International Studies And Program - Michigan State University

MICHIGAN 

PROGRAMSINTERNATIONAL 

STATE 

UNIVERSITY 

INTERNATIONAL 

STUDIES AND 

2

World regions are based on the 

U.S. State Department definitions 2010. 

Multiple** 

global* 

More than 210 partnerships with 

international institutions 

africa 

1 in 3 MSU 

students 

studies 

abroad 

More than 

50 years of 

international 

programming 

South and 

central asia 

western 

hemisphere 

near east 

antarctica 

africa 

western hemisphere 

europe 

E. Asia 

& Pacific 

International research 

awards by reGion 

near east 

No. 4 producer 

of Peace Corps 

volunteers 

europe and eurasia 

study abroad by Region 

* Indicates research with a global scope. 

** Indicates research taking place in 

2 or more countries 

South and centra l asia 

near east 

Top 10 U.S. university 

for International 

student enrollment 


africa 

Ranked among the top 

100 universities in the 

world by Shanghai Jiao 

Tong Academic Rankings 

South and central asia 


near east 

africa 

europe and eurasia 

More than 25 

internationally 

focused centers, 

institutes and 

offices 

europe and 

eurasia 

International Students by Region 

Partnerships by Region

1 

Table of Contents 

2 Message from the dean 

4 preparing a mobile 

global workforce 

At Michigan State University several 

departments are working together to 

help students connect and find work 

experience abroad. 

8 Development Rockstars 

Generate New Ideas 

Scholars and international leaders take 

a look at roles and responsibilities in 

African development while significant 

economic, social and political changes 

are happening throughout the continent. 

12 Shaping India’s 

Educational Future 

College of Education Professor talks 

about working with the Azim Premji 

Foundation and its effort to reshape 

education and development in India. 

20 Protecting that Free and 

Simple Compound—H2O 

An international consortium led by 

MSU is putting technology to work 

to enhance the quality of water 

around the world. 

22 Tigers out of 

sight are 

far from out 

of mind 

MSU’s Center for Systems Integration 

and Sustainability approaches conservation and 

sustainability as a delicate dance between animals 

and people. 

28 uncovering 

secrets to 

better medicine 

A medical anthropologist builds 

connections between her homeland 

and physicians in Michigan hospitals 

to improve care and outcomes. 

34 Three—It might be a magic 

number for development 

Working with scientists in Brazil and 

Mozambique, a social economist with MSU’s 

department of Agriculture, Food 

and Resource Economics sees opportunity 

in tri-lateral partnerships. 

38 MSU PARTNERSHIPS, 

A GLOBAL NETWORK 

MSU holds formal partnership agreements with more than 

210 international institutions in more than 57 countries 


40 GLOBAL FOCUS 

The university congratulates the winners 

of its annual international photography 

competition. 

48 More Students to 

Study in China 

Coca-Cola grant to MSU supports the U.S. State 

Department’s “100,000 Strong Initiative” and will 

make opportunities to study in China more accessible.

2 3 

Navigating the World 

The notion of connectivity is 

more than an idea at Michigan State 

University. It is a core value and guiding 

principal that is part of everything we 

do. Within International Studies and 

Programs connectivity is evident in a 

global network of strategic partners. 

Our global network is a set of 

strategic assets and skills embodied in 

people, governments, businesses and 

universities. It is made up of partners 

who share a common interest in helping 

to solve some of the world’s most 

challenging problems. 

But being in a network or 

partnership is not enough for a university 

to be innovative in today’s world. 

Increasingly interconnected economies, 

enterprises, societies and governments 

have given rise to vast new opportunities 

and interdependencies. This calls for 

a new level of dexterity and creativity 

in the way we work and connect with 

partners and communities around 

the world. 

The role for International Studies 

and Programs at MSU is clear and 

critical. We are here to support 

scholarship that advances our 

understanding of global challenges and 

to help forge a global network that is 

capable of transcending geographic, 

organizational and disciplinary 

boundaries. 

Within the past year we have formed and strengthened 

partnerships in Brazil, China, India, Turkey and Tanzania. 

These strategic partnerships are particularly significant as they 

are helping to advance our understanding of the challenges 

and opportunities in some of the world’s emerging economies. 

The stories in this magazine reflect our role and represent 

a way of working that is uniquely Spartan. From creating 

more engaging experiences for our students abroad to hosting 

a summit on African development to creating new energyefficient 

technologies that will improve water quality abroad, 

you’ll find partnerships at the center of our efforts. 

Inside you’ll read about the work of Punya Mishra, a 

professor in the College of Education who is leading the 

university’s effort to help the Azim Premji Foundation build a 

new college of education and development in India; you’ll 

get to know Patricia Obando, a medical educator and 

medical anthropologist, and her work to connect physicians 

in Costa Rica with those in several Michigan hospitals; and 

you’ll find out how Dave Tschirley, a professor in Agriculture, 

Food and Resource Economics, is helping to bring together 

scientists in the U.S., Brazil and Mozambique to improve food 

security in a developing country. 

Although we are very proud of the work being done, 

what we are particularly proud of is that our work is driven 

by challenges and opportunities that often come to us through 

our partners. 

The great challenges of the 21st century are not just 

intellectual; they affect the lives and well-being of billions of 

people around the world. International Studies and Programs, 

I believe, has an essential role to play in making this world a 

better place. 

Jeffrey Riedinger, J.D., Ph.D. 

Dean of International Studies and Programs 

Riedinger talks about MSU’s global connections and capacity to address some of 

the world’s biggest challenges at www.isp.msu.edu/multimedia

4 

5 

Preparing a mobile 

global workforce 

Amrita Mukherjee 

2011 Alum, Environmental 

Science and Policy. 

Watch an interview with Mukherjee at 

www.isp.msu.edu/muiltimedia 

Amrita Mukherjee grew up in Bombay, India, as 

part of a middle class family. As such, she was afforded 

opportunities to attend school and play sports — much like 

any average American girl. She knew, however, that not all 

children in India have such opportunities. 

It wasn’t until she returned to her country after her 

freshman year at Michigan State University that she became 

part of Magic Bus, a national organization that gives 

marginalized Indian children the chance to simply play, and 

as a result, learn. 

“I love children and love to interact with them. And I 

wanted to work with a non-profit organization,” she said. 

Though soccer and working with disadvantaged youth 

might not fit her environmental policies program of study 

at MSU, her desire to work with kids combined with 

the experience of working with a highly regarded nongovernmental 

organization appealed to Mukherjee. 

The Magic Bus reaches children living in some of the 

most poverty-stricken circumstances in the world. Using 

soccer and the outdoors as a medium, Magic Bus helps 

these children discover their true potential and find purpose 

in life. Since its inception Magic Bus has reached out to 

150,000 children and youth and by 2014 they aim to 

reach out to 1 million at the national level. 

“In addition to doing something that was meaningful, 

as an internship I was able to earn college credit,” 

Mukherjee said. 

Getting Relevant Experience 

“For international students developing a plan to pursue 

opportunities in their home country can be an ideal way to 

gain work experience while still in school,” said Bernadette 

Friedrich, co-director of MSU’s career center for Spartan 

engineers. “We are seeing more interest to return home, 

especially among students from emerging economies.” 

Michigan State University’s Career Network recommends 

pursuing relevant work experience during the 4 to 5 years 

student spend pursuing their undergraduate degree. 

“My duties with Magic Bus included getting new 

contacts for the database, recruiting donations, advertising 

and social media marketing. On the weekends, I got to 

play soccer with the kids,” said Mukherjee. 

For the 2009-10 academic year, international students 

represented 11 percent of MSU’s population. With more 

than 5,300 international students on campus, student 

advisor with the Office for International Students (OISS) 

and Scholars Laura Wise has been tasked with supporting 

experimental learning opportunities, which includes work 

and career-related experiences. 

MSU resources 

“We have great careers resources on campus for 

students, through the Career Network and OISS,” said 

Wise. “It is through our partnership that we are working to 

increase awareness of what is available to international 

students and how they can be competitive in a global 

workforce.” 

Mukherjee found her internship researching non-profits 

online. “I’ve always tried to be there for people and since 

I like children, Magic Bus was a good fit. It helped me 

professionally and personally,” said Mukherjee. 

Working together the Office for International Students 

and Scholars and MSU’s Career Network have created 

and offered job search seminars and developed new 

components to career fairs for international students. 

The Career Network is also responding to the needs of 

employers interested in developing a global workforce. 

Even through relatively few American students go on 

internships abroad, the number increased 133 percent 

from the 2003-4 to 2008-9 academic years, according 

to the latest figures from the Institute of International 

Education, which looks at students who receive credit 

for such programs. 

“By refining international-internship offerings over the 

past 15 years we have been able to grow the number 

of MSU students participating in internships abroad to 

approximately 135 in 18 different countries.” said Cindy 

Chalou, associate director of MSU’s Office of Study Abroad. 

developing opportunities 

According to Friedrich, several international students 

from MSU have interned with American companies such 

as Beldon Wire, Ford Motor and GE. “On the other hand 

we are seeing domestic students work abroad,” she said. 

“For example, this summer we had a chemical engineering 

student working at a winery in Italy.” 

Finding the job is only part of the challenge. 

Developing international internships requires support and 

coordination among several offices on campus. In addition 

to developing strong corporate relationships, internship 

coordination requires evaluation of the program quality, 

support for intercultural competency, goal setting and 

providing resources financial and otherwise. 

In 2012 the College of Engineering and the Eli Broad 

School of Business will be taking its first group of students to 

Europe for corporate site visits. Led by the career specialists 

in both colleges, the students will meet with leaders at a 

variety global corporations over a 15 day tour. Similar to 

programs MSU hosts in the U.S., the European Corporate 

Tour will help students learn more about operations at 

global corporations and the career opportunities abroad. 

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure MSU is offering high 

quality international internships that encourage analytically 

and critically thinking about experiences overseas,” said 

Friedich. “Developing international internships is definitely 

something we are all working on.”

6 7 

New program for 

international students 

MSU has launched a new program that is essentially 

study abroad in reverse. Instead of sending MSU students 

around the world to experience new cultures and gain 

knowledge in foreign locations, the Office of Study Abroad 

is offering the American Semester, which will allow international 

students to come to East Lansing for a semester or a year 

to learn and to experience life in the American Midwest. 

Student Mobility 

In response to the rapid increase in student demand 

for international learning opportunities, MSU launched the 

program at an international conference in Vancouver in 

2011. According to OECD figures, there were more than 

3.3 million globally mobile students in 2008, and forms of 

international mobility are diversifying to include internships, 

community engagement and undergraduate research. As 

the leading U.S. public institution for study abroad, MSU 

has introduced this new program to assist its global partners 

in meeting their strategic objectives in student mobility. 

The American Semester program will serve as an 

opportunity for the best undergraduate students from 

international partner institutions to spend one or two 

semesters on campus to experience a traditional college 

environment and work with some of the leading faculty in 

their fields. As one of the largest residential campuses in 

the U.S., MSU is an ideal location for students to enjoy and 

gain a better understanding of American people and their 

culture, while earning credit toward their degree from their 

home institution. 

Experiencing the 

American Midwest 

Participating students will live and study with MSU 

students, and take part in a range of activities designed 

to highlight the best of the American Midwest. To complete 

the experience, students will have the opportunity to 

undertake an internship in New York or San Francisco, 

or to travel with MSU students on one of the “study away” 

programs offered by academic departments in other 

American locations. If they wish to further extend their 

international experience, they can even join an MSU 

faculty-led study abroad program. 

The American Semester is open to students from all MSU 

partner institutions, in hopes of expanding the diversity of 

students on the MSU campus and further internationalizing 

the educational experience in East Lansing. 

Brett Berquist, Executive Director of Study Abroad, 

highlighted the reciprocal effects of the program for local 

MSU students, saying, “The American Semester program 

will facilitate friendships between MSU students and their 

peers around the globe, which we hope will lead to even 

more MSU students embarking on their own international 

study experience.” 

Currently, nearly one in three MSU undergraduate 

students study abroad choosing from over 260 

programs on all continents. “As a leader in the area of 

internationalization, MSU is committed to responding to 

requests from our partners to provide opportunities for their 

students to experience the U.S. education system as part 

of their home degree,” Berquist said. 

For more information, visit: 

www.americansemester.msu.edu. 

From Tanzania 

to Michigan State 

Brianna Zeigler, 2010 graduate during her Peace Corps assignment in Tanzania 

Brianna Zeigler is someone who gets things done. 

A volunteer with a unique Peace Corps program, 

Zeigler was able to complete her Master’s degree from the 

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources at Michigan 

State University while also spending two years in Tanzania. 

Zeigler says her involvement in the Peace Corps Master’s 

International Program has made her a more mindful 

practitioner of development. 

“Of development workers, there are people who do, 

and there are people who read and write,” Zeigler said. 

“With this program you are applying the theory and the 

practices you learn in school with what you actually do in 

the real world, and in the field.” 

MSU is one of only a few universities offering this 

integrated program which requires graduate students to 

complete their first year of courses prior to their Peace Corps 

service. Some credit can be granted during their overseas 

service via independent study, but the students must return to 

MSU to finish their last credits and write their thesis. 

“This program is valuable to both the students and our 

department,” said Eric Crawford, a professor of Agricultural, 

Food and Resource Economics who serves as a coordinator 

for the program. “It helps us recruit strong students, gives 

participants more training and skills before they go to the 

field, and helps them have a richer and more productive 

experience as volunteers and strengthens their research and 

overall degree program.” 

This symbiotic relationship between Master’s classes 

and Peace Corps service could make volunteers more 

prepared to handle the variety of challenges and projects 

that come with the position, which for Zeigler were many. 

Initially trained in permaculture gardening techniques 

and other grassroots development ideals, Zeigler found 

herself doing a lot more projects based not on what she 

knew, but what the people needed. This included starting a 

wine cooperative, a batik fabric project, running a school 

garden and an art club, and counseling girls on women’s 

health issues. 

Aside from the much more generous amount of 

research time, this program is also set apart by the allotted 

readjustment and processing time for returning volunteers 

that is built into the curriculum. 

“This Master’s allowed me to reflect on my time 

for almost a year, and put it into writing,” Zeigler said 

of her year finishing classes and her thesis, “A lot of 

people go through it without taking time for reflecting 

and understanding what their experience was and what 

it meant. To have the opportunity to do these two things 

together is invaluable.” 

With 87 volunteers in 2010 alone, MSU has earned 

a place on the Peace Corps’ Top Colleges and Universities 

list since the start of the ranking system in 2001. MSU is 

also ranked as the No. 6 all-time producer of Peace Corps 

volunteers. 

Zeigler urges everyone to consider spending time 

with the Peace Corps, whatever their age, education or 

situation. She does stress the importance of both strength 

and flexibility in such service, saying, “When you get there 

the village is going to have a long list of things they want— 

wells, a health center, a cure for AIDS. You have to be very 

grounded to figure out what you can and cannot do. Things 

change over time and you’re constantly re-figuring things out. “ 

Joy Walter, Communications Specialist, ISP

8 9 

Development Rockstars 

Discuss new ideas 

His Excellency Adebowale Adefuye, 

Ambassador of Nigeria talks about 

changes taking place in his country 

with MSU University Distinguished 

Professor John Kaneene. 

Sam Dryden, Bill and Melinda Gates 

Foundation, discusses challenges and 

lessons from Africa from a foundation’s 

point of view. 

Jane Mutatu, a farmer from Zimbabwe, 

spoke at the town hall about 

the need for better education of 

farmers throughout Africa. 

The Midwest Summit on African Development celebrated its close with something not seen at most academic summits— 

a rock concert featuring the band U2 was held Sunday evening in Spartan Stadium. From the stage Bono thanked 

MSU President Lou Anna Simon for the University’s work in Africa to fight poverty and hunger. 

The U2 concert had everyone in the Spartan 

community talking—but not just about rock and roll. 

Michigan State University gathered nearly 50 scholars 

and international leaders, rockstars in their own right, 

at the Kellogg Center Saturday and Sunday, June 25 

and 26, for the Midwest Summit on African Development. 

On June 25 the group assembled to talk about their 

mutual and overlapping roles to fight poverty and hunger 

in Africa. 

“Although rich in natural resources and arable 

land, Africa’s economic performance has been rather 

disappointing,” said James Pritchett, director of MSU’s 

African Studies Center. “Its rate of growth has not kept pace 

with the expanding global economy.” 

The summit aimed to further discussion about 

universities’ investment and capture new voices and new 

ideas for African development. Among those present at the 

summit were African ambassadors, government agency 

workers and university representatives. 

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon told a town hall 

crowd of nearly 200 that work on African development isn’t 

about a single project. “This is about a relationship, and a 

big vision about how we can be part of a profound change 

that would benefit others, that is directed by them,” she said. 

Former foreign correspondent from the Wall Street 

Journal and town hall moderator Roger Thurow asked the 

attendees to not squander this moment of great opportunity. 

“We have this moment because from the first minutes in 

office the Obama administration made ending hunger through 

agriculture one of its top foreign policies,” Thurow said. 

Key development methods discussed were education, 

good governance and improved understanding. 

Agriculture, food and resource economics professor 

emeritus at MSU John Staatz said one of the ways to 

prevent African poverty is through improved education. 

He said that the average age of farmers in Africa is 

50, the African youth are “the missing generation” in African 

agriculture. They need to be trained for future agriculture 

development by both universities and other foundations. 

“I’d like to put the role of university in the context, not 

of U.S. universities helping advance development in Africa, 

but rather international scientific partnerships,” Staatz said. 

Addressing the importance of good governance, 

Kenyan ambassador to the United States Elkanah Odembo 

talked about recent elections across the continent and 

creation of a brand new constitution in Kenya. 

“I think the reason why it’s happening is that there is a 

middle class that is growing, there are citizen organizations 

that have grown, a public sector that has decided they 

want to be a part of this,” Odembo said. 

During a question-and-answer session Jane Mutatu, a 

farmer from Zimbabwe, spoke about the need for better 

education and extension services. 

“We are using old techniques yet things are changing,” 

Jane said. “I used to know that by putting my seeds in the 

ground on October 15 I could produce enough food for my 

children. That isn’t true anymore.” 

Jane said women in Africa do not want a handout. 

“We want to be empowered,” she said. “We want to 

produce these things ourselves. It makes you feel good.” 

Attendees of the Summit also discussed the progress in 

development that Africa has made and the growth that can 

already be seen, despite reports of countries like the Ivory 

Coast, Somalia or Darfur that appear often in news and 

political conversation. 

Chief Economist for the United States Agency for 

International Development Steven Radelet said in the United 

States we are familiar with the news of the these countries, 

but are missing the changes for good that are happening 

in Africa. 

“We are missing the big story that is happening across 

many countries—a change towards democracy, towards 

economic growth, investment, better governance, improved 

health and education,” Radelet said. 

“There is a perception that for all the foreign assistance, 

that there has been no change in Sub-Saharan Africa. The 

fact is that 20 years ago there were three democracies in 

Sub-Saharan Africa now there are over twenty. It is the first 

time in the history that so many low-income countries have 

moved towards democracy.” 

MSU Provost Kim Wilcox concluded the summit with 

a request. 

“Leave here not just continuing a commitment to Africa, 

but committed to changing ourselves, the ways we operate, 

the ways we behave so that in the future our partnerships 

will be stronger and even better complements to one 

another,” he said. 

Watch Summit videos at isp.msu.edu/midwest-summit

10 11 

EDUCATION 

Delivering the game changer 

by closing the education gaps

12 13 

Helping shape india’s 

educational future 

“This project is proving that a country 

like India and organizations like Azim 

Premji Foundation and Michigan 

State University can work together as 

partners toward a common goal of 

improving teacher education and fostering 

the professional development of teachers 

around the globe,” said Punya Mishra. 

Michigan State University’s College of Education 

has been tapped by one of the world’s most influential 

philanthropic organizations, the Azim Premji Foundation 

(APF), to improve teacher education throughout India. 

It all came together in 2008 when Punya Mishra, 

a professor of Educational Psychology and Educational 

Technology at MSU, met with members of the Azim Premji 

Foundation. The Azim Premji Foundation (APF) was set up 

by Azim Premji, chairman of Wipro Limited, and one of 

India’s wealthiest billionaires. The foundation is focused on 

systemic change in Indian education and aspires for a just, 

equitable, humane and sustainable society. 

Operational since 2001, the foundation recently 

received a $2 billion pledge from Mr. Premji to establish 

a university dedicated to education and development. This 

university seeks to develop the next generation of teachers, 

administrators and community leaders who can facilitate 

economic growth in India. 

In developing the University, the Foundation looked 

around the world for partners that could help them create 

a high-quality graduate school of education in India. They 

chose MSU’s College of Education as its only U.S. partner 

based on its expertise and commitment to social purpose. 

“We see this as really a long-term collaboration,“ 

Azim Premji University, Vice Chancellor Anurag Behar said 

during a recent visit to East Lansing. “MSU has the expertise 

available, and we were also interested in collaborating with 

an institution that has deep roots thinking about their work 

within the real world.” 

In the short term, the collaboration with MSU is aimed 

at helping Azim Premji University (APU) develop innovative 

courses using knowledge the faculty has developed over 

years. MSU will review curriculum and course designs for 

two master’s programs in education and teacher education. 

MSU is also involved in faculty development around 

pedagogy, educational technology and research. 

“The next piece includes going to India to hold faculty 

conversations on how to develop an institutional climate that 

supports excellence and the capabilities to do educational 

research,” Mishra said. “We ultimately want to see faculty 

and education students in classrooms,” he said. 

Traditional Indian education is talk-driven and focuses 

on theoretical lectures, note taking and testing. Azim Premji 

University hopes to break the mold and implement active 

learning through research and actual practice. “MSU is 

one of the few places in the country where undergraduate 

students work in real classrooms. This sets our graduates 

apart and makes our program highly ranked. Some of those 

pieces are lacking in India,” said Mishra. 

He added that MSU’s Land Grant tradition matches 

strongly with the values APF holds regarding the creation of 

a just and equitable society, and about having a researchdriven 

university contributing back to society. The foundation 

was also impressed with MSU’s College of Education 

ranking as one of the best in the world. 

Long term, the project will establish strong ties within 

India, where the economy is rapidly expanding. The 

country’s need for thoughtful, sustainable development 

is something MSU’s educators, including Mishra, could 

not ignore. 

“This project is proving that a country like India and 

organizations like Azim Premji Foundation and Michigan 

State University can work together as partners toward a 

common goal of improving teacher education and fostering 

the professional development of teachers around the globe,” 

said Mishra. 

APU aims to enroll up to 3,000 students within the next 

five years. 

The reciprocal benefit to MSU cannot be denied. The 

program is designed as a give and take of information 

based on conversations and exchanges of ideas, faculty 

and, ultimately, students. Mishra said that members of the 

College of Education faculty have been generous with their 

time and efforts on this project. From graduate students 

to department leaders, many people want to help shape 

India’s educational future. “The next generation of scholars 

wants to be involved and potentially even work in India, 

and that is exciting to me,” he said. 

Watch an interview with Mishra at www.isp.edu/multimedia 

Punya Mishra 

Professor of Educational Psychology 

and Educational Technology 

MSU College of Education

14 15 

Rehab counseling 

research goes global 

exploring technology for 

the intellectually disabled 

From video games, to smartphone apps, to geo-tagging 

on Facebook, technology plays an ever-increasing role 

in just about everyone’s life. At Michigan State University, 

researchers in the field of rehabilitation counseling want 

to know how technology can make a difference for those 

with intellectual disabilities. 

Last fall, MSU co-hosted an international conference 

on the topic in Ireland and announced that it would join 

an interdisciplinary research team to study the issue. 

The newly formed Interdisciplinary Research Institute 

on Intellectual Disability (IRIID) at the Daughters of Charity 

Service in Ireland aims to help inform policy and practice 

while also improving service, care and outcomes for 

individuals served by the charity. 

The partnership consists of the Office of Rehabilitation 

and Disability Studies located within the MSU College of 

Education and five Irish universities: Dublin City University, 

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, 

University College Dublin and University of Limerick in 

Ireland. 

IRIID hopes to address the role of assistive technology 

in the daily lives of those with the most severe and significant 

intellectual disabilities, such as mental retardation and some 

forms of autism. Up until now, the research within this 

population has been limited at best. 

“I am very confident that our interdisciplinary institute 

will lead to an increased amount of attention from 

researchers, product designers and practitioners on the 

technology needs of those with intellectual disabilities,” 

said Professor Michael Leahy, director of the Office 

of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies at MSU. 

Leahy, who also traveled to Ireland for the official IRIID 

opening this April, explained that the study of technology 

will be one of the research hubs for the institute, which 

will pursue a broad scope of research focused on the 

livelihoods of people with intellectual disabilities. 

Study Abroad Leads 

to Partnership 

The research institute is the result of an ongoing 

relationship that was built over a five-year period between 

the rehabilitation counseling programs at MSU and the 

Daughters of Charity, which provides services for persons with 

an intellectual disability in the Dublin and Limerick regions. 

In 2007, MSU launched an innovative study abroad 

program in Ireland called Disability in a Diverse Society 

to expand study abroad opportunities for students 

with disabilities and to examine issues related to their 

experiences. 

While Disability in a Diverse Society has received 

widespread attention for making study abroad accessible, 

Leahy has focused on developing a program that would 

combine coursework and service-learning to create a high 

quality, transformative experience for his students. 

Ireland models an innovative “universal design” policy 

that frames disability as a natural aspect of life. 

“We saw early on that this connection in Ireland 

could lead to fruitful research opportunities,” said Leahy. 

“The applied research that we intend to pursue through 

the institute offers real value to people. We hope to learn 

where assistive technology is making an impact in daily life 

and where it is not.” 

Jeffrey Riedinger, dean of International Studies and 

Programs at MSU, says that the formation of the IRIID as a 

result of long-term engagement through study abroad is an 

excellent example of aligning educational programming and 

research abroad. 

“Our vision is to give all of our students, faculty and 

staff the opportunity to help solve some of the world’s most 

pressing problems,” he said. “One way we achieve this is 

through our study abroad office which works to ensure a 

broad offering of programs and increased accessibility for 

our students.” 

“We also seek to create alignment between the 

locations and themes of faculty research, our study abroad 

programming, our recruitment of international students, and 

where our alumni live and work,” said Riedinger. “In doing 

so we aim to build deeper relationships with universities 

where we can partner on research and student exchanges.” 

Leahy foresees many opportunities for rehabilitation 

counseling students and graduates to participate in research 

ventures of the IRIID, making international perspectives an 

even more integral part of their studies. 

Michael Leahy, director of the Office of Rehabilitation and Disability Studies and professor in the 

College of Education, is helping to establish a new interdisciplinary research institute in Ireland.

16 

encouraging entrepreneurs 

Maryam Al-Nahari has dreams of opening an art studio 

in Saudi Arabia where people can come and create, with 

the intention of making her city of Abha known for its art. But 

for Maryam, realizing this dream requires gaining both an 

understanding of business practices and the ability to work 

with various market networks that could influence her success. 

The new partnership MSUglobal has formed with King 

Khalid University in Abha may allow Maryam to do just that. 

This fall marks the pilot run of this new partnership, 

where 20 King Khalid University (KKU) students will join a 

class of MSU students via an interactive open educational 

resource entrepreneurship education curriculum. 

Mary Anne Walker, the Director of Business 

Development at MSUglobal, said that KKU approached 

MSUglobal asking to build a region-specific program similar 

to the msuENet programs already in place across the state 

of Michigan. Seeking assistance with entrepreneurship 

and online education programs, KKU is also interested 

in working with MSU on IT, education, English language 

training, and possibly other disciplines in an online learning 

environment. MSU faculty members Constantinos Coursaris, 

Telecommunication; Barb Fails, School of Planning Design 

and Construction; Forrest Samuel Carter, Marketing; Brent 

Ross, Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics; and 

Jordan Skole, new economy consultant on the msuENet 

project, all traveled to Abha this summer to connect with 

prospective students, deliver workshops and prepare case 

studies to present in the fall course. 

“We’ve been invited by KKU to develop a pilot project 

in entrepreneurship and employability, strengthening a newly 

created Business and Entrepreneurship Center on KKUs own 

campus. The Saudi students and community leaders we 

have engaged are talented with complementary skills that 

align with entrepreneurship endeavors around the world,” 

Walker said. 

Working with Dr. Abdullah Alwalidi, Dean of eLearning 

at KKU who is working with the newly opened Business 

and Entrepreneurship Center led by Dr. Abdullah Al-Nasser, 

faculty hope to see the partnership grow from its pilot into 

a long-term program including incubation services, mentor 

services and follow-through for students that have completed 

the online courses. A broader program has been proposed 

to KKU involving nine colleges and 20 faculty members from 

across the MSU campus. 

“We’ve put together a program at MSU that has been 

successful, but we realize there is a different context here,” 

said Ross. “We’re here trying to listen to real people and 

make sure this is a success for them. Evident to all of us is the 

excitement of the students to make a change for themselves 

and their communities, which is in turn a motivating factor for 

ourselves.” 

MSU hosts 

International 

Conference on 

education reform 

The College of Education at MSU 

holds a conference on internationalizing 

education every year. This year, however, 

the event expanded into a major 

international event, as the International 

Networking for Educational Transformation, 

known as iNET, selected MSU to 

partner and host their annual conference 

—a mark of MSU’s continuing efforts to 

improve K-12 teaching and learning 

through global perspectives. 

MSU was the first United Statesbased 

hub for iNET, the world’s largest 

network for sharing school reform, and 

since 2009 nearly 200 Michigan 

schools have become iNET members, 

giving them access to information about 

effective school improvement through 

various events and online resources. 

Visitors from around the country 

and around the world came for the 

event to discuss global competence 

and curriculum, leadership and new 

technologies, and school transformations 

in the United States, which included 

visiting Lansing area schools. 

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder also 

attended, saying of the event “[MSU] 

is truly one of our world-class assets. 

The dialogue you are having is great 

for our state. Let’s keep the dialogue 

going and help us help Michigan with 

its reinvention.” 

Briefly Speaking 

education 

MSU offers teacher 

certification in 

Arabic 

Starting in the fall semester of 

2011, MSU will offer new opportunities 

for current and prospective teachers 

to gain credentials in Arabic instruction. 

With Michigan being the home of one 

of the largest populations of Arab 

Americans in the country, these programs 

aim to meet the urgent state-wide need 

for Arabic education, especially in 

southeast Michigan schools. 

Administered by the Department 

of Teacher Education in partnership 

with the Department of Linguistics and 

Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African 

Languages, these almost entirely online 

programs have two options for students 

to pursue. Certified teachers can add 

Arabic to their credentials through 

a Master of Arts in Teaching and 

Curriculum, and MSU will also offer a 

traditional teacher preparation program 

for undergraduates wishing to become 

certified Arabic teachers. 

Finally, MSU also recently 

received approval for a postbaccalaureate 

certification program for 

native language speakers with relevant 

bachelor’s degrees to get into teaching, 

including those fluent in Arabic. 

Students of 

Mexican descent 

receive research 

grants 

grants 

Vicente Sánchez-Ventura, consulate 

general of Mexico in Detroit, presented 

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon with 

IME Becas grant funds in 2011. 

The grant from the Institute for 

Mexicans Abroad and the Consulate of 

Mexico provided eight Michigan State 

University students of Mexican descent, 

who engage in research grants for the 

academic year. 

MSU’s Chicano/Latino Studies 

Program and Center for Caribbean and 

Latin American Studies administered 

the application process and distributed 

the awards of up to $2,500 to help 

students pay for tuition, books and 

housing costs related to their research 

projects. 

MSU was among 37 institutions in 

the country and one of two in Michigan 

to receive the IME grant. 

“Chicano and Mexican students at 

MSU are rigorous scholars,” said Sheila 

Contreras, director of MSU’s Chicano/ 

Latino Studies Program. “The IME Becas 

grant program is an important investment 

in the future of Latina/o scholarship in 

the United States.”

18 19 

ENVIRONMENT 

understanding 

the humannature 

link 

to ensure a 

sustainable 

world.

20 21 

Volodymyr Tarabara 

Associate Professor 

Civil and Environmental Engineering 

PROTECTING THAT SIMPLE 

COMPoUND—H2O 

Just as cellphone technology brought 21st 

century communication to underdeveloped countries 

almost overnight, membrane nanotechnology 

is giving the world cleaner water nearly as fast. 

Michigan State University’s Volodymyr 

Tarabara, associate professor of civil and 

environmental engineering, is part of the 

membrane-based technology research team 

that is changing the way the world purifies 

its water 

“Membranes can be a leapfrog opportunity. Countries 

or communities without traditional water treatment systems 

may choose to go directly to the newest technology,” 

said Tarabara. 

Membranes selectively remove contaminants from 

water through a method that is analogous to sand filtration, 

except that membranes can remove things that are much 

smaller including dissolved species such as salts and very 

small microorganisms such as viruses. Thus, membranes can 

also desalinate or remove salt from ocean water, making it 

potable. This can be of great benefit as approximately 

97.5% of Earth’s water supply is in oceans. 

Along with Thomas Voice, an MSU professor of civil 

and environmental engineering, and Professor Merlin 

Bruening of MSU Department of Chemistry, Tarabara has 

led the international partnership of environmental engineers 

and scientists from MSU and Duke University, and several 

research centers in France, Ukraine, and Turkey that will 

create new technologies for the project. 

“As we run out of ready-to-use fresh water supplies, we 

need to think about how to reuse water. Membranes are cost 

efficient and reliable for this purpose. They ensure the quality 

of water meets requirements as there is no margin for error,” 

said Tarabara. 

An International Team 

The MSU-led consortium of researchers earned the 

prestigious $2.3 million Partnerships for International Research 

in Education (PIRE) grant. “PIRE is a National Science 

Foundation grant we were awarded—we are one of the first 

12 teams to receive it. Our PIRE project is in the development 

of nanotechnology tools which we use to understand how 

membranes work and how to make them better,” he said. 

The project encourages international collaboration by 

establishing links with research groups from abroad. “We 

bring in the best people from around the world to address a 

particular environmental problem. Our students travel abroad 

for weeks, months, and even longer stays are encouraged 

by the NSF. The mission is to develop global scientists and 

engineers to understand global problems,” said Tarabara. 

“This is a big problem to solve and the PIRE project 

provides the necessary framework to solve big problems of 

international scope successfully. For this reason it is the best 

project I could imagine working on,” he said. 

“MSU is a fantastic place to do water research. We 

have a depth and breadth of knowledge and my colleagues 

are experts in their fields,” he said. 

Michigan has 21 municipal membrane treatment plants, 

yet is less impacted by drinking water purification challenges 

than most states. “Michigan is less impacted as we are 

surrounded by fresh water. We do have several membrane 

plants equipped with salt rejecting membranes for water 

softening but we don’t need to do large scale sea water 

desalination, which is expensive. But states in the west do 

suffer from lack of sufficient fresh water supply and need to 

desalinate sea water,” Tarabara said. 

Technology offers 

opportunity 

Development of robust membranes is a significant 

opportunity to enhance the quality of water and, ultimately, 

public health, for U.S. states and especially in developing 

countries. This project also internationalizes the experience of 

the students involved by enhancing the learning competencies 

that reflect the knowledge, attitudes and skills essential to 

living and working as global citizens when they graduate. 

“One premise of our partnership is that students are 

powerful catalysts for research collaboration,” Tarabara said. 

“Our research is organized in international teams in which 

students from a foreign institution are teamed with students 

from a U.S. institution.” Several graduate students from MSU 

have been funded through this project since its inception. 

When the grant expires, Tarabara said, the project will 

live on either through PIRE II, a follow-up project, or with 

industrial partnerships around the globe. 

Watch an interview with Tarabara at 

isp.msu.edu/multimedia.

22 

23 

TIGERS OUT OF SIGHT 

ARE FAR FROM OUT OF MIND 

It doesn’t matter that Neil Carter has only twice 

caught fleeting glimpses of a tiger in all the months 

he’s spent in Nepal. In fact, it’s kind of fitting. 

Carter, a doctoral student in MSU’s Center for 

Systems Integration and Sustainability, approaches 

conservation and sustainability in a way that’s not just 

about a charismatic animal. It’s about connectivity and the 

delicate, complicated dance between tigers and people in 

and around the Chitwan National Park in Nepal — a dance 

that’s duplicated across the world where wild animals and 

people share a backyard. 

Carter is working to understand how people and tigers 

move in respect to each other, both directly and indirectly. 

The Nepalese who live among tigers depend on the forest. 

Tigers are fierce, but fragile. He says the dance goes like this: 

“The people there really depend on the forest. They are 

a subsistence culture, and so it is important that the forests stay 

healthy,” Carter said. “We try to let people understand that 

having tigers there is important to keep the forests healthy. 

They do rarely eat people. And they do also sometimes eat 

people’s livestock. They also keep the numbers of deer and 

boar down. Because deer and boar often eat people’s 

crops, tiger conservation can reduce crop predation by deer 

and boar, and mitigate risks on people from tigers.” 

Understanding Behavior 

Carter also seeks a better understanding of how tigers’ 

behavior changes the behavior of their human neighbors, and 

vice versa. He uses camera trapping to understand the tigers, 

their prey, their competitors and the people in their habitat. 

He combines that with a strong social science component as 

he evaluates local attitudes and tolerance towards tigers—the 

first time this had been done systematically. 

That makes him one of a new breed of scientist mixing 

and matching the sciences of sustainability across the natural 

and social disciplines. Carter’s adviser, center director Jianguo 

“Jack” Liu, is an international leader in this new, holistic way 

of looking at the world. 

Liu, the Rachel Carson University Chair in Sustainability, 

talks about human-nature interactions in Nepal in terms of 

telecoupling, a new concept to address how to understand 

and manage how humans and nature interact as distance 

shrinks and connections are strengthening between nature 

and humans. 

The prefix “tele” means “at a distance.” Telecoupling is a 

way to express one of the often-overwhelming consequences 

of globalization—the way an event or phenomenon in one 

corner of the world can have an impact far away. 

“As the Earth becomes smaller and smaller, telecoupling 

has increasingly important implications at the global level,” 

Liu said. “The current management of natural resources or 

governance systems will not work well. We need to have 

new ways to understand and manage coupled human and 

natural systems worldwide.” 

The People Planet Link 

Increased trade, expanding transportation networks, the 

Internet, invasive species—all have made everything once 

“somewhere else” seem closer. That has enormous consequences 

for environmental and socioeconomic sustainability. 

It also helps explain why healthy forests and tigers in 

Nepal are important at the global level. Healthy forests in 

Nepal, for example, are important to carbon sequestration 

for the global climate change. 

The data Carter now diligently crunches hold the hope 

of one day shaping all those relationships into a model that 

can be used to forecast forest-tiger-human interactions. That 

in turn can help create conservation policies that promote 

long-term coexistence between humans and tigers. From there, 

the model can lead the way to nurture other human-nature 

dances—coyotes in U.S. suburbia, pandas in China, chickens 

in villages across the world. 

So Carter treasures his glimpses of tigers. But it is his 

vision—not glimpses—that is poised to change the world. 

Sue Nichols, Communications Director, Center for Systems Integration 

and Sustainability

24 

GLOBALIZATION IN A 

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT 

Farmers more 

likely to be green 

if they talk to 

their neighbors 


ENVIRONMENT 

The research was funded by the 

National Science Foundation, NASA, 

the National Institutes of Health, the 

MSU Environmental Research Initiative, 

MSU AgBioResearch, and the Giorgio 

Ruffolo Fellowship in Sustainability 

Science at Harvard University. 

African carnivore 

research expands 

The students’ research is addressing 

behavior, conservation and physiology 

ranging from the evolution of their cognitive 

abilities to anthropogenic effects 

on their stress physiology. 

MSU students, 

researchers unite 

with community 

to solve world’s 

water crisis 

Previously thought extinct in Nicaragua, a small Baird’s 

Tapir population was recently found to be alive and well 

and living in the Caribbean Coast rainforest. Thanks to 

MSU researchers, together with Nicaraguan colleagues 

from the Universidad de las Regiones Autonomas de la 

Costa Caribe Nicaraguense (URACCAN), important data 

on these tapirs—large mammals similar in shape to a pig, 

but with a short prehensile snout like an elephant’s-- will be 

passed on to those scientists and managers who are trying 

to conserve rare species. Like the tapir the jaguar, puma, 

and the white-lipped peccary are rarely seen in Nicaragua 

or elsewhere in the Mesoamerica Biodiversity Hotspot. 

Their presence in this Nicaragua locale is a good sign, 

indicating that this area of the Neotropical rainforest has 

not yet been damaged beyond repair. 

Funded by a $1 million National Science Foundation 

grant to study “Coupled Natural and Human Systems” 

(2008-2013), lead MSU researchers Daniel B. Kramer, 

associate professor at James Madison College and 

Fisheries & Wildlife (FW), and Gerald Urquhart, assistant 

professor at Lyman Briggs College and FW, focused their 

investigation of the environmental and economic impact 

of globalization on thirteen previously isolated indigenous, 

Afro-descendant and Hispanic communities near Pearl 

Lagoon, Nicaragua. 

Communities in the area range from those currently 

experiencing high rates of globalization to those almost 

untouched by such forces. Data collection includes 

terrestrial wildlife monitoring with camera traps, marine 

resource monitoring with multiple methods, household 

surveys in each community, and remote sensing of forest 

cover and land use change. 

“Our initial findings show a highly intact mammalian 

community with highest diversity in areas only moderately 

connected to new markets,” notes Urquhart, “Once completed, 

this project will yield longitudinal data on terrestrial 

wildlife, marine resources, household economies, and land 

use that can be integrated to model the complex coupled 

natural and human systems of the region.” 

This summer Urquhart, Kramer and colleagues began 

the process of sharing key research findings with local 

communities. Community members learned about local wildlife 

populations by viewing photos taken by project camera 

traps and they engaged in active discussion of fishing and 

forest cover, the results of household surveys, the impacts 

of road construction, the advancing agricultural frontier and 

other effects of globalization. A wildlife guidebook—including 

the mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and insects 

identified via the project—was authored by Fisheries & 

Wildlife graduate student Christopher Jordan and Urquhart, 

providing both educational benefit and ecotourist appeal. 

MSU students can also be exposed to the project 

environment and associated activities through an intensive, 

week-long study abroad experience or they can deepen 

their involvement as undergraduate or graduate students 

through applying for a position as a project intern or graduate 

assistant. In addition to James Madison and Lyman Briggs 

Colleges the project collaborators include MSU faculty 

members and staff in the Colleges of Agriculture and 

Natural Resources and Social Science. 

For more information, visit the project website at 

www.globalchange.msu.edu/nicaragua 

Andrea Allen, Ph.D., associate director, Center for Advance Study 

of International Development 

MSU researchers find that farmers 

are more likely to reenroll their land in 

a conservation program if they talk to 

their neighbors about it. 

Scientists from MSU’s Center for 

Systems Integration and Sustainability 

used a simulation model to study the 

amount of land farmers in the Wolong 

Nature Reserve in southwestern China 

reenrolled in the Grain-to-Green Program 

(GTGP), which aims to reduce soil 

erosion by converting sloping cropland 

to forest or grassland. Farmers receive 

an annual payment of either 5,000 

pounds of grain or $498 for each 2.5 

acres of enrolled in the program. In 

2005, this was about 8 percent of the 

farmers’ income. 

“To achieve global environmental 

sustainability, it is important to go 

beyond traditional economic and 

regulatory approaches,“ said Jiangua 

“Jack” Liu, center director and a 

co-author on the paper, Agent-based 

Modeling of the Effects of Social 

Norms on Enrollment in Payments for 

Ecosystem Services. 

Xiaodong Chen, who conducted 

the research while working on his 

doctorate, and colleagues found that 

if farmers had the opportunity to interact 

with each other, they were willing to 

reenroll their land in the GTGP. And 

the more times they interacted, the 

more land was reenrolled. 

A new research program led by 

MSU’s Kay Holekamp is providing 

field experience to students from 

Harvard, Arizona State University, 

University of Montana and MSU. 

For more than two decades, Kay 

Holekamp, zoology professor and 

director of MSU’s Ecology, Environmental 

Biology and Behavior Program, has 

been studying spotted hyenas in the 

Masai Mara National Reserve in 

Kenya, and a recent NSF grant is 

expanding the program to include 

carnivores inhabiting the Mara- 

Serengeti ecosystem. 

The recently awarded International 

Research Experiences for Students (IRES) 

grant is funding four undergraduate 

students from universities across the 

U.S. The students are conducting 

research alongside Holekamp at two 

camps in southwestern Kenya where 

scientists are spending eight weeks 

developing and executing field 

research projects on carnivores other 

than the spotted hyenas—lions, 

cheetahs, leopards, small cats, genets, 

mongooses, jackals and wild dogs. 

Last year, the MSU student chapter 

of Engineers Without Borders and 

MSU College of Engineering’s Professor 

Emeritus Ted Loudon volunteered their 

time to work on a water filtration 

project in San Carlos, Honduras. 

The water filtration system they 

helped to install was developed by 

researchers at Hope College, Holland 

Mich., and Robert McDonald, a 

retired engineer who founded Agua 

Clara International, a nonprofit organization 

that seeks to provide cheap, 

effective water filtration to the world’s 

poorest communities. In addition to 

helping villagers build small filtration 

units for a school and several homes, 

the MSU student engineers taught them 

how to maintain the units, assuring that 

the system would be sustainable. 

MSU is currently working with 

Aqua Clara to test ways to scale 

up the filtration technology.

26 27 

HEALTH 

Crossing boundaries to fight 

disease, promote health & 

improve Nutrition

28 29 

uncovering secrets 

to better medicine 

Patricia Obando 

Assistant Professor, College of Human Medicine 

Director, Medical Education for Obstetrics and Gynecology 

and Reproductive Biology 

Costa Rica’s average life expectancy and infant mortality rates are virtually 

identical to that of the United States. Assistant Professor C. Patricia Obando, 

Director of Medical Education in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology 

and Reproductive Biology in the College of Human Medicine, hopes 

to share the secrets of her home country’s health care success via a 

unique exchange program. 

As a professor, medical educator and medical anthropologist, 

Patricia Obando’s goal is to help reduce health inequalities around 

the world while shining light on the strides made in the most unlikely 

places. Her home country of Costa Rica provides her with a unique 

perspective on how less-developed nations can lead the world 

to better health care practices. 

Along with Professor Elizabeth Bodgan-Lovis, co-director 

for MSU’s Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences, 

Professor Obando created an international 

exchange program that brings Costa Rican 

medical practitioners to the United States 

and gives MSU medical residents handson 

insight into how Costa Rica defies 

medical convention. 

The project began in 2009 when members of MSU’s 

Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive 

Biology in the College of Human Medicine traveled to San 

Jose, Costa Rica to meet with leaders from the University of 

Costa Rica and the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social. 

The purpose of the visit was to build a partnership with Costa 

Rican stakeholders for the creation of a bilateral exchange 

program for senior residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology 

in the MSU Affiliated residency programs and the University 

of Costa Rica. 

The first resident from Costa Rica’s San Jose Women’s 

Clinic spent six weeks in the Grand Rapids area. The next leg 

of the exchange had a resident from East Lansing traveling 

to Costa Rica where they spent four weeks learning how 

a universal health system works, and how it is possible to 

treat patients using limited resources. The experience gave 

MSU residents the opportunity to understand the challenges 

of global reproductive health while ObGyn residents from 

Costa Rica had the opportunity to observe different surgical 

techniques using advanced robotics and simulation. 

“We chose Costa Rica because it is a unique country— 

and they have a health system that is very different from ours,” 

said Obando. ”Universal health means that it’s a health 

system that is accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability 

to pay. The residents learn how a universal system works 

and how beneficial it really is. 

Costa Rica’s health system is characterized by having a 

strong social component and a well developed preventive 

program designed to target the community through a structure 

known as EBAIS (Equipo Básico de Atención Integral en 

Salud) which are small health teams made up of a physician, 

a nurse, and a social worker. In addition, Costa Rica’s public 

health insurance system is available to all citizens and legal 

residents. According to Obando, the health system is made 

up of 25 main hospitals, 250 clinics, and nearly 980 EBAIS. 

The EBAIS are scattered around the nation, and are the first 

line of preventive and basic care for Costa Rica’s four million 

residents. 

“It is an easy system, and economically, it works better 

than anything else. EBAIS are where people go for the 

common cold or a cut. If it is more serious, they’ll go to 

a clinic and if necessary, referred to a specialty hospital,” 

said Obando. 

Still, it is puzzling to many U.S. health officials how 

Costa Rica can have such positive health statistics. Their 

physicians do not have access to many of today’s technical 

advances yet their health indicators are as good, or better, 

than the United States. During a visit to one of Costa Rica’s 

main hospitals, a faculty member asked about their low 

infection rate after birth. The answer to him was, ‘We are 

just careful.’ 

“To me this answer wasn’t shocking because I grew up 

there and I understand it. But it is hard to understand how 

that can work here. We want our residents and faculty here 

to see how to treat the same conditions with less money, less 

resources, but have same outcomes,” said Obando. “And we 

want them to better understand their role and the impact of 

the social context and/or socialized medicine in their health 

outcomes.” 

Physicians from several Michigan hospitals have been 

part of the delegations to Costa Rica. Dr. John Hebert, medical 

director of Women’s Services at Hurley Medical Center, 

a teaching hospital in Flint Michigan, has been encouraged 

by the trips and opportunity to learn from physicians working 

in a different type of health system. 

“The opportunity for young medical students to see 

first-hand how physicians in Costa Rica prevent complications 

with fewer resources is invaluable to their education,” said 

Dr. Hebert. 

Recently, Obando and Bogdan-Lovis helped organize 

the first Latin American Conference on Womens’ Reproductive 

Health held in Costa Rica. Working along with the conferences 

sponsors, Obando and Bogdan-Lovis helped set up 

workshops and lectures on research exchange and training 

opportunities in endometriosis, reproductive health, bio-ethics, 

medical education curriculum improvement, and robotic surgical 

techniques. “The conference was a complete success and 

there are requests from Costa Rica to do it again next year”, 

said Obando. 

“We are very excited about this. After the conference, 

I had the opportunity to meet with people from the University 

of Costa Rica and there is interest in collaborating on an 

online-masters in medical education,” said Obando. So the 

relationship evolves. 

“I’m a believer that you don’t need to reinvent wheel, you 

can learn a lot from what other countries are facing and how 

they are responding to their health needs,” she said. “There 

is lot to be learned from each other, that is what global health 

is all about.” 

Watch an interview with Obando at www.isp.msu. 

edu/multimedia.

30 

Brazil trip immerses med 

students in tropical medicine 

Aboard a traveling hospital on the Amazon River, a 

group of Michigan State University medical students had a 

lesson in tropical medicine, working with patients suffering 

from parasitic infections, malnutrition and malaria. 

The trip on the Luz Na Amazon-II medical facility boat 

was just part of a 10-day health education program to 

Brazil’s Eastern Amazon region for 21 medical students from 

the colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine. 

Organized by Reza Nassiri, director of MSU’s Institute 

of International Health and an assistant dean in the College 

of Osteopathic Medicine, the trip was set up in partnership 

with Universidade Federal Do Para in the northern Brazilian 

city of Belem. The trip, which lasted from Dec. 31 to Jan. 10, 

also included job shadowing experiences in Barros Barreto 

Hospital and community clinics in the city of Belem. 

“UFPA and the Eastern Amazon region offer tremendous 

opportunities for MSU faculty and students to conduct research 

as well as experience educational courses in health, medicine 

and many other disciplines,” Nassiri said. “This 10-day trip 

allowed our medical students to not only sharpen their clinical 

skills and broaden their knowledge of tropical medicine but 

also to develop cultural competency skills and gain an 

appreciation of health-care delivery in another nation.” 

Students began their trip observing hospital and 

community clinics; they also spent time in the diagnostic 

labs at the UFPA Institute of Tropical Medicine and received 

lectures from Brazilian doctors as well as Dr. Nassiri. Those 

experiences led to their daylong trip aboard the Luz Na 

Amazon-II that was organized by UFPA and the Bible Society 

of Brazil, which owns the boat. 

Equipped with a triage space, four examination rooms, 

an automated diagnostic laboratory, a pharmacy and a 

dental office, the boat serves as the main health-care option 

for inhabitants of the region, Nassiri said. 

“I am interested in infectious diseases and international 

medicine, and this was a great introduction to what I would 

be doing in that field,” said Susan Jarosz, a first-year medical 

student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Many of the 

patients we saw had unusual cases or end-stage cases, and 

we got to see many of the classic symptoms and treatments 

you do not see here in the U.S.” 

Nassiri said in addition to the dozens of Brazilian 

physicians and administrators with UFPA, the trip would not 

have been possible without support of Cynthia Simmons, an 

associate professor in MSU’s Department of Geography who 

is helping oversee the university’s expanding role with Federal 

University of Para. 

Jason Cody, University Relations 

recognition for 

work on epilepsy 

in Zambia 

Gretchen Birbeck, director of 

MSU’s International Neurologic and 

Psychiatric Epidemiology Program, 

was selected as a regional winner 

of the 2011 Outreach Scholarship/ 

W.K. Kellogg Foundation Engagement 

Award for her work with epilepsy 

in Zambia. 

Birbeck—who has been studying 

in Zambia and sub-Saharan Africa 

since the early 1990s, focusing in 

part on the link between epilepsy and 

cerebral malaria—led one of four 

community outreach initiatives honored 

by Association of Public and Land-grant 

Universities. 

In addition to being honored at 

the 12th annual National Outreach 

Scholarship Conference hosted by 

Michigan State University in October, 

Birbeck will receive a $5,000 prize 

and qualifies to compete for the APLU’s 

annual C. Peter Magrath University 

Community Engagement Award. 

peru mission 

documented online 

MSU Media Communications 

team has created a special report to 

document and profile the work of MSU 

medical students participating in a 

medical mission to Huamachuco, Peru. 

Armed with more than $100,000 

worth of medical supplies a group of 

28 College of Osteopathic Medicine 

students spent more than a week 


GLOBAL HEALTH 

supporting physicians in a rural 

village. Learn more about the trip at 

special.news.msu.edu/peru. 

Symposium Tackles 

Equity Gap 

Scholars from around the world 

gathered at MSU in April to examine 

Latin America’s equity-gap challenges 

using a community engagement 

approach. 

Discussing unrealized rights to 

education, access to land, social 

justice and nutrition and health services, 

the 2011 symposium “Diminishing Latin 

America’s Inequalities: Land, food and 

human health strategies” was presented 

by the Center for Latin American and 

Caribbean Studies in collaboration 

with the Institute of Heath International 

and support from the Center for 

Advanced Study of International 

Development as well as 24 other 

MSU units. 

In addition to a plenary keynote 

address and invited presentations by 

international speakers, student and 

faculty work was presented in oral 

and poster sessions. The symposium 

also included a library colloquia on 

Creating Schools that Defend rather 

than Destroy Community and a postsymposium 

working group that met to 

delineate collaborative actions to better 

meet intercultural needs and goals. 

Watch conference 

presentations at 

latinamerica.isp.msu.edu 

Generator 

Heading to Haiti 

Thanks to Local 

Partnership 

Justinien Hospital in earthquakestricken 

Haiti soon will have the light 

and electrical power needed to provide 

a higher quality of medical care, 

thanks to a generator donated through 

a partnership between Sparrow 

Hospital, Michigan State University, 

Williamston’s Explorer Elementary 

School and GreenStone Farm Credit 

Services. 

“The need for dependable sources 

of electricity in Haiti is still great, and 

nowhere is that need greater than in 

hospitals,” said Reza Nassiri, director 

of MSU’s Institute of International 

Health and associate dean in the 

College of Osteopathic Medicine. 

“This generator will literally save lives.” 

Lansing’s Sparrow Hospital and 

GreenStone, a rural lender based in 

East Lansing, shared the $12,000 

cost of the Cummins 150 kilowatt 

diesel-powered generator with help from 

fourth graders at Explorer Elementary 

School, who raised and donated 

$1,500. MSU added a $2,000 

donation—from the Institute of International 

Health and the Caribbean 

Student Association - to help ship 

the 1.5-ton generator from Lansing 

to Justinien Hospital in Cap-Haitien, 

Haiti.

32 33 

FOOD 

Connecting policy, education, 

technology and markets to feed 

a hungry world

34 

35 

Three—It might be a magic 

number for development 

International leaders and researchers are looking 

to a first-of-its-kind trilateral partnership among U.S., Brazil 

and Mozambique institutions for new ideas and better 

outcomes in development. 

“Development work is an ethical commitment, 

you can’t get away from it. We have poverty in the 

U.S., and we need to deal with it, but it does not 

remotely compare to what we see elsewhere 

in the world,” said David Tschirley, MSU 

professor and leader of MSU’s effort 

in Mozambique. 

David Tschirley 

Professor, Michigan State University’s Department of 

Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics 

Helping a developing African nation reduce hunger 

and create economic opportunity is a job for not one— 

or even two—but three equal partners. Michigan State 

University’s Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource 

Economics is a key part of a unique triad working to 

improve agriculture and food security in Mozambique. 

Specialists from the U.S. and Brazil joined forces with 

Mozambique’s Ministry of Agriculture and its National 

Agricultural Research Institute in 2011 to improve productivity 

and marketing of fresh produce in the country. Led by 

scholars from MSU and the University of Florida—who 

were instrumental in securing a $7.9 million U.S. Agency for 

International Development (USAID) award—this innovative 

trilateral approach is the first such “trilateral” effort and is 

seen as a potential model for similar USAID efforts with 

Brazil and other emerging economies. 

Benefits of Partnership 

The trilateral approach combines the best expertise in 

the U.S. and Brazil with the local knowledge and expertise 

of scientists in Mozambique to address problems in a more 

effective way. Brazil has a rapidly developing agricultural 

economy with climate and soil conditions similar to those 

in Mozambique, and Portuguese is the official language of 

both countries. 

According to MSU Professor David Tschirley, the project 

capitalized on Brazil’s experience developing technology 

for tropical climates and extending that to its own small 

farmers, while utilizing University of Florida and MSU’s long 

experience converting “mere expertise” into development 

results on the ground. Each entity is learning from the other, 

creating a positive exchange of information and ideas. 

“Over time, I’ve come to appreciate the actual value 

of diversity in many different settings. We’ve talked about 

diversity in the US for a long time—whether it’s ethnic or 

racial or gender diversity. People from different backgrounds 

bring different abilities or different perspectives that bounce 

off each other, and rub up against each other leading you 

to new types of insights,” said Tschirley. 

Projects like this perpetuate MSU’s world-grant 

legacy for solving challenging problems across the globe. 

Information gained through these projects helps to inform 

Michigan’s agricultural producers, open new markets and 

can lead to new farming approaches that ultimately benefit 

Michigan residents and producers, according to Tschirley. 

“Though our focus is on results in Mozambique, the 

fact is that a positive relationship with a rapidly-growing 

economy like Brazil is good for U.S. national interests,” 

said Tschirley.“ Brazil has plenty of small, resource-poor 

farmers, but they also have some of the largest and most 

modern farms, and some of the best scientists, in the world. 

By working with Brazil, human relationships evolve and 

change. Our international relationships change as well. This 

can be the start of a more collaborative relationship on a 

number of fronts that benefits both parties,” he said. 

the immediate impact 

MSU and University of Florida are also collaborating 

with Brazil’s National Fund for Educational Development 

and the ministries of education and health in Mozambique 

to pilot an innovative school feeding program that relies 

on local farmers for much of its food supply and provides 

them with training and access to technology to satisfy this 

new market. The objective is for this pilot activity to provide 

guidance to the design of the national school feeding 

program that Mozambique wishes to implement. 

Located on the southeast coast of the African continent, 

Mozambique is a country of about 23 million people and 

remains one of the world’s poorest nations with malnutrition 

a widespread problem. Major food crops there include 

corn, cassava, beans, peanuts and sorghum. Vegetable 

production is now expanding rapidly, to feed burgeoning 

urban populations. 

Though the country has made great strides over the 

past decade there is still much poverty to combat. Tschirley 

said that Mozambique has made insufficient progress in 

recent years in terms of agricultural productivity growth and 

as a result, needs to increase its investment in small, and 

emerging commercial farmers to meet its food needs and 

reduce poverty. 

For more information regarding MSU’s Agriculture, 

Food and Resources Economics department, see 

http://www.aec.msu.edu/. 

Watch an interview with Tschirley at 

isp.msu.edu/multimedia.

36 

China’s Agricultural 

Development at a Crossroads 

New research conducted by Michigan State University, 

Renmin University and Landesa shows China is at a 

crossroads in its agriculture development. As a result, MSU 

researchers suggest that China should protect land rights of 

all farm families and restrict corporate farming if it wants to 

close the income gap between cities and countryside. 

The study was published in the Chinese Academy of 

Social Sciences’ 2011 blue book, an annual report 

of China’s rule of law. It found only 44 percent of China’s 

200 million farming families has been issued land-rights 

documents as required by law, said Jeff Riedinger, dean of 

MSU’s International Studies and Programs, and a co-author 

of the study. 

Where implemented, China’s current land tenure reform 

program, adopted in 1998 to reduce poverty, gives farmers 

30-year, extendable rights to their parcels. 

“We found Chinese farmers with secure land rights 

were 76 percent more likely to make long-term investments,” 

Riedinger said. “And this means they could become more 

significant consumers of goods and services, potentially 

increasing export market opportunities for Michigan 

companies and in-country markets for General Motors 

and Ford.” 

In 2009, gross income from land investments 

is estimated at about $69 billion, which is more than 12 

percent of China’s total rural income for that year, according 

to the researchers. China has 800 million rural citizens. 

“Long-term investments include planting orchards or 

tea gardens and expanding the number of farm animals,” 

said Hui Wang, a MSU graduate student and Riedinger’s 

research assistant. “These investments substantially boost 

farm household income.” 

In addition, the researchers found an upswing in 

the acquisition of farmers’ land rights, often illegally 

and involuntarily taken by village officials for transfer to 

corporate farmers. Even with noteworthy accomplishments 

in rural land policy laws, one out of 10 rural villages 

experienced a land taking in 2010, according to Riedinger 

and his collaborators. 

Often, the land is converted to nonagricultural uses, 

which threatens China’s grain security, Riedinger said. And 

large-scale farming is rarely more productive than family 

farms with stable and secure land rights. 

Riedinger explained the increase in such acquisitions 

could be the result of local governments across China 

striving to keep economic growth on track by selling land 

rights. 

The MSU team made several recommendations to help 

address the issues. One is to urge the Chinese government 

to reform the law on land takings (Land Management Law) 

to improve compensation standards and procedural due 

process for affected farmers. Additionally, the team suggests 

restricting corporate farming by limiting land holdings and 

requiring informed consent among affected farmers. 

Another key recommendation is to increase monitoring 

and enforcement actions against local governments and 

officials on land violations. 

“China’s economic development is inextricably linked 

to how well policies promoting secure land rights are 

understood and implemented at the local level,” 

Riedinger said. 

As such, the team has shared the survey findings 

and discussed preliminary policy recommendations with 

government policymakers in China. 

The study is the fifth in a series by MSU, Renmin 

University and Landesa, a rural development institute. 

Conducted in mid-2010, the survey covered 1,564 

households in 17 provinces that together contain an 

estimated 83 percent of China’s rural population. 

Kristen Parker, University Relations 

MSU Experts 

Tapped for Project 

in Senegal 

Researchers at MSU and four 

partnering institutions in the U.S. will 

use a $28 million, five year grant from 

USAID to bolster agricultural education 

and research systems in Senegal, in 

hopes of increasing food supply and 

improving nutrition. 

The consortium will work with four 

Senegalese university and five training 

centers as part of the Capacity Building 

for Agriculture Education and Research 

project. CBAER is part of the U.S. 

government’s Feed the Future initiative, 

an effort to address the underlying 

causes of hunger and malnutrition 


Perfecting the 

Meat of the Potato 

Robin Buell, MSU plant biologist, 

is part of an international research 

team that is mapping the genome of 

the potato. In the July issue of Nature, 

the team revealed that it accomplished 

its goal, thus quickly closing the gap 

on improving the food source’s elusive 

genome. 

“This is the first plant with a tuber 

to be sequenced,” she said. “It will 

still take researchers awhile to use 

the genome information to improve 

traits, such as improved quality, yield, 

drought tolerance and disease resistance. 

But our most-recent research will 

accelerate efforts on improving potato 

varieties and help close the gap in 

bringing a better potato to the farmer.” 


FOOD 

Since the initial release of the 

sequence in 2009, the team has 

improved the quality, identified and 

analyzed the genes and analyzed the 

genetic basis for biology of the potato 

and its tuber. 

The Potato Genome Sequencing 

Consortium, an international team of 

39 scientists from 14 countries, began 

work on the potato genome project in 

2006. The complete sequence is estimated 

to be 840 million, about onequarter 

the size of the human genome. 

Buell’s research is supported by 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

the National Science Foundation and 

MSU AgBioResearch. 

MSU and World 

Bank Study Food 

Security in Sub- 

Saharan Africa 

Michigan State University 

researchers, Tom Jayne and Melinda 

Smale, and a World Bank consultant, 

Derek Byerlee, have published a white 

paper on behalf of the World Bank 

Development Research Group. The 

team took a critical look at a technical 

change in maize production in 

sub-Saharan Africa. 

According to their analysis the 

adoption of improved seeds has 

made little progress toward achieving 

a Green Revolution much like the 

transformation in yield gains in rice 

and wheat in Asia. Chronic food 

insecurity persists even in places that 

have made progress in maize production 

such as Malawi and Ethiopia. In fact, 

domestic maize production cannot 

keep up with the demand for food 

among expanding urban populations. 

To improve maize productivity in 

the region Jayne, Smale and Byerlee 

argue that conducive policies are 

equally, if not more important than the 

development of new technology and 

techniques. 

To learn more about this research, 

visit www.worldbank.org 

Veterinarians 

helping Iraq 

rebuild industries 

Biweekly videoconferences with 

Iraqi livestock producers and veterinarians 

allow Robert Malinowski to break 

out of what can sometimes feel like 

an academic bubble. The veterinarian 

and acting director of the informationtechnology 

center at Michigan State 

University’s veterinary school is the 

principal investigator on a U.S. 

Department of Agriculture grant to 

create video lectures on topics such as 

farm management and disease control 

for Iraqi farmers and large-animal vets. 

“Much of Iraq is in disarray, and 

its people are in desperate need to 

rebuild their infrastructure,” Malinowski 

said. “While most people think of 

roads, sewers and communications 

when it comes to infrastructure, what is 

equally important is a vibrant livestock 

food and animal science industry.” 

To learn more about this project, 

visit www.news.msu.edu.

38 39 

new partnerships formed in 2010-11 

Japan 

1. Tokyo University of Agriculture 

College of Agriculture and Natural 

Resources 

2. RIKEN Discovery Research Institute 

Institute for Quantum Sciences Dept. 

of Physics and Astronomy 

Korea 

3. Ulsan National Institute of Science 

and Technology (UNIST) 

Department of Mechanical Engineering 

4. Seoul 

• Soongsil University 

College of Law 

• LG Electronics Inc (LGE), Korean 

Corporation 

Executive Development Programs, Eli 

Broad Graduate School of Management 

• BKT 

College of Agriculture and 

Natural Resources 

33 

32 

34 37 

36 

38 

39 

40 

24 

23 

17 18 

19 

22 20 

21 

6 

13 

7 

9 

12 

5 

8 

10 

11 

4 3 

1 

2 

China 

5. Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural 

Sciences (HAAS) 

College of Engineering 

6. University of International Business 

and Economics 

College of Business 

7. Southeast University 

Center for Ethics and Humanities 

in the Life Sciences 

8. East China University of Science 

and Technology 


9. Nanchang University 

Department of Food Science and 

Human Nutrition 

10. Chang Gung Institute of Technology 

Human Development and Family Studies 

11. Fu Jen University 

Human Development and Family Studies 

12. Hong Kong 

• Hong Kong University of Science 

and Technology 


• City University of Hong Kong 


13. China University of Geosciences 


31 

30 

29 

27 

28 

25 

26 

14 15 

16 

Indonesia 

14. Badan Pertanahan Nasional (BPN) 


Resources 

15. Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) 


Resources 

Australia 

16. La Trobe University 

College of Social Science 

India 

17. Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi 

Human Development and Family 

Studies, School of Planning, Design 

and Construction 

18. Lingaya’s University 

School of Planning, Design and 

Construction 

19. International Horticulture Innovation 

and Training Center (IHITC) 


Resources 

20. Bejo Sheetal Bioscience Foundation 


Resources 

21. Bhandarkar Oriental Research 

Institute 

Asian Studies Center/MSU Museum 

22. Mumbai Educational Trust 


Resources 

Iraq 

23. University of Baghdad 


24. University of Duhok 


Kenya 

25. Nairobi 

• Kenya Forest Service 

Department of Forestry 

• Kenya Forestry Research Institute 

(KEFRI) Department of Forestry 

26. Chogoria Hospital 

Institute of International Health, College 

of Osteopathic Medicine 

Brazil 

27. Universidade de Sao Paulo 


Resources 

28. Federal University of Bahia 

University-Wide Letter of Agreement 

29. Federal University of Para 

University-Wide Letter of Agreement 

Colombia 

30. Universidad Sergio Arboleda 


Costa Rica 

31. University of Costa Rica 

Department of Biosystems and 

Agricultural Engineering 

Haiti 

32. Haitian Health Ministry 

Institute of International Health/Sparrow 

Health System 

Canada 

33. University of Guelph 

Department of Animal Science 

Ireland 

34. Daughter of Charity 

Department of Counseling, Educational 

Psychology and Special Education 

United Kingdom 

36. University of Northumbria 

at Newcastle 


37. Henley Business School, University 

of Reading 

Broad Graduate School of Management 

Germany 

38. Rheinisch-Westfallische Technische 

Hochschule 

Institute of International Health, College 

of Osteopathic Medicine 

Egypt 

39. Mansoura University 

Institute of International Health 

Russia 

40. Volgograd State University of 

Architecture and Civil Engineering 

Department of Civil and Environmental 

Engineering 

NOTE: This map reflects partnerships that were 

renewed or created through formal agreement 

between June 2010 and June 2011.

40 41 

MSU Assists Japanese 

Scientists During Recovery 

Disruptions in the power grid following the March 

earthquake and tsunami in Japan has caused routine power 

outages and made scientific research difficult for plant 

scientists who rely upon uninterrupted refrigeration, growth 

incubators, sequencers and other complex equipment. 

The community of plant scientists at Michigan State 

contacted their network of collaborators in Japan, and 

extended an offer to host scientists who needed to continue 

their research and advance their education. 

Masaru Nakata is a post-doctoral researcher who had 

his research halted because of the disaster. He accepted 

the invitation from MSU and is the first of four Japanese 

plant scientists to arrive in East Lansing. 

Nakata is from the National Institute of Advanced 

Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Tsukuba, 

Japan - a city of 200,000 people located 35 miles north 

of Tokyo. His research involves a plant hormone called 

jasmonate that is released when a plant responds to stress. 

Studying jasmonate could help scientists understand how 

plants protect themselves when under attack from insects 

and could lead to applications for food crops. Nakata 

is spending two months in the lab of Gregg Howe, a 

professor of biochemistry. 

“The research Nakata is working on really matches up 

well with our work,” Howe says. “He immediately fit into the 

group and within a week was conducting a seminar for our 

graduate students and researchers.” 

Following the disaster, Nakata says it took three months 

to return their research labs at AIST to their former state. 

“Immediately after the disaster electricity was unavailable 

and broken water pipes delayed restarting the electricity,” 

Nakata says. “Some buildings at AIST had to be closed. 

Research samples stored in freezers and refrigerators 

spoiled and researchers lost the effort and time that had 

gone into those experiments.” 

David DeWitt, associate dean for research in 

the College of Natural Science at MSU, explains that 

advanced degree students and post-doctoral require a 

reliable, solid infrastructure in order to conduct research 

experiments. Any disruption can result in major issues for 

their research and career. 

“If there are young scientists who lose their research or 

must delay their work, this can set them back years in their 

education and career,” DeWitt says. “In addition, it sets 

back the entire global science community as we all rely 

upon each other’s research.” 

This summer, power is still being conserved and 

Nakata’s lab has had to greatly reduce energy usage. 

“Growth chambers consume the most power in our lab, 

so we turned off half of them,” Nakata says. “This reduces 

the ability to grow plants needed to conduct our research.” 

Nakata has a PhD from Hiroshima University and 

has been a post-doc at AIST for three years. The principal 

investigator on his project at AIST, Dr. Ohme-Takagi, had 

been a post-doctoral researcher at the MSU/DOE Plant 

Research Laboratory two decades earlier. When the 

invitation from MSU arrived, Ohme-Takagi recommended 

Nakata consider the opportunity. 

“Professor Howe is one of the world’s top plant 

scientists in Jasmonate,” says Nakata. “To work with him 

will surely facilitate my work, and to discuss research with 

him and members of his laboratory is very precious for me.” 

Nakata and Howe plan to publish a joint paper on their 

research. 

“Making space for Nakata in the lab meant we all had 

to move in a little tighter,” says Howe. “Being a bit cramped 

for a few months is a minor inconvenience and compared 

to what we all gain from this experience.” 

In addition to Nakata, three graduate students from 

the University of Tokyo and University of Tsukuba will be 

arriving at MSU in the weeks ahead. They will be hosted 

by biochemistry professors Rob Last and Hideki Takahashi. 

“Being a global leader in research affords us the 

ability to help these scientists from Japan as they advance 

their education and careers,” says Jeffrey Riedinger, dean 

of International Studies and Programs at MSU. “Our 

strong cadre of plant scientists allows us to easily fit these 

researchers into our labs where their research goals are 

aligned. This demonstrates how MSU’s global network of 

partners can help assist young scientists while also forging 

long-lasting connections for future research collaborations.” 

Strengthening 

Partnerships in Brazil 

In a move designed to strengthen research 

collaborations and educational resources, Michigan 

State University, Federal University of Para (Universidade 

Federal do Pará), Federal University of Bahia (Universidade 

Federal da Bahia) and University of São Paulo have joined 

to launch The Brazil Partnership Program. 

The program was made official in October 2010 

with the signing of agreements for cooperation in research, 

teaching and outreach by representatives of the three 

institutions. The partnership covers academic collaboration 

in three key areas: global development and bioeconomy; 

global environmental change; and human health and the 

environment. Other collaborations, such as collaborative 

degree programs, faculty hiring and external funding 

proposals, will also be part of the partnership. 

Geared toward offering Web-based courses, 

leveraging each institution’s capacity and strength to 

address emerging global research topics MSU hopes 

the program will help students see language and culture 

as a construct of knowledge. 

An initial project for the partnership is Globalization: 

Socio-economic, Political, and Environmental 

Interdependence, an education and research exchange 

being led by Cynthia Simmons, associate professor in 

geography. This project earned nearly $500,000 from 

the U.S. Department of Education and Brazilian Ministry 

of Education and brings together expertise from Michigan 

State University, Kansas State University, Federal University 

of Para and Federal University of Bahia. The collaboration 

will make a certificate program available to students at all 

four institutions. 

“World leaders have come to recognize that the 

global extent of our social, economic, and environmental 

challenges require global solutions based on global 

partnership,” said Lou Anna K. Simon MSU President. 

“MSU, in collaboration with our Brazilian colleagues, is 

uniquely situated to make important contributions in this 

regard.” 

In keeping with the University’s mission, the Brazil 

Partnership is an interdisciplinary effort seeking to build 

partnerships with Brazilian institutions in order to address 

the critical issues of our time, and to advance educational 

exchanges between MSU and Brazilian universities and 

other institutional partners. 

“The partnership will enhance our ability to blend our 

teaching, research and outreach activities in Brazil in ways 

that are relevant and important in today’s global context,” 

said Sherman Garnett, dean of James Madison College. 

The Brazil Partnership Program reflects a vision and 

input from more than 50 faculty and administrators. It is also 

a result of more than 60 years of engagement in Brazil. 

MSU was involved in projects leading to the creation of 

three Brazilian business schools during the 1950s and 

1960s and has been collaborating with faculty in several 

Brazilian institutions over the last several decades. It is 

anticipated that other MSU partners in Brazil including 

Getulio Vargas Foundation (Fundação Getúlio Vargas), 

the top MBA school in Latin America in 2010 (EAESP, 

São Paulo Business School or Escola de Administração de 

Empresas de São Paulo) and one of the leading institution 

in science, technology, teaching and extension in Brazilian 

agriculture will also become part of the new partnership 

program. 

MSU colleges and units that are currently engaged in 

the Brazil Partnership are James Madison College, College 

of Agriculture and Natural Resource, College of Arts and 

Letters, College of Osteopathic Medicine, College of Social 

Science, the Center for Latin American and Caribbean 

Studies and MSU Institute of International Health. 

Three members of the MSU’s Brazil delegation: James Kirkpatrick, 

dean of College of Natural Science, Robert Blake, 

director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean 

Studies, Christopher Maxwell associate dean for research 

and graduate studies in the College of Social Science.

42 43 

GLOBAL FOCUS 

Since 1999, International Studies 

and Programs, in cooperation with 

the MSU Alumni Association, has 

sponsored an annual international 

photography competition for MSU 

students, faculty and alumni. In 

October of each year hundreds of 

entries are received and evaluated by 

a panel of jurors who represent the 

ideals of MSU faculty, staff, students 

and professional photographers. 

We are inspired by this year’s 

collection of winners. The 2010 

photos, as well as 300 images from 

previous competitions, are displayed 

in our virtual gallery at 

http://isp.msu.edu/photocontest.

44 45 

2010 Global Focus Winners 

06 

03 

01 

05 

04 

02 

STUDENTS 

Special thanks to our sponsors: 

• Saper Galleries and Custom Framing, 

East Lansing, MI 

• The Purple Rose Theater, Chelsea, MI 

• Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center, 

Lansing, MI 

• Wharton Center for Performing Arts, 

East Lansing, MI 

• Framer’s Edge, Lansing, MI 

Winners 

Student 01 1st place 

Ben Henshaw 

Mandalay Stroll 

Myanmar, February 2008 

Student 02 2nd place 

Ben Henshaw 

Looking and Waiting 

Myanmar, January 2008 

Student 03 3rd place 

Chen Wang 

Dutch Transportation 

Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2010 

People’s Choice 

Student 04 

Madhan Subramanian 

Rural India 

India, 2010 

Honorable 

Mentions 

Student 05 

Ryan Klataske 

Cattle, Dust and a Himba 

Herder in Namibia 

Namibia, 2008 

Student 06 

Ryan Klataske 

Namibian Farm Worker 

Children Having Fun 

Namibia, 2009

46 47 

2010 Global Focus Winners 

01 05 

02 

03 

04 

02 

05 

01 04 

ALUMNI 

Winners 

Alumni 01 1st place 

Jennifer Jerusha Marcy 

Mother and Child 

Darfur, Sudan 2008 

Alumni 02 2nd place 

Linda Roberts 

A Backward Glance 

Panajachel, Guatemala 1998 

Alumni 03 3rd place 

Ryan Pysarchik 

Memory Locks Over the Seine 

Paris, France 2010 

03 

People’s choice 

Alumni 04 

Glenn Detrick 

Carrot Top 

Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso 

HONORABLE 

MENTION 

Alumni 05 

Gabriel Ferrer 

Limonesra 

Merida, Mexico, 2010 

06 

FACULTY/STAFF 

Winners 

Faculty/Staff 03 3rd place 

Faculty/Staff 01 1st place 

Ann Allegra 

Zachary Yong Huang Bogolan Artist Boubacar 

Restaurant by the lake 

Doumbia in his studio 

West Lake, Hang Zhou, China 

Segou, Mali, 2009 

Faculty/Staff 02 2nd place 

David L. Kreulen 

Mountain homes in the monsoon 

Uttarakhand, India, 2010 

01 

People’s choice 

Faculty/Staff 04 

Leigh Graves Wolf 

Fresh Cherries 

Jumieges, France, 2010 

HONORABLE 

MENTIONS 


Steven James Gold 

Faculty Meeting, high school 

Taishan, China, 2010 


Sean M. Leahy 

Accordion 

Tours, France, 2010

48 49 

STUDENTS TO STUDY IN CHINA 

In an effort to strengthen United States-China ties, 

Michigan State University is the only institution in the 

Midwest—and one of six in the nation—to receive a 

grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation in support of the 

U.S. State Department’s “100,000 Strong Initiative.” 

MSU received $200,000 to send 30 students to 

China to participate in programs focused on Chinese 

language, business and culture. In total, the foundation 

awarded $1 million for about 160 students nationwide. 

The initiative was inspired by President Barack 

Obama’s vision to see 100,000 American students study 

abroad in China in the next four years. Specifically, the 

program targets the areas of education, culture, sports, 

science and technology and women’s issues. 

“This grant will make opportunities to study in China 

more accessible to MSU students, who may not have 

otherwise considered a study abroad program,” said Brett 

Berquist, executive director of the Office of Study Abroad. 

“Through the richness and diversity found within Chinese 

cultures, our students will learn how cultural traditions, history 

and language affect global business practices within the 

United States and Michigan.” 

Dan Redford, an alumnus of MSU’s James Madison 

College, agreed. He is now director of China operations 

at RCI FirstPathway Partners, a global business program that 

helps foreign investors become U.S. citizens. 

“What is most important to me is that, through 

interaction with Chinese people, I understand that I am 

never going to have all the answers, and it will be up to 

me to forge relationships with people that can show me 

the way,” he said. “Behind every difference there lies a 

chance to learn a new perspective, a chance to become 

familiarized with a different solution to a common problem.” 

The grant will provide scholarships for an intensive 

summer of study in China for students who are part of the 

Multicultural Business Program in MSU’s Eli Broad College 

of Business. 

Other universities receiving Coca-Cola Foundation 

grants are Columbia University, Georgia Institute of 

Technology; Morehouse College; University of California- 

Los Angeles; and University of Texas, Austin. 

The Coca-Cola Foundation is the philanthropic arm 

of The Coca-Cola Co. In 2010, it awarded more than 

$23 million to support programs that offer scholarships, 

school drop-out prevention and access to educational 

programming. 

Kristen Parker, University Relations 

The Geography of Design 

Every year we use this magazine to help articulate 

International Studies and Programs efforts to provide 

international opportunities for MSU students, faculty 

members and staff. We carefully select stories and images 

to represent our work to help solve some of the world’s 

most pressing problems related to food, education the 

environment and health. When we found the paintings of 

award winning graphic designer and artist, Paula Scher, 

we knew we had found a set of images that spoke to the 

complexity and interconnected qualities of our work. 

We are pleased to present five of Scher’s 

expressionistic map paintings—The World, World Trade, 

India, South America, and China—in this edition of 

MSU International. 

Paula Scher began her graphic design career as a 

record cover art director at both Atlantic and CBS Records 

in the 1970s and in 1991 she joined Pentagram as a 

partner. She has developed identity and branding systems, 

promotional materials, environmental graphics, packaging 

and publication designs for a wide range of clients, 

drawing from what Tom Wolfe has called the “big closet” 

of art and design history, classic and pop iconography, 

literature, music and film to create images that speak to 

contemporary audiences with emotional impact and appeal. 

Paula is a recipient of the Chrysler Award for 

Innovation in Design and the AIGA Medal, she holds 

honorary doctorates from the Corcoran College of Art and 

Design and the Maryland Institute College of Art, and she 

THE ELI AND EDYTHE 

BROAD ART MUSEUM 

is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale and 

the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame. Her work has been 

exhibited worldwide and is in the permanent collections of 

the Museum of Modern Art, the Cooper-Hewitt National 

Design Museum, and the Centre Georges Pompidou, as 

well as many other institutions. Her teaching career includes 

over two decades at the School of Visual Arts, along with 

positions at the Cooper Union, Yale University and the 

Tyler School of Art. In 2002 Princeton Architectural Press 

published her career monograph Make It Bigger. 

Paula Scher, Partner 

Pentagram Design, New York 

> SPRING 2012 < 

The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum will be a premier venue for 

international contemporary art, featuring major exhibitions, and 

serving as a hub for the cultural life of Michigan State, the local and 

regional community, as well as international visitors. The building, 

designed by the world-renowned, Pritzker Prize winning architect, 

Zaha Hadid, is on schedule to open spring 2012. Please join us for 

the grand opening, which will include a worldwide celebration of 

contemporary art with special exhibits hosted at several international 

art museums. Learn more http://broadmuseum.msu.edu/

50 

Directory 

Dean’s Office, International 

Studies and Programs 

207 International Center 

T: 517.355.2350 · F: 517.353.7254 

infonew@isp.msu.edu 

www.isp.msu.edu 

Alumni Relations Office 

T: 517.884.2131 

brender@msu.edu 

Communications Office 

T: 517.884.2135 

motsche3@msu.edu 

Development Office 

T: 517.432.7091 

dietri48@msu.edu 

Office of International 

Research Collaboration 

T: 517.432.9184 · F: 517.353.7254 

African Studies Center 


T: 517.353.1700 · F: 517.432.1209 

africa@msu.edu 

www.africa.isp.msu.edu 

Asian Studies Center 


T: 517.353.1680 · F: 517.432.2659 

asiansc@msu.edu 

www.asia.isp.msu.edu 

Office of China Programs 


T: 517.432.4792 · F: 517.432.7090 

china@msu.edu 

www.china.isp.msu.edu 

Canadian Studies Center 


T: 517.353.9349 · F: 517.432.8249 

csc@msu.edu 

www.canadianstudies.isp.msu.edu 

Center for Advanced Study of 

International Development 


T: 517.353.5925 · F: 517.353.8765 

casid@msu.edu 

www.casid.isp.msu.edu 

Center for European, Russian, 

Eurasian Studies 


T: 517.355.3277 · F: 517.432.8249 

cers@msu.edu 

www.cers.isp.msu.edu 

Muslim Studies Program 


T: 517.355.3277 · F: 517.432.8249 

muslimst@msu.edu 

www.isp.msu.edu/muslimstudies 

Center for Gender 

in Global Context 


T: 517.353.5040 · F: 517.432.4845 

gencen@msu.edu 

www.gencen.isp.msu.edu 

Center for International Business 

Education and Research 

7 Eppley Center 

T: 517.353.4336 · F: 517.432.1009 

ciber@msu.edu 

www.ciber.msu.edu 

Center for Language Education 

and Research 

101 UPLA Building 

T: 517.432.2286 · F: 517.432.0473 

clear@msu.edu 

www.clear.msu.edu 

Center for Latin American 

and Caribbean Studies 


T: 517.353.1690 · F: 517.432.7471 

clacs@msu.edu 

www.latinamerica.isp.msu.edu 

Community Volunteers for 

International Programs 

12C International Center 

T: 517.353.1735 · F: 517.355.4657 

cvip@msu.edu 

www.cvip.isp.msu.edu 

English Language Center 

A714 Wells Hall 

T: 517.353.0800 · F: 517.432.1149 

elc@msu.edu 

www.elc.msu.edu 

Institute of International 

Agriculture 

319 Agriculture Hall 

T: 517.355.0174 · F: 517.353.1888 

iia@msu.edu 

www.iia.msu.edu 

Institute of International Health 

B301 West Fee Hall 

T: 517.353.8992 · F: 517.355.1894 

iih@msu.edu 

www.msu.edu/unit/iih 

International Extension 

Programs 

319 Agriculture Hall 

T: 517.355.0179 · F: 517.353.1888 

www.iia.msu.edu 

Japan Center for 

Michigan Universities 


T: 517.355.4654 · F: 517.353.8727 

jcmu@msu.edu 

www.jcmu.isp.msu.edu 

Office for International 

Students and Scholars 


T: 517.353.1720 · F: 517.355.4657 

oiss@msu.edu 

www.oiss.isp.msu.edu 

Office of International 

Studies in Education 

517 Erickson Hall 

T: 517.355.9627 · F: 517.353.6393 

www.ed-web3.educ.msu.edu/ 

international 

Office of Study Abroad 


T: 517.353.8920 · F: 517.432.2082 

studyabroad@msu.edu 

www.studyabroad.isp.msu.edu 

Peace Corps Office 


T: 517.432.7474 · F: 517.353.8765 

msupeace@msu.edu 

www.peacecorps.isp.msu.edu 

Visiting International 

Professional Program 


T: 517.432.3663 · F: 517.353.3010 

vipp@msu.edu 

www.vipp.isp.msu.edu 

Volunteer English 

Tutoring Program 

310A International Center 

T: 517.432.8243 · F: 517.353.7254 

www.vetp.isp.msu.edu

MSU International 

Volume 12, Fall 2011 

credits 

Published by International Studies and Programs, 

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA 

DEAN 

Jeffrey M. Riedinger, J.D., Ph.D. 

Editor and Creative Director 

Stephanie Motschenbacher 

Editorial AssistantS 

Joy Walter 

Kyle MUlder 

Contributing Writers 

Andrea Allen 

Jason Cody 

Nancy Davis 

Sue Nichols 

Kristen Parker 

Davina Potts 

Mike Steger 

Photography 

Aran Kessler 

Harley Seeley 

Derrick Tuner 

Special thanks to: 

Gretchen Birbeck 

Ilene Cantor 

Cindy Chalou 

Jamie DePolo 

Bernadette Friedrich 

Nicole Geary 

Michael Leahy 

Kristin Janka Milar 

Punya Misha 

Amrita Mukherjee 

Reza Nassiri 

Patricia Obando 

Davina Potts 

Kathy Riel 

Volodymyr Tarabara 

David Tschirley 

Laura Wise 

Mary Ann Walker 

Artwork 

Paula Scher 

Design 

Weaver Design 

Printing 

Printwell 

We welcome your comments and suggestions. 

Please direct all correspondence to Stephanie Motschenbacher 

Michigan State University, 205B International Center, East Lansing MI, 48824 

P: 517-884-2135 

e-mail: motsche3@msu.edu 

Web: www.isp.msu.edu 

Michigan State University Is An Affirmative-Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.

International studies & Programs 


Michigan State University 

East Lansing, MI 48824-1035 

USA 

Non Profit Org 

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International Studies And Program - Michigan State University

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