JUNE 2014

Uruguay�s President Takes the Floor
There was an aura of excitement in the packed SIS atrium on May 13. That was because of a visit from Jos� Mujica, the charismatic, blunt-spoken president of Uruguay. Read More. Watch the Video.
Professor�s Book Redefines Child Soldiers
Associate Professor Susan Shepler�s new book, Childhood Deployed: Remaking Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone, examines the difficult reintegration of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Read More.
The Kitchen as a Venue for Foreign Policy
SIS recently launched a one-of-a-kind class on gastrodiplomacy - Conflict Cuisines: An Introduction to War and Peace through Washington�s Ethnic Restaurants - taught by Johanna Mendelson Forman, an expert on international conflict. Read More.
Research Program Gets Its First Cohort
This coming academic year will mark the start of the Olson Scholars Program for undergraduates at SIS. The program is a living memorial to former SIS Dean William Olson. Read More.
AU Beekeepers Tend Their Hives
American University has one of a handful of beekeeping programs in the DC area. Assistant Professor Eve Bratman, head beekeeper at AU, says pesticides are a threat to bee colonies. Read More.
Progress on AU's Carbon Neutrality
A team of AU graduate students, led by SIS Professor Ken Conca and others, traveled to Costa Rica to assess AU's efforts to mitigate carbon emissions by investing in that country's �Payment for Environmental Services� program. Read More.

Diplomacy and Diversity Fellowship

Assistant Dean Anya Schmemann led a workshop at the Council on Foreign Relations for the inaugural recipients of Humanity in Action's Diplomacy and Diversity Fellowship, which includes SIS graduate students Kia Hall and Giselle Lopez. The fellowship brings together American and European graduate students for an intensive program in DC and Paris. Read More. (Photo credit: Kaveh Sardari)

SIS Building Reflects AU�s Values

A certified sustainable site, the SIS building manifests American University�s values. AU�s first LEED-certified building, SIS earned LEED Gold in 2011 and features a 27 kW photovoltaic solar array, dual-flush toilets, waterless urinals, low-flow plumbing, and sustainable plantings. Read More.

Honors

Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer Fanta Aw, president and chair of the Board of Directors of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, spoke at the association's annual conference in San Diego, CA on May 27.

Congratulations to SIS graduate students Tschuna Gibson and Rachel Mann on being awarded Rosenthal Fellowships, which provide students at APSIA member schools the opportunity to spend a summer working on international relations issues in the U.S. government.

News

Follow Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies Akbar Ahmed's research project: Journey into Europe: Islam, Immigration, and Empire.

Find out about cross-university course enrollment, now available through IR Online.

Read an interview with Alec Ross, former Senior Advisor for Innovation to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, about the future of technology and international relations.

Save the date: SIS Opening Celebration on August 22!

Alumni

Apply to be part of the SIS Student-Alumni Mentoring Program.

Stay up to date on alumni news and events.

Update your contact information.

Keep up with your classmates on the Class Notes page.

To hire an AU student or alumnus/a, contact Alumni Career Programs Coordinator Pat Oltmann.

Save the Date: All-American Weekend on October 17-19!

RSVP now: SIS Alumni Chapter Baseball Game; Washington Nationals vs. Milwaukee Brewers; Friday, July 18, 7:05 PM.

Register now for SIS Industry Days at USIP on September 5.

 

Share your summer adventures on Twitter with #SISSummer!


Watch the latest SIS Spotlight video about urban growth with Assistant Professor Malini Ranganathan.

Alumni Spotlights

Chaplain Joe Eldridge, SIS/MA �81, inspires a sense of giving at AU.

Carla Seaquist, SIS/BA �67, writes about challenges to U.S. identity.

SIS in the News


Assistant Professor Simon Nicholson and Michael MacCracken: "Technology to the Planet's Rescue?" U.S. News & World Report, June 6.


Scholar in Residence Johanna Mendelson Forman and Brian Finlay: "Brazil's World Cup Ennui," The Hill, June 6.


Carola McGiffert, President of the 100,000 Strong Foundation, and Jim Hall: "US-China Student Summit Creates Tomorrow's Relationships Today," The Huffington Post, June 5.


Professor Gordon Adams: "Obama's Big, New Counterterrorism Plan is a Hot Mess," Foreign Policy, May 30.


Professor Amitav Acharya: "The End of American World Order," The Hindu, May 29.


Professor Robin Broad: "Does the US Need Another Round of Trade Deals?" The Hill, May 28.


Professor Judith Shapiro: "Striving for Wealth and Truth in China, in Face of Monolithic Government," The New York Times, Books, May 25.


Assistant Professor Malini Ranganathan: "Unpacking the 2014 World Urban Forum�s Agenda," GEP Blog, May 22.


Professorial Lecturer Jeffrey Bachman and Jeannie Khouri: "Obama Did Not End Torture," Congress Blog, The Hill, May 22.


Assistant Professor Carl LeVan and Priscilla Achakpa: "6 Ways to #BringBackOurGirls in Nigeria," The Christian Science Monitor, May 20.


Professor Amitav Acharya: "Narrowing the Academia-Policy Divide in International Relations," East Asia Forum, May 2o.


Dean Jim Goldgeier: "Who's Afraid of Free Speech?" Politico Magazine, May 18.


Professorial Lecturer Jeffrey Bachman: "Does the Obama Administration Care About Innocents Killed by Drones," The Huffington Post, May 16.


Assistant Professor David Bosco: "Is the ICC Investigating Crimes by U.S. Forces in Afghanistan?" Foreign Policy, May 15.

Read More Media Mentions

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