January-February-2008http://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/en-US2012-02-07T05:03:45ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Dear Readers,http://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/dear-readers.htmlAdministrator2008-03-18T00:15:29ZThis year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Center of Austrian Studies at the University of New Orleans. Austrian Information presents a retrospective of the valuable academic cooperation between the universities and cities of Innsbruck and New Orleans.

We likewise report in this issue on another historical academic cooperation. The Austrian-American Educational Cooperation Association (AAECA) has promoted a vibrant exchange of teachers between New York City and Austria for the past 15 years. Moreover, a recently launched partnership between Vienna's district of Leopoldstadt and New York's borough of Brooklyn will focus on educational collaboration between schools of both districts.

Furthermore, we are glad to present an interview with the deputy head of the Hubble mission at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Austrian born Helmut Jenkner, who has been intensively involved in the development and operations of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Included in our current issue is also an updated list of Austrian summer schools offering a broad range of academic programs throughout the country and introducing the traditional University of Vienna Summer School Program.

Yours sincerely,

Wolfgang Renezeder
Editor-in-Chief

]]>Euro 2008http://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/euro-2008.htmlAdministrator2008-03-18T00:12:57Z

In June of this year Austria and Switzerland will host the European Soccer Championship 2008, and preparations are underway for this major sporting event welcoming Europe’s best soccer players and most loyal fans. The Euro 2008 expects 550,000 visitors in the stadiums, up to 2 million participants in fan miles and public viewing and 8-10 billion viewers on TV. For three weeks, beginning with June 7, the ball will be kicked between Austria and Switzerland before the final whistle signals the end of the European Soccer Championship on June 29 in Vienna’s Ernst-Happel Stadium. Austria will host 16 out of 31 matches. The Ernst-Happel Stadium in the Vienna Prater, which accommodates up to 50,000 fans, will host 7 matches; Salzburg, Innsbruck and Klagenfurt will host 3 group matches each.
]]>The Vienna – New York Connectionhttp://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/the-vienna-new-york-connection.htmlAdministrator2008-03-18T00:10:01ZSister City Partnership Brooklyn-Leopoldstadt

Last year a partnership between Vienna’s district of Leopoldstadt and New York’s borough of Brooklyn was launched to intensify the cultural exchange between the two districts. During a recent visit to New York from January 23-28, 2008, Vienna’s Deputy Mayor Renate Brauner met with Brooklyn President Marty Markowitz to discuss possible follow-up projects including the field of educational cooperation. She also held meetings with the City of New York’s Finance Commissioner Martha Stark as well as with NY Governor Eliot Spitzer.

]]>CenterAustria Celebrateshttp://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/centeraustria-celebrates.htmlAdministrator2008-03-18T00:04:21Z

The creation of CenterAustria at the University of New Orleans (UNO) in 1997 is the progeny of an over thirty year model Austrian-American partnership centered around New Orleans. Beginning in the fall of 2007, a year-long series of lectures, conferences, art exhibits and concerts will celebrate CenterAustria’s 10th Anniversary. Since the shocking impact of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and UNO measure time before and after Katrina. The effects of the most devastating disaster in American history affected some of the Center’s programs. Nevertheless, two years after cleaning up “open boxes of no longer crisp Soletti and Manner Schnitten,” Günter Bischof, the current director, and the staff of CenterAustria are again successfully administering UNO’s proliferating activities with its partner university – the Leopold-Franzens Universität Innsbruck.]]>Fifteen Years of Austrian-American Educational Cooperationhttp://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/fifteen-years-of-austrian-american-educational-cooperation.htmlAdministrator2008-03-18T00:00:41Z

“If you can read this, have we got a deal for you!!!” In the mid 1990s brochures with this beckoning slogan appeared on university campuses all over Austria and led to what would become a vibrant exchange between Austrian teachers and New York City’s public schools. With over 1.2 million students, the school district of NYC was experiencing a shortage of teachers of secondary school mathematics and science, while Austria had a number of graduates who were frustrated in their efforts to find full-time teaching jobs.]]>University of Vienna International Summer Schoolhttp://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/university-of-vienna-international-summer-school.htmlAdministrator2008-03-17T23:52:38Z

Summer 2008 marks the 60th year of the University of Vienna’s International Summer School, committed to international education since its founding after World War II.]]>Austrian Summer Schools 2008http://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/austrian-summer-schools-2008.htmlAdministrator2008-03-17T23:40:58Z

For those interested in pursuing summer studies in Austria, whether it be learning German or attending academic lectures on Europe viewed through different fields such as Law, Politics, History, Economics, Art, Music, etc., Austrian summer schools offer a diverse program for every need.

Academic programs include the International Summer Program at the University of Vienna, now in its 60th year, and the University of New Orleans International Summer School at the Leopold Franzens-University in Innsbruck, which is open to all students of accredited U.S. universities and is the largest U.S. program of its kind.

]]>Space Research and the Hubble Space Telescopehttp://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/space-research-and-the-hubble-space-telescope.htmlAdministrator2008-03-17T23:34:49ZInterview with Helmut Jenkner

Since its launch in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope has allowed for observations of the most detailed images ever taken of objects at the greatest distance possible. This has led to breakthroughs in the field of astrophysics. Austrian Helmut Jenkner, deputy head of the Hubble Mission Office at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, has been intensively involved in the development and operations of the Hubble Space Telescope. He spoke with Austrian Information about his early interests and the highlights of his career in astrophysics in Austria and the U.S. ]]>Bookshttp://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/books.htmlAdministrator2008-03-17T23:29:36ZAustrian, Gloria Hussl-Krassnig, animal lover and advocate of animal rights residing in the Houston Texas area, has recently published the book, What a Family, offering an educational account of animal rescue operations. Working with the county’s Animal Control group, as well as with other organizations, she and her husband take in animals and maintain an adoption program – “Paws, Hoofs & Claws Animal Rescue & Sanctuary” - on their Sunrise Farms in Texas. Together, they provide a haven not only for dogs, but also for horses, cats and other animals, offering them health, companionship and often an escape from neglect or harsh conditions by previous owners. The book relates stories of some of these animals. Having grown up on a farm in Friesach in Carinthia, Hussl-Krassnig moved in 1981 to the United States with her husband, Jack Krassnig. For more information, see: www.ghkbooks.com

]]>Fred Friedman (1926 - 2008)http://www.austrianinformation.org/january-february-2008/fred-friedman-1926-2008.htmlAdministrator2008-03-17T23:26:27ZDr. Fred Friedman, Austrian Honorary Consul for Buffalo and Rochester, New York 2002 to 2006, died on January 16, 2008 at the age of 81. A native of Salzburg, he left Austria in 1938 with his family at the age of 15 and graduated in 1950 with a B.S. in accounting and in 1954 with a Doctor Juris from Brooklyn Law School. In 1955 he established the law firm Friedman & Ranzenhofer where he had since been practicing. Among the highlights of his career, Dr. Friedman was strongly involved in the community, serving as President of the local Chamber of Commerce, for which he was chosen Citizen of the Year in 2006. He was also Director of the National Council for International Visitors and President of Kiwanis. In 1993 he served as Attaché for the Austrian teams participating in the World University Games and traveled extensively throughout the world. In 2004, he actively participated in the Holocaust education school project, "Letter to the Stars," involving more than 15,000 Austrian school children who researched and wrote about the lives of NS victims. His belief in the basic good of humanity inspired him to return many times to his native Austria in later life to engage older citizens and children in remembrance of WW II and the Holocaust.

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