Pitt's University Center for International Studies Announces 2003-04 Global Academic Partnership Awards

February 13, 2003

PITTSBURGH—Two 2003-04 Global Academic Partnership (GAP) grants have been announced by William Brustein, director of the University Center for International Studies (UCIS) at the University of Pittsburgh. GAP is a program launched in fall 2001 to strengthen interdisciplinary research and curriculum development regarding global themes at Pitt, while enhancing the international scholarly ties and profile of the University. The program supports international research conferences and workshops on global issues on Pitt's Oakland campus.

Projects must relate to one of six issue areas of UCIS' Global Studies Program: sustainable development; globalized economy and global government; changing identities in a global world; communication, technology, and society; international security and conflict resolution; and global health. Awards include administrative support and funding up to $20,000.

One grant was awarded to Paul E. Griffiths, a professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, and Jeffrey H. Schwartz, a professor of anthropology, for a workshop titled Representing Genes. The workshop will examine the different uses of the term "gene" in different fields of contemporary biology and their impact on interdisciplinary communication and public dissemination. With additional funding from the National Science Foundation, the workshop, scheduled for January 2004, will involve participants from Germany, Israel, and the United Kingdom, as well as from universities across the United States. The project will enhance the communication, technology, and society theme of the Global Studies Program.

A second GAP grant, sponsored by the International Business Center of Pitt's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, was awarded to a team led by John Prescott, professor of business administration; Ravindranaht Madavan, associate professor of business administration; and Frank Giarratani, professor of economics and director of the Center for Industry Studies. Collaborators from Belgium, Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom will join their team. Their workshop, Global Knowledge Agents and the State of Globalization in the Steel Industry, will strengthen the Global Studies Program's theme on globalized economy and global governance. It will be held in spring 2004.

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