership with the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC), October 8-10, 2014, to identify ways for higher-education institutions, governments and businesses to address global challenges.

CONAHEC is a nonprofit network of approximately 180 higher-education institutions from the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as a select group of institutions from around the world. Its mission is to foster academic collaboration among institutions, organizations and agencies of higher education in Canada, Mexico and the United States. CONAHEC also promotes linkages between North America and higher-education entities around the world.

“My view is the conference went really well,” said Mike Proctor, UA vice president for global initiatives. “There’s really an awakening of the importance

ence was a great expression of that.”

The conference coincided with the CONAHEC’s 20th year of operation, and the next 20 years of international higher education was a big focus of many discussions.

On Friday, a panel of representatives from organizations in the United States, Mexico and Canada discussed their thoughts on the future of higher education during the conference’s closing plenary session.

“We all know we live in a rapidly globalizing world,” said Maurits van Rooijen, president of the Compostela Group of Universities, a nonprofit organization based in Spain that promotes and executes collaborations between higher-education institutions around the world. “Higher education, with simple common sense, cannot be immune to globalization. ... On the contrary, we should not want to be immune to that. We should be at the cutting edge of it.”

“A major theme, obviously, for the next 20 years plus is globalization,” he said. “It’s not a fashion, it’s not something which will pass by. Higher education and globalization will have to have direct interaction if we as educators want to stay relevant to what is happening in the world. ... Together, we are stronger than as individual institutions.”

John E. Fowler, assistant director of the State University of New York Center for Collaborative Online Learning, said that student exchange programs still prove to be the most common way for institutions to encourage their students to get international experience.

Improving access to such programs will be key in the future.

“As we’ve heard throughout the couple of days here, study abroad remains the flagship activity that we go about to bring those international perspectives to our students,” Fowler said. “The vast majority of our students do not get such an experience. ... We also look towards bringing international students onto our campuses to internationalize UA President Ann Weaver Hart speaks during the welcome reception for the 16th Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration Conference hosted by the UA. (Photo by Frank Camp.) our campus environment, but we all know there’s of global relationships in higher educa- Van Rooijen emphasized that collabochallenge inherent in getting them to tion. There’s much more sustenance rations among universities across the interact on a deep level with our local taking place now. Governments are globe will be necessary to help stustudent populations.” mostly working with higher education dents succeed. to facilitate interactions. This conferglobal.arizona.edu

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UA on Collaboration’s Cutting Edge

Globalization was a focus of discussion during the conference’s closing plenary session with David Longanecker, Raul Arias, John Fowler, Maurits van Rooijen and Sharon Hobenshield. (Photo by Frank Camp.)

“Higher education cannot be immune to globalization... we should be at the cutting edge of it.”

-Maurits van Rooijen, president of the Compostela Group of Universities (Spain)

In addition to study abroad programs, technology also will prove crucial to helping students secure such experiences.

“I feel quite strongly that the influences of technology on how we deliver education – how we deliver international education – is still in its infancy,” Fowler said. “We think, as we look forward to the next 20 years, that technology can really be a transformative power in the way we deliver international education to our students.”

“The culture ... of this region is about solving problems,” said Mike Proctor. “We have representatives from Saskatchewan to San Luis Potosí and a little bit further from both directions. Sonora is right in the middle. It’s an appropriate place to be for the Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration.”

The conference featured speakers including Sean Manley-Casimir, CONAHEC’s executive director; David Atkinson, vice president of CONAHEC’s board and president of MacEwan University in Canada; Christopher Teal, the U.S. consul general in Nogales; and Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild attended CONAHEC’s opening session and discussed the importance of

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the UA forming close-knit international collaborations.

“As the world becomes more economically integrated and interdependent, it makes sense that our institutions of higher learning become more integrated and interdependent, and more focused on the skills and knowledge required in a global economy,” Mayor Rothschild said.

“It has been my observation, particularly through the University, that colleges and universities are working more closely than ever with industry and with each other to ensure the technical skills they are teaching are what’s needed in the workplace. The University, its discoveries and the spin-off companies they create are major assets for our community...

Working together, we have a lot to offer — not only each other, but the world — as a border-manufacturing region.”

The Arizona State Trade and Investment Office opened in Mexico City on Tuesday, October 7, symbolic of a renewed commitment to help businesses on either side of the border tap into new markets.

An Arizona delegation, which spent three days with Mexican business and government officials as part of the occasion, included Teri Lucie Thompson, the UA’s senior vice president for university relations and chief marketing officer, and Kim Sabow, the University’s assistant vice president for state relations. The state’s expertise in advanced education, bioscience and aerospace — all strengths of the UA — was mentioned prominently.

Others representing the University were Bruce Wright, associate vice president of Tech Parks Arizona, and José Lever, director of the UA’s Mexico office.

“This means that we will have very good partners from our state to complement (the University’s) efforts,” Lever said of the Mexico City trade office. “It will enhance the connections we’ve established with the science and technology communities in Mexico for the last seven years. It will help with synergy, particularly in the business community.”

The UA had 43 sponsored Mexico-related research projects and five study-abroad programs in Mexico in 2013. During the 2012-13 fiscal year, the UA hosted 96 visiting faculty and scholars and 149 students from Mexico.

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U.S. and Mexican Officials Discuss Innovation, Joint Research During Meeting at UA More than 100 representatives of the U.S. and Mexican governments, the private sector and the higher education community met on June 9-10, 2014 at the University of Arizona to discuss joint research and innovation opportunities.

The event was the sixth working meeting held as part of the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Forum on Higher Education, Innovation and Research (Foro Bilateral sobre Educación Superior, Innovación e Investigación, or FOBESII for short). U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto established FOBESII in May 2013 as a way to expand opportunities for educational exchanges, scientific research partnerships and cross-border innovation for both countries.

During the meeting participants developed ideas will be used to develop FOBESII standards and initiatives for achieving its goals of increasing academic mobility, strengthening language acquisition, promoting greater workforce development, and expanding joint research and innovation.

"It was truly an honor to be selected as the site for the sixth meeting of this important bilateral forum," said UA President Ann Weaver Hart. "We know that having strong partnerships with Mexico – through trade, student exchange and collaborative knowledge creation – is critical to the health and prosperity of economies on both sides of the border.

Being a part of this conversation helps us identify how the UA can contribute to efforts like this." global.arizona.edu

Key attendees held a press conference at the conclusion of the meetings to share the expected outcomes and next steps. (Photo courtesy of UA Communications.)

The working group identified key issues that face both countries, such as food, water, energy and manufacturing.

Participants also identified collaborations that will make the U.S. and Mexico, and North America as a whole, more globally competitive.

“Fundamentally, innovation comes from people, it's not defined by a border.”

- Nathaniel Schaefle, Department of State’s Office of the Science and Technology Adviser

"What we have before us is really a once-in-a-generation opportunity to craft a binational collaboration strategy between the United States and Mexico," said Mike Proctor. "If you look at the border states in particular, the connections, the family, the industry, education back and forth across the border is something to be admired and leveraged as we grow this relationship."

FOBESII complements Obama's "100,000 Strong in the Americas" initiative, which aims to increase student mobility between the U.S. and other countries in the Western hemisphere, as well as Mexico's "Proyecta 100,000," which seeks to send 100,000 Mexican students to the U.S. and bring 50,000 U.S. students to study in Mexico by 2018.

"FOBESII is an entity that tries to focus us all on the possibilities of binational collaborations in various ways, getting

us all to see what we're doing and meet and understand what's going on," said Joaquin Ruiz, executive dean of the UA Colleges of Letters, Arts and Science, dean of the UA College of Science, and vice president of innovation and strategy at the UA. "If you look at it that way, it's been a great success. We've seen today a bunch of programs that have started or are actually cranking away."

At the conclusion of the meeting, participants emphasized the importance of keeping the conversation going beyond the six working group meetings. They plan to meet again next year to track ongoing progress.

"The idea is that we set up a meeting on a yearly basis," said Sergio M. Alcocer, undersecretary for North America for the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

"However, there is work that we need to do ... that has to be done right away," he said. "Each one of you should continue in the dialogue that was initiated here."

Nathaniel Schaefle, lead innovation adviser in the Department of State's Office of the Science and Technology Adviser, emphasized the necessity of fostering collaboration between U.S. and Mexican governments, higher education institutions, private businesses and communities in order to achieve FOBESII's goals.

"Fundamentally, innovation comes from people," Schaefle said. "It's not defined by a border. It's not defined as an education.

It's defined by people who think creatively."

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This One’s for You, Memo!

By Jill Goetz

on July 18 at the University of Arizona.

Just three weeks after the Mexican National Football Team was knocked out of the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil, Mexican soccer, or fútbol, players of a different stripe competed in a heart-stopping Soccer RoboCup Junior tournament

What the two-wheeled, autonomous LEGO robots lacked in beating hearts (at least for now; anything is possible, given advances in robotics), they made up for in technical wizardry, sporty attire, and the excitement they generated as

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their student designers and supporters cheered, high-fived, and shouted “Gooooooooool!”

Thirty-four industrial engineering and mechatronics undergraduates from the Tecnológico de Monterrey Sonora Norte Campus, or ITESM, participated in the global.arizona.edu

capstone event of “The Systems Process,” a three-week course taught by UA associate professor of systems and industrial engineering Ricardo Valerdi.

Team Ochoa won the tournament; they chose their moniker in honor of Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa, the Mexican National Football Team’s star goalkeeper.

“Dr. Valerdi’s course was as an excellent course that I wish I had taken earlier in my career,” said fourth-year mechatronics student Rodrigo Alonso. “He calls the course The Systems Process, but it should be called ‘Good Engineering’. I personally believe every engineer should take it.”

Preparing for the RoboCup contest was truly a labor of love for the students.

Fourth-year mechatronics major Flor Burruel, who aspires to develop “green electricity sources,” said she burned the midnight oil in the final hours before the Friday morning tournament, testing and making adjustments to the robot for her team.

Alonso added, “For me, the most fun part of the class was building the soccer-playing robot. The competition to see who would win the tournament added spice to the whole course, allowing for healthy competition and some heated discussions among students. In all, it was a wonderful experience.”

The summer course, which ended July 18, was offered through an international exchange program run by the UA Office of Global Initiatives Continuing & Professional Education in collaboration with the ITESM campus in Hermosillo.

“ITESM is the flagship engineering institute for higher learning in Mexico, and these are some of the best engineering students in that country,” said Valerdi. “This course was our first collaboration of its kind with them.”

RoboCup in Action In the RoboCup Junior contest, autonomous robots performed on two small playing fields in the University of Arizona BookStores lobby, beneath an international flags display. Five teams of students designed the robots, which punted a special soccer ball that transmits infrared signals. Many competitors wore Mexico’s national colors of red, white, and green; referees sported the requisite pinstripes. global.arizona.edu

“I have never had this kind of experience, and I hope to have more of them,” she said.

RoboCup Junior is a student contest affiliated with RoboCup International, now in its 20th year. The 2014 RoboCup was held in Brazil a week after the World Cup, with teams of professional engineers competing from more than 40 countries.

Over the years, the competition has led to important scientific breakthroughs. By creating soccer robots that can act autonomously and coordinate movements in dynamic environments, roboticists are paving the way for more advanced robots to serve on battlefields and perform human rescue operations.

Transcending Geography Mike Proctor, UA vice president of global initiatives, stressed the value of the exchange program with ITESM, not only for the two universities, but also for bordering countries.

one of the most robust in the world. Our universities are uniquely situated, based on their connections with students and industry, to profoundly impact our shared economic future.”

Myrta Rodríguez, professor and director of the department of industrial engineering at the ITESM Sonora Norte Campus, noted, “We are committed to development of international vision in our students. We are proud to have had this opportunity to collaborate with the University of Arizona.”

Lectures, Labs, and Diamondbacks The Systems Process class included morning lectures and afternoon labs, where students designed the soccer robots and wrote software to operate them. Students also took two field trips, one to Biosphere 2 and another to Chase Field.

“Biosphere 2 is an interesting experiment and a very complex system, located just outside Tucson, that helps students learn how to design complex systems that interface with the human and natural environments,” Professor Valerdi said.

Chase Field in Phoenix, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, is “another complex system with sophisticated technologies; the roof, the air conditioning, and the information technology required to run a professional baseball game,” he said.

Said third-year mechatronics student Juan Rafael Capobianco, “On the field trips, we could apply what we had learned in class in different contexts.”

“The UA’s connection with Mexico transcends geography,” Proctor said.

“Our respective faculty have been working together for years, and our collaborations with Mexico reflect a critical strategic opportunity.

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The ITESM exchange program was about more than just systems engineering.

“Being at a U.S. university helped many of us in improving our English and interacting with people from other nations and cultures,” said Rodrigo Alonso. “I met people from Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and, of course, many Mexicans and Americans.”

Seniors Benefit from Partnerships With Maquiladoras Like most University of Arizona Engineering seniors, Lee Johnson completed a Senior Capstone Design Project before receiving his BS in optical sciences and engineering this spring. He got help from Continental Automotive Systems, a multinational company with a manufacturing plant in the border city of Nogales in Sonora, Mexico, that provides electronics for the automotive industry.

Engineering Design Day in May. “Working in Sonora broadened my perspective, from an introverted, national view of engineering to a collective international one,” said Johnson.

Mechanical engineering student Thomas Lundstrom also worked on the dashboard project.

“Partnering with a Mexican company brought a sense of the unknown,” Lundstrom said. “But once we got to tour the plant, it gave us a sense of awe. It was an extremely impressive facility, and it was amazing to see what a large quantity of automobile parts they were able to manufacture.”

Then, in the spring, corporate sponsors attend UA’s Engineering Design Day, when the student teams showcase their creations, to serve as judges and award prizes. This year, those awards totaled more than $14,000.

Martinrea International, which operates an automotive manufacturing plant in Hermosillo, Sonora, also sponsored a senior project this year.

Such cross-border collaborations offer innumerable benefits for the UA and industry partners. They increase opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student recruitment and provide an important avenue for companies in Sonora to recruit UA students.

“The Martinrea project was a new experience for us, because it was divided into two parts -- one assigned to UA students, and another assigned to students at the Tecnológico de Monterrey Sonora Norte Campus, or ITESM, located in Hermosillo” said Ara Arabyan, professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and director of the Senior Capstone Design Program.

“We find this The team who designed an optical science quality-control system won second type of collaboraplace for best overall design. (Photo by Frank Camp.) tion particularly useful, because it enables both instisuccessful collaborations with UA Entutions to get to know each other and gineering students last year. Johnson’s learn from each other, and it creates rich team used optical science technology to opportunities for student exchange.” design a quality-control inspection system for Continental’s automobile dashIn the fall, representatives from the manboards. The project won second place for ufacturing plants (often called maquilaBest Overall Design at the 2014 Continental sponsored three senior design projects this year following its

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doras) join other potential project sponsors at the College’s Engineering Design Day Open House, where they present real design problems and invite interested seniors to solve them. If the projects are accepted, the companies provide financial support for the design team, and students complete their projects at the Sonora plant.

Tapping into a Dynamic Global Marketplace

Working in Sonora also better prepares students to succeed in a globally connected world, said Justin Dutram, program coordinator in the University’s Office of Global Initiatives.

“The collaborations with the manufacturing sector in Sonora allow our students to polish their engineering skills in a global context, only 100 kilometers from campus,” he said. “While solving real-world engineering design problems in advanced manufacturing, they develop intercultural competencies and learn how to manage projects -- skill sets that are highly regarded by employers.”

Sonora is home to hundreds of automotive, biomedical, and electronic manufacturing plants and is gaining a growing presence in the aerospace industry. In the last year, the UA has stepped up its partnerships with manufacturing firms in Mexico and investigated new avenues for strengthening cross-border relationships.

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100,000 Strong in the Americas The University of Arizona is the only institution to win funding in three of the four rounds of U.S. President Barack Obama’s 100,000 Strong in the Americas initiative, which aims to expand higher education access and study abroad exchanges.

The 100,000 Strong initiative involves a partnership between the U.S. Department of State, Partners of the Americas and NAFSA: Association of International Educators and is designed to increase both the numbers and diversity of study abroad participants while building innovative collaborations throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Ultimately, the initiative, by increasing study abroad between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean, is designed to position students for a competitive advantage in their careers as global leaders, professionals and citizens while also increasing collaboration and innovation.

Another goal is to strengthen jobs and middle-class professional opportunities.

Two of the three applications were facilitated by members of the UA Office of Global Initiatives Program Innovation Team which works across the University and with external partners to create and act on international opportunities that build capacity, support student and faculty mobility, promote and enhance the 21st century global land grant mission, and achieve lasting impact. The team works collaboratively through the critical phases of internationally focused program development that include opportunity identification, resource mobilization, proposal formation and submission, and the implementation and management of funded projects.

Univerdisdad de Guanajuato to promote participation of students from the University of Arizona’s Summer Research Institute. The goal is to increase student proficiency in Spanish or English and increase student interest in graduate studies.

Latin American Natural Resource Academy The second award, submitted by the OGI Project Innovation Team allowed the UA to create a sustainable umbrella organization focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics for student exchanges related to sustainable resource development – the Latin America Natural Resources Academy – with partner institutions based in Peru and Chile.

“We are honored to have received this prestigious grant from Partners of the Americas,” said Mary Poulton, who heads the UA’s Department of Mining and Geological Engineering and is co-principal investigator on the second UA project to receive funding.

The students from Peru and Chile started at the UA in the fall. To be eligible, the students must be undergraduates pursuing STEM degrees. During their semester at the UA, they attend classes and receive an undergraduate certificate in international sustainable resource development.

Project-Based Mobility Program The third award the UA recieved will allow the UA and two partnering organizations to promote study abroad in engineering-based subject areas. The Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration (CONAHEC) will create a Project-Based Mobility Network together with its partner, the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education in Mexico (ANUIES; Asociación Nacional de Universidades e Instituciones de Educación Superior) for engineering students at selected member institutions of both organizations.

These project-based mobility opportunities will require interdisciplinary teams of students from ANUIES and CONAHEC institutions to solve real-world engineering design problems posed by industry sponsors and it is based on a successful model developed by the University of Arizona Engineering Senior Design Program.

The first Project-Based Mobility Network industry-sponsored design project will be piloted by students and mentors from the UA and la Universidad de Guadalajara.

The tremendous support the UA has recieved from Partners of the Americas and the 100,000 Strong innovation fund uniquely positions the UA to have a tremendous impact on the initiatives shaping global education at the highest levels. The UA is proud to be supporting this program and will continue to develop unique ways to encourage student mobility.

The international team that put together the most recent successful 100,000 Strong grant proposal was presented with a commemorative shirt at the recent CONAHEC conference. (Photo by Frank Camp.)

Summer Research Program In round one, the UA Graduate College partnered with the Universidad de Guanajuato to expand student exchange innovation through the internationalization of its Summer Research Program. This will allow global.arizona.edu

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‘My Students Taught Me’: Fulbright Scholar Back From Pakistan

By Amanda Ballard After spending five months in tumultuous Islamabad, Adele Barker says the experience has changed her outlook on education, her work and life.

Barker is a professor in the University of Arizona Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, and was selected as a Fulbright Scholar to teach and write in

Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan.

Fulbright Scholarships allow scholars to travel to other countries for a variety of educational activities such as university lecturing, research, graduate studies and teaching.

Barker was one of only two Fulbright Scholars to work in Pakistan.

Pakistan has seen increasingly violent rallies and protests against the country’s government, based in Islamabad. For this reason, Barker was kept under strict security restrictions during her entire stay.

“The security around me was very, very tight,” Barker said. “But it was also something I knew about before I went there.

In my case, because I write, I simply adjusted my vision downwards to accom-

modate the smaller world in which I was placed.”

“Teach me Pakistan,” she told him. “And he did, six kilometers a night.”

During her time abroad, she taught graduate students at Fatima Jinnah Women University, located in Rawalpindi, approximately a 40-minute drive from Islamabad. She taught courses on contemporary American women writers and 19th-century Russian literature, primarily focusing on Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel “Anna Karenina.”

“I tell you, if there’s any way to break down barriers, it’s by sitting in a room

Adele Barker, UA professor of Russian and Slavic studies, recently returned from teaching in Islamabad for five months. She was one of only two Fulbright Scholars selected to travel to Pakistan.

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talking about a text,” Barker said. “I didn’t realize it, but I wasn’t winning any popularity contests when I arrived.

All but one of my students had never met an American, and had never been taught by an American. Their opinion of me was initially formed by many of the U.S. government’s missteps in Pakistan. Fortunately, our time together in the classroom created a space where I became more than the representative of U.S. policy.”

Barker said that she never felt her safety was threatened, although she witnessed public rallies, and the Pakistani military became a pervasive presence on the streets of Islamabad during her time there.

“Essentially, everyone in a city of any size in Pakistan is moving about with the Pakistani military on every street corner and road,” she said. “It is a country in which anyone becomes a target because of the random nature of the violence.

Islamabad in particular saw some very tough times in 2008, the bombing of the Marriott Hotel being just one example, and as a result businesses, government buildings and even private residences are heavily guarded, indeed sandbagged today. The memory of those times still reverberates over there today.”

Barker spent much of her free time learning the local language of Urdu, reading contemporary Pakistani novels, global.arizona.edu

Barker taught courses on contemporary American women writers and 19th-century Russian literature at Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi, near Islamabad.

visiting her local market and learning to cook the local cuisine, including her new favorite dish called saag, or Pakistani spinach.

She received permission from the Fulbright Commission to take evening walks with her neighbor in one of the large parks in Islamabad.

“Teach me Pakistan,” she told him. “And he did, six kilometers a night.”

Because she wasn’t allowed to travel far, her students became her window to Pakistan.

“They were my key to the culture,” Barker said. “They taught me. I had never lived in an Islamic society. I was fascinated. ...

I remember during my last week there, it was Ramadan. I was cooking iftar – that’s the meal you cook to break the fast. As I was serving it, I realized everybody in this country was having the exact same meal at the exact same time. I found that notion very compelling. For me, it was the antidote to much commonly voiced opinion that sees the country as descending irrevocably into chaos.”

Barker, who is also a writer, is working on a writing project about her experience, and hopes to return to Pakistan soon – ideally with more freedom to move about the culture.

“I was in the middle of my writing project and I had to come back,” she said. “My work over there isn’t done. My (Pakistani) colleagues and friends said ‘Don’t give up writing, you must write about this country, because we would like you to correct the impression that many Americans have of who were are.’ I knew I wanted to do this.”

While she readjusts to American culture and starts a new academic year at the UA, she hopes her students appreciate the opportunity they have to receive an education.

“I can’t claim to have any scholarly expertise on Pakistan, but what I have is the unique experience – which I hope to repeat – of being able to teach in the Pakistani classroom and to teach young Pakistani women, for whom there is really a high risk in certain parts of that country if they want to get an education,” she said.

“I think the greatest thing I bring back from my students is the great motivation from every young person I met to get an education, to get it right and really do something with it. When you live on the edge, as they do over there ... you take nothing for granted.”

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The Life of a Fulbright Student University Communications In the words of the Fulbright Program, its global mission is “to increase mutual understanding between people of the U.S. and people of other countries through exchange.”

At the UA, the Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships facilitates the application process for students seeking Fulbright grants, and is hosting several informational sessions and workshops for students interested in pursuing Fulbright funding.

Here’s what some previous Fulbright funding recipients had to say about their experiences. They also have some advice for applicants.

Daniela Ugaz, Fulbright Study/ Research grant in Mexico I applied for a Fulbright grant in Mexico primarily because I wanted to live in Mexico City. I’d lived in the sprawling, labyrinthine city for some months a few years back and, ever since, my skin had been crawling with the desire to return.

I also wanted to see what I was capable of as an independent student living and studying in Mexico; I wanted to see how things would shake out for me in trying to create and run a project completely on my own. I am a writer – graduated with a MFA from the UA – and I wanted to experience a year doing nothing but writing and researching on my own. I had these desires long before I began to give any thought to what exactly it was I wanted to research and write about.

So don’t despair if you don’t yet have a research project in mind. It was only after I decided to apply that I thought long and hard about the pitch and thrust of my project. Once I figured that out, one of the trickiest things was finding an organization to write a sponsor letter for me. I

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must have sent 30 emails to various organizations in Mexico City before a professor at La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México replied saying he would love to have me work with the Department of Social and Political Science. There, I focused on my project, “The Overlap of the Child Welfare and Immigration Systems: A Book of Creative Nonfiction.”

Eric Wheeler, Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship, Spain I was fortunate enough to spend the 2012-2013 academic year working under a Fulbright scholarship.

Someone I met while studying in Chile had received a Fulbright and hearing about his experience resonated with me. I decided to apply because, while in Chile, I lived with two Spaniards from the Basque and Asturian regions of Spain and developed a passion for their regional languages and culture.

The application process was a very pleasant experience. The UA Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships does a great job at identifying aspects of a student’s candidacy that could be improved, and makes a concerted effort to assist and develop an application in any way they can.

I was assigned to a hybrid middle school and high school in the Madrid area. In addition to normal teaching duties, I worked with another Fulbright grantee to lead a group of more than 50 Spanish 10th graders in a global classrooms conference where they participated in a mock parliamentary procedure in English.

The experience was an incredible opportunity to work with and learn how a different education system operates.

In addition to stated grant duties, the Fulbright name was tremendously helpful in opening doors and allowing me to pursue other interests in the Madrid area.

I was able to complete two competitive internships, study French and become acquainted with an incredible group of people from diverse backgrounds. I would

recommend the Fulbright to anyone.

Katie Silvester, Fulbright Study/ Research grant in Nepal I went to Nepal to conduct literacy research in Bhutanese refugee camps along Nepal’s southeastern border with India.

Before applying for the Fulbright, I had been working as an English as a Second Language instructor in the Pima Community College Refugee Education Project, an adult education project. There, I met recently resettled Bhutanese refugees who told me about the “world-class” education they received from Caritas Nepal (a development/relief organization) in the refugee camps. My students were able to connect me with refugee educators at Caritas Nepal, securing the affiliation letter needed for Fulbright.

At the Caritas Nepal Bhutanese Refugee Education Program, I met Tika, an English teacher. Her students were adults who speak Nepali as a lingua franca, or a bridge language, although many do not know how to read or write in any language.

Explaining to me what some older adults in the refugee camp say about learning English, she quipped, “Haati pardeko thulo bhako hoina.” That means, “Elephants don’t get big by learning.”

I was astonished.

“People really say that? K ina (why)?”

Tika then began meticulously documenting the perplexing Nepali phrase in Devanagari script in my research notebook.

“Some older people think like this,” she replies cryptically.

What I learned was that older refugees’ investments in English are tied to conflicting cultural ideas about the value of lifelong learning in transnational contexts. As one student, Suk Maya, put it, “Haati pardeko thulo bhako hoina.

Kamilaa saano bhako hoina.” Literally, “Elephants don’t get big by learning, but

...continued on page 26

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Fulbright Professor Set to Help Advance Research in Australia Sydney Donaldson Richard Ziolkowski, UA professor of electrical and computer engineering, is no stranger to traveling the world as a representative for the College of Engineering. And starting in January 2015, he will once again represent the college as he flies across the globe to begin work in Australia as a Fulbright Distinguished Chair.

I’ll be keeping in mind opportunities to foster international ties that are important for UA’s College of Engineering,” said Ziolkowski.

Ziolkowski will serve a five-month term as the Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Advanced Science and Technology working with the country’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation to help connect government work and educational research. Based in Melbourne, he will work on DSTO priority research projects as well as give guest lectures and attend seminars at universities throughout Australia.

A key benefit of the program is the opportunity to explore longer-term collaboration and create new links with institutions in Australia. global.arizona.edu

Thus, his time in Australia, Ziolkowski said, will align well with the College of Engineering’s global initiatives and help strengthen already developing international ties there.

“Not only will I be focusing on bringing my expertise to DSTO and universities in Australia, but I’ll be keeping in mind opportunities to foster international ties that are important for UA’s College of Engineering,” he said.

Ziolkowski has traveled internationally many times throughout his career, most notably as past president of the Antennas and Propagation Society for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. He has visited Switzerland, Singapore, China and India to help promote international research in metamaterial exploration. Ziolkowski, an expert in transformative engineering of electromagnetic phenomena, devices and systems, gave a plenary talk in the Netherlands at the April 6-11 European Conference on Antennas and Propagation.

The highly competitive Fulbright Scholar Program, a U.S. State Department initiative, supports relations between students, researchers and scholars of the United States and other countries. The Distinguished Chair position is among the most prestigious appointments in the program.

“I am so honored to have been selected for such a prestigious award,” said Ziolkowski, who has a joint appointment in the College of Optical Sciences. “I am looking forward to working with Fulbright Australia and representing the University of Arizona.”

UA Fulbright Awards The Fulbright program is the leading international educational exchange program sponsored by the United States government. Each year this program awards grants to over 800 U.S. faculty members to conduct research around the world. Visit www.cies.org/us_scholars for information on the Fulbright Scholar Program.

UA Fulbright Scholar Recipients ‘14-’15: Benedict Colombi Cultural Anthropology

Russia

Bane Vasic Electrical Engineering

Serbia

Sama Alshaibi Intermedia/Multimedia

Palestinian Territories

Christopher Castro Natural Sciences (NEXUS)

Mexico

Roger Nichols U.S. History

Canada

UA Fulbright Distinguished Chair Recipients ‘14-’15: Richard Ziolkowski Engineering

Australia

Visiting Fulbright Scholar Recipients ‘14’15: Asta Haaberg Norway Norwegian University of Science and Technology Hsuan Tin Chang National Yunlin University of Science and Technology Marit Slagt Utrecht University

Taiwan

Netherlands

Florencia Bechis National University of Rio Negro Ahmed Al Wadaey Sana’a University GlobalReach, Fall 2014

Argentina Yemen

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Winner | Cultural Sn apshot: Kyle Flynn

Auschwitz Concen

tration Camp

e and Nature: Winner | Landscap Kimberly Cain Make A Wish

Winner | School Spirit Kenna Nielson Lennon’s Bear Down

Study Abroad Photo Contest Winners Each year the winners and all of the 150+ submissions to our annual study abroad photo contest represent the UA’s diverse array of programs, locations and students. These photos were our 2013 photo contest winners.

“We were taken to the base of this beautiful glacier by boat and soon after were able to tour the entire park. This is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in Chile.”

- Zachary Rockov Glacier Grey, Torres del Paine, Chile

Winner | Grand Prize Zachary Rockov Patagonia

UA is No. 2 on Peace Corps Fellows List University Relations - Communications When returning Peace Corps volunteers opt to pursue graduate degrees through the organization’s fellowship program, only one other U.S. institution gets picked more often than the University of Arizona.

With 63 students attending the UA as part of the Peace Corps’ Paul D. Coverdell

“The Peace Corps is proud to partner with colleges and universities to support returned volunteers who want to further their education while continuing to serve their local community,” Carrie Hessler-Radelet, acting director of the Peace Corps, said in a prepared statement.

Across the nation, 84 higher education

This year, 60 returned Peace Corps volunteers and fellows gave presentations in 23 different schools and 40 classrooms, reaching more than 2,500 people, said Georgia Ehlers, the director of fellowships and community engagement at the UA. “UA Coverdell Fellows share explicitly what they learned abroad through talks in K-12 schools, University classes and an annual Peace Corps Fair,” Ehlers said. “Fellows also share what they learned in daily interactions in class, conversations with colleagues at internship sites, and through collective service projects that benefit a variety of nonprofits.”

Beyond the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program, a total of 1,535 UA alumni have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.

Those participating in the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program receive financial support for their graduate education, internships and other benefits. Each fellow must complete an internship related to their program of study in an underserved community in the U.S. Currently, 63 returned volunteers are Coverdell Fellows at the UA. (Photo courtesy of Abby Lohr)

Fellows Program, the UA is No. 2 on the 2014 list of institutions with the greatest number of returned volunteers, the Peace Corps announced. Fellows receive scholarships for graduate study in some 25 programs at the UA, and carry out an internship in an underserved U.S. community while pursuing their studies.

“Returned volunteers enrich the lives of those around them.”

- Carrie Hessler-Radelet, acting director of the Peace Corps

All told, 249 UA students have completed the fellowship program since it was established in 2000.

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institutions offer returned Peace Corps volunteers financial aid and professional internships through the program.

Fellows work in urban, tribal and rural communities, supporting schools with a large percentage of low-income students.

Others work in community settings, improving public health through nutrition, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS prevention, among other topics.

“Returned volunteers enrich the lives of those around them by sharing their knowledge of the world and different cultures, which helps to strengthen international ties and increase our country’s global competitiveness,” Hessler-Radelet noted.

Rachel Murray, a UA Paul D. Coverdell Fellow, served as a secondary education volunteer in Sierra Leone. She now serves as a Peace Corps Fellow and is pursing a master’s degree in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the UA. Murray also worked with a teen refugee group, helping thme to integrate into the community and to connect with those in the U.S. The group held regularly meeting, field trips and also conducted service projects. The group also had an overnight camping trip atop Mt. Lemmon.

“I had the unique opportunity to balance two fundamental principles, teaching and learning,” Murray said. “I bring my Peace Corps service home by serving as an AmeriCorps member with the International Rescue Committee. The skills I developed and the experiences I had in the Peace Corps have undoubtedly shaped my ability to demonstrate the core functions of the Peace Corps Fellows program.”

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UA’s Inaugural ‘Partner Day’ Fosters International Networking, Partnerships

By Amanda Ballard, University Relations Communications

From Singapore to Copenhagen, representatives of higher institutions from 11 countries explored potential collaboration opportunities with the University of Arizona on May 23, 2014 as part of the University’s first-ever Partner Day. A team from the UA Office of Global Initiatives, led by Dale LaFleur, Director of Institutional Relations, hosted Partner Day at the UA to provide international partners the chance to learn more about the UA and identify potential opportunities for research collaborations, study

abroad ventures, language learning programs and more.

The representatives included directors, chancellors, deans and study abroad coordinators from institutions including the Australian National University, Chile’s Universidad Mayor, the National University of Singapore, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and the University of Copenhagen.

Mike Proctor said Partner Day was organized to take advantage of visits already planned by representative attending the NAFSA Association of International Educators Conference, a major worldwide international education conference which happened the following week in San Diego. On May 22 and 23, Partner Day participants toured the UA campus and attended presentations on global

partnerships, UA research and potential collaboration opportunities.

“These partnerships help grow the UA’s knowledge creation and the research capacity of our campus and result in incredibly innovative opportunities for our faculty, staff and students,” Proctor said, noting that partnering is one of the pillars of the UA’s Never Settle strategic plan.

James Anaya, UA Regents’ Professor of Law and the James J. Lenoir Professor of Human Rights Law and Policy, gave partner Day’s plenary talk. Anaya served as the United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. His presentation, titled “Advocating for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: Global Connections”, gave attendees tremendous insight into the global activity of members of the UA faculty.

“His involvement in this event was wonderful,” Proctor said. “His reputation as a leader in working with indigenous people adds a dimension of global relevance to this event. The work of James and his colleagues has helped position the UA as a thought leader in this area and provides tremendous context to a global issue that all of our attendees must come to better understand.”

Proctor said that in an increasingly interrelated global society, it will continue to be crucial for the UA to explore international partnerships with institutions around the world. Currently, the UA partners with more than 200 international institutions.

“These opportunities improve the global footprint of the University of Arizona,” he said.

“Each partnership, in the long run, also improves the cultural awareness of the UA and enhances the experience of UA students.”

Faculty Spotlight: James Anaya Since 2008, University of Arizona law professor S. James Anaya has traveled the globe, investigating and reporting on the conditions of indigenous peoples and bringing attention to human rights issues that affect them.

Relying on a support staff of law students, Anaya has provided his findings to the United Nations as a special rapporteur to the Human Rights Council, a 47-member intergovernmental body tasked with examining and solving global human rights violations.

His term ended this year.

His efforts focus on identifying and solving problems in areas in which indigenous conditions are below human rights standards set by the U.N. Media outlets have reported that Anaya has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of that work.

“In many countries, including the United States, indigenous people are invisible. Even here in Arizona and in our community at the University, there’s a lack of awareness of the indigenous people who live around us and their reality,” Anaya says. “Without awareness by the broader public, it’s hard to have sustained initiatives that the politicians and governments can put their weight behind.”

In addition to a lack of awareness, Anaya has faced other hurdles, such as conflicts created by extractive industries, like mining, oil and gas. These conflicts can result in significantly negative consequences for indigenous peoples.

Anaya, who joined the UA in 1999, has taught and conducted research on international human rights, rights of indigenous peoples and constitutional law.

Anaya is a Harvard Law School graduate, a recipient of many awards, including his appointment as Regents’ Professor in 2010, served as a staff attorney for the National Indian Youth Council in Albuquerque, N.M., and as special counsel at the Indian Law Resource Center, also in Albuquerque.

To see his U.N. reports, visit http://unsr.jamesanaya.org

UA Faculty Present at Global Agriculture Forum The University of Arizona played a significant role in the first-ever Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture, in which participants from 62 countries gathered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to present the world’s largest collection of sustainable agricultural innovations.

The event focused on the 40 percent of the world that, like Arizona, produces food and other bio-based products in arid environments. Sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, the forum highlighted the Middle East and Africa.

UA’s participation. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation served as the Global Development Partner.

More than 3,200 participants from 62 countries attended the February event, including most of the ministers of agriculture and natural resources for African and Middle Eastern nations, along with leaders of international agriculture research centers, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and nongovernmental organizations.

“The UA was selected as the Knowledge

Arizona in agriculture and life sciences in the Middle East among stakeholders, including governments, businesses, investors, producers, universities, students and the general public,” Cuello added.

The forum featured a first-of-its-kind technical demonstration zone created by the UA showcasing working models of “big ideas” and technologies developed by academic institutions, NGOs and businesses worldwide. The zone was limited to a select 150 innovations from across the world aimed at helping billions of people improve their nutrition and make better use of natural resources in ways that are economically, socially and environmentally stable.

“In CALS, because we are uniquely the home to all three of the landgrant missions for all of Arizona – instruction, research and extension – we must be especially aware of responding to our region’s issues,” said Shane Burgess, vice provost and CALS dean. “But by doing so we are globally relevant.”

On the first day of the conference, Burgess delivered one of the keynote addresses on the democratization of knowledge through cyberinfrastructure to improve plant and animal production and human health. He was also one of six panelists from around the Standing in front of the Accordion photobioreactor developed at CALS and patented by world discussing financial the Arizona Board of Regents are (from left): Gene Giacomelli, director of the Controlled investment decisions in food, Environment Agriculture Center and professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering; Shane Burgess, vice provost and dean of CALS; Joel Cuello, biosystems engineering agriculture and bio-products. professor and UA liaison to the GFIA; and Kevin Fitzsimmons, professor of soil, water and environmental sciences. (Photo by Cody Lee Brown.)

The UA was the official Knowledge Partner for the event – the only university selected to play this major role. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, via its Global Initiative for Strategic Agriculture in Dry Lands, worked in cooperation with the UA Office of Global Initiatives to coordinate the

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Partner based on our long-standing, world-class expertise in agriculture and in the other life sciences in arid and semi-arid lands,” said Joel Cuello, professor of biosystems engineering, GISAD lead, UA liaison to the forum and GFIA 2014 steering committee member.

“The event highlighted the visibility and global reputation of the University of

“Part of our job is to solve problems through invention and then take these inventions to the marketplace where they become innovations that change the world, in big ways and sometimes not so big ways,” Burgess said.

“The GFIA meeting shows that we are globally relevant and helped us achieve all of these things.”

In addition to Burgess, four CALS faculty were among those selected to give the 150 invited presentations on innovative technologies. They included: Joel Cuello, who introduced the Accordion photobioreactor, a UA-patented technology for algae production that is exclusively licensed to Biopharmia AS.

Alumni Spotlight: Mohammed Sharaf

Post-doctoral research associates Takanori Hoshino and Sara Kuwahara and master’s candidate Cody Lee Brown assisted in setting up and staffing the prototype display in the innovation zone sponsored by the UA. Kevin Fitzsimmons, professor of soil, water and environmental sciences, discussed the integration of agriculture and aquaculture as a critical method of producing more seafood and making more efficient use of fresh water and saltwater resources.

Gene Giacomelli, director of the Controlled Environment Agriculture Center and professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, described technological opportunities for indoor food growing systems that included working examples of South Pole and lunar applications.

Randy Burd, assistant vice president, UA Global Initiatives, and associate professor of nutritional sciences, discussed next-generation sequencing – the capacity to rapidly sequence large, complex genomes – to assist in the treatment of human and animal diseases and in improving crop production.

The University of Arizona Innovation Zone at the Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture featured the Accordion photobioreactor, an innovative algae production system for nutraceuticals, animal feed, biofuels and other high-value products. (Photo by Joel Cuello.)

Sharaf (ecnter) spent time visiting with students, faculty and staff during his visit.

In October 2014, the UA Eller College of Managment was proud to welcome Mohammed Sharaf, CEO, DP World, Dubai back to the UA campus. Sharaf received his BS in Business Administration in 1985 and was here as a participant in the Distinguished Executive in Residence program.

Mohammed Sharaf is the Chief Executive Officer of DP World, the third largest port operator in the world. He has served as Group Chief Executive Officer since 2005 and as a director of the company since May 2007.

Headquartered in Dubai, DP World has a portfolio of more than 65 marine terminals across six continents, including new developments underway in India, Africa, Europe, South America, and the Middle East.

Container handling is the company’s core business and generates more than three quarters of its revenue. DP World has 28,000 employees worldwide.

Mr. Sharaf joined Dubai Ports Authority in 1992, and in 2001, he became Managing Director of DP World FZE. In this position, he oversaw the Group’s growth into an international business and performed central roles in developing its first

global.arizona.edu

international operations at the terminals of Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Constanta (Romania), and Vizag (India) and in developing its national operations at Jebel Ali and Port Rashid terminals.

He began his shipping career at Holland Hook terminal in the Port of New York/New Jersey and has more than twenty years of experience in the transport and logistics business.

He is also Chairman of Tejari World FZ LLC, the UAE’s first online shopping mall. He was named the third most important business executive in the UAE in 2013 by Arabian Business Magazine.

Mohammed Sharaf was the founder of the Gulf Cooperation Council Alumni Network. He is also founding Co-Vice Chairman and member of the board of directors of the US-UAE Business Council. The US-UAE Business Council is a business advocacy organization solely committed to the advancement of the trade and commercial relationship between the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

Mr. Sharaf was recently awarded the University of Arizona Global Achievement Award by UA President Ann Weaver Hart.

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Going Global: The UA Tech Park’s International Intent With it’s new direction as part of Tech Launch Arizona, the University of Arizona’s technology commercialization arm, the UA Tech Park is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new strategy focusing on more active recruitment of firms eager to collaborate with the University.

Global Advantage, the Tech Parks’ business attraction program, was launched this year to provide customized solutions for companies that seek a unique combination of services and connections with the University of Arizona.

“It’s a comprehensive strategy for attracting technology companies to the tech park, and to the region, that want to have relationships with the University,” said Bruce Wright.

Global Advantage attracts technology companies to the Arizona-Sonora region, both nationally and internationally, and offers companies a significant array of services and programs to give each a business advantage. Global Advantage provides world-class solutions to innovators, entrepreneurs, startups, small

and medium-sized enterprises, and large multinational corporations that seek business entry into the North American marketplace and a competitive venue in which to develop their ideas, produce their goods, and benefit from the logistics advantages of the location and surrounding international business ecosystem.

Attraction teams have been formed to work with prospective companies in the key areas. Each team is comprised of a UA researcher, an industry expert, a Tech Parks business-development leader, a representative from an economic-development group and a UA intern.

The program focuses its strategy on bringing in targeted companies that complement the University of Arizona’s research strengths in fields like:

The Israel business initiative, a component of the Global Advantage, is designed to connect with Israeli technology companies seeking an entry point into the North American market. Many of the target sectors represent strong synergies between the state of Israel and the areas of excellence shared by the University.

• advanced energy • defense and security • bioscience • mining technology • agriculture, arid lands and water • intelligent transportation systems/ smart vehicles.

These specializations incorporate technology companies in cross-cutting industry sectors such as sustainability, optics and imaging, advanced manufacturing and informatics.

“It’s a comprehensive strategy for attracting technology companies to the tech park, and to the region, that want to have relationships with the University,” said Bruce Wright, associate vice president of Tech Parks Arizona.

The new strategy is part of the aligned direction that the Tech Parks are taking under the leadership of Tech Launch Arizona and Vice President David Allen.

The strategy aims to more actively identify companies keen to collaborate with the UA and other tech-park tenants, and help them leverage the tech park’s advantages in regional market access, collaborative resources for business and product development, skilled workers and facilities such as offices and lab space.

The Israel Business Initiative

Tucson and the University of Arizona have strong ties to Israel. The UA leads the International Arid Lands Consortium, which includes membership by the Jewish National Fund. The University also has partnership agreements with Ben Gurion University, Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University. Several professors have direct research ties with the Technion Israel Institute of Technology.

Building World Connections To build a globally connected network, Tech Parks Arizona is reaching out to both domestic and international markets.

The Tech Parks are connecting domestically with businesses to the north in Maricopa County along the 101 Corridor and to the west in California. International areas of recruitment beyond Israel include Mexico, South Korea and Europe with the entry point being Switzerland.

These target regions have a high concentration of technology focused companies that complement each other and bring a wide variety of new collaboration opportunities.

People interested in learning more or getting involved can visit the Global Advantage website at https://techparks. arizona.edu/business-advantage/ global-advantage or email globaladvantage@uatechpark.org.

Student Spotlight: PharmD Students Travel to Japan

By College of Pharmacy Communications

After hosting a group of pharmacy students from Kobe Gakuin University, students asked Michael Katz, director of international programs for the college, ”Why can’t we have a trip like they had?”

From that question stemmed the idea for the program. Following more than a year of planning, 14 students, along with Katz, started their journey on Aug. 7.

Faculty members and students of pharmaceutical science at Kobe Gakuin University (KGU) were the COP delegation’s hosts in Japan. Katz has a long-standing relationship with the university due to his service as a visiting scholar there, and several groups of KGU students have visited UA. While Katz has been to Japan more than 100 times, none of the COP students involved in the 2014 program had traveled there themselves.

tions they may fill per day. The students toured Kobe City Hospital, where they discovered Japanese pharmacies do not use technicians and interns; rather, all dispensing activities are done by pharmacists. COP student Sara Hodges stated in her blog post about the trip, “The hospital pharmacy we visited was probably my favorite. It was such a large hospital and had so much technology that was just incredible.”

Many of the students commented that learning about herbal medicine, kampo, was their favorite experience because of the vast differences from U.S. pharmaceutical practices.

“Perhaps the most unique (and to me, the most unusual) aspect of pharmacy in Japan is the continued existence and practice of kampo pharmacy, a type of herbal/natural medicine derived from ancient Chinese practices,” explains Alyssa Hinchman.

there are a lot of implications to consider, kampo medicine would appeal to patients who are after an ‘all natural’ approach to treating their ailments.”

Outside of lectures and pharmacy tours, the group enjoyed cultural experiences as they visited the cities of Hiroshima, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Tokyo. During their travels, they visited the Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima, Osaka Castle, the Harajuku district of Tokyo and various temples and shrines.

“While the students who went to Japan learned about pharmacy and health care, in my mind the most important benefits of the trip were cultural and social,” says Katz. “Even though we were there only 10 days, the UA and KGU students were able to develop a close bond. While there are differences between Japanese and American cultures, the UA and KGU students learned that who they are and what they believe in are mostly the same. I am very proud of the UA students who traveled to Japan with me—they represented UA, our profession and our country very well.”

“I am very proud of the UA students who traveled to Japan with me—they rep- In comparison to U.S. practices, fellow PharmD student Hoang Phan believes, resented UA, our profes“Kampo medicine has potential to sion and our country very be very popular in the U.S. Although For the first time, second- and third-year PharmD students from UA College of Pharmacy well,” said Katz. traveled to the port city of Kobe, Japan for a faculty-led study abroad experience. (Photo During their 10-day stay, the group checked off several goals, which included learning about pharmacy education and practice and the healthcare system in Japan. The COP students also wanted to compare Japanese healthcare practices to practices in the United States.

Lectures by faculty at KGU were on topics such as herbal pharmacy, medication dispensing and administration, and the Japanese hospital and healthcare systems.

Throughout their studies, the American students learned how Japanese pharmacies keep track of their revenue using a point system and how pharmacists are limited to a certain number of prescrip-

courtesy of the UA College of Pharmacy.)

g n i d n a Exp n i s p i h s r e n t r a P t s a E e l d d i M the UAE to d n a n a m O its

Photos: The Sharjah ruler gave Hart a personal tour of his cultural center and discussed potential new partnerships with the UA. (Right) The GCC reunion was attended by over 100 alumni and was held at the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world.

t Vis r a H t n e ities d i n s u t r Pre o p p O ership n t r a P A U d Expan ns Communicatio

By Alexis Blue

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University

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During a recent visit to Oman and the United Arab Emirates, UA President Ann Weaver Hart met with influential leaders and UA alumni to discuss existing and potential partnerships between the UA and universities and agencies in that region.

Hart traveled to the region in January to explore partnership opportunities in a variety of areas – including health, engineering, public policy, sustainability, humanities, social sciences, and sponsorships that would enable more students from the region to attend the UA. The University has had a longstanding relationship with the Gulf nations. Since the 1970s, the UA has partnered with universities and governments in the region on a range of research and educational exchange programs, including programs in architecture, journalism, agriculture and sustainability.

The UA is considered an ideal partner due to certain "shared realities" between the Gulf region and the UA's home in the desert Southwest. For example, both places share an interest in researching ways that people can exist and thrive in arid environments, and they face similar challenges with agriculture, water and sustainability issues.

"The sun never sets on science; we have an 11-hour time difference between our countries, yet we are doing wonderful things together to advance science and find solutions to shared challenges to our communities," Hart said.

Part of the goal of Hart's visit was to help advance new projects that have been in discussions, including: global.arizona.edu

“...we are doing wonderful things together to advance science and find solutions to shared challenges to our communities,” Hart said. · The Million Date Palms Project, which will help reintroduce historic date palms back into the Oman landscape and provide for the design of an efficient and effective water system for the palms. · Helping to advance National Field Research Institute in Oman, as well as helping to develop curriculum for the new University of Oman in the areas of science and health care. · Assisting the United Arab Emirates with plans for the Dubai 2020 Expo Initiative in the areas of mobility, sustainability and global partnerships.

During her trip, Hart met with a number of influential government leaders, including, among others, Reem Al Hashimi, the United Arab Emirates' minister of state, whose role is the comparable to that of the U.S. president's chief of staff, and Sheikh Sultan III bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah emirate, who is

a member of the Supreme Council of the United Arab Emirates.

Hart also met with a number of UA alumni living in the region to learn more about how the University can continue to grow a Wildcat alumni base there.

The enduring partnerships between the UA and Gulf nations have already resulted in many Wildcats residing in the area.

About 120 of them gathered for a reunion in the United Arab Emirates, which Hart attended.

Hart was accompanied on her visit by Mike Proctor, UA vice president of global initiatives, as well as deans, faculty and representatives from the UA College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, College of Engineering and College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.

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International Research Development Grant

2012-2013 IRDG Recipients and Country Visited:

The purpose of the International Research Development Grant (IRDG) program is to provide travel support to tenured and tenure-eligible faculty for the development or continuation of international research. There are two annual granting cycles for the IRDG. The next application deadline is March 31, 2015 for travel starting between May 1, 2015 through October 31, 2015. The award is limited to a maximum of $1,500 for airfare assistance only. This grant is administered and funded by the Office of Global Initiatives.

David Chisholm, Professor, German Studies, Germany

Visiting Scholars Grant The Visiting Scholar Grant (VSG) provides funding to assist departments in bringing distinguished international scholars to the University of Arizona. The funds are to be used for domestic portions of airfare only (between U.S. port of entry and Tucson, AZ). The funds cannot be used for overseas or international portions of travel. Clear evidence of cost-sharing from at least two UA funding sources must be shown (not including VSG funds). The maximum award amount is $400 per award. The VSG requests can be submitted on a rolling basis. This grant is administered and funded by the Office of Global Initiatives.

Philip Alejo, Assistant Professor, School of Music, Brazil John Allen, Distinguished Professor, Psychology, Germany Bryan Carter, Assistant Professor, Africana Studies, France

Pearce Paul Creasman, Curator, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Japan Roger Dahood, Professor, English, France and United Kingdom Goggy Davidowitz, Associate Professor, Entomology, Israel Peter Foley, Associate Professor and Director, Religious Studies Program, United Kingdom Michael Hammond, Professor, Linguistics, United Kingdom Eleni Hasaki, Associate Professor, School of Anthropology, Greece Sabrina Helm, Associate Professor, School of Family and Consumer Sciences, Germany Eliot Herman, Professor, School of Plant Science, BIO5 Institute, Israel Lotfi Hermi, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Tunisia John Koprowski, Professor, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, South Africa Paul Milliman, Assistant Professor, History, United Kingdom Craig Rasmussen, Associate Professor, Soil, Water, and Environmental Sciences, Norway Ricardo Sanfelice, Assistant Professor, Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, Italy Paige Scalf, Assistant Professor, Psychology, The Netherlands

Spring 2014 Scholars Host Department: German Studies Visiting Scholar: Research Fellow Nina Jeanette Hofferberth (Germany) Hosting Department: Nutritional Sciences Visiting Scholar: Associate Professor Claudio Esteban Perez Leighton (Chile)

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GlobalReach, Fall 2014

Stacey Tecot, Assistant Professor, School of Anthropology, Madagascar Beth Weinstein, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, Brazil Hong-Mei Xiao, Associate Professor, School of Music, Hungary Mo Xiao, Associate Professor, Economics, China Rose Ylimaki, Associate Professor, Educational Policy Studies and Practice, Finland

global.arizona.edu

Featured IRDG Trip Reports The following are reports received from 2014 IRDG recipients discussing the work they did during their time abroad.

Paul Milliman, United Kingdom: This was an extremely productive research trip. Due to the nature of my research, it is imperative that I travel to Europe regularly to conduct research at libraries, archives, museums, and historical sites. It is also very important for me to meet with European colleagues working on related research projects. Both of these goals were accomplished on this trip, and I am very grateful to the Office of Global Initiatives for helping to make this possible.

Studying the tournament and hunting collections of the Royal Armouries Museum and the Special Collections of Leeds University Library helped to give me greater insight into research possibilities for my project on the political culture of games in medieval and early modern Europe. And discussing my research with colleagues led to plans for future collaborations, including an edited volume and conference panels.

Incidentally, the Grand Départ of the Tour de France took place in Leeds the weekend I arrived, and the pageantry associated with this modern spectacle provided a helpful frame of reference for thinking about the similarities and differences between the political cultures of modern sports and medieval games.

Mo Xiao, China: I worked on two projects in my 2014 summer trip to China, both utilizing new, unique data available from the fast growing Chinese economy. The first one is to assemble a massive new linked database on patents and economic outcomes of Chinese firms, which will allow me and my international collaborators to answer global.arizona.edu

key questions about technological innovation that previous researchers have not had the ability to address.

furthered my understanding of Lina’s collaboration with the director who commissioned the work (Ze Celso), and Elito.

This work has the potential to make major progress on our understanding of the links between firm strategy, innovation, and economic growth. The second project is to analyze data from the China’s largest e-commerce platform, Taobao.com, which has already surpassed Amazon. com and eBay.com in gross merchandise value to become the world’s leading online retail platform. This data tracks down a large sample of sellers over six months of time and contains rich details including prices, quantity, revenue and seller online reputation at the transaction level. Moreover my collaborators and I are able to link the seller with the buyer at each transaction and study how sellers’ pricing strategies affect buyers’ purchasing behavior.

Additionally, I visited the house she designed for herself and studio where she worked, as well as the MASP museum.

The International Research Development Grant has helped me travel to Beijing and Shanghai to oversee the construction of the dataset and begin data analysis, thus providing a key step towards realizing the potential of my research agenda and strengthening my research ties with scholars in China.

Beth Weinstein, Brazil: The IRDG facilitated travel to Sao Paulo Brazil related to research on the work of the architect Lina Bo Bardi.

I met with Bo Bardi’s collaborator, Marcelo Suzuki, at her significant cultural center project, SESC Pompeia, for a two hour conversation about Lina’s life, work and the challenges she encountered as a woman and foreigner building in Brazil before, during and after the military dictatorship.

I visited a second important work, the Teatro Oficina, both during “off hours” and to attend a performance. Following this experience I was able to meet Bo Bardi’s primary collaborator/partner on this project – Edison Elito; this was facilitated

by Brazilian scholar Dr. Evelyn Lima. This

As a result of this trip, I made new contacts: Marcelo Suzuki and Edison Elito; meeting face to face will facilitate continued communication.

I furthered my collegial relationship with Dr. Evelyn Lima (UNI Rio), Professor of Architecture, Director of a research center for Architecture, Theater and Urban Memory, and a scholar of Bo Bardi. She invited me to speak at UNI Rio and I met several of her colleagues in Architecture and Scenography. There is great interest in my research between Architecture, Performance and Choreography; our enthusiasm and expertise in related areas will lead to further research collaborations and invitations to Brazil.

I departed Brazil with my enthusiasm for architecture re-kindled, with a new role model (Bardi), and a friend and mentor (Evelyn Lima).

John Koprowski, South Africa: African elephant herds are being considered for culling in some parts of their range to limit forest damage due to tree felling and girdling by an increasing elephant population. Such proactive efforts have potential to dramatically influence elephant populations yet are quite controversial. In addition, mature tree loss is only one portion of the equation that determines tree populations for we must also examine recruitment of young trees into the population.

Regeneration of forests is also reported to be reduced and would not likely be due to elephants but rather smaller seed and seedling predators. In June 2014, I traveled to the Balule Nature Reserve, one of the Kruger National Park associated nature reserves. These reserves surround one of the world’s leading national parks and remained unfenced with GlobalReach, Fall 2014

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a commitment to ecotourism in concert with the natural ecosystem conserved by the park.

Collaborators and I worked together at Balule to define future project goals in addition to collecting preliminary data on seed and seedling predation in the reserve. Data from this pilot collaboration demonstrated that two species of common small mammals are likely significant dispersers and predators of the major tree species and thus could have considerable impact on forest regeneration. We will use the results of this pilot collaboration to support grant proposals in the coming year.

Peter Foley, United Kingdom: My name is Peter Foley and I am Director

of the Institute for the Study or Religion and Culture at the University of Arizona.

The grant contributed towards my airfare to the United Kingdom where I had been invited to give a lecture for a fund-raising event for an ancient church in London; St. Pancras Old Church founded in 314 AD. I gave a historical lecture on a bishop buried in the graveyard there, Jeremy Collier who ran a parallel Anglican church in the early eighteenth century. I combined that visit with participation in a conference at Oxford for which I had organized a panel on that same historical church. This was at a conference of the American Society of Church History which was convening its annual meeting with the Ecclesial History Society of Britain and my panel was made of members from both societies.

I was also able to combine that with some days in the archives of the Bodleian collections in Oxford where I read and was given to permission to photograph original correspondence and other documents by various members of the eighteenth-century churchmen and women I am researching. I found a unique document that represents a preliminary version of the liturgy form 1718 on which I am currently writing.

As a result of the panel we are exploring a further collaboration for a possible conference on the Nonjurors and Jacobitism to be held in Tucson in 2015. Those of us who were on the panel have already set up a closed online database for planning an the exchange of research information.

College Advisory Committee Faculty Representatives, 2014 – 2017 Alberto Arenas, Ph.D. College of Education Professor Robert Ariew (ex officio)

Second Language Acquisition and Teaching SevaPriya Barrier, J.D. Dean of Students Office Anne Betteridge, Ph.D. (ex officio)

Center for Middle Eastern Studies Professor Andrew Carnie

Professor Alain-Philippe Durand (ex officio) School of International Languages / Literatures and Cultures Professor John Ehiri College of Public Health Professor James Field College of Engineering Professor Kevin Fitzsimmons College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Graduate College

Professor Hoshin Gupta College of Science

Professor Malcolm Compitello College of Humanities

Professor Mary Hardin College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Bradley Dreifuss, Ph.D. College of Medicine

Professor Michael Katz College of Pharmacy

Professor Beatrice Dupuy

Scott Lucas, Ph.D. (ex offi-

(ex officio)

(ex officio)

cio)

Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy

School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies

Sean Manley-Casimir (ex officio)

Office of Western Hemispheric Programs Marylyn M. McEwen, Ph.D. College of Nursing Erik Omar Guzman Ojeda Arizona Athletics Suzanne Panferov, Ph.D. (ex officio)

Center for English as a Second Language Professor Christopher Scott College of Social and Behavioral Sciences Justin Walker, MBA College of Optical Sciences Professor Brent White College of Law Professor Cynthia White Honors College Daniel Zeng, Ph.D. Eller College of Management TBD College of Fine Arts

...continued from page 12.

also ants don’t get small.” In other words, why not learn to learn?

At the end of my Fulbright, I left Nepal with more questions than answers, but talking with teachers like Tika and students like Suk Maya helped me gain a more nuanced understanding of the cultural and linguistic differences that shape refugee education around the world.

Back in the U.S., my Fulbright experience plays an important role in my continued work with the Refugee Education Project.

I am now part of a professional learning community of local refugee teachers and literacy volunteers. We meet monthly to discuss important aspects of our community work. And my Fulbright experience has been invaluable to my dissertation work, which looks at transnational ecologies of language learning and literacy development in the U.S. and Nepal.

2014 Institutional Partners The Office of Global Initiatives acts as a centralized hub for the development of collaborative research agreements, faculty development/capacity building, dual degrees, undergraduate transfer articulation agreements, intern options for undergraduate international students who are not already at the UA, and sponsored programs to name a few. Below is a list of institutional partnership agreements signed over the last year. For more information on partnership development with institutions abroad, please visit http://global.arizona.edu/ua-faculty.

Country

Institution Name

Department

UA Faculty Sponsor

Austria

University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU)

School of Natural Resources

Stuart Marsh

Australia

University of New South Wales

Office of Global Initiatives

Mike Proctor

Canada

University of British Columbia

Office of Global Initiatives

Mike Proctor

Chile

Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile

Mining & Geological Engineering

Mary Poulton

Chile

Universidad de Chile

History

Jadwiga Pieper

China

Central South University

Civil Engineering & Mechanical Engineering

Lianyang Zhang

China

Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS)

Agriculture and Life Sciences

Kevin Fitzsimmons

China - Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong

Linguistics

Diana Archangeli

Colombia

Universidad del Norte

Center for English as a Second Language

Suzanne Panferov

Finland

Aalto University - University of Art and Design, Helsinki (UIAH)

School of Art

Elizabeth Garber

France

ENS-CNRS Ecotron

Hydrology & Water Resources

Peter Troch

Germany

Universitat Konstanz

School of Government and Public Policy

Brint Milward

Germany

Ludwig Maximilians Universitat Munchen

Physics

Johann Rafelski

Germany

Ruprecht-Karls - Universitat Heidelberg

German Studies

Barbara Kosta

Germany

Universitat Tubingen

German Studies

Barbara Kosta

Greece

University of Thessaly

Classics

Mary Voyatzis

Japan

Doshisha University

East Asian Studies

Philip Gabriel

Japan

University of Shizuoka

Pharmacy

Michael Katz

Jordan

Jordan Ministry of Environment

Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering

Akrum Tamimi

Kazakhstan

Akhmet Baitursynov Kostanay State University

Russian and Slavic Studies

Teresa Polowy

Korea, Republic of

Yonsei University

Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering

Jeong-Yeol Yoon

Mexico

Universidad Autonoma de Baja California

Agriculture and Life Sciences

Jeffrey Silvertooth

Mexico

Universidad Autonoma de Guerrero

College of Science

Joaquin Ruiz

Mexico

Centro Regional de Formacion Docente e Investigacion Educativa College of Education

Norma Gonzalez

Mexico

Universidad de Monterrey

Office of Global Initiatives

Mike Proctor

Mexico

Universidad Autonoma Chapingo

Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering

Donald Slack

Mexico

Universidad de Guadalajara

German Studies

Peter Ecke

Mexico

Universidad La Salle

School of Architecture

Mary Hardin

New Zealand

The University of Waikato

College of Law

Brent White

Slovakia

Academy of Fine Arts and Design

School of Art

Martina Shenal

Switzerland

Universitat Bern

Geography and Regional Development

Vera Pavlakovich-Kochi

Taiwan

National Chung Hsing University

Office of Global Initiatives

Mike Proctor

Taiwan

National Central University

Optical Sciences Center

Justin Walker

Thailand

Mahidol University

Materials Science & Engineering

Supapan Seraphin

Turkey

Akdeniz University

Office of Global Initiatives

Randy Burd

United Kingdom

University College London

Linguistics

Heidi Harley

United Kingdom United Kingdom

University of Bristol

Office of Global Initiatives

Mike Proctor

University of Roehampton

Office of Global Initiatives

Mike Proctor

global.arizona.edu

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