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Penn State celebrates International Education Week

In celebration of International Education Week, Nov. 15 to 19, Penn State will hold a number of University-wide events. For a full list of the more than 20 events offered, visit this link. Events include speakers, musical performances, a photo contest, cultural lunches, world poetry, a traditional Chinese tea ceremony, Club Kreyol’s “A Walk for a Better Haiti,” and much more.

Listed below are four of the event's signature programs.

-- Khanjan Mehta, senior research associate in the College of Engineering, will give a presentation about his recent experiences in Kenya at 6 p.m. on Nov. 15 in room 113 of the IST Building (the Cybertorium). Mehta spent time there mentoring the Mashavu, WishVast, and EssentialDesign teams as part of the Penn State HESE initiative. Attendees can hear the behind-the-scenes stories that were not included in the Global Penn State television pilot in which Khanjan and his students tackled challenges related to health care, unemployment, renewable energy and food production in Kenya.

-- The International Opportunities Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 16 in Heritage Hall at the HUB-Robeson Center. Students can visit the International Opportunities Fair to explore opportunities for volunteering, interning, and working abroad, as well as local opportunities for broadening international awareness. Fair trade coffee, tea and snacks will be provided.

-- Rita Golden Gelman, author of "Tales of a Female Nomad," will speak at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16 in room 113 of the IST Building (the Cybertorium). In 1986, at the age of 48, Gelman became a modern-day nomad. Attendees will hear about her extraordinary journey and how it prompted her to create the Let’s Get Global nonprofit organization.

-- At 4 p.m. on Nov. 17 in room 102 of the Paterno Library (the Foster Auditorium), there will be a teleconference with "Shanghai Girls" author Lisa See. To register for the event, visit http://www.tinyurl.com/LisaSeeConvo online. Lisa See’s latest novel is described on her Web site as “a story of immigration, identity, war, and love, but at its heart, Shanghai Girls is a story of sisters.” In 1937, Pearl and May leave Shanghai, China and venture to Los Angeles as arranged brides. The two sisters are torn between two cultures as they strive to build a new life while still tied to the old. Penn State students, faculty, and staff, as well as the wider State College community, are encouraged to collectively read the novel that Booklist calls a “buoyant and lustrous paean to the bonds of sisterhood.” The reading experience will culminate with a conversation with Lisa See live via teleconference on Wednesday of International Education Week.

International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education for the purpose of celebrating the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.

For more information on any of the upcoming International Education Week events, contact UOGP Special Events Assistant Sandi Richter at smr274@psu.edu.

Last Updated November 3, 2010

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