WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The NEXTRANS Center, with the assistance of the government of Canada (avec l’appui du gouvernement du Canada) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), will host a Nov. 16 conference on U.S.-Canada border trade, security and mobility challenges.

The daylong event — titled In Step, In Line, On Time: Regional Strategies for Trade, Security, and Mobility Challenges at the U.S.-Canada Border — will provide an opportunity for researchers and private-sector stakeholders in the Great Lakes region to engage in a dialogue with high-level officials of the U.S. and Canadian government.

The conference will run from 7:30a to 5:30p in the Purdue Memorial Union. Registration is $50, but students are admitted free. For a complete agenda, online registration, hotels, travel information and sponsorship information, go online to http://www.purdue.edu/dp/nextrans/tech/borderconference.php

Indiana, known as the Crossroads of America, has a vested interest in the efficiency of the U.S.-Canada border. U.S.-Canada merchandise trade totaled $535 billion in 2007, supporting nearly 150,000 Hoosier jobs. In addition to an immediate need for a more secure and trade-efficient border, there is a longer-term need for building a transportation infrastructure for 21st century trade and commerce.

Greg Nadeau, deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration, will deliver the keynote address. Robert Noble, Canadian Consul General at Detroit, and Kevin Johnson, U.S. Consul General in Toronto, will speak on the significance of a seamless and secure border with regard to bilateral trade between the two countries.

Paul Haddow, director general of strategic policy and governance for the Canada Border Services Agency, will speak on security issues. Industry presenters will include David Bradley, chief executive officer of the Canadian Trucking Association. Additional border trade, security and mobility experts from the public, private and academic sectors will join them to discuss:

• Major challenges and opportunities to achieve the right balance between trade goals and security needs from the perspectives of the U.S. and Canadian governments.
• Regional strategies for developing major gateways and corridors with collaborations between transportation stakeholders at the federal and state-provincial levels.
• The “thickening” of the border from the perspective of manufacturers and carriers and the feasibility of short- and near-term measures by border agencies.
• How academia can fill the data and information gaps to facilitate integrated, coordinated and performance-based operation and governance of the border region.
• Short-, medium- and long-term opportunities for collaboration and joint actions among government, industry and academia in the region and between the two countries.

NEXTRANS is the U.S. Department of Transportation Region V Regional University Transportation Center, led by Purdue and administered by Purdue’s Discovery Park. The center was established in 2007 through the USDOT’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration to lead a multidisciplinary program of transportation research, education and technology transfer.

Organizations assisting in the conference development include the Federal Highway Administration; Transport Canada; Customs and Border Protection; General Services Administration; Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada; Detroit Regional Chamber; Indiana Department of Transportation; Michigan Department of Transportation; and Ministry of Transportation, Ontario.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s celebration of Constitution Day on Sept. 17 will feature videos, exhibits and quiz shows aimed at educating American citizens about the freedoms they enjoy.

Congress passed a provision in 2004 declaring Sept. 17 as Constitution Day. All federally funded schools are asked to develop educational programs to celebrate this foundational day in U.S. history.

Events will be in held in Purdue Memorial Union room 118 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The celebration is free and open to the public.

Local celebrities will take part in a Jeopardy-style quiz-off on the Constitution at 1:30 p.m. outside room 118.

Among other activities, most of which are continuous throughout the day, are:

• Showings of “A More Perfect Union,” a video by the National Constitution Center;
• A banned book exhibit, sponsored by Purdue University Libraries, displaying books that have been censored throughout history;
• Showings of Schoolhouse Rock’s “The Preamble,” a classic cartoon treatment of the events leading up to the signing of the Constitution;
• Quiz bowl competitions on the Constitution;
• A League of Women Voters display with voter information and registration;
• A video of Justice Learning’s “Conversations with Supreme Court Justices,” featuring Justice Stephen Breyer and former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Congress passed a provision in 2004 declaring Sept. 17 as Constitution Day. All federally funded schools are asked to develop educational programs to celebrate this foundational day in U.S. history.

“The point we want to make everyone aware of is that no matter who you are, the Constitution has an impact in nearly every part of your life,” said Phillip VanFossen, the Ackerman Professor of Social Studies Education and director of the James F. Ackerman Center for Democratic Citizenship. “It’s something we all take for granted, and studies have shown that a vast majority of people don’t know much about the document. Constitution Day gives schools a brief, yet important, chance to change this.”

The College of Education’s Ackerman Center is coordinating the events, which are sponsored by the offices of the president and vice president for student services, Purdue Student Government and the Purdue Student Union Board.

More information on Constitution Day is available at http://www.purdue.edu/constitution-day/

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University’s Center for the Study of Violence will host a forum on Aug. 26 on the issue of international violence against women.

Purdue University's Center for the Study of Violence will host a forum on Aug. 26 from 4-6p on the issue of international violence against women. This event is free and open to the public.

Speakers will discuss violence against women and how ending the violence promotes economic opportunity, democratic governance and security. They also will discuss initiatives such as the International Violence Against Women Act, authored by Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Vice President Joseph Biden, then a Democratic senator from Delaware.

The forum will be from 4-6 p.m. in the Anniversary Drawing Room of Purdue Memorial Union. It is free and open to the public.

Speakers will be:

• Farida Azizi, founding member of the Cooperative for Peace and Unity and member of the Afghan Women’s Network, who has promoted rights of Afghan women locally and internationally.
• Maj. Gen. Patrick Cammaert, a Dutch military commander who served as a United Nations military adviser.
• Valentine Moghadam, a Purdue sociology professor and director of women’s studies, who is an expert on the financial impact of violence against women.
• Sarah Spencer, emergency gender-based violence coordinator for the International Rescue Committee, which provides rapid response to acute crises.

Carolyn Curiel, chief of staff to President France A. Córdova and clinical professor of communication, will give opening remarks.

Esta Soler, president of the Family Violence Prevention Fund, also will give opening remarks. Soler founded the fund nearly 30 years ago. It develops strategies to prevent domestic, dating and sexual violence, stalking and child abuse. Under Soler’s direction, the fund was a driving force behind passage of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994.

The Family Violence Prevention Fund is sponsoring the forum along with the College of Liberal Arts and the Open Square Foundation.

Irwin “Bud” Weiser, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts, will give the welcome.

The forum will launch the Center for the Study of Violence, which is a part of the College of Liberal Arts. The interdisciplinary center is designed to generate and disseminate research on violence.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The annual Summer Concert Series at the Purdue Memorial Union features dinner and the diverse musical styles of local bands. The series kicks off on July 8, 2009 on the West Lafayette campus. The performances are free to attend, and dinner is available for a $5.00 meal ticket or ala carte.

Guitarist Michael Kelsey interacts with the crowd at his 2008 Summer Concert Series performance. (Photo by Guy Louis Martin, gLouis@Flickr)

The four free Wednesday shows begin at 6:30 p.m. on the union’s front lawn. Seating for the concerts is limited. Concert goers are advised to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets.

Scheduled performances:

• July 8 – Michael Kelsey (Acoustic rock)
• July 15 – Woodstove Flapjacks String Band (Americana)
• July 22 – Laugh at Linus (Acoustic funk) and Root Hog (Psychedelic, Americana)
• July 29 – Big James and the Chicago Playboys (Blues)

In case of rain the concert will be moved inside to the Purdue Memorial Union’s North Ballroom.

The series is sponsored by the Purdue Memorial Union and Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The holiday season at Purdue University kicks off Monday (Dec. 8) with the arrival of a 30-foot-tall Christmas tree in the Memorial Union’s Great Hall.

The tree, which is scheduled to arrive at the Union at noon, is a donation from Karen and Jack Ferry of Lafayette. Karen Ferry has been a Purdue employee for 31 years and currently works in the payroll department.

The Purdue Student Union Board will decorate the tree at about 7 p.m. Dec. 8. In addition, Purdue Memorial Union dining services will build a 12-foot-tall gingerbread house in the Great Hall, starting Dec. 9.

“The significance of the holiday celebrations at the Union is that they bring together the community and strengthen our understanding of various cultures and traditions,” said Margie Tucker, a program manager at the Purdue Memorial Union. “While the Christmas tree represents one tradition, we also have Holidays Around the World, an event that celebrates other cultures and holidays.”

The Purdue Student Union Board is arranging the 11th annual Holidays Around the World from 1-5 p.m. Dec. 10 in the Union’s South Ballroom. Various international student groups will set up booths with displays about their cultures and different holidays around the year. Students from every continent will make presentations.

“Each student organization has the opportunity to do some sort of performance,” Tucker said. “We also have cuisine, beverages and music from various countries.

“Our perception is that since Purdue has such great diversity on campus, we think it’s necessary to have events that not only make international students more comfortable, but also help other students understand and appreciate other cultures.”

As part of the celebration, local musicians and schools will perform holiday songs in the Great Hall from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Dec. 9-12.

Performing groups include Lafayette Christian School, Lafayette First Assembly of God, Marla’s Music, Purdue University Brass Choir, seventh-and eighth-graders from West Lafayette Jr.-Sr. High School, and the fifth-and sixth-grade choir from Faith Christian School.

Breakfast with Santa, an event where children can get their pictures taken with Santa, will take place from 8-10:30 a.m. Dec. 13 in the Great Hall.

For details on the events, visit http://www.union.purdue.edu/psub. For information, contact Tucker at (765) 494-8907, mctucker@purdue.edu, or Melanie Johnsen, director of traditional events at the Purdue Student Union Board, at (765) 494-8976, psub-traditional@purdue.edu.