In 2016, the Center for South Asian Studies (CSAS) signed agreements with Habib University (Karachi) and the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) (Pune), providing an opportunity for their students to study and/or do research at U-M. Both student programs ran for the first time in Spring/Summer 2017.
In May 2017, the Center for South Asian Studies welcomed six undergraduate students from IISER to Ann Arbor and sent three U-M students to IISER’s Pune campus under the auspices of the Michigan-IISER Science Exchange Program. IISER students were placed in research labs to work alongside U-M students and faculty for approximately 10 weeks. Preliminary feedback from both students and faculty has been very positive, and we will hope to have as many as 10 IISER students to U-M in 2018. We were pleased that three U-M students were able to avail of a reciprocal opportunity to study with faculty at IISER. We hope to see more U-M students take advantage of this opportunity to study science in an international context and work with IISER’s renowned faculty in the future.
The agreement with Habib University—a newly established private liberal arts university—allows select students to enroll in summer semester courses at U-M’s Ann Arbor campus. In summer 2017, four Habib students joined us on campus: Infer Khalid Baig, Maisam Hyder Ali, Safian Haq, and Fatima Hamdini.
When asked about her experience, Infer Baig shared: “The Michigan Summer term 2017 has been by far the greatest growing experience of my life. Here at the University of Michigan, I am taking inspiring courses on “Anthropology of the Senses” and “Gender in the Middle East,” which are very relevant to my academic interests. But I am also learning so much about myself. Travelling on my own for the first time, experiencing life in a different country, and meeting some of the kindest and most compassionate people in Ann Arbor have been truly remarkable. I know that when I go back home, I will be carrying with me some of the most wonderful memories, friendships, connections, and wisdom that life has to offer.”
Both of these programs were made possible with the cooperation and support of the Office of the Dean, LSA, and the Office of the Vice-Provost for Global Engagement and Interdisciplinary Affairs.
