by Geoff McMaster

In this special, video supplement to Folio's international edition, see how students, faculty and alumni are making a difference around the world. You may need to install Quicktime to view the files.

Healing children in Mexico Elizabeth Jones, a University of Alberta nutrition graduate (1955), began dispensing advice from the back of a station wagon in Tijuana some 30 years ago. Since then she has rallied enough support to build the Hospital Infantil de las Californias, where the majority of doctors volunteer and patients are treated regardless of their ability to pay. She also established an outreach program to service barrios that Mother Theresa once called among the most impoverished anywhere.	click image to begin video
Fighting AIDS/HIV in Uganda Dr. Walter Kipp has spent much of his career helping Uganda deal with devastating scourge of HIV-AIDS. Partly because of his influence on health policy, the country is one of the few in Africa where infection is actually on the decline. Key to his success is a strong relationship with people in a rural district of Western Uganda, and a profound understanding of the physical and cultural barriers that stand in the way of an effective strategy for fighting the disease. Kipp is now passing the torch to his graduate students, who design projects to meet the most urgent needs of the Ugandan people.	click image to begin video
Playing around the world Every year, physical education professor Dr. Jane Vallentyne and team of volunteer students pack their toys and sports gear and traved overseas to Thailand where they help disadvantaged and disabled children learn to play � children who, for cultural reasons, would otherwise have no outlet for this form of self expression. Over five years the program has blossomed beyond anyone�s expectations, transforming the lives of both the children and the students who participate.	click image to begin video
Restoring a river of legend The great Yangtze River in China has since ancient times been a source of abundant life, food and mythology. But in recent decades the river has become horribly polluted. Its banks, once covered in vast forests, have been severely eroded by over-farming. Four years ago Dr. Larry Wang and a childhood friend, Sam Chao, an electrical engineer now living in the U.S., decided to do what they could to stop the deterioration of this national treasure. They raised funds and gathered enough local expertise in forestry management, soil conservation and rural economic development to launch a reforestation program. What they�ve been able to do so far, they admit, is just a start. But the results are remarkable.	click image to begin video
Inciting a choral revolution Leadership and innovation in the arts are as critical to our social well-being as development projects in health care, agriculture or environmental science. At Campus Saint-Jean music professor Dr. Laurier Fagnan has found a way to improve the sound of choirs by applying techniques of the Italian bel canto singing method, long thought to be suitable only for the solo voice. Already attracting international interest, Fagnan defended his doctoral thesis just last fall and is now poised to shake up the world of choral music.	click image to begin video
Living global citizenship At the University of Alberta�s recently opened International House students from around the world, including Canada, live and learn together, providing a model for cross-cultural understanding. The new residence is part of a distinguished global network called International House Worldwide and is the first in the network to open in Canada.	click image to begin video
Breathing history The great Roman poet, Virgil, claimed that Cortona was founded by Dordona, the son of Zeus and Electra. Modern historians speculate that it was once a fortified Umbrian city that passed into the hands of the Etruscans between the eighth and seventh centuries. Whatever your persuasion, this Italian hill-top town is steeped in history as much as in the enticing aromas of Tuscan cuisine. Each year, some 40 U of A students spend a term in Cortona taking courses ranging from Italian to ancient Roman archeology and Renaissance art. They say the experience leaves an impression that is sure to last a lifetime.	click image to begin video

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