LOCAL NEWS

New Chinese partner

The University of Dayton’s latest international partnership will benefit students in the bachelor and doctoral physical therapy programs as well as the local medical community.

Representatives from Nanjing Medical University in China recently visited UD and signed an agreement to begin plans for collaboration in areas of research and teaching. Faculty also may participate in exchanges with NMU.

“The students and faculty involved with this exchange will have the opportunity to share knowledge with the local medical community regarding rehabilitation strategies in China,” UD’s Director of Physical Therapy Philip Anloague said. “We are very interested in how traditional Chinese medicine can be integrated with our physical therapy practice.”

The NMU delegates who visited included Chen Qi, the university’s president; Wang Ruixin, director, president’s office; and Wu Binjiang, deputy director, Office for International Exchange and Cooperation.

“The Chinese delegates were very enthusiastic about working with us,” said Tina Manco, UD’s partnership and exchange coordinator. “And we’re excited, because they are associated with the top hospitals in China, so they graduate the top tier of medical students.”

When finalized, the partnership will be the University’s fifth with a Chinese institution of higher learning, joining Nanjing Art Institute, Nanjing University, Shanghai Normal University and Zhejiang University.

“Pursuing partnerships and strong ties with top universities in China is a key feature of our international strategy,” University of Dayton President Daniel J. Curran said. “These partnerships provide needed research and academic opportunities, as well as personal and cultural enrichment opportunities that are invaluable.”

Located in eastern China, Nanjing Medical University is a comprehensive university with more than 10,000 students studying medicine, pharmacy, nursing and biology. Its library contains a collection of more than one million volumes and 10,000 categories of periodicals.

The University of Dayton has approximately 20 partner institutions around the world in countries including China, France, Lebanon, Morocco, South Korea, Spain and Thailand. For a complete list of the University’s partner institutions, visit the Center for International Programs.

Testing the waters

This fall, an after-school group of urban teens literally got their feet wet in college-level research as they worked side-by-side with University of Dayton students on an environment study of the Wolf Creek watershed.

The teenagers, in grades six through 12, attend Adventure Central, the Wesleyan MetroPark education center in Dayton. They will join up with the college students again next week for an on-campus public presentation of their findings at 4 p.m. Dec. 5 in the UD Science Center Auditorium.

“The UD students served as mentors to the teenagers, and the younger students have had a unique opportunity to meet, plan and work alongside scientists and be exposed to a university setting,” said Joanne Troha, director of community service learning for UD’s Fitz Center for Leadership in Community. “They visited UD, discussed college and careers and will also extend their learning to others through a future service project they help design.”

Throughout the semester, the two groups have been collecting data including water quality, flow and animal life on Wolf Creek, a tributary of the Great Miami River that runs past Adventure Central, said UD geology professor Katie Schoenenberger, who leads the college course with UD biology professor Kelly Bohrer.

The students met at Adventure Central to study the fish population using electrofishing, which passes an electric current through the water to bring the fish to the surface. On other visits, they collected insect life in the stream, examined glacial sediments and discussed the importance of environmental awareness.

“The two groups had so many conversations about ‘Why should we care?’ ‘Who does this affect?’ ‘What actions are we doing that add to the problem?’ and ‘How can we be kinder to the watershed?’ ” Bohrer said.

The partnership was funded by a $5,000 grant secured by the University’s Fitz Center, Troha said. The grant was a portion of a Learn and Serve America grant that was awarded to a statewide consortium led by Otterbein College, Ohio Campus Compact and the University of Cincinnati.

Adventure Central sponsors after-school programs for school-age children that include homework help, reading and working on hands-on projects that often feature an environmental education or community theme, Troha said.

The goal of the grant is to help young people feel more connected to their communities through learning projects that involve service and incorporate working with community partners in designing and carrying out the project.

Part of the grant went to purchase testing equipment for Adventure Central students to continue studying the creek and encourage them to take responsibility for the environment, Schoenenberger said.