Howard University is expanding the list of initiatives that focus on educational exchange with China, academic leaders at the University told a group of foreign journalists on June 15.

The University was the first stop on a day-long media tour organized by the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Press Center. The tour brought more than 25 foreign journalists to campus, including reporters from People’s Daily, World Journal and China Daily.

The tour followed a January 2011 campus speech by First Lady Michelle Obama that was meant to jumpstart interest in study abroad programs among students, especially programs in China. President Obama has also called on universities to increase the number and to diversify the composition of American students studying in China as part of the 100,000 Strong Initiative.

“The focus from the White House sends a message to the academic community that this is important,” James H. Wyche, provost and chief academic advisor, said during remarks to the group of journalists. “At Howard, we are committed to expanding our international footprint through increased study abroad opportunities as well as research collaboration with universities and our industry counterparts.”

Wyche was joined by Alvin Thornton, Ph.D., senior advisor to the president on Academic Affairs; Barbara Griffin, vice president for Student Affairs; Sue White, head of school at Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science; and James A. Donaldson, dean of the College of Arts and Science. Kofi Bota, special assistant to the provost for international affairs; and James Davis, chair of World Languages, also attended.

Wyche and the other officials presented an overview of Howard’s academic initiatives that focus on China. He said the University was in the midst of expanding its World Languages and Culture degree program to offer Chinese culture and language as a major.
Currently, the University offers a two-year, four-semester Chinese language sequence and is seeking a second full-time Chinese instructor through the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program.

Since 2005, Howard has placed nine students at Chinese universities, including Beijing Foreign Studies University, University of Shanghai, and Nanjing University. Howard is expanding study abroad programs to annually place 50 students in China for total-immersion programs to study language and culture.

Inspired by Michelle Obama’s visit to campus, 25 members of the Howard University Freshmen Leadership Academy will travel to Beijing in July. On the tour, students will examine global business, education, history and leadership. The journalists interviewed sophomores Dominique Perkins and Caleb A. Davis about the upcoming trip.

Two MBA students — Akinbanjo Orukotan, a second-year MBA student, and Gbovadeh Gbilia, a 2011 MBA graduate — who traveled to China recently also addressed the journalists. Both students were among a group of MBA students who traveled to Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong as part of their Global Business Environment course. A total of 28 students have traveled to China over the last two years.

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Seong Seo, an associate professor of chemistry at Albany State University, has been awarded a $573,000 grant by the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct research that will help develop portable sensors to detect nerve agents and organophosphorous (OP) compounds.

The grant program is designed to enhance educational programs and research capabilities at at the recipient institutions in scientific disciplines critical to national security and the Defense Department. “This is very good for my research,” said Seo, who was ASU’s Researcher of the Year in 2010. “This is the second grant we’ve gotten. Two years ago, I received a $350,000 grant and I used that money to set up my labs. I will use this grant money to actually start developing the sensors.”

Seo is nearing the end of the second year of a three-year study of of thermoresponsive polymerized colloidal crystals using hard-core, soft-shell nanoparticals as sensors for nerve agents and OP compounds.

“Currently, there exists an urgent need for efficient, rapid detection of OP compounds and chemical warfare agents,” Seo said.
Seo’s future research will focus on two areas.

“First, we want to looking at coming up with some type of viual detection device for chemical agents using nanoparticals,” Seo said. “Second, we’d like to come up with a portable device that will detect explosive material such as TNT.”

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(Durham, NC) – Shaw President Dr. Irma McClaurin was part of a delegation that met with President Barack Obama prior to his address in Durham yesterday which detailed the economic initiatives which he unveiled at the headquarters of Cree Incorporated.

Dr. McClaurin was the only university president in the group of Triangle-area elected officials and community representatives in the gathering.

“The President’s vision of the competitive workforce is something we have been mindful of at Shaw,” said Dr. McClaurin.  “As we continually assess our academic programs, we will continue to focus on ensuring that Shaw has the programs that prepare our students to compete in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.  We are confident we are already on this path.”

President Obama was in Durham with the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness to announce his job growth plan, which aims to, among other things, train 10,000 engineers each year eliminate red tape for some infrastructure projects, and focus on programs that improve energy efficiency.

Referenced Article from Shaw University