AESEDA News :: Leadership in AESEDA Changes Hands—Penn State Appoints Adewumi to Vice Provost for International Programs
The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Rob Crane,
Professor of Geography, as the new Director of the Alliance for Earth Sciences, Engineering, and Development in Africa (AESEDA).
Rob is a climatologist with extensive research and teaching experience in Sub-Saharan Africa. His work on downscaling of climate
model simulations to create high-resolution climate information in Africa is well-known and highly regarded. Rob has been deeply
involved in the development of AESEDA's broad portfolio of capacity building, teaching, and research. Rob has the vision to help
it realize its goals to facilitate the development of resident African scientific capacity in the earth and engineering sciences
and to promote cutting edge team research involving African and EMS scientists.
Thaddeus Ityokumbul (left), associate professor of mineral engineering, has been appointed associate director for AESEDA. Thaddeus has
been an active member of the AESEDA team since the inaugural symposium in 2003 and was instrumental in forging out initial
partnerships with Nigerian universities and organizations.
Michael Adewumi (right), the Quentin E. and Louise L. Wood University Endowed Fellow and Professor of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering
who also served as Director of AESEDA was named Penn State's Vice Provost for International Programs on October 1, 2007. Adewumi
will provide leadership for the University's education abroad programs and support services for international students and scholars,
and will work to develop strategic international partnerships and a more globally oriented curriculum for Penn State students. He
will collaborate with the University's college deans, campus chancellors, and key faculty to ensure an inter-national perspective
in the University's three major functions of teaching, research, and service/outreach.