GPRI director gives talk at international science and technology series
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Advancement of science related to globalization, entrepreneurship and policymaking were some of the topics that Arden L. Bement Jr., the director of Purdue University's Global Policy Research Institute, presented Thursday (Dec. 1) during a keynote address for the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology forum series.
Bement, the David A. Ross Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering and former director of the National Science Foundation, presented "Role of Government in Science and Technology Policy, Globalization of R&D and Challenges to Asia and Other Countries" in Hong Kong. The event marks the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Bement highlighted Purdue's strategic plan goal of "Meeting Global Challenges," including its new institute and international partnerships with China and Colombia, as well as the university serving as a resource for the state of Indiana through its new Global Business Engagement Initiative.
"Purdue wishes to be visible throughout the world as an international land-grant university," Bement said. "Primary beneficiaries of the university's globalization developments are graduates who are educated to become innovators, entrepreneurs and change masters of the 21st century. Such leaders will facilitate the transfer of new scientific concepts, technologies and innovations as they move across national and continental borders throughout their careers. This will increase the pace of technological advancement and shorten the lead times from discovery to market."
Purdue's new Global Policy Research Institute is part of the university's "New Synergies" strategic plan. The institute focuses on the university's strengths in science, information technology, data management and systems engineering in collaboration with economics and the social sciences to inform policymakers about critical issues such as food security and health.
The institute has awarded $300,000 in grants to help Purdue professors establish seed projects to attract external funding for larger projects. Some of the supported topics include food security, disaster recovery, cancer prevention and sustainability.
In addition to supporting research, the institute is developing concentration areas in public policy for master and doctorate degrees in fields such as political science and agriculture and certificate programs in information security. The institute also is designing an interdisciplinary undergraduate summer internship program and post-doctorate fellowship program in public policy to complement student leadership education at Purdue.
Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, 765-494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu
Source: Arden Bement, 765-496-6713, bement@purdue.edu