Best Wishes to Priya Kurle

Priya Kurle, assistant director for the India Gateway, has resigned from her position in Mumbai to pursue other interests. With the India Gateway since 2013, Priya built many strong relationships with Ohio State faculty, our partners in India as well as our alumni.

She began her work with the India Gateway focusing on student recruitment activities, gradually taking on additional responsibilities. Priya organized the Women in STEM Roadshow which consisted of nine workshops taking place in six cities; she took the lead coordinating the successful Waste Management Innovation Conference, which brought Ohio State professors Joseph Fiksel and Rattan Lal to India as well as more than 400 attendees including many of the top businesses located in India, the U.S. Consulate General and the president of Smart City India; she supported and facilitated the partnership between the College of Nursing and IL&FS India, which resulted in the development of train the trainer modules and opened the door for potential opportunities in the future; and she had most recently been involved in the planning of the upcoming International Emerging Infectious Diseases Conference in Mumbai. Her commitment to the India Gateway and Ohio State will certainly be missed. Please join us in wishing Priya all the best in her future endeavors.

Partnerships in India with the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences has engaged with India dating back to 1955. Ohio State contributed to the Punjab Agricultural University through the initial curriculum development, applied research activities and a Green Revolution in the Indo-Gangetic plains outreach program. More recently there have been sustainable use of natural resources activities including the Soil and Water Quality Initiative and the Agriculture Innovation Partnership.

Shaping the India Gateway's Future Focus

Nikhil Tambe began his tenure as director of the India Gateway learning about the team, external partners and related activities both in Mumbai and Columbus. During his visit to the Ohio State campus in September he connected with over 50 deans, chairs, faculty and staff and had productive meetings with Provost Bruce McPheron and Vice Provost for Academic Programs Randy Smith, who is currently providing leadership for the Office of International Affairs.

We are developing specific engagement ideas. We are connecting with and are encouraged by activity ideas from alumni and the India Gateway well-wishers based in Columbus.

Latz Appointed Vice Provost for Global Strategies

Bruce McPheron, executive vice president and provost at Ohio State, announced that Gil Latz, PhD, has accepted the offer to serve as vice provost for global strategies and international affairs. Subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, his appointment is effective on January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2023.

Donald Hempson Interim Director of Global Gateways

Donald Hempson, director of international initiatives in the College of Engineering, has been appointed as the interim director of the Global Gateways. Hempson will oversee the Global Gateways and ensure the Global Gateways as a whole are operating within Ohio State's global strategies.

Ohio State Interns Help Build Smart Columbus Operating System

Two Ohio State graduate students are helping to develop the operating system that will power the Smart Columbus project. Ohio State serves as the lead research partner for Smart Columbus since the city won the U.S. Department of Transportation’s first-ever Smart City Challenge in 2016.