Drop by the Pitt Global Hub to speak to Samir Lakhani (A&S '14), founder of Eco-Soap Bank, during the Emerging Global Leaders residency. Eco-Soap Bank reduces the amount of waste generated by hotels; provides soap to those in need and teaches them how to use it, reducing the prevalence of diarrhea and child mortality; and employs women in developing nations, who then reinvest their income into their families. Lakhani received a CNN Heroes Award in 2017 for his work.
The Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES) and the Study Abroad Office (SAO) in collaboration with the Pittsburgh-based global service-learning organization Amizade propose to bring together community organizers and nonprofit leaders with University of Pittsburgh faculty and students for a public forum themed “Water Is Life." The thematic concentration on water reflects the contemporary significance of the topic, which invites inquiry from a regional and global perspective. Water is at the core of human and environmental existence. It underpins food and energy security, sustainable development, and healthy ecosystems while being the cornerstone for adaptation to climate change. Integral to sanitation, water is critical for reducing disease and enhancing the health, education, and economic resilience of communities. Water is also a human rights and social justice issue. As the global population grows, there is an increasing need to address structural inequalities that empower certain communities at the expense of others and privilege the growing commercial demand on water resources over social inclusion.
To explore regional and global challenges to water equity, the forum will connect University of Pittsburgh faculty and students with Amizade community organizers from Pittsburgh’s Hill District, the Pine Ridge Reservation (South Dakota), and Brazil’s Amazon region along with nonprofit leaders at the World Aral Region Charity that works in Uzbekistan’s Khorezm Region and the EcoSoap Bank, which focuses on improving sanitation and hygiene education in Subsaharan Africa and Southeast Asia. The forum will commence with initial introductions and will be followed by an open discussion structured with the help of pre-circulated questions, concluding with a Q&A with the audience.
John Stoner (Moderator) is the Executive Director for Academic Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for International Studies. Previously, he has served as the Director for Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer at the Department of History teaching and researching in his fields of expertise, notably modern South Africa, twentieth century U.S. labor and foreign relations, and transnational history of the Cold War.
Keller Allen is the Assistant Director of the Pine Ridge Agricultural Initiative and is Amizade’s Site Director for the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Keller is a father, husband, craftsman, massage therapist, yoga instructor, educator, community organizer and indigenous rights advocate with experience founding and managing cooperative businesses. Keller holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics, Astronomy and Mathematics from the College of Charleston and a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Dance/Movement Therapy from Antioch University New England. Keller and his family have lived and worked among their adopted Lakota family on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation since 2012.
James Cross is Council Representative to the Oglala Sioux Government at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
John Matthias Brown has been working in community development for the past 35 years. He is the founder of the 25-year old Petersfield Sports & Community Club (PSCC) which he served as President for the first 2 years. Three years later, he co-founded the old Association of Community Based Organizations Ltd (AOCBO), formerly Association of Clubs (AOC), which is the umbrella organization for seven community-based organizations in the parish of Westmoreland, Jamaica. Through Mr. Brown’s commitment, influence and guidance, the AOC won the 2007 and 2012 Michael Manley Award for Community Self Reliance which is one of the most prestigious awards in Jamaica. Mr. Brown also serves in his parish as a Justice of the Peace. He sits as Chairperson, Vice Chairperson and as Community Representative on numerous school boards and organization committees. He takes pleasure in counseling young people to help them boost their self-esteem and ways to work harder towards achieving their goals. As Amizade’s Site Director in Brazil since 2004, he has taken pleasure in guiding young people and has overseen service-learning placements in clean water initiatives, community building projects and youth education programs in Santarém city at the confluence of the Tapajós and Amazon Rivers.
Robert Denovich Willard currently pursues his Bachelor of Arts degree in Slavic Studies and Economics Columbia University. He also serves the President of the World Aral Region Charity, a non-for-profit organization working with communities in Central Asia against the devastating disappearance of the Aral Sea—the fourth largest land-bound body of water in the world, now 10% of its original size. With branches at Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania alongside those in Albany and Uzbekistan, the World Aral Region Charity aims to represent a new outlet for aid in a region often overlooked by the global community. In partnership with local towns and programs in the Khorezm region of Uzbekistan, the Charity works to address challenges to food security, public health, and economic and environmental sustainability.
Samir Lakhani is a social entrepreneur dedicated to restoring health and dignity to developing countries. Before founding Eco-Soap Bank in 2014, Samir was deeply involved in aquaculture and nutrition projects in northern Cambodian villages. He has also developed solar lighting solution projects in Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Nepal. Through his six years of nonprofit work in the areas of nutrition, water accessibility, and sanitation/hygiene, he has witnessed firsthand how delivering key products like soap transform the health and well-being of impoverished communities. Samir received a CNN Heroes Award for Eco-Soap Bank in 2017 and a Unilever Young Entrepreneurs award in 2018. He also recently gave a TEDx Talk. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and currently lives in Pittsburgh, PA.
Join us for breakfast and a discussion about social cohesion and the fraying of the fabric of society in light of mounting populism and the polarization of politics.
Elliot Winer is visiting Pitt from Newcastle University Law School in the UK. During his time here, he is teaching international law (specifically the Law of Armed Conflict) to LL.M and JD students. At Newcastle Law School, he teaches and conducts research in the Law of Armed Conflict, with particular emphasis on new military technology. He also delivers a course on WTO Law and acts as the Director of Undergraduate Programmes. Prior to that, Elliot qualified as a solicitor (attorney) with Harper Macleod LLP, where he litigated for the UK and
Join us as we discuss the work that the Pan American Health Organization-World Health Organization (PAHO-WHO) is currently undertaking in Cuba. Topics covered include: the multi-faceted public health challenges the island faces, the organization’s principles of cooperation, and how Pittsburgh-based international partnerships have positively affected the Cuban health system's resilience-building and sustainability measures.
Dr. Duniesky Cintra Cala, who has worked extensively in Cuba’s health system, specializing in Comprehensive and Integrated General Medicine, and Justo Manuel Cardenas Rodriguez, a PAHO-WHO administrator with over 25 years of experience in the field of public health, are the event's invited speakers.
Join the Pitt German Club for an hour of language practice, food, and conversation about different cultural topics!
Drop by the Pitt Global Hub to speak to Samir Lakhani (A&S '14), founder of Eco-Soap Bank, during the Emerging Global Leaders residency. Eco-Soap Bank reduces the amount of waste generated by hotels; provides soap to those in need and teaches them how to use it, reducing the prevalence of diarrhea and child mortality; and employs women in developing nations, who then reinvest their income into their families. Lakhani received a CNN Heroes Award in 2017 for his work.
Information Session for graduates and undergraduates about Nationality Rooms Summer Study Abroad Opportunities.
Register Here: http://www.nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/content/register-scholarship-inform...
Come learn about “Sport as Global Spectacle: 2020 Summer Olympics” study abroad program. We will cover location information, academics, housing, excursions, finances, application process, etc. and will answer any questions you might have about this fascinating program.
Considering graduate school? Preparing your application materials?
Join us as Pitt graduate program experts from the School of Public Health, GSPIA, Economics, History, and Asian Studies share expertise on crafting strong applications. Learn tips on writing effective personal statements, securing letter writers, and submitting desired credentials. Ask individual questions to admissions professionals at the breakout session.
Dr. Kevin Broom, Director of MHA and MHA/MBA Programs, Vice Chair, Associate Professor, Pitt Public Health
Dr. Emily Rook-Koepsel, Asst. Director for Academic Affairs, UCIS Asian Studies Center
Dr.Michel Gobat , Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor of History
Dr. Daniele Coen-Pirani, Director of Graduate Studies, Professor of Economics
TBA Admissions Professional, GSPIA
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to hear from the experts. Click the link below to secure a spot today!
The Hispanic Discussion Roundtables is an event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at the University of Pittsburgh (September 15-October 15, 2019). Join the University Library System (ULS) as we host 5 Latino/as from various parts of Latin America to share their culture, their family structure and experiences in small group settings at Hillman Library.
The goal of the Hispanic Discussion Roundtables is to build understanding and challenge stereotypes and prejudices associated with Latino/s through friendly dialogue at the ULS. These open conversations can lead to greater acceptance and inclusion in the community.
Registration is required: https://pitt.libcal.com/event/5694873
Taiwan's popular music has shaped China's music and culture to a surprising degree. The roots of Taiwan's music industry can be found in the 1930s Jazz era in Shanghai. Sixty years later, Taiwan was the hub of Chinese-language pop music industry--a sonic movement that shaped Chinese understandings of music, gender, and individuality in the contemporary age. Today, music videos and mash-ups that are posted to YouTube (and its Chinese counterparts Youku and Tudou) demonstrate cultural proximity between China and Taiwan that reveals both shared cultural understandings and ongoing regional tensions that arise out of their distinctive pasts.
Drop by the Pitt Global Hub to speak to Samir Lakhani (A&S '14), founder of Eco-Soap Bank, during the Emerging Global Leaders residency. Eco-Soap Bank reduces the amount of waste generated by hotels; provides soap to those in need and teaches them how to use it, reducing the prevalence of diarrhea and child mortality; and employs women in developing nations, who then reinvest their income into their families. Lakhani received a CNN Heroes Award in 2017 for his work.
Drop by the Pitt Global Hub for a cup of coffee or espresso from Latin, Central and South America in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month! Learn about where your coffee comes from and more information on Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th-October 15th.
Drawing on a new book, Subnational Hydropolitics, this talk will explore the role that water has played in Chinese politics, its rapid economic growth, and its struggle to make its development sustainable. It will also discuss new and old tensions between China and its neighbors over shared water resources, and the role that conflict over water might play in China’s rise.
For many years Puerto Ricans have been enduring a humanitarian crisis caused by the coalescing of the destruction caused by hurricane María and the austerity measures imposed by a Financial Oversight Board appointed by Congress. Even before the hurricane struck in 2017 Puerto Rico had the highest poverty rate of any United States jurisdiction. The stagnant economy had meant higher commercial vacancy rates, massive migration to the US, continued social unrest, stagnation of the housing and construction industry, as well as higher unemployment rates. Hurricane María devastated the Island in 2017.
Fri., Sept. 27: Documentary
DisEmPowered: Puerto Rico’s Perfect Storm presented by Cecilio Ortiz García, PhD and Marla
Lopez form the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez and Co-Founders of the National Institute of
Energy and Island Sustainability at the University of Puerto Rico.
Law School - University of Pittsburgh
Fri., Sept. 27: Documentary
DisEmPowered: Puerto Rico’s Perfect Storm presented by Cecilio Ortiz García, PhD and MarlaLopez form the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez and Co-Founders of the National Institute of Energy and Island Sustainability at the University of Puerto Rico. Law School - University of Pittsburgh
Sat., Sept. 28: Symposium
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Keynote speaker: Dra. Yanira Reyes. Inter American University School of Law
Opening Remarks: Prof. Sheila Velez Martinez, University of Pittsburgh
Discussant: Prof. Jules Lobel, University of Pittsburgh
Law School - University of Pittsburgh
Panels include:
2 Years from Hurricane María, Looking Back and Looking Forward
The Critical Mass of Summer 2019
Las artes de la alegria, conversando sobre las culturas de arte y protesta en Puerto Rico (Art and Protest in Puerto Rico)
Round table: A vision for the future
The Ukrainian Community of Western Pennsylvania (UCOWPA) and the Center for Russian, east European, and Eurasian Studies present the Ukrainian Film Festival.
September 21:
4:00 pm, Donbass
7:00 pm, Breaking Point: The War for Democracy in Ukraine
September 28:
4:00 pm, The Guide
6:45 pm, Ukrainian Sheriffs
Get tickets at ucowpa.info
For more information, please call 412-480-5488
