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Cornell University has received an endowment of $50 million from the Tata Education and Development Trust, a philanthropic entity of India's Tata Group. The endowment consists of $25 million to establish the Tata-Cornell Initiative in Agriculture and Nutrition, which will contribute to advances in nutrition and agriculture for India; and $25 million for the Tata Scholarship Fund for Students from India, to help attract more of the best and brightest students to Cornell from India.
Ratan Tata '62, one of Cornell's most eminent alumni, is chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. Tata was named one of the 30 most respected CEOs in the world by Barron's magazine last year, and the Tata Group was awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy in 2007.
Cornell President David Skorton announced the gift during his State of the University address Oct. 17, calling it "one of the most generous endowments ever received from an international benefactor by an American university."
The Tata Group is one of India's oldest, largest and most respected business conglomerates, operating in seven business sectors and employing around 320,000 people. The Tata Education and Development Trust's primary objectives include promoting the acquisition of knowledge by Indian youth in leading global academic institutions and aiding research in agriculture and nutrition.
In a prepared statement, Skorton said of the gift: "Cornell is a better place thanks to its long-standing academic and research connections to India, through our faculty and researchers and, most especially, our students. This visionary gift sets a new course that befits the history of our partnership with India and the needs of the new century. With the Tata Scholarship Fund for Students from India, Cornell will be able to welcome many more of the best and brightest Indian students in a manner that would make Ezra Cornell proud, that is regardless of their financial circumstances. And, building on the remarkable achievements in India throughout the better part of the past century, the Tata-Cornell Initiative in Agriculture and Nutrition will increase collaboration among Indian and Cornell scientists and students in nutrition and agriculture to improve the livelihoods and nutritional status of the rural poor in India."
The goal of the new agriculture initiative is to improve the productivity, sustainability and profitability of India's food system, with the aim of reducing poverty and malnutrition, said Alice Pell, Cornell vice provost for international relations.
Record high food prices, dietary changes, climate change and increasing energy costs underscore how changes in the food system affect the poor. Although Cornell already has numerous successful public/private partnerships in both agriculture and nutrition in India, the gift will extend existing relationships and permit development of new initiatives, according to Pell.
Cornell's long-standing expertise in international agriculture and nutrition will receive a significant boost through Tata's gift, Pell said. Her office will work with an advisory board, to be co-chaired by Tata and Skorton, to decide the type and scope of initiatives to be undertaken, she said.
"Although the Tata funds will be used to address problems in rural India, the gift will also help us learn how universities can better contribute to development and poverty reduction in other parts of the world," Pell said. And, as a longtime faculty member who has worked in these areas, Pell also expressed gratitude for the "fantastic opportunities" that such a gift will provide for students and researchers.
The establishment of the $25 million scholarship fund will help meet the Tata Group's pledge to bring more Indian students to Cornell. The scholarships will be offered to between six and 10 students annually, depending on level of need, and could ultimately support up to 25 Tata scholars at Cornell at any one time.
The university's entire endowment for international financial aid is about $1.5 million per year, which covers about a dozen new students a year from outside the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and is often allocated for students from specific parts of the world, according to Doris Davis, Cornell's associate provost for admissions and enrollment.
After being in India meeting prospective students last year, Davis recalled: "I met so many bright, talented students who would make such a contribution to Cornell. Now I can go back and tell the Cornell story with this added information -- not only is Cornell committed to admitting students from India, but now we have the resources to help students who want to attend Cornell with their financial needs."
Tata's scholarship gift comes on the heels of a new Cornell financial aid initiative that took effect this semester. About 4,500 undergraduates are already benefiting from the plan, which greatly reduces the amount of loan debt for students from families with certain income levels. The plan covers qualifying students from the United States, as well as Canadians and Mexicans, but does not cover other international students.
The Tata scholarships will be increased to the optimal number over three or four years. During that period, Cornell will launch an extensive outreach campaign in India to build awareness of the scholarships.

Those learning centers and businesses may be mentioned in the same breath now that Ballston Spa High School has introduced a course called Exploration in Nanotechnology, long before construction is set to begin on AMD's manufacturing plant in Luther Forest Technology Campus.
"We want to prepare our students for jobs that are coming into play in the near future," said Diane M. Irwin, the district's science coordinator.
Irwin said the district began planning the course in November 2007, months before AMD's announcement that it partnered with Advanced Technology Investment Company to form The Foundry Company, which will serve as the manufacturing division for AMD.
The company is expected to break ground in mid-2009, creating more than 1,400 jobs.
The addition of the course to the district's curriculum, however, "goes well beyond AMD," Irwin said.
John Balet, a biology teacher who co-instructs the Nanoscale course, emphasized nanotechnology's affect on students' everyday lives.
Certain kinds of bicycle frames and baseball bats now include nanoparticles, Balet said.
"Nanoparticles have been slowly introduced into these products to make them better and stronger," he said, adding that nanoparticles are also spun into some clothing brands to make them stain-resistant.
Balet's students worked on a laboratory assignment Friday to determine whether sunscreens that use nanoparticles of zinc oxide were more effective than brands that didn't.
"So far, nano is more effective," junior Adam Custer said.
Many students took the course to supplement their chemistry and physics classes. They also had the option of taking the class to cover the requirement for a third-year science course.
Irwin said that Explorations in Nanotechnology includes state-mandated material in physics and chemistry. So, if a student decides to take nanotechnology instead of chemistry or physics, they won't be "missing those pieces, they're just learning them in a different way," Irwin said.
That way tends to include more material on the application of those sciences.
"It's hands on work," senior Greg Rickett said.
Technology teacher Mike Potter, who teaches the course with Balet, said that while aspects of the course focus on how to apply the knowledge, nanotechnology spans many subject areas.
"It's physics, it's chemistry, it's material science, it's economics, it's all the different disciplines," Potter said. "I want to spur their interest in this field because we're going to have jobs in this area."

On October 18, 2008, the AIT Commercial Section will co-host a conference on dental implants at the Taiwan Medical University to introduce Taiwan dentists to the use of new nanotechnology from the United States that dramatically decreases the recovery time of dental implant surgery while increasing its success rate.
An AIT Commercial Officer will deliver opening remarks at the event. Renowned American dentist Dr. Alan M. Meltzer will deliver the keynote address to over 200 local dentists on how to incorporate this new technology into their practices.
"Patients often request shorter treatment time so that they can minimize inconveniences in life. Even if patients' conditions are not ideal, we can still shorten surgery recovery time by using nanotechnology implants," said Dr. Allan M. Meltzer.
Official data shows that 47% of Taiwan's population aged 12 and older is missing at least one tooth. If left untreated, missing teeth can cause a variety of health issues, such as periodontal disease, loss of natural face contours, and even digestive problems. However, many people are hesitant to seek treatment fearing that the treatment will take too long.
The length of treatment required for an implant is determined by the time it takes for the implant to bond with the human bone, i.e., osseointegration. The latest dental implants employing state-of-the-art nanotechnology can substantially reduce the time for osseointegration. These implants use nanometer-scale calcium phosphate to create a more complex topography on the implant surface, which has been proven to expedite osseointegration by 150%, thereby decreasing the length of treatment by one to three months. Dr. Cheng Kuo-ching, a graduate of the Boston University School of Dental Medicine, said that as implant dentistry becomes popular, patients demand better quality and a faster healing process. It is therefore essential to enhance bone bonding and improve stability. Implants using nanotechnology can effectively expedite bone growth and increase predictability.
Dr. Chen Jui-po, a graduate of New York University's College of Dentistry, also stated that dental implants are a great solution to anyone that has missing teeth. Dental implantology has now matured and success rates for implant surgery have greatly improved.
AIT Commercial Section cordially invites members of the media to attend the conference at the Taipei Medical University on October 18 at 9:00 for the opening ceremony or 15:30 for the cocktail party.
For more information on the conference, please contact:
Vivian Wu, Kuo Hwa Dental Suppliers, Co., Ltd. Telephone numbers: 02-2226-1770, 0927020560

New 'suicide gene' delivery approach offers potential for novel therapy
PHILADELPHIA – A research team, led by investigators at the Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson, has achieved a substantial "kill" of pancreatic cancer cells by using nanoparticles to successfully deliver a deadly diphtheria toxin gene. The findings – set to be published in the October issue of Cancer Biology & Therapy – reflect the first time this unique strategy has been tested in pancreatic cancer cells, and the success seen offers promise for future pre-clinical animal studies, and possibly, a new clinical approach.
The researchers found that delivery of a diphtheria toxin gene inhibited a basic function of pancreatic tumor cells by over 95 percent, resulting in significant cell death of pancreatic cancer cells six days after a single treatment. They also demonstrated that the treatment targets only pancreatic cancer cells and leaves normal cells alone, thus providing a potential 'therapeutic window.' Further, they are targeting a molecule that is found in over three-quarters of pancreatic cancer patients.
"For the pancreatic cancer world, this is very exciting," says the study's lead author, molecular biologist Jonathan Brody, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, who works closely with the Samuel D. Gross Professor and Surgeon, Charles J. Yeo, M.D. "There are no effective targeted treatments for pancreatic cancer, aside from surgery for which only a minority of patients qualify. We are in great need of translating the plethora of molecular information we know about this disease to novel therapeutic ideas."
Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality in the U.S., reflecting the generally short survival time of patients - often less than a year from diagnosis.
This approach was originally developed in ovarian cancer cells by study co-author Janet Sawicki, Ph.D., a member of the Kimmel Cancer Center, and professor at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania. She and her group had recent success in reducing the size of ovarian tumors following treatment with diphtheria toxin nanoparticles.
The strategy is based on the fact that both ovarian and pancreatic cancer cells significantly over-express a protein found on the cell membrane, called mesothelin. The function of that molecule is unknown, but it is found in the majority of pancreatic tumors and ovarian cancer tumors. Other solid tumors also express mesothelin, but not at such a high rate.
"We don't know completely why cancer cells repeatedly turn on mesothelin genes to produce these membrane proteins, but it gives us a way to fool the cell and hijack its machinery, to trick it into making other more potent genes that will be detrimental to the cancer cells," Brody says.
To do that, the researchers devised an agent that consists of a bit of mesothelin DNA connected to the gene that produces the toxin from diphtheria, a highly contagious and potentially deadly bacteria, which is now controlled through childhood DPT vaccination. "Naked" DNA is then coated in a polymer to form nanoparticles that are taken up by the cancer cells.
Inside the cells, the agent performs its trickery. The nanoparticles biodegrade and the cell machinery senses genetic material from mesothelin. It activates the diphtheria toxin gene, which then turns on production of the toxin which allows the toxin to then do its work on the cancer cells, Brody says. Within 24 hours of delivery, the toxin disrupted production of protein machinery by over 95 percent, and within six days, a number of cancer cells die or are arrested.
"The cancer thinks it is turning on mesothelin and once it gets started reading that genetic code, it can't stop," he says. "So it will read the bacteria's DNA and produce the toxin which shuts down protein production in the cancer cells."
"It worked well in our cell culture models and now we are moving into pre-clinical experiments," Brody says.
The agent will not attack normal cells because the molecular machinery needed to turn on mesothelin is not found in normal cells, Brody says. Additionally, Sawicki has modified the diphtheria DNA to ensure that toxin that might be released from dying cancer cells is not taken up by healthy, normal cells.
But the researchers are now perfecting even more stringent measures to ensure safety, he says. "We can't help being hopeful," he says. "Our findings suggest that such a strategy will work in the clinical setting against the majority of pancreatic tumors."

The agreement, worth an estimated 1 billion rubles ($38.3 million), is the first deal for the nanotechnology corporation since President Dmitry Medvedev asked former UES chief Anatoly Chubais to head the company, also known as Rosnano, last month.
“This project will be highly effective financially,” Rosnano managing director Sergei Polikarpov said in a statement. “The creation of a metal-cutting tool with a nanostructure covering marks a significant contribution to the competitiveness of Russian engine building.”
The special coating will allow the tools to be used up to a dozen times, while going through more than double the amount of metal they are normally able to cut, the statement said.
Chubais was on hand to sign the agreement with Saturn CEO Yury Lastochkin and Gazprombank vice president Anatoly Milyukov.
Both Saturn and Gazprombank will have 25 percent stakes, while Rosnano will invest half the total sum.
The company, which will manufacture hard-alloy tools to detail parts for airplane engines, will base its production at a Saturn facility in Rybinsk, in the Yaroslavl region.
Saturn is expected to consume up to 30 percent of annual production, while the rest will be sold to domestic manufacturers. Lastochkin said the venture would consider the possibility of eventually entering the international market.
Asked how the ongoing financial crisis would affect Rosnano, Chubais said he expected it would spur an increased appetite for innovation.
“I’d say this crisis is the worst since the Great Depression. We shouldn’t dismiss it as if we don’t care or aren’t worried. We do care.”

click here to view the video on CNBC.com - http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=849379945

The federal government has launched a $100 million science program aimed at providing laboratories and support for work on micro and nano-fabrication research.
The program, called the Australian National Fabrication Facility, brings together state-of-the-art equipment distributed between seven university-based centres across the country.
The collaborative program represented a major step forward in Australia's capacity for research in nanotechnology and micro-fabrication, Science Minister Kim Carr said.
"It will enable researchers from institutions and industry to engineer and manipulate matter and materials at tiny scales all the way down to billionths of a metre, producing some features as small as a few dozen atoms," Senator Carr said.
Such infrastructure was essential in supporting the national innovation system in maintaining Australia's competitive position internationally.
It would also link centres of expertise and open their research to industry.
"Micro and nano-fabrication offer important technologies that will contribute solutions to national and global challenges including safe drinking water, better health diagnostics and energy storage."
The federal government has provided $41 million in funding for the program through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy.
The program has 17 member institutions and has attracted co-investments from the Victorian, NSW, Queensland and South Australian governments to assist in establishing nodes in those states.

Research at Purdue University suggests synthetic carbon molecules called fullerenes, or buckyballs, have a high potential of being accumulated in animal tissue, but the molecules also appear to break down in sunlight, perhaps reducing their possible environmental dangers.
Buckyballs may see widespread use in future products and applications, from drug-delivery vehicles for cancer therapy to ultrahard coatings and military armor, chemical sensors and hydrogen-storage technologies for batteries and automotive fuel cells.
"Because of the numerous potential applications, it is important to learn how buckyballs react in the environment and what their possible environmental impacts might be," said Chad Jafvert, a professor of civil engineering at Purdue.
The researchers mixed buckyballs in a solution of water and a chemical called octanol, which has properties similar to fatty tissues in animals. Jafvert and doctoral student Pradnya Kulkarni were the first to document how readily buckyballs might be "partitioned," or distributed into water, soil and fatty tissues in wildlife such as fish.
Findings indicated buckyballs have a greater chance of partitioning into fatty tissues than the banned pesticide DDT. However, while DDT is toxic to wildlife, buckyballs currently have no documented toxic effects, Jafvert said.
"This work points out the need for a better understanding of where the materials go in the environment," he said. "Our results show they are going to be taken up by fish and other organisms, possibly to toxic levels. This, however, indicates only the potential of buckyballs to bioaccumulate. They could break down in the environment or in an organism once taken up."
Researchers do not yet know whether buckyballs will break down in the environment or will be metabolized by animals, which would reduce the risk of accumulating in fatty tissues.
"For example, we don't bioaccumulate sugars because we process sugars, but we do bioaccumulate other compounds that we don't metabolize," Jafvert said. "If we have the ability to metabolize buckyballs, we won't bioaccumulate them."
Findings were detailed in a research paper that appeared in August in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. The paper was written by Jafvert and Kulkarni.
The researchers determined the "octanol-water partition coefficient," which enables them to show how readily buckyballs would be partitioned.
"The bottom line is, if buckyballs partition favorably from water to octanol, they are also likely to partition favorably from water to fatty tissues," Jafvert said.
The researchers also are investigating whether sunlight breaks down buckyballs and other structures called carbon nanotubes, which also could have widespread industrial applications.
"We need to learn how reactive these materials are in the environment," Jafvert said. "Do they break down? What kinds of products do they form? We have learned so far that buckyballs absorb light, and they do photoreact. That's potentially a good thing because it means it won't hang around for a long period of time, reducing the exposure concentration, which would then reduce any potential toxicity that it may or may not have."
Named after architect R. Buckminster Fuller, who designed the geodesic dome, buckminsterfullerenes, or buckyballs, are soccer-ball-shaped molecules containing 60 carbon atoms. A buckyball has a width of about 1 nanometer, or one-billionth of a meter, which is roughly 10 atoms wide.
The researchers determined precisely how soluble the buckyballs are in water and confirmed that the molecules form clusters, which complicates efforts to understand how they might be dispersed by water in the environment.
"Typically, buckyballs are not found in water because their solubility is so low, but the same could be said of DDT," Jafvert said. "DDT is found in sediment, so you would assume buckyballs would also end up in sediments. That means there is also a chance that marine organisms, like worms that are eating sediment, are going to be potentially accumulating buckyballs unless they break down in the environment."
The research is affiliated with the Center for the Environment and the Birck Nanotechnology Center at Purdue's Discovery Park and is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation through the NSF's Nanoscale Interdisciplinary Research Team, or NIRT. The work is part of a larger NIRT project at Purdue involving researchers in agronomy, civil engineering, agricultural and biological engineering, mechanical engineering, food science, and earth and atmospheric sciences.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by Purdue University

At a nano conference at the Huntsman Cancer Institute on Thursday evening, University of Utah officials announced the launch of the Nano Institute of Utah, led by cutting-edge scientists recently recruited under the Utah Science, Technology and Research initiative (USTAR). "Nanotechnology is one of the hot areas which has promise to improve life in areas ranging from medicine to energy," said Rich Brown, dean of the College of Engineering. "The University of Utah has been involved for years and the establishment of this institute underscores our commitment to it. We expect it will have positive effects on the state's economy." Nanoscience merges chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, medicine and pharmacy in studying structures as small as a nano, or one-billionth of a meter. Between 1,000 and 2,000 atoms are contained in a cubic nanometer. "Cut your hair by a thousandth. That's the scale we're talking about," said institute co-director Hamid Ghandehari, a professor of pharmaceutical chemistry and bioengineering who leads USTAR's medical device innovation team and the U.'s new Center for Nanomedicine. Synthesizing and manipulating materials on such a minute scale is revolutionizing how diseases are diagnosed and treated. Ghandehari's work uses nanotechnology to target the delivery of anti-cancer drugs and other therapies, thereby minimizing toxic side effects while increasing effectiveness. The new institute's co-director, U. chemist Marc Porter, leads USTAR's nanotechnology biosensor team, whose discoveries could advance diagnostics, fuel cells, nanoelectronic devices, chemical interaction databases and tissue replacement. His nanotech work fabricates gold particles into various shapes, typically rods, for holding antibodies, which can be used for detecting pathogens. He emphasized the institute builds on Utah's rich history in nanoscience by formalizing and strengthening interdisciplinary partnerships already in place. "By establishing the institute, we begin bringing together the pieces and players to take nanoscience in Utah from the scientist's bench to commercialization and beyond, where innovation begins affecting peoples' lives," Porter said.
bmaffly@sltrib.com