July-August 2019
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JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> Rs. 20<br />
Choosing a Major<br />
Why Study in the U.S.<br />
Excelling With<br />
Integrity<br />
Explore<br />
New Horizons<br />
With a U.S. Education
How doYou Choo<br />
By MICHAEL GALLANT<br />
Students planning to<br />
pursue higher studies<br />
in the United States<br />
should keep a few key<br />
factors in mind while<br />
picking a major.<br />
Photographs © Getty Images<br />
From economics to anthropology,<br />
environmental biology<br />
to astronomy, musical theater to<br />
accounting, students have a huge<br />
array of choices when it comes<br />
to picking a major. For many,<br />
the decision can be daunting.<br />
But keeping a few key factors in<br />
mind can help you make a<br />
strong and informed choice.
<strong>July</strong>/<strong>August</strong> <strong>2019</strong><br />
se?<br />
Watch the job market<br />
Whom are companies trying to<br />
hire most? For instance, if you see<br />
postings everywhere for data<br />
scientists, artificial intelligence (AI)<br />
specialists or user interface/user<br />
experience (UI/UX) designers, and<br />
those disciplines intrigue you, looking<br />
at computer science study programs<br />
can be a great way to start.<br />
Money matters<br />
How much will you need to earn<br />
post-college to meet your financial<br />
obligations? A lot of information is<br />
available online about average<br />
salaries and expected growth for<br />
jobs in specific fields. So do your<br />
research and keep money in mind<br />
as you make your pick.<br />
Look at location<br />
Do you aspire to be a professor?<br />
Remember that choice professorships<br />
can be rare and competitive,<br />
and may require you to move far<br />
away from home. Or think of<br />
opportunities close to home. Is your<br />
home city a hub for clean energy<br />
start-ups, for instance? If so, perhaps<br />
a major in business, environmental<br />
engineering or design could set you<br />
up for success when it comes to<br />
landing a great job nearby.<br />
Get inspired<br />
Choose a major that excites you.<br />
The more inspired you are to learn,<br />
the more you’ll get out of your<br />
studies and the better prepared<br />
you’ll be to launch a successful<br />
career.<br />
The following pages will explore<br />
some majors and the associated<br />
career options that you can pursue.<br />
https://span.state.gov<br />
VOLUME LX NUMBER 4<br />
CONTENTS<br />
11<br />
2 How do You Choose?<br />
4 Strength and Structures<br />
8 Study the Mind<br />
11 Science of Air and Space<br />
15 Interpreting Information<br />
17 Understanding Social Life<br />
19 Business of Arts<br />
Editor in Chief<br />
Conrad W. Turner<br />
Editor<br />
Deepanjali Kakati<br />
Associate Editor<br />
Suparna Mukherji<br />
Hindi Editor<br />
Giriraj Agarwal<br />
Urdu Editor<br />
Syed Sulaiman Akhtar<br />
Copy Editor<br />
Shah Md. Tahsin Usmani<br />
Reviewing Editor<br />
Karl M. Adam<br />
19<br />
Art Director/<br />
Production Chief<br />
Hemant Bhatnagar<br />
Deputy Art Directors /<br />
Production Assistants<br />
Qasim Raza,<br />
Shah Faisal Khan<br />
Editorial Assistant<br />
Justina Bosco<br />
Courtesy Embry-Riddle<br />
Aeronautical University<br />
TED EYTAN/Courtesy Flickr<br />
24<br />
24 Building the Robots<br />
28 Why Study in the U.S.<br />
31 Interview Insights<br />
33 Fair Strategies<br />
36 Excelling With Integrity<br />
38 Legacy of Liberal Arts<br />
40 AES: Transforming Education<br />
40<br />
Front cover:<br />
Students of Embry-Riddle<br />
Aeronautical University work<br />
with Honeybee Robotics on<br />
a free-flying unmanned<br />
robotic spacecraft for<br />
asteroid resource<br />
prospecting and<br />
characterization. Photograph<br />
by Daryl LaBello/Embry-<br />
Riddle Aeronautical<br />
University.<br />
Articles with a star may be reprinted with permission. Those without a star are copyrighted and may not be<br />
reprinted.Contact SPAN at 011-23472135 or editorspan@state.gov<br />
Printed and published by<br />
David H. Kennedy on behalf<br />
of the Government of the<br />
United States of America<br />
and printed at Thomson<br />
Press India Ltd., 18/35<br />
Delhi Mathura Road,<br />
Faridabad, Haryana<br />
121007 and published at<br />
the Public Affairs Section,<br />
American Embassy,<br />
American Center, 24 K.G.<br />
Marg, New Delhi 110001.<br />
Opinions expressed in this<br />
44-page magazine do not<br />
necessarily reflect the views<br />
or policies of the U.S.<br />
Government.<br />
Courtesy Lake Superior State University<br />
Courtesy American Embassy School
Strength and<br />
Structures<br />
By MICHAEL GALLANT<br />
Earn a degree in<br />
architectural<br />
engineering and help<br />
buildings stand tall<br />
for decades to come.<br />
Above and below: Architectural engineering students at Kansas<br />
State University learn to accurately construct models and design<br />
plans to help make buildings safe and functional.<br />
Below left: An architectural engineering student at Illinois Institute<br />
of Technology uses standardized concrete cylinders to test the<br />
strength of concrete during a laboratory course.<br />
Courtesy Illinois Institute of Technology<br />
Photographs courtesy Kansas State University<br />
4 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
The creation of a new building may begin with<br />
an architect’s dream and finish with a builder’s<br />
hammer, but many important, and largely<br />
invisible, steps happen before an inspired<br />
design becomes a permanent manifestation of<br />
wood, metal or stone.<br />
For instance, floors and walls are planned to<br />
hold adequate weight, while roofs are designed<br />
to withstand the weather. Electrical and plumbing<br />
systems are woven into a building’s DNA and<br />
fire safety provisions are effectively integrated.<br />
Construction materials are sifted through and<br />
chosen for durability, safety, efficiency and<br />
practicality. And that’s just the beginning.<br />
For every modern building erected, who<br />
handles these disparate but vital calculations?<br />
“Most people understand that architects<br />
determine a building’s form and function,” says<br />
Kansas State University (K-State) Associate<br />
Professor Ray Buyle, “but architectural engineers<br />
are the ones who make a building work.” Buyle<br />
is the head of K-State’s GE Johnson<br />
Department of Architectural Engineering and<br />
Construction Science.<br />
Also known as ARE, architectural engineering<br />
is a little-known but hugely important discipline<br />
that keeps buildings standing and functioning,<br />
safely and correctly, in every aspect. Think of it<br />
as “a hybrid of civil engineering, mechanical<br />
engineering and environmental engineering,<br />
with a splash of architecture,” says Brent<br />
Stephens, chair of the department of civil,<br />
architectural and environmental engineering at<br />
the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT). “In<br />
addition to taking classes in core civil<br />
engineering areas and learning key aspects of<br />
structural engineering, students blend in<br />
mechanical engineering courses to prepare them<br />
for designing energy, electrical, plumbing,<br />
heating and ventilation systems.”<br />
The multidisciplinary education of<br />
architectural engineering students doesn’t stop<br />
there. They can also expect to study topics like<br />
differential equations, physics and<br />
thermodynamics, says Stephens. Students can<br />
further benefit from studies associated with<br />
building science, including construction<br />
management, fire safety systems, energy<br />
modeling and beyond.<br />
It’s all in the service of making sure that the<br />
conceptual designs provided by an architect are<br />
built properly and can stand as permanent<br />
structures, says Michael Rich, a New Yorkbased<br />
designer, with a Bachelor of Architecture<br />
degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute,<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 5
Courtesy Kansas State University<br />
Architectural<br />
engineering is a<br />
choice major for<br />
students who are<br />
disciplined, who have<br />
an analytical thought<br />
process and who<br />
have an ability for<br />
creative problemsolving.<br />
New York.<br />
Since architectural engineering is such a<br />
technically rigorous field, students with a<br />
passion for STEM subjects are well positioned<br />
to thrive, says Rich. STEM is the commonlyused<br />
acronym for the subjects of science,<br />
technology, engineering and mathematics.<br />
Buyle sees architectural engineering as a<br />
choice major for students “who are<br />
disciplined, who have an analytical thought<br />
process and who have an ability for creative<br />
problem-solving.” Stephens adds that ideal<br />
students are those “who want to make<br />
buildings, and the world, better places,<br />
whether it be by reducing their impact on<br />
energy and the environment, or improving the<br />
indoor environment, or advancing structures<br />
to do things we haven’t done before.”<br />
A knack for communication and collaboration<br />
can also help architectural engineers<br />
thrive, says Rich. “Architects may push for<br />
radical or physically difficult designs, while<br />
engineers often want the simplest, most<br />
logical solution to a problem,” he continues.<br />
“It can be the engineer’s job to bring an<br />
architect back to reality.”<br />
In practice, architectural engineers are<br />
uniquely positioned to bridge that gap<br />
between artistic visions and physical realities.<br />
“Architectural engineers know that to make<br />
truly sustainable and high-performance<br />
buildings, everyone has to be at the table at<br />
the beginning of the design process, working<br />
in an integrated manner, acknowledging each<br />
other’s strengths and weaknesses, and trying<br />
to work toward a common goal,” says<br />
Stephens. “That, to me, is what architectural<br />
engineering is all about, and why I think it has<br />
a bright future.”<br />
K-State and IIT each offer dedicated<br />
architectural engineering programs. And, both<br />
institutions welcome international students<br />
into their classrooms and laboratories. If<br />
you’re interested in studying at either, be sure<br />
to check out their special offerings, including<br />
IIT’s multifaceted International Center and K-<br />
State’s scholarship and internship<br />
opportunities for engineers-in-training.<br />
Job opportunities can be plentiful and<br />
profitable for program graduates. But, before<br />
you begin dreaming about a future salary,<br />
Buyle advises selecting your educational<br />
institution wisely. “Make sure to choose an<br />
ABET [Accreditation Board for Engineering<br />
and Technology]-accredited program that is<br />
teaching-focused, rather than research-<br />
6 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Photographs courtesy Illinois Institute of Technology<br />
ARE at Kansas State University<br />
www.are-cns.ksu.edu<br />
ARE at Illinois Institute of<br />
Technology<br />
https://engineering.iit.edu/caee<br />
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute<br />
www.rpi.edu<br />
Far left: Kansas State University<br />
students work on an architectural<br />
engineering design project.<br />
Left: Architectural engineering<br />
students at Illinois Institute of<br />
Technology (IIT) pour concrete,<br />
which they’ve designed and mixed<br />
themselves, into standardized test<br />
containers for a laboratory course.<br />
Below left: IIT students assemble<br />
rebars and ties for a concrete<br />
beam, during a junior-level course.<br />
ABET<br />
www.abet.org<br />
Go Online<br />
focused. The architectural engineering courses<br />
should preferably be taught by faculty members<br />
with extensive industry experience in the design<br />
profession, rather than by faculty or graduate<br />
teaching assistants with little or no industry<br />
design experience,” he says. “Inquire as to the<br />
program’s level of involvement with the ARE<br />
industry consulting firms that regularly hire the<br />
program graduates, and ask what the program’s<br />
job placement rate is upon graduation.”<br />
Regardless of the institution you choose or<br />
your first job after graduating, a career in<br />
architectural engineering can be both wonderfully<br />
challenging and hugely rewarding. “The greatest<br />
joy of the discipline is walking through or driving<br />
past a completed structure and knowing that you<br />
were an integral part of the design of something<br />
that will be serving the community for the next<br />
50 years or more,” says Buyle.<br />
Rich echoes the sentiment: “To have an<br />
influence on the built world, to see that project<br />
realized and to actually walk through a space<br />
that only previously existed on paper, is an<br />
incredible feeling and a massively rewarding<br />
experience.”<br />
Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive<br />
officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 7
Agraduate degree in psychology from a U.S.<br />
university can open the doors to a career with<br />
many rewards—exploring the intricacies of<br />
the human experience, advancing theoretical<br />
research and helping individuals in need.<br />
Psychology is also a fast-growing and wellpaying<br />
field. The U.S. Bureau of Labor<br />
Statistics, for instance, estimates that jobs for<br />
psychologists in the United States will<br />
increase 14 percent from 2016 to 2026, with a<br />
median yearly income of $79,010 (Rs. 54<br />
lakh approximately) in May 2018.<br />
Students interested in pursuing a degree in<br />
psychology can choose from hundreds of<br />
highly-regarded schools. Many of these also<br />
offer financial assistance in various forms.<br />
Although most psychologists work in<br />
health care facilities, schools, government<br />
organizations and similar settings, a<br />
psychology degree can be utilized in many<br />
ways, notes Sethuraman Panchanathan,<br />
executive vice president of knowledge<br />
enterprise development at Arizona State<br />
University (ASU).<br />
“An education in applied and clinical<br />
psychology can certainly be utilized in a<br />
variety of professions that require a working<br />
understanding of human behavior, beyond the<br />
traditional avenues. This might include<br />
business, law, education, marketing and<br />
communications,” says Panchanathan.<br />
“Understanding how the human mind<br />
works will also be an asset in occupational<br />
environments where the symbiotic<br />
relationship between human and machine<br />
continues to evolve,” he adds. “The more we<br />
understand the capacity humans have for<br />
adapting, handling change and thriving in a<br />
changing workplace, the more seamless the<br />
integration of artificial intelligence will be.”<br />
“Indian students planning to apply to ASU<br />
should have the equivalent of a four-year<br />
bachelor’s degree, with an equivalent of 3.0<br />
GPA [grade point average] in the last two<br />
years of coursework,” says an ASU<br />
representative, noting that “many students<br />
from India have a three-year bachelor’s and a<br />
two-year master’s, which are equivalent to the<br />
U.S. four-year bachelor’s. Applicants must<br />
take the Graduate Record Examinations<br />
Study the<br />
Mind<br />
By STEVE FOX<br />
The discipline<br />
of psychology is<br />
wide and varied, and<br />
so are the career<br />
opportunities.<br />
Designed by Freepik.com<br />
8 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
(GRE). Students from India need to also<br />
demonstrate English proficiency through the<br />
Test of English as a Foreign Language<br />
(TOEFL) or other mechanisms.”<br />
Students who complete ASU’s two-year<br />
Master of Science in Applied Behavior<br />
Analysis program will spend about $102,000<br />
(Rs. 70 lakh approximately) overall, including<br />
living expenses and health insurance. Those<br />
who complete the Ph.D. program, which<br />
includes a master’s and provides for<br />
significantly reduced expenses for students<br />
who take research or teaching assistant jobs,<br />
will spend about $55,000 (Rs. 38 lakh<br />
approximately) overall if they finish in five<br />
years and $66,000 (Rs. 45 lakh approximately)<br />
if they finish in six years. The Ph.D. is a good<br />
investment, notes Laurie Chassin, director of<br />
graduate training in psychology at ASU.<br />
“The overwhelming majority of our<br />
doctoral students secure a position<br />
immediately upon graduation. It is rare that a<br />
student would not have a job or post-doctoral<br />
position already lined up before graduation,”<br />
she says. “Graduates of our doctoral programs<br />
take up jobs as faculty members in<br />
From right: Sethuraman<br />
Panchanathan, executive<br />
vice president of<br />
knowledge enterprise<br />
development at Arizona<br />
State University; Richard<br />
Lewis, chair of the<br />
psychology department<br />
at Pomona College; and<br />
Adam Sapp, director of<br />
admissions at the college.<br />
Courtesy Arizona State University<br />
Photographs courtesy Pomona College<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 9
Psychology at ASU<br />
https://psychology.asu.edu/<br />
Psychology at<br />
Pomona College<br />
https://bit.ly/2VdtvPF<br />
Go Online<br />
Courtesy Pomona College<br />
Right: The programs offered by<br />
Pomona College and Arizona<br />
State University (below) help<br />
students understand how<br />
psychology can be applied to<br />
real-world problems.<br />
The overwhelming<br />
majority of our<br />
doctoral students<br />
secure a position<br />
immediately upon<br />
graduation.<br />
universities or teaching colleges, which<br />
combine their skills as researchers and<br />
teachers. They may also take up research jobs<br />
in industry, government, medical schools,<br />
health care or other nonprofit settings.<br />
Graduates of our clinical program may also<br />
take up jobs providing clinical services in<br />
hospitals, schools or community mental health<br />
facilities or as supervisors or program<br />
evaluators in these settings.”<br />
The road to these and other occupations<br />
often starts with an undergraduate degree in<br />
psychology, says Richard Lewis, chair of the<br />
psychology department at Pomona College, a<br />
liberal arts institution located in Claremont,<br />
California.<br />
“Our program’s emphasis on critical<br />
thinking, data analysis and communication<br />
skills prepares students for a broad range of<br />
careers,” says Lewis. “Most of our graduates<br />
eventually go on to obtain an advanced<br />
NICKSCHWEITZER/Courtesy Wikipedia<br />
degree, with a third of them earning a<br />
doctorate.”<br />
Pomona College’s admission requirements<br />
are demanding, but flexible.<br />
“Pomona does not have GPA or<br />
standardized testing minimum requirements,”<br />
says Adam Sapp, director of admissions.<br />
“Applicants from India who are interested in<br />
Pomona should complete either their national<br />
curriculum or international high school<br />
curriculum. In addition to high school<br />
transcripts, Pomona requires letters of<br />
recommendation from a counselor and two<br />
teachers, standardized test scores (SAT or<br />
ACT), two student-written essays and a<br />
completed Common Application.”<br />
Pomona is a four-year college, with the<br />
total cost of attendance for the <strong>2019</strong>-20<br />
academic year being $76,836 (Rs. 53 lakh<br />
approximately), including tuition, fees, room<br />
and board, books and personal expenses.<br />
Almost half of all international students<br />
receive some type of financial aid, which<br />
could include student work allotments and<br />
grant-based scholarships, the latter coming<br />
directly from Pomona and not subject to<br />
repayment.<br />
“Students from India are well-represented<br />
on campus,” says Sapp. “Our admissions<br />
team spends time in India nearly every year to<br />
recruit students. On average, international<br />
students make up between 11 and 13 percent<br />
of all students at Pomona. The college enrolls<br />
students from about 60 foreign countries, and<br />
India is always near the top of the list of<br />
overall international student enrollment.”<br />
Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper<br />
publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.<br />
10 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Science of<br />
AirandSpace<br />
By JASON CHIANG<br />
Aerospace engineering focuses on the<br />
design, construction and maintenance of<br />
aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles and<br />
weapons systems. People who pursue it as<br />
a career path get to work with some of the<br />
most complex technologies in the world,<br />
and engineer future breakthroughs. They<br />
are employed primarily in manufacturing,<br />
analysis and design, research and<br />
development, and in governmental bodies.<br />
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor<br />
Statistics, the median annual wage for<br />
aerospace engineers in the United States<br />
was $115,220 (Rs. 81 lakh approximately)<br />
in May 2018, with expected growth of 6<br />
percent from 2016 to 2026. The demand is<br />
being sustained also by the need to<br />
redesign aircraft to reduce noise pollution<br />
and have better fuel efficiency. As<br />
international governments refocus their<br />
space exploration efforts, new companies,<br />
like Elon Musk’s SpaceX, have also<br />
emerged to provide access to space.<br />
With international<br />
governments and private<br />
companies focusing on<br />
space explorations and<br />
increasing efficiencies,<br />
a degree in aerospace<br />
engineering has become<br />
quite sought-after.<br />
Courtesy Georgia Institute of Technology<br />
Courtesy Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University<br />
Above: A student inspects the<br />
low-speed wind tunnel, a stateof-the-art<br />
facility for experimental<br />
research, at Georgia Institute of<br />
Technology’s Daniel Guggenheim<br />
School of Aerospace Engineering.<br />
Left: The Daytona Beach, Florida,<br />
campus of Embry-Riddle<br />
Aeronautical University.<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 11
Photographs courtesy Georgia Institute of Technology<br />
ERAU<br />
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU), with<br />
campuses in Florida and Arizona, offers a Bachelor of Science<br />
in Aerospace Engineering (BSAE) program, which prepares<br />
students to solve complex challenges in design, propulsion and<br />
systems for aircraft and super-crafts. It offers them the chance<br />
to learn real-world, on-the-job engineering principles practiced<br />
by companies and government agencies around the globe.<br />
The BSAE degree focuses primarily on the engineering of<br />
mission-oriented vehicles, with courses in aeronautics, airplane<br />
and space vehicle design, structures and propulsion. Graduates<br />
enjoy an extremely high job placement rate—96 percent are<br />
employed or have chosen to go on to higher education within a<br />
year of graduating, according to the university. They are<br />
sought-after in the aerospace and aviation field, including by<br />
industry leaders like NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and<br />
SpaceX.<br />
Mandar Kulkarni, assistant professor of aerospace<br />
engineering at ERAU Daytona Beach, says that the university’s<br />
main goal is to “provide a comprehensive education to prepare<br />
graduates for productive careers and responsible citizenship,<br />
with special emphasis on the needs of aviation, aerospace<br />
engineering and related fields.” He adds, “All foreign citizens<br />
and Americans living abroad who apply for admission are<br />
12 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Embry-Riddle<br />
Aeronautical<br />
University<br />
https://erau.edu<br />
Aerospace<br />
Engineering,<br />
Georgia Tech<br />
https://ae.gatech.edu<br />
Go Online<br />
DAVID MASSEY/Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University<br />
Above left: A helicopter<br />
simulator at Georgia<br />
Institute of Technology’s<br />
Daniel Guggenheim<br />
School of Aerospace<br />
Engineering.<br />
Above: Students of<br />
Embry-Riddle<br />
Aeronautical University<br />
work on the Eco Eagle<br />
project at its Eagle Flight<br />
Research Center facility,<br />
in Daytona Beach. Eco<br />
Eagle is a piston-gas<br />
electric-hybrid aircraft.<br />
Above: Students at a<br />
work session at the<br />
Daniel Guggenheim<br />
School of Aerospace<br />
Engineering.<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 13
DARYL LABELLO/Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University<br />
Left: A student of Embry-Riddle<br />
Aeronautical University (below)<br />
works on a free-flying unmanned<br />
robotic spacecraft for asteroid<br />
resource prospecting and<br />
characterization.<br />
Below left: A student laboratory<br />
session at Georgia Institute of<br />
Technology’s Daniel Guggenheim<br />
School of Aerospace Engineering.<br />
WILLIAM BUMGARNER/Courtesy Wikipedia<br />
automatically considered for the Embry-<br />
Riddle Scholarship, created in honor of the<br />
university’s namesake,” making ERAU a<br />
great option for international students<br />
considering aerospace engineering as a career.<br />
Students from over 141 countries attend<br />
ERAU, and the admissions staff understands<br />
the complexity of the international admission<br />
process. The university provides support on<br />
matters like immigration regulations, housing<br />
and health insurance. Its admissions representatives<br />
also organize information sessions<br />
through the year in various locations<br />
worldwide.<br />
Georgia Tech<br />
Each year, more than 1,200 students from<br />
around the world come to Atlanta, Georgia,<br />
Courtesy Georgia Institute of Technology<br />
to study aerospace engineering at the Daniel<br />
Guggenheim School of Aerospace<br />
Engineering at the Georgia Institute of<br />
Technology (Georgia Tech). It has more than<br />
40 tenure-track faculty members and many<br />
cross-disciplinary research collaborations.<br />
College education is a significant<br />
investment, and prospective students must<br />
weigh tuition, fees and other expenses<br />
against their future earning potential.<br />
Keeping this in mind, Georgia Tech offers a<br />
full range of options to help offset financial<br />
costs for students who qualify based on need,<br />
academic excellence or area of study. This<br />
includes competitive scholarships, financial<br />
aid, earn-while-you-learn co-op and<br />
internship programs, and research<br />
opportunities for stipends or class credit.<br />
“Our students get ample opportunities<br />
from the very first semester to participate in<br />
design-build-fly competitions, undergraduate<br />
research, minors or certificates, and<br />
vertically-integrated projects,” says Lakshmi<br />
Sankar, Regents Professor and Sikorsky<br />
Professor at the school. “We also provide<br />
many opportunities for study abroad in<br />
locations worldwide. Students may also<br />
pursue an undergraduate thesis, a combined<br />
BS/MS [Bachelor of Science/Master of<br />
Science] program focusing on research, or a<br />
program that focuses on international<br />
experiences.”<br />
Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver<br />
Lake, Los Angeles.<br />
14 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Right and below:<br />
Baylor University’s<br />
department of<br />
statistical science<br />
is a growing<br />
program, with<br />
12 faculty,<br />
30 graduate and<br />
50 undergraduate<br />
students.<br />
Interpreting<br />
Information<br />
By JASON CHIANG<br />
tatistical science is usually defined as the<br />
science of learning from data, and of measuring,<br />
controlling and communicating uncertainty. It<br />
provides the necessary guidance for new<br />
scientific and societal advances, and informs<br />
crucial decision-making. In this digital age,<br />
statisticians have more data than ever before<br />
to drive new and innovative areas of study.<br />
According to a Forbes magazine article, there<br />
are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each<br />
day, and that pace is only accelerating with<br />
the rapid growth of the Internet of Things all<br />
over the globe.<br />
Statistics programs focus on theories and<br />
methods of data collection, tabulation,<br />
analysis and interpretation. Graduates typically<br />
pursue careers in business, academics,<br />
industry, government, medicine, publishing,<br />
scientific research and many more diverse<br />
fields. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor<br />
Statistics, the mean annual wage for a<br />
statistician in the United States was $92,600<br />
(Rs. 64 lakh approximately) in May 2018.<br />
With data-driven analytics and statistical<br />
analysis becoming increasingly important in<br />
all global industries, the programs of the<br />
School of Statistics of University of Minnesota<br />
(UMN) and the department of statistical<br />
science of Baylor University in Texas are<br />
options Indian students can consider.<br />
Photographs by JEANNE HILL<br />
With the rapid growth of<br />
Internet of Things, the<br />
demand for statistical<br />
science graduates has<br />
been increasing steadily.<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 15
School of<br />
Statistics, UMN<br />
https://cla.umn.edu/<br />
statistics<br />
Department of<br />
statistical science,<br />
Baylor University<br />
www.baylor.edu/<br />
statistics<br />
Go Online<br />
Photographs courtesy University of Minnesota<br />
Above: Ford Hall, home of the<br />
School of Statistics of University<br />
of Minnesota. The school’s faculty<br />
and students (top) work with<br />
collaborators across the campus<br />
and around the globe, including<br />
research groups and local<br />
companies.<br />
Statistics graduates<br />
pursue successful<br />
careers in fields<br />
like business,<br />
academics, industry,<br />
government,<br />
medicine, publishing<br />
and scientific<br />
research.<br />
Old and established<br />
Founded in 1851, UMN is a public research<br />
university located in Minneapolis. It<br />
welcomes over 7,000 students from about 130<br />
countries. Its faculty and students work with<br />
collaborators across the campus and around<br />
the globe to create meaning from vast<br />
amounts of new information. This research<br />
requires not only existing statistical models<br />
and methodologies, but also creating and<br />
developing models, methods and software to<br />
address new and evolving challenges.<br />
“Our courses are taught by internationally<br />
distinguished faculty,” says Matthew Dangel,<br />
administrator at the UMN School of Statistics,<br />
“including many elected fellows of major<br />
statistical organizations such as the American<br />
Statistical Association, the Institute of<br />
Mathematical Statistics and the International<br />
Statistical Institute. Many faculty members are<br />
or have been editors of major journals.<br />
Several professors are the recipients of awards<br />
for excellence in teaching.” He adds that the<br />
school also provides opportunities for<br />
interdisciplinary collaboration and professional<br />
development through the university’s Institute<br />
for Research in Statistics and its Applications<br />
(IRSA). “Students are encouraged to work as<br />
research assistants for IRSA’s Statistical<br />
Consulting Center, where they receive handson<br />
experience in solving challenges for realworld<br />
clients,” says Dangel. “Furthermore,<br />
students gain access to IRSA’s conferences,<br />
workshops and short courses, where their<br />
knowledge of statistics and data science is<br />
applied across disciplines to address critical<br />
challenges of the 21st century.” Dangel adds<br />
that statistics graduates pursue successful<br />
careers in fields like business, academics,<br />
industry, government, medicine, publishing<br />
and scientific research.<br />
New and innovative<br />
Baylor University is a private university and<br />
has a total enrollment of over 17,000 students,<br />
including those from 91 countries. Although<br />
the university first administered Ph.D. and<br />
Master of Arts (now Master of Science)<br />
degrees in statistics in 1991, the undergraduate<br />
Bachelor of Science degree in statistics was<br />
initiated in 2005. Since then, the program has<br />
had an increasing number of students express<br />
interest in the major. A minor in statistics has<br />
been added to provide an attractive option to<br />
students entering graduate school or exploring<br />
professional career opportunities.<br />
The department provides quality statistics<br />
instruction at all levels, to help discover and<br />
disseminate statistical knowledge and develop<br />
scholars, skilled professionals and leaders,<br />
sensitive to the needs of society.<br />
“We are a program that focuses on both<br />
theory and methodology, with a strong<br />
emphasis on modern computational methods,”<br />
says Jeanne Hill, senior lecturer of statistical<br />
science and undergraduate program director.<br />
“The mission of Baylor University is to<br />
educate men and women for worldwide<br />
leadership and service.”<br />
Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver<br />
Lake, Los Angeles.<br />
16 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Understanding<br />
Social Life<br />
By BURTON BOLLAG<br />
JEFF MILLER/UW-Madison<br />
Sociology<br />
students seek to<br />
understand how<br />
society works,<br />
and are equipped<br />
to enter a wide<br />
range of<br />
professional<br />
fields.<br />
Above: Professor Ivan Ermakoff<br />
teaches a political sociology class<br />
at the University of Wisconsin-<br />
Madison.<br />
Above right: Associate professor<br />
Hana Brown (center) with<br />
sociology students of Wake Forest<br />
University. The department chair is<br />
Joseph Soares (right).<br />
For Indian students considering studying<br />
abroad, a degree in sociology can help them<br />
gain a broader understanding of how society<br />
works. It can also open up a breadth of career<br />
opportunities.<br />
Sociologists study a broad range of topics,<br />
including family, friendship groups, intimate<br />
relationships, education, culture, politics,<br />
economics, crime, inequalities, health issues<br />
and environment. They learn to deal with<br />
challenging problems creatively, conduct<br />
research, develop analytical and critical<br />
thinking skills and communicate ideas<br />
effectively.<br />
Wake Forest University, a private university<br />
in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has<br />
about 120 undergraduate students majoring in<br />
sociology. Most choose from one of the<br />
department’s three concentrations: business<br />
and society, which could lead to finance,<br />
marketing and other corporate careers; crime<br />
and criminal justice, for careers in criminal<br />
justice or to go on to law school; and the<br />
Photographs courtesy Wake Forest University<br />
social determinants of health and well-being,<br />
which prepares students for careers in public<br />
health or for medical school. About half the<br />
students who complete the program go on to<br />
graduate school.<br />
About 15 percent of the sociology majors<br />
are international students. They are “well<br />
served by the business and society concentration,”<br />
says Joseph Soares, department<br />
chair, “because it looks at global market<br />
forces and how markets are structured by<br />
social forces. We give students up-to-date<br />
market information, and get them to analyze it<br />
and understand what’s going on.”<br />
“Our business and<br />
society students do very<br />
well in the job market;<br />
they get high-paying<br />
jobs,” he adds.<br />
The well-resourced<br />
campus has small<br />
classes for better<br />
faculty-student<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 17
Sociology at<br />
Wake Forest<br />
University<br />
http://sociology.wfu.edu<br />
Sociology at<br />
University of<br />
Wisconsin-<br />
Madison<br />
www.ssc.wisc.edu/soc<br />
Go Online<br />
Photographs by Bryce Richter/UW-Madison<br />
Above and left: Students and faculty of the<br />
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s sociology<br />
department attend a talk by sociologist Matthew<br />
Desmond (right), author of the Pulitzer-winning book,<br />
“Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.”<br />
Graduates are<br />
going into private<br />
sector jobs with<br />
companies like<br />
Google and<br />
Facebook, as<br />
senior scientists<br />
evaluating the<br />
massive amounts<br />
of data being<br />
collected and<br />
what it means.<br />
engagement. The<br />
sociology class size, for<br />
instance, is capped at<br />
35 students. The tuition<br />
fee is about $55,000<br />
(Rs. 38 lakh<br />
approximately) per<br />
year, plus additional<br />
charges for housing, meals and so on. More than<br />
56 percent of its undergraduate students receive<br />
need-based and merit-based financial assistance.<br />
The university offers a range of grants, scholarships,<br />
work-study and subsidized loans to meet the<br />
financial needs of the students.<br />
Another option for students interested in<br />
sociology is University of Wisconsin-Madison,<br />
which has a long history as a leading research<br />
institution. Its sociology department has about 250<br />
undergraduate majors, about 10 percent of whom<br />
are international students, as well as 120 graduate<br />
students, and nearly 25 percent of them are international.<br />
Graduate studies in sociology at the<br />
university is a Ph.D. program. It does not have a<br />
master’s degree program in this subject.<br />
Many international graduate students return to<br />
their home countries after their studies to join<br />
university faculties. Department Chair James M.<br />
Raymo says that for students with a serious<br />
academic interest in the field, it is very useful to<br />
study in a country with a strong tradition in<br />
sociology.<br />
“It is important to study in a place with a long<br />
history of rigorous research in the discipline. This<br />
lets students return to their countries with an<br />
ability to really understand the subject and<br />
participate in the international arena.”<br />
For undergraduate students, American or<br />
international, who are not residents of Wisconsin,<br />
tuition is about $37,000 (Rs. 25 lakh approximately)<br />
annually. Admissions for graduate studies<br />
are quite competitive, and only about 15 percent of<br />
applicants are accepted. There are no particular<br />
academic requirements, though research<br />
experience, for example at a think tank, increases<br />
the chances of acceptance.<br />
Once accepted into a graduate program in<br />
sociology, or other social sciences at the University<br />
of Wisconsin-Madison, students should have no<br />
financial worries. “Unlike law, business or medical<br />
school, we guarantee our students—assuming good<br />
performance—five years of support,” says Raymo.<br />
This includes all tuition payments, social benefits<br />
like health insurance and a living stipend. In<br />
exchange, graduate students work as teaching or<br />
research assistants, typically for 20 hours per week.<br />
Graduate students in sociology choose from<br />
about a dozen specializations, including political<br />
sociology, economic sociology, demography and<br />
ecology, and medical sociology. Students must<br />
write a book-length research thesis to earn their<br />
Ph.D. degrees.<br />
Many of those who earn a Ph.D. degree in<br />
sociology take up jobs as researchers or policy<br />
analysts with government, international<br />
organizations or think tanks. Increasingly, says<br />
Raymo, “graduates are going into private sector<br />
jobs with companies like Google and Facebook, as<br />
senior scientists evaluating the massive amounts of<br />
data being collected and what it means.”<br />
Burton Bollag is a freelance journalist living in<br />
Washington, D.C.<br />
18 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Courtesy College of Charleston<br />
College of<br />
Charleston alumnus<br />
and abstract artist<br />
Brian Rutenberg.<br />
Business<br />
of ArtsArts<br />
management programs<br />
equip students to apply<br />
business administration<br />
techniques and processes to<br />
By CANDICE YACONO<br />
the world of art.<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 19
For students who love the arts but are also<br />
interested in business, studying arts<br />
management may be the perfect way to blend<br />
their passions. An arts management program<br />
teaches such disparate topics as grant writing,<br />
fundraising, accounting and arts finance, with<br />
concentrations in one or more forms of visual<br />
or performing arts. Graduates go on to work<br />
in a range of settings, from museums, art<br />
galleries and opera houses to digital streaming<br />
start-ups and dance companies. They may<br />
even go on to represent famous artists.<br />
Arts management is a global industry, and<br />
there are several institutions to study it in the<br />
United States. Undergraduate applicants can<br />
consider the College of Charleston in South<br />
Carolina; for graduate school, students can<br />
consider American University in Washington,<br />
D.C.<br />
Photographs courtesy College of Charleston<br />
Southern hospitality<br />
“Charleston is an international tourist<br />
destination and a city steeped in arts, history<br />
and culture,” says Karen Chandler, director of<br />
the program at the College of Charleston. “A<br />
U.S. degree in arts management is a good<br />
investment for prospective Indian students as<br />
it will equip them with the arts, business and<br />
managerial skills required to manage nonprofit<br />
and for-profit arts and cultural<br />
institutions in the United States, India and<br />
throughout the world. Students will also learn<br />
how to manage, promote and raise funds for<br />
performing and visual artists.”<br />
Students from about 61 countries attend the<br />
College of Charleston. All freshman international<br />
students are considered for meritbased<br />
scholarships.<br />
Undergraduate students at the College of<br />
Charleston may minor or major in arts<br />
management. They may also opt for a<br />
concentration in music industry. The college<br />
even has a student-run record label, called<br />
1770 Records. The undergraduate program<br />
may be combined with any other degree as a<br />
double major or minor.<br />
When undergraduates complete their<br />
studies, they go on to jobs like performing arts<br />
event management, production, marketing and<br />
development, as well as museum curation and<br />
artist management.<br />
Students say the university’s location at the<br />
center of a national arts hub allows them to<br />
directly engage with the arts community<br />
through internships, volunteering, guest<br />
speakers and other perks.<br />
Work-study is available for students,<br />
allowing them to get paid as they gain job<br />
experience working on campus. All students<br />
in the program complete an arts-oriented<br />
internship as part of their requirements.<br />
“Internships are often completed in arts and<br />
cultural institutions in Charleston, though<br />
students have also completed them in other<br />
U.S. cities,” says Chandler. These include<br />
institutions like the John F. Kennedy Center<br />
for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.,<br />
and arenas like Madison Square Garden in<br />
TED EYTAN/Courtesy Flickr<br />
20 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong><br />
EHPIEN/Courtesy Flickr
New York City.<br />
Students can opt for a new one-year<br />
graduate certificate program in arts and<br />
cultural management, which can be taken by<br />
itself or as part of two master’s degree programs<br />
in public administration and creative<br />
writing. Students can take this certificate<br />
program in-person or online.<br />
Capitol of culture<br />
American University in Washington, D.C.,<br />
offers a Master of Arts program that trains<br />
students in arts management as well as<br />
finance, marketing, fundraising, governance<br />
and leadership, cultural policy and<br />
communication fundamentals necessary for<br />
their career.<br />
The program prides itself on its global<br />
connections, network of graduates and<br />
professionals, and bonds with major<br />
foundations and arts institutions. It can be<br />
completed full-time in two years. Part-time<br />
study is available; classes are scheduled in the<br />
evenings, making it a perfect choice for<br />
working professionals and those seeking a<br />
career change. The program has a 39-credit<br />
RON COGSWELL/Courtesy Flickr<br />
Photographs courtesy Kochi Biennale Foundation<br />
Top and above: Nicole Marroquin, artist and<br />
associate professor of art education at<br />
School of Art Institute of Chicago, speaks at<br />
a conference in Kochi. Partnered by U.S.<br />
Consulate General Chennai, it explored the<br />
systemic shifts within the larger frameworks<br />
of art education. The conference was<br />
organized in conjunction with the Students’<br />
Biennale, an exhibitory platform which ran<br />
parallel to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (left), in<br />
March <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
Left: Karen Chandler, director<br />
of the arts management<br />
program at the College of<br />
Charleston (top left and<br />
above left).<br />
Below: A Volkswagen<br />
Beetle, decorated with Indian<br />
motifs, at the American<br />
University campus.<br />
Below left and below far<br />
left: The Katzen Arts Center<br />
at American University<br />
provides state-of-the-art<br />
instructional, exhibition and<br />
performance spaces for all<br />
the arts disciplines.<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 21
Graduates go on to work<br />
in a range of settings,<br />
from museums, art<br />
galleries and opera<br />
houses to digital<br />
streaming start-ups and<br />
dance companies.<br />
curriculum.<br />
According to the International Affairs<br />
Office, U.S. Department of Education, “Credit<br />
hours or units represent a mathematical<br />
summarization of all work completed, and are<br />
not the same as the actual classroom contact<br />
or instructional hours. U.S. institutions use<br />
credit formulae to record all types of<br />
academic work, not just taught courses.”<br />
American University’s arts management<br />
program includes both research work and<br />
professional practice. Students gain hands-on<br />
experience by creating a master’s portfolio<br />
and working with local organizations in the<br />
Washington, D.C., area or spending one<br />
semester at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in<br />
London, focusing either on art and business or<br />
art museums, galleries and curating. In<br />
addition to required classes, students complete<br />
12 credits of electives, as well as a 5-credit<br />
capstone course tailored to their interests and<br />
needs. A thesis option is available for students<br />
who want to work in research or study for a<br />
doctorate.<br />
A shorter, 15-credit Certificate in Arts<br />
Management and an 18-credit Certificate in<br />
International Arts Management, offered in<br />
conjunction with the School of International<br />
Service, are also available for students who<br />
aren’t seeking a full Master of Arts, but still<br />
want a rigorous one-year program.<br />
Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper<br />
writer based in southern California.<br />
22 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
“Witness,” a dance<br />
performance by the students<br />
of the College of Charleston.<br />
Courtesy College of Charleston<br />
Arts Management,<br />
College of<br />
Charleston<br />
http://artsmgmt.cofc.edu<br />
Arts Management,<br />
American<br />
University<br />
https://bit.ly/2Vjrdi0<br />
Go Online<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 23
Building<br />
the<br />
Robots<br />
By MICHAEL GALLANT<br />
Want to create the<br />
high-tech machines of<br />
the future? A degree<br />
in robotics engineering<br />
might be a good fit<br />
for you.<br />
Courtesy Lake Superior State University<br />
It’s easy to think of robots as fantastical<br />
science fiction inventions; automatons that live<br />
only in books, movies and the imagination. But<br />
the reality is quite different.<br />
From farms to factories, medical facilities to<br />
mining operations, robots, large and small, are<br />
increasingly playing an important role in lives<br />
and industries around the world. Regardless of<br />
whether these highly-complex machines are<br />
harvesting crops, assembling products or<br />
helping patients recover from surgery, they<br />
would be nothing without the experts who<br />
design them.<br />
Robotics engineering—the art, craft and<br />
science of creating and applying robots—is a<br />
young but rapidly growing area of study in the<br />
United States. An increasing number of<br />
American institutions, including Widener<br />
University in Pennsylvania and Lake Superior<br />
State University (LSSU) in Michigan, are<br />
offering dedicated majors in the field. And, for<br />
the right student, earning a graduate or<br />
undergraduate degree in robotics engineering<br />
can be a remarkable experience.<br />
Nick Lubeck is a freshman studying robotics<br />
engineering at Widener University. He describes<br />
the discipline as an alchemy of electrical and<br />
mechanical engineering, with a focus toward<br />
computer science. “Robotics engineering can be<br />
applied to any industry that exists,” he says, “so<br />
24 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Above: Lake Superior State University Robotics<br />
Director Jim Devaprasad (left) instructs a student on<br />
use of robotics simulation software.<br />
Below: Widener University offers the option to pursue<br />
dual degrees in robotics engineering and other majors<br />
like mechanical engineering and computer science.<br />
Below left: Xiaomu Song, associate professor at<br />
Widener University’s department of robotics<br />
engineering.<br />
a wide range of knowledge must be given as a<br />
basis. Then, it splits into more specific fields<br />
and applications.”<br />
When it comes to classwork, robotics<br />
engineering students like Lubeck engage in a<br />
wide range of fascinating challenges. Deep<br />
studies into computer programming and<br />
electrical, mechanical and manufacturing<br />
engineering are key, says LSSU Robotics<br />
Director Jim Devaprasad. Xiaomu Song,<br />
associate professor at Widener University’s<br />
department of robotics engineering, emphasizes<br />
the importance of studying physics, mathematics,<br />
circuitry, microprocessors, kinematics,<br />
machine design, artificial intelligence and<br />
Photographs courtesy Widener University<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 25
Often, for every robot<br />
used in the field, there<br />
are two new jobs that<br />
become available.<br />
Courtesy Widener University<br />
Widener University<br />
www.widener.edu<br />
Lake Superior State<br />
University<br />
www.lssu.edu<br />
Go Online
Courtesy Widener University<br />
Photographs courtesy Lake Superior State University<br />
Above: A Widener<br />
University student with<br />
WUbot, a robot which helps<br />
students learn robotics<br />
programming.<br />
Above right: Lake Superior<br />
State University Robotics<br />
Director Jim Devaprasad<br />
(left) with a senior level<br />
mechanical engineering<br />
student, in the robotics lab.<br />
Above left: Lake Superior<br />
State University offers its<br />
students hands-on<br />
experience with high-tech<br />
machines and the<br />
opportunity to partner with<br />
leading industries and<br />
corporations to develop<br />
capstone projects.<br />
Left: Widener University<br />
provides students access to<br />
modern, well-equipped<br />
laboratories and computer<br />
facilities, and exposure to<br />
real-world aspects of the<br />
engineering profession.<br />
mechatronics as well.<br />
Broader skills like communication, creativity<br />
and strategic thinking can also be key to success<br />
in robotics. “Being inventive in solving<br />
problems and having the ability to communicate<br />
these solutions are vital to any engineering<br />
discipline,” says Lubeck.<br />
Widener University and LSSU make it easy<br />
for international students to find out more about<br />
their robotics programs and apply to join the fun.<br />
Students from India should expect to provide a<br />
variety of documents, including proof of<br />
proficiency in English and standardized test<br />
results demonstrating the skills and experience<br />
needed to thrive as a robotics engineer.<br />
Both institutions also offer an array of<br />
scholarships and financial aid options. LSSU, for<br />
instance, offers a dedicated robotics scholarship<br />
to incoming freshmen. And through the<br />
university’s One Rate Tuition program, students<br />
from around the world pay the same lower rate<br />
of tuition as those from Michigan.<br />
Widener University offers opportunities like<br />
the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship, which<br />
covers a minimum of 50 percent of tuition costs<br />
for selected international students. Other<br />
scholarship opportunities include the chance for<br />
incoming engineering students to receive free<br />
laptops.<br />
For those who receive an undergraduate or a<br />
graduate degree in robotics engineering,<br />
Devaprasad describes outstanding career<br />
opportunities, flexibility and earning potential.<br />
There are “tons of job opportunities all over the<br />
world,” he says, “with a variety of industries and<br />
businesses already in robotics or looking to get<br />
into robotics.” Furthermore, the work is great<br />
fun, he says, emphasizing that it’s hard to get<br />
bored with such vast opportunities in so many<br />
different fields.<br />
What sort of student should pursue a degree in<br />
robotics engineering and help meet the global<br />
demand for new experts in this discipline?<br />
“Anyone who is interested in technology and its<br />
applications in industry and day-to-day life,”<br />
says Devaprasad, as well as those who have “a<br />
desire to help solve problems and make human<br />
life better.”<br />
The world of robotics does, however, present<br />
its own unique challenges. When entering the<br />
workforce, Devaprasad warns, newly-minted<br />
robotics engineers should be ready to face<br />
perceptions like robots replace people and that<br />
the growth of robot usage will lead to massive<br />
unemployment. “Actually, so far, studies have<br />
shown that in industry, robots do not replace<br />
people, but do displace people, with a greater<br />
need for people with skills, education and<br />
training,” he says. “Often, for every robot used<br />
in the field, there are two new jobs that become<br />
available.”<br />
For Lubeck, “The biggest challenge that<br />
robotics engineers face is failure. You can say<br />
that for any major, but robotics engineering sets<br />
the bar for failure as a challenge. Improvement<br />
and development is the basis of robotics. And<br />
when that fails, it does not feel good.”<br />
No matter how bad it may feel, though,<br />
Lubeck advises persevering when engineering<br />
projects don’t go as hoped for, working hard and<br />
never backing down from a problem. “Seeing<br />
something work is one of the greatest feelings<br />
that you can have,” he says. “With robotics<br />
projects, there’s really no limit or end to what<br />
you can do.”<br />
Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive<br />
officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 27
Why Study<br />
in the U.S.<br />
By BHAVVNA JOLLY<br />
U.S higher education<br />
offers a unique value<br />
proposition, and grooms<br />
students to address<br />
challenges faced by their<br />
communities, countries<br />
and the world at large.<br />
IWAN BAAN (http://www.iwan.com)<br />
28 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
For over a century, the United States has been<br />
one of the most sought-after destinations for<br />
students and scholars seeking high-quality<br />
education and research opportunities. The<br />
confluence of people from diverse backgrounds,<br />
experiences and ideologies has<br />
created a pluralistic society, which cultivates<br />
creativity and promotes independent thought,<br />
inquiry-based learning and equal opportunity.<br />
These tenets are also the hallmark of the U.S.<br />
higher education system, which has produced<br />
world leaders, change agents and citizen<br />
ambassadors. It is no surprise then that U.S.<br />
universities have produced, for instance, the<br />
highest number of Nobel laureates and most<br />
of the chief executives of companies on the<br />
global Fortune 100 list. U.S. institutions are<br />
also among the top global higher education<br />
institutions to influence inventions and<br />
innovation.<br />
Statistically, the United States has been the<br />
most preferred destination for higher<br />
education among international students. In<br />
2017-18, there were 1.09 million international<br />
students in the country. Data from the Open<br />
Doors reports, based on U.S. Department of<br />
State-funded annual surveys of the number of<br />
international students in the United States,<br />
reveal that since 2000-01, the number of international<br />
students in the country has almost<br />
doubled, with China and India being the top<br />
two countries of origin. Furthermore, the<br />
number of Indian students studying in the<br />
United States has almost doubled in the last<br />
six academic years.<br />
The U.S. higher education system,<br />
represented by more than 4,700 accredited<br />
institutions of higher education, has the<br />
capacity to nurture large cohorts of students.<br />
U.S. classrooms are a meeting ground of<br />
multicultural perspectives as well as academic<br />
and socioeconomic backgrounds. This<br />
diversity helps students become more<br />
emotionally intelligent, situationally aware<br />
and tolerant toward differences.<br />
Classroom discussions, for instance, are not<br />
only more enriching, but also compel learners<br />
to understand problems from all vantage<br />
Emerson College’s academic<br />
facility in Los Angeles is<br />
designed to expand the<br />
interactive and social<br />
aspects of education.<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 29
Courtesy Dilpreet Singh<br />
Courtesy Lavanya Prakash<br />
Go Online<br />
Courtesy Manmohan Thorat<br />
Study in the U.S.<br />
http://www.usief.org.in/<br />
Study-in-the-US.aspx<br />
EducationUSA<br />
India<br />
www.facebook.com/<br />
EducationUSAIndia/<br />
University of<br />
California,<br />
Berkeley<br />
www.berkeley.edu<br />
Montgomery<br />
College<br />
www.montgomery<br />
college.edu<br />
University of<br />
Maryland<br />
www.umd.edu<br />
Oklahoma State<br />
University<br />
https://go.okstate.edu/<br />
From above far left: U.S. university alumni Dilpreet<br />
Singh, advocate-on-record, Supreme Court of India;<br />
Lavanya Prakash, technical accounting lead at Booz<br />
Allen Hamilton, Washington, D.C.; and Manmohan<br />
Thorat, EducationUSA coordinator, USIEF Mumbai.<br />
points. Students, thus, come up with solutions<br />
that work for people in different contexts.<br />
“Universities in the United States, especially<br />
Berkeley Law, have great diversity. My class<br />
of 120 students had people from 49 nations,”<br />
says Dilpreet Singh, advocate-on-record,<br />
Supreme Court of India. “It gave me an<br />
opportunity to draw a great comparative<br />
perspective, in terms of academics, life and<br />
relationships.”<br />
Another noteworthy aspect of the U.S.<br />
higher education system is the sheer number<br />
of areas of study. This gives students the<br />
freedom and flexibility to customize their<br />
learning experience. At the undergraduate<br />
level, students are encouraged to explore a<br />
breadth of subjects and academic themes,<br />
before they dive deep into their majors. In<br />
fact, several U.S. universities offer undergraduate<br />
students the opportunity to enter<br />
their degree programs “undecided,” without<br />
declaring a major area of study—a rare<br />
phenomenon in international education.<br />
Graduate students have the flexibility to chart<br />
their own course within their interest areas,<br />
through the specific research they choose to<br />
pursue. “I went to Montgomery College, a<br />
community college in Maryland, and<br />
transferred to the Robert H. Smith School of<br />
Business at the University of Maryland, where<br />
I double majored in accounting and finance. I<br />
had the flexibility to complete 150 credits in<br />
3.5 years, which is otherwise a five-year<br />
course-load,” says Lavanya Prakash, technical<br />
accounting lead at Booz Allen Hamilton in<br />
Washington, D.C. “Upon graduation, I landed<br />
a great job at Ernst & Young. I loved the<br />
experience of studying in the United States<br />
because I was able to study everything from<br />
maths to science, and not just focus on one<br />
subject in the initial years.”<br />
Students can choose the type of institution<br />
they want to attend, the class size they deem<br />
conducive to learning, the professors they<br />
want to engage with, the research opportunities<br />
and facilities they want to access, the<br />
internships and post-study work options they<br />
would like to avail, and the cities and<br />
economic regions in which they want to be<br />
located. American college campuses follow<br />
the philosophy of building purposeful<br />
architecture that complement learning through<br />
constant engagement with spaces, people,<br />
resources and processes. “I completed a<br />
Bachelor of Science in mechanical<br />
engineering, with a minor in sociology, from<br />
Oklahoma State University. Of all the<br />
countries, I chose the United States because I<br />
was in tune with the culture, and I’d always<br />
admired the country and its values,” says<br />
Manmohan Thorat, EducationUSA<br />
coordinator at United States-India Educational<br />
Foundation, Mumbai. “My educational<br />
experience was extremely rich in terms of the<br />
knowledge I acquired at Oklahoma State<br />
University. Whether in student groups,<br />
classes, conferences or internships, I could do<br />
justice to my interests and capabilities.”<br />
These and many other remarkable features<br />
of U.S. higher education form a robust<br />
instructional paradigm, which has empowered<br />
thousands of graduates to build meaningful<br />
lives and careers. They have contributed to<br />
strengthening their communities, built<br />
visionary organizations and addressed the<br />
challenges facing the world. While education<br />
systems and students’ motivation to acquire<br />
knowledge keep evolving through the ages,<br />
the success stories of U.S. university alumni<br />
are examples of the power of quality<br />
education.<br />
Bhavvna Jolly is a senior program officer,<br />
EducationUSA, at the United States-India<br />
Educational Foundation, New Delhi.<br />
30 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Interview<br />
Insights<br />
By SUPARNA MUKHERJI<br />
Alumni<br />
interviews<br />
are an<br />
important part<br />
of the U.S.<br />
university<br />
admissions<br />
process and<br />
help find the<br />
right candidate<br />
for an<br />
institution.<br />
T<br />
he admission process at U.S. universities is<br />
quite rigorous. Not just for prospective<br />
students, but also for the institutions. Given<br />
the large, and growing, number of applicants<br />
every year, admissions officers often find it<br />
difficult to meet and review all of them. But,<br />
universities do have a loyal group of alumni<br />
who are happy to get involved in the process,<br />
by interviewing prospective students.<br />
One such alumnus, with about a decadelong<br />
experience in conducting interviews, is<br />
Eugene Bae. He holds a master’s degree in<br />
technology and policy as well as a doctorate in<br />
nuclear engineering from the Massachusetts<br />
Institute of Technology (MIT). Bae currently<br />
works as an Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer<br />
in the Public Affairs Section at the U.S.<br />
Embassy in New Delhi.<br />
Excerpts from an interview.<br />
HEMANT BHATNAGAR<br />
Eugene Bae, alumni<br />
interviewer for MIT,<br />
and Assistant Cultural<br />
Affairs Officer at the<br />
U.S. Embassy in<br />
New Delhi.<br />
MIT<br />
www.mit.edu<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 31<br />
Go Online
Alumni interviews<br />
provide a way to get<br />
some additional<br />
perspective on a<br />
student’s<br />
background,<br />
interests, passions,<br />
motivation level and<br />
so on.<br />
SIphotography/iStock/Getty Images<br />
Could you please tell us a bit about your<br />
role as an alumni interviewer for MIT?<br />
I was looking for ways to give back to MIT,<br />
because of the great education that I received<br />
there. One of the ways was to participate as,<br />
what we call, educational counselors. They are<br />
part of a global alumni network, which assists<br />
the MIT admissions office in its evaluations of<br />
applicants. I’ve been doing it for about 10<br />
years. I started in Beijing, did it in Korea and I<br />
am looking forward to continuing this here in<br />
India.<br />
The educational counselors’ work is really<br />
focused on the undergraduate admissions<br />
process. Students’ application packages<br />
typically include their transcripts from high<br />
school, standardized test scores, letters of<br />
recommendation, awards, recognitions and so<br />
on. All these things are very quantitative and<br />
descriptive. But, as MIT and many other<br />
institutions understand, a kind of personal<br />
connection is important to assess whether or<br />
not a student would be a good fit for the<br />
school.<br />
An institution utilizes its alumni network<br />
around the world to meet prospective<br />
students. We tell them what a great institution<br />
it is, share our own experiences about what<br />
we did during our time there and answer<br />
questions that they might have to help them<br />
determine if the institute is the right fit for<br />
them. Alumni interviews provide a way to get<br />
some additional perspective on a student’s<br />
background, interests, passions, motivation<br />
level and so on.<br />
What are some of the main qualities that<br />
interviewers look for in their candidates?<br />
I think that each university has its own<br />
criteria and way of evaluating students.<br />
Universities usually look for someone who is<br />
intellectually stimulated, a self-starter, intellectually<br />
curious; someone who has demonstrated<br />
maturity, communicates well; someone who is<br />
strong in the different academic disciplines.<br />
That said, I look for students who have<br />
demonstrated that they have a deep and active<br />
passion for the field of study they’re<br />
interested in. I’m keen to know how they<br />
have taken their interest in a field and done<br />
something to demonstrate a passion for it that<br />
goes beyond just “I like it.”<br />
The second thing that we look for is<br />
students who are a good match for the<br />
institution. We sometimes look for that<br />
indescribable, intangible quality of someone<br />
who is just, for lack of a better word, brilliant.<br />
Someone you meet and, within five minutes<br />
of a conversation, you are just awed by their<br />
intellectual stimulation, rigor and enthusiasm.<br />
You feel that this person would make a<br />
tremendous contribution to your alma mater.<br />
Educational counselors need to express these<br />
qualities through examples and anecdotes. I<br />
use the interview process to get to know the<br />
students—Why are they the way they are<br />
today? Who shaped their interests? What life<br />
events? What encouraged them to pursue a<br />
particular field of study? I have a few<br />
questions that I ask. But, the conversation<br />
really goes in the direction that the students<br />
want to take it; I’m just along for the ride.<br />
Do you have any tips for a successful<br />
interview?<br />
Number one: prepare. I don’t mean that<br />
you look in a mirror and rehearse lines—that<br />
becomes pretty obvious to the interviewer.<br />
What I mean is spend some time asking yourself<br />
some serious questions, like “Why do I<br />
want to go to this institute?” “What is it that<br />
really interests me about that school?” “What<br />
would I do if I were given that opportunity?”<br />
“Is there something special about this institute<br />
versus many other great universities?”<br />
The second thing I would say is that<br />
students should be honest with themselves.<br />
When a person starts talking about something<br />
that they are genuinely passionate about, you<br />
don’t have to spur them on to talk about it.<br />
Genuine interest and passion just flow out of<br />
that person during the conversation. I’m not<br />
saying that you have to know everything<br />
about the institute. I try to discern if a student<br />
has deep passion about something, whether it<br />
be a social, economic, political, religious,<br />
academic or scientific issue. We want to<br />
understand what are those passions and what<br />
is it about you that is unique or different.<br />
Also, be on time, be respectful and dress<br />
appropriately for the interview. And lastly, and<br />
this is the hardest part: try to have fun. I know<br />
that the application process is a stressful time<br />
and getting a call for an interview with alumni<br />
can seem overwhelming. But, just go out<br />
there, do your best and enjoy yourself.<br />
32 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Fair<br />
StrategiesBy RUPALI VERMA<br />
Courtesy EducationUSA, USIEF<br />
A guide for<br />
prospective<br />
students on<br />
how they can<br />
get the most<br />
out of U.S.<br />
university<br />
fairs.<br />
For many prospective students, attending a<br />
U.S. university fair is an essential part of the<br />
journey toward choosing the right university,<br />
and crafting a successful application. Students<br />
get to have one-on-one conversations with<br />
university officials, who are the direct source<br />
of information, learn about the unparalleled<br />
opportunities that exist in the United States,<br />
share ideas with peers and get expert advice<br />
on admission tests, applications, funding and<br />
more. Preparing well for these events can give<br />
students the confidence to create meaningful<br />
connections with the representatives of the<br />
schools they want to attend.<br />
EducationUSA at the United States-India<br />
Educational Foundation (USIEF) has been<br />
organizing “Study in the U.S.” fairs for<br />
almost two decades and helping students get<br />
the most out of them.<br />
Students must ask themselves some<br />
important questions when they begin<br />
considering higher education in the United<br />
States.<br />
• What do I want to study?<br />
• Where do I want to study?<br />
• What characteristics must the university<br />
or college possess?<br />
• Which characteristics are not important<br />
for me?<br />
Answering these questions will also help<br />
students derive the most out of the university<br />
fairs.<br />
Before the fair<br />
Students should research the colleges and<br />
universities ahead of time to find those that<br />
match their criteria. There are more than<br />
4,700 accredited institutions of higher<br />
education in the United States. Students have<br />
their own unique expectations from college<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 33
Courtesy @USAndChennai<br />
We think of international students as a<br />
wonderful way to share our values<br />
and develop relationships with future<br />
scientists, business and political<br />
leaders. We think that’s an enriching<br />
thing in American education. It’s really<br />
a two-way street of benefit.<br />
—Caroline Casagrande, Deputy Assistant Secretary for<br />
Academic Programs in the U.S. Department of State’s<br />
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs<br />
Source: www.deccanchronicle.com<br />
Above: Full house at the<br />
U.S. Embassy India-led<br />
student visa session at<br />
the EducationUSA U.S.<br />
University Fair 2018 in<br />
New Delhi.<br />
Below right:<br />
Prospective students<br />
interact with a U.S.<br />
higher education<br />
institution representative<br />
at the event.<br />
Photographs courtesy EducationUSA, USIEF<br />
EducationUSA<br />
India Fair <strong>2019</strong><br />
EducationUSA is the official source of<br />
information on higher education in the<br />
United States. It is supported by the U.S.<br />
government, and offers accurate, current and<br />
comprehensive information to prospective<br />
students. This year, the EducationUSA India<br />
Fair will cover 10 cities in the country, from<br />
<strong>August</strong> 30 to September 12.<br />
Log on to www.usief.org.in for more<br />
information about the fair.<br />
life, and the choice of the university must be<br />
influenced by these expectations. Students may<br />
have different parameters for shortlisting<br />
colleges. But, they must keep in mind the<br />
preferred course, costs, geographical location,<br />
size, climate, facilities and proximity to family,<br />
among other factors.<br />
Students should make a short and crisp list<br />
of questions to ask the U.S. university<br />
representatives at the fairs. Since most U.S.<br />
universities review applicants holistically,<br />
admissions representatives can’t tell students if<br />
they will be admitted to a program until they<br />
apply. Questions about GRE, SAT or GPA cutoffs<br />
and other profile review requests are<br />
generally not productive. Instead, students<br />
should focus on asking questions related to<br />
what they want to study, their research<br />
interests, job outcomes and so on.<br />
“The EducationUSA fairs have always been<br />
very productive, with interested students and<br />
parents,” says Melissa Tixeira, International<br />
Recruitment Adviser for Colorado State<br />
University. “Students should always ask<br />
questions on campus life, housing and meals,<br />
scholarships, career service center, job fairs,<br />
etc. and avoid questions on immigration and<br />
permanent residency, full funding, essay or<br />
statement of purpose edits, etc.”<br />
34 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Go Online<br />
EducationUSA<br />
https://educationusa.state.gov<br />
USIEF<br />
www.usief.org.in<br />
During the fair<br />
Students should attend the presentations by<br />
university representatives at the fair. These give<br />
an overview of the programs they offer.<br />
It is important for students to budget their<br />
time and maximize their interaction with the<br />
university representatives. If the conversation<br />
becomes lengthy and detailed, students can<br />
always suggest a second meeting in-person, over<br />
the phone or Skype. Having a list of questions in<br />
advance could help them stay on track.<br />
Students should take notes about all the<br />
valuable information collected from university<br />
representatives. Write down any general impressions<br />
and anything that needs to be remembered<br />
accurately. This exercise will help in taking<br />
decisions and writing application essays.<br />
After the fair<br />
If students are unable to get responses to their<br />
queries, they should write to the representatives<br />
after the fair and also thank them for their time.<br />
This will help to showcase genuine interest in<br />
the specific university.<br />
It is great to know what you want to study and<br />
pre-select your major based on your interests<br />
and academic needs. At the same time, it is also<br />
important to stay open to other possibilities.<br />
Representatives might share information that<br />
gets you excited about a program you may not<br />
have considered initially.<br />
“Grab a business card from a representative<br />
and feel free to reach out to her/him with any<br />
questions about application requirements, status<br />
and more,” says Katherine Beczak, assistant<br />
director, Office of Part-Time and Graduate<br />
Enrollment Services at Rochester Institute of<br />
Technology, New York. “We are happy to be<br />
your point of contact and liaison with the<br />
university. That’s what we’re here for.”<br />
Rupali Verma is an EducationUSA Adviser at<br />
United States-India Educational Foundation, New<br />
Delhi.
ExcellingWith<br />
Integrity<br />
By STEVE FOX<br />
U.S. universities<br />
expect students<br />
to work with<br />
honesty and<br />
integrity, and<br />
avoid all forms<br />
of academic<br />
dishonesty.<br />
Right: Integrity Peer Educators<br />
at University of California San<br />
Diego promote integrity (far<br />
right), educate students on<br />
ethics and advise students<br />
who have been reported for<br />
academic integrity violations.<br />
Thousands of students dream of studying in<br />
the United States, home to some of the<br />
world’s best higher education institutions. But<br />
some of them often underestimate the<br />
workloads, the deadlines and the examination<br />
routines. The demanding environment might<br />
tempt some to sacrifice integrity—in other<br />
words, to cheat or indulge in unethical<br />
behaviors like plagiarism, collaborating on<br />
assignments meant to be done alone and<br />
buying term papers online.<br />
Students cheat for a variety of reasons,<br />
notes Tricia Bertram Gallant, director of the<br />
Academic Integrity Office at the University of<br />
California San Diego (UCSD) and an expert<br />
on integrity and ethics in education. These<br />
include the “pressure to obtain a university<br />
degree in order to have a secure livelihood,<br />
the contract cheating industry, and ignoring<br />
the problem for too long by many schools,<br />
colleges and universities around the world.<br />
The Internet has made it easier,” she says.<br />
“And students sometimes make bad<br />
decisions.”<br />
MARCY ZIMMERMAN<br />
Tricia Bertram<br />
Gallant, director<br />
of the Academic<br />
Integrity Office<br />
at University of<br />
California<br />
San Diego.<br />
Academic integrity is defined by the<br />
International Center for Academic Integrity<br />
(ICAI) as a commitment, even in the face of<br />
adversity, to the six fundamental values of<br />
honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility<br />
and courage. ICAI is a consortium of learning<br />
institutions, founded to combat cheating,<br />
plagiarism and academic dishonesty in higher<br />
education. The organization also helps<br />
cultivate cultures of integrity in academic<br />
36 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
communities across the world. It says,<br />
“Promoting the fundamental values of<br />
academic integrity in education requires<br />
balancing high standards of integrity with the<br />
educational mission, as well as compassion,<br />
and concern.” At UCSD and other U.S.<br />
universities, it is fundamental, says Bertram<br />
Gallant.<br />
“Academic integrity is so important<br />
because it means that you will experience a<br />
fair education and your degree will be an<br />
honest, respectable and trustworthy symbol of<br />
your knowledge and skills. Without integrity,<br />
there can be no education or learning,” she<br />
says. “Why do so many international students<br />
choose to study in America? Because the<br />
market value of American university degrees<br />
is high, and the reason it is high is because of<br />
integrity.”<br />
While UCSD has a rigorous program to<br />
promote and enforce academic integrity,<br />
Bertram Gallant notes that its objectives<br />
extend far beyond the time students spend on<br />
campus.<br />
“With an emphasis on academic integrity,”<br />
she says, “universities are developing<br />
professionals and leaders who will continue to<br />
act with integrity and create fair, respectful,<br />
responsible, honest and trustworthy<br />
organizations and relationships. A true<br />
democratic society can only exist if the<br />
majority of people and organizations act with<br />
integrity.”<br />
UCSD encourages those who witness<br />
cheating to respond by interrupting the<br />
behavior, redirecting the person to more<br />
ethical choices, engaging others for help or<br />
Photographs courtesy University of California San Diego<br />
reporting it to authorities. But, while<br />
violations carry consequences, the program is<br />
educational rather than punitive, with an<br />
emphasis on “excelling with integrity.”<br />
Integrity Awards are given annually to campus<br />
community members who exemplify and<br />
promote academic, research and professional<br />
integrity.<br />
Most students reported for cheating at<br />
UCSD take responsibility for their actions,<br />
Bertram Gallant notes, and are directed into<br />
an Integrity Mentorship Program. The 10-<br />
week program puts them in touch with<br />
educators, who help them explore strategies<br />
and techniques for achieving academic<br />
success with integrity. This approach, which<br />
requires the students to write essays<br />
explaining why they cheated and then<br />
complete several other assignments, can turn<br />
their experiences into positive “teachable<br />
moments.”<br />
“Our point is that just because students<br />
make a bad decision and cheat once, it doesn’t<br />
mean that they are ‘bad persons,’ whom the<br />
university should expel,” says Bertram<br />
Gallant. “As educational institutions,<br />
universities have an ethical obligation to help<br />
students learn from their experiences.”<br />
In guiding students on how to avoid the<br />
many potential pitfalls that violate academic<br />
integrity, she suggests applying three primary<br />
questions:<br />
• Values: Is the action honest, respectful,<br />
responsible, fair and trustworthy?<br />
• Standards: Is the action prohibited by an<br />
instructor’s or the university’s academic<br />
integrity policy or honor code?<br />
• Exposure: If the action was known to a<br />
professor, would it be acceptable?<br />
Most of all, Bertram Gallant notes, students<br />
should be proactive in determining what is<br />
and isn’t acceptable in terms of academic<br />
integrity.<br />
“People who don’t ask questions are more<br />
likely to mess up,” she says. “They should<br />
assume things are going to be different here<br />
[at a U.S. university], do their homework to<br />
find out what’s expected of them and use the<br />
university’s resources to find answers to<br />
whatever questions they may have.”<br />
ICAI<br />
https://academicintegrity.org<br />
Academic Integrity<br />
at UCSD<br />
http://bit.ly/2ES7eBC<br />
Why do so many<br />
international<br />
students choose to<br />
study in America?<br />
Because the market<br />
value of American<br />
university degrees<br />
is high, and the<br />
reason it is high is<br />
because of integrity.<br />
Go Online<br />
Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper<br />
publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 37
DRBURTONI/Courtesy Flickr<br />
Legacy of<br />
By ARCHIT GUHA<br />
Despite their<br />
size, the impact<br />
of a small<br />
liberal arts<br />
college<br />
experience can<br />
often be<br />
everlasting.<br />
Small liberal arts colleges, which are<br />
characterized by an emphasis on undergraduate<br />
education and a commitment to the<br />
liberal arts, represent a unique institutional<br />
model. Born in the U.S. higher education<br />
system, it is now exported globally. What<br />
impact do these colleges have on students?<br />
The students acquire skills that they carry<br />
with them into their futures and the world.<br />
Most credit their undergraduate education at<br />
small liberal arts colleges for shaping many<br />
aspects of their lives.<br />
The liberal arts as an ethos is, perhaps, the<br />
most significant takeaway for majority of the<br />
students. Take, for example, Apple Inc. cofounder<br />
Steve Jobs, who attended Reed<br />
College in Oregon for just a semester, but<br />
continued to praise its benefits in guiding his<br />
mission late into his career. He championed<br />
the cause of “technology married to the liberal<br />
arts and humanities,” and also famously<br />
credited a calligraphy class offered at Reed<br />
College for influencing the “beautiful<br />
typography” of the first Macintosh computer.<br />
I graduated from that college about four<br />
decades after Jobs attended it, in 2014. Its<br />
most significant impact for me so far has been<br />
the inculcation of an openness to multiple<br />
possibilities in my professional and academic<br />
life, as well as a genuine curiosity and<br />
appreciation for knowledge across different<br />
disciplines and domains. Mira Kamdar, class<br />
of 1980, who has had a distinguished career in<br />
journalism and policy, echoes this sentiment.<br />
“When I graduated from Reed with a degree<br />
in French, I thought a Ph.D. and a career in<br />
academia were the next natural steps for<br />
me...But, since then, I have veered in many<br />
directions, writing and researching mostly<br />
about India...A strong foundation in the liberal<br />
arts allowed me to hold my own across many<br />
contexts,” she says.<br />
Even for those who follow through with<br />
their academic goals, the experience of<br />
studying at a small liberal arts college is a<br />
defining choice. Jason Swinderman, class of<br />
38 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
DJROBGORDON/Courtesy Flickr<br />
Liberal Arts<br />
KRISSA CORBETT CAVOURAS/Courtesy Flickr<br />
Reed College<br />
www.reed.edu<br />
Sarah Lawrence College<br />
www.sarahlawrence.edu<br />
Above far left: Reed<br />
College offers Bachelor of<br />
Arts degrees in 40 majors<br />
and programs.<br />
Above and above left:<br />
Sarah Lawrence College<br />
is known for its low<br />
student-to-faculty ratio and<br />
highly personalized course<br />
of study.<br />
Go Online<br />
2015, majored in biology at Reed College<br />
and is now a Doctor of Medicine/Ph.D.<br />
student at the University of California, San<br />
Francisco. While the liberal arts are often<br />
viewed as limited to the humanities, for him,<br />
it was the education in the sciences that really<br />
stood out. “The commitment to taking<br />
ownership of scientific research in the lab<br />
and classroom, as an undergraduate, is quite<br />
incredible,” says Swinderman. “And, it may<br />
be hard to find that kind of emphasis in the<br />
sciences in other educational settings.”<br />
Another distinctive aspect of these<br />
colleges is the sense of community, and the<br />
commitment to building it. Mirra Savara<br />
went to Reed College in the 1960’s from<br />
India, and then came back to become a<br />
leader in the women’s rights movement. She<br />
looks back at her time at the college as<br />
“monumental,” as she got her first taste of<br />
movements, organizing and activism by<br />
getting involved in protests and movements.<br />
The campuses nurture a commitment to<br />
causes, whether international, national, local<br />
or even specific to the college, thereby<br />
empowering students to act on behalf of<br />
their communities.<br />
The small student bodies can often be<br />
viewed as a limiting factor, but for Sumudhu<br />
Jayasinghe, that is exactly what she<br />
cherishes. “It teaches you that no matter<br />
where you go, finding and building<br />
community is important,” says the 2013<br />
batch student of Sarah Lawrence College,<br />
New York, “even when you are in much<br />
larger settings that encourage anonymity.”<br />
Small liberal arts colleges may account<br />
for only one percent of the undergraduate<br />
student population in the U.S. higher<br />
education landscape, but for that one<br />
percent, the experience can be an education<br />
for a lifetime.<br />
Archit Guha is an EducationUSA Adviser at<br />
the United States-India Educational Foundation,<br />
New Delhi.<br />
It teaches you that no<br />
matter where you go,<br />
finding and building<br />
community is<br />
important, even when<br />
you are in much<br />
larger settings that<br />
encourage anonymity.<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 39
AES:<br />
Transforming<br />
By SUPARNA MUKHERJI<br />
Photographs courtesy American Embassy School<br />
The American<br />
Embassy School<br />
in New Delhi<br />
provides American<br />
education with an<br />
international<br />
perspective to<br />
help students be<br />
responsible and<br />
compassionate<br />
global citizens.<br />
In September 1963, SPAN featured an article<br />
on the American International School in New<br />
Delhi. It said, “American students learn with<br />
children whose homes can be found on every<br />
continent…in a well-equipped, newly<br />
constructed complex of buildings that was<br />
specially designed to create a pleasant and<br />
functional environment. This is the American<br />
International School of 1963. It was not<br />
always so.”<br />
In the next several decades, the school<br />
would undergo many more transformations, in<br />
terms of its student and faculty strength,<br />
campus size, facilities, teaching<br />
methodologies, and even its name. It is now<br />
known as the American Embassy School<br />
(AES). But, what remains unchanged is its<br />
goal—the pursuit of knowledge and<br />
excellence to develop “responsible and<br />
compassionate global citizens.”<br />
AES provides students, from prekindergarten<br />
through grade 12, American<br />
education with an international perspective.<br />
“About 80 to 85 percent of our teachers have<br />
international experience,” says Jim Laney Jr.,<br />
director of the school. “We have a very small<br />
percentage of local students…We do have<br />
many Indian-heritage students, but they are<br />
from Los Angeles or London or Australia or<br />
other places. So, they also bring in their<br />
international perspectives.”<br />
Change at heart<br />
The school started as a small set-up on<br />
Janpath in 1952 as the American School,<br />
moved to a new campus in Chanakyapuri in<br />
1963, and is now spread over nearly five<br />
hectares.<br />
“The facilities have developed since the<br />
1960’s,” says Laney. For instance, “The<br />
school started with one small gymnasium in<br />
the early 1960’s and, now, we have one very<br />
large gymnasium and one smaller gymnasium,<br />
plus other outdoor spaces like a swimming<br />
40 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
Education<br />
Above left and above center left: Flexible learning<br />
spaces at the American Embassy School allow students<br />
and teachers to move around through the day in<br />
different tasks in different groupings.<br />
Top, above, left, center left and above far left:<br />
Through its various activities, facilities and resources,<br />
the school nurtures the intellectual, physical, social and<br />
emotional development of its students and community<br />
members.<br />
To share articles go to https://span.state.gov JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 41
Left, below left,<br />
right and center<br />
right: Glimpses of<br />
various activities at<br />
the American<br />
Embassy School.<br />
These celebrate the<br />
diversity among its<br />
students from about<br />
56 countries as well<br />
as the international<br />
perspectives of its<br />
faculty members.<br />
Far Right: Jim<br />
Laney Jr., director of<br />
the school, with<br />
students.<br />
Photographs courtesy American Embassy School<br />
42 JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong>
It’s more important than<br />
ever before to be able to<br />
work with people from<br />
diverse backgrounds with<br />
different experiences.<br />
American Embassy School<br />
https://aes.ac.in/<br />
SPAN September<br />
1963 edition<br />
https://bit.ly/2VUqRTc<br />
Go Online<br />
pool. We have a beautiful theater for<br />
students’ performances. Libraries are<br />
really important for us; we have two<br />
now. We have robotic spaces and<br />
makerspaces, where kids with creative<br />
spirit get involved. We have the space,<br />
the tools and the teachers who can guide<br />
them.” AES also has many other<br />
facilities, including indoor and outdoor<br />
stadiums, playgrounds, meeting areas<br />
and art studios.<br />
Modernizing practices<br />
While the buildings and facilities<br />
were being adapted to meet the growing<br />
needs of the school’s community, so<br />
were the educational practices.<br />
“It’s more important than ever before to<br />
be able to work with people from diverse<br />
backgrounds with different experiences…to<br />
understand cross-disciplinary<br />
connections,” says Laney. AES, for<br />
instance, has an India Studies Program,<br />
which helps students learn about the host<br />
country. Its recent India Week celebration<br />
featured Indian music, dance, food and<br />
activities like yoga. “We also had artisans,<br />
who came from different parts of India, to<br />
teach the kids and give them firsthand<br />
experience of working on those arts and<br />
crafts,” says Czaee Chagla, the school’s<br />
marketing and communications manager.<br />
AES builds in ways for students to<br />
collaborate and learn together and from<br />
one another, as well as give back to<br />
society. “Eighty percent of our high<br />
school students…are part of community<br />
service. And, it’s really at the core,” says<br />
Ylva Kovacs, the school’s director of<br />
admissions. Thus, the school motto:<br />
Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve.<br />
“Another aspect we emphasize is<br />
giving kids tools and opportunities to<br />
develop their critical thinking skills, find<br />
ways to think together about a problem<br />
and to encourage those kinds of<br />
conversations from different<br />
perspectives,” says Shirley Droese, the<br />
school’s director of curriculum and<br />
professional learning.<br />
Technology plays a huge role in<br />
supporting the new ways of teaching<br />
and learning. “It’s a way for students to<br />
personalize their own learning,” says<br />
Droese. “It brings the world into the<br />
classroom more authentically, especially<br />
for teachers to utilize some of these<br />
resources that wouldn’t necessarily be<br />
available otherwise, except maybe<br />
through an encyclopedia or a book.”<br />
The road ahead<br />
AES is now experimenting with<br />
flexible learning spaces, where students<br />
and teachers can move around through<br />
the day in different tasks in different<br />
groupings. “We divide kids up not based<br />
on a roster, but on what we are teaching<br />
and on what they need. And the most<br />
important part is the emphasis on what<br />
they need,” says Susan Vernon, a grade 5<br />
homeroom teacher. “We typically have<br />
them working with peers or with teachers<br />
in smaller groups, so that there’s equity<br />
and access to the materials by all, not just<br />
a few who are confident.”<br />
“We are talking about collaboration<br />
and creativity and communicating with<br />
one another and just following your own<br />
passions,” adds Laney, “while you are<br />
learning the mathematics and the<br />
science and the reading and writing that<br />
we want you to learn if you’re 10 years<br />
old or 16 years old.”<br />
JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 43
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin walks on<br />
the surface of the moon. Neil<br />
Armstrong, Apollo 11 commander and<br />
the first man to walk on the moon, took<br />
this photograph with a 70mm lunar<br />
surface camera.<br />
The <strong>July</strong> 20, 1969, lunar landing was<br />
an unprecedented achievement—a<br />
milestone in human history. How did it<br />
happen? It was the result of decades of<br />
relentless scientific development as well<br />
as courageous astronauts who were<br />
determined to explore the unknown.<br />
Technologies that are common today<br />
came out of Apollo space research. CAT<br />
scans, computer microchips, cordless<br />
devices and satellite television are but a<br />
few. Scientific knowledge gained from<br />
NASA programs continue to enhance<br />
the quality of life today.<br />
Text courtesy ShareAmerica<br />
Photographs courtesy NASA<br />
Registered under RNI-6586/60