International Extravaganza Held during International Education Week, this event celebrates Houston’s commitment to international education. The carnival-like set up has two components: “The World Bazaar,” where students exhibit their “Portraits” of a country, and “International Alley,” where various Houston-based international organizations and study-abroad offices exhibit and inform students of opportunities available to them. The event is complete with a speaker and a multicultural performance.  Learn about our 2007 International Extravaganza by reading the information below. Components Speaker Fuel & Energy in the Future Vijay Vaitheeswaran What will cars look like in the future? How will the Earth be affected by today's environmental problems? Vijay Vaitheeswaran will explore these questions by taking you inside the global race to build the car of the future.  Pioneers in Japan, India, China, and the USA are tackling the challenge of creating automobiles that will run on cleaner energy sources. What are the oil companies doing about it? Vijay will discuss what he observed in the boardrooms of oil companies and shows how some are boldly exploring new energy sources while others deny the dangers posed by oil and risk extinction. He addresses what may be the most important challenge facing the industrial world: How to make the transition from the "Age of Petroleum" to a cleaner and better future. Vijay Vaitheeswaran is the co-author of ZOOM and a global correspondent for The Economist. As the newspaper's global environment & energy correspondent, he covered the politics, economics, business and technology involved in those topics from 1998 to 2006. He wrote about political, financial and cultural developments in Latin America from 1992 to 1997. Vijay is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has lectured at Stanford, Yale and Oxford, and is an adjunct faculty member at New York University. He is a commentator on NPR and Marketplace radio, and a regular guest on the BBC, PBS's NewsHour, ABC's Nightline and other television programs. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. International Alley A wide range of international organizations and study-abroad offices will exhibit the international opportunities available to the students. Last year, over 35 organizations attended, and students enjoyed learning about the organizations' missions, volunteer opportunities, and other activities. To exhibit in International Alley, contact outreach@wachouston.org.   Multicultural Performance To celebrate Houston's cultural richness, we invite local ethnic groups to perform. We also invite student groups who would like to perform to join us. To perform, please e-mail edu@wachouston.org. This year's performers include: Bayou City Pipes and Drums          Brazilian Capoeira group - Brazilian Arts Foundation World Bazaar The World Bazaar is a contest for Houston-area high school students. It is an opportunity for them to learn about another country and to display their talent and initiative to other students and teachers. Besides learning about the world, this event has prizes for best country Portraits. Prizes 1st place: $100 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble 2nd place: $50 gift certificate to AMC Theaters 3rd place: Houston Museum of Natural Science voucher for two admissions to an IMAX and two admissions to the Burke Baker Planetarium. Projects will be judged by a undisclosed panel of high school teachers Guidelines for the World Bazaar 1.       Pick a country about which you would like to learn. 2.       Register your project with the Council at edu@wachouston.org including your name, school, country, title of project, and teacher. Note: To encourage variety of information we will allow only two projects on one country.  Register early to ensure that you get your first choice. 3.    Review the rules to understand the judges' criteria for winners. 4.       Create your country Portrait. Portraits should Be presented on a three-fold board. Have your name, grade level, and school on the back of the board. Convey information in a clear, neat, and creative format. Have a title and bibliography. Have an abstract: one-page introduction that synthesizes the content. Describe social, political, and economic aspects of a country and its role in the world.  New category - Energy - How is energy affecting a particular country? Highlight either a developing country or a major nation. Schedule 3:30 Students set up their World Bazaar projects Exhibitors set up in International Alley 4:00 Registration & Snack Judging begins Students tour 4:20 Bayou City Pipes and Drums Performance 5:00 Welcome and introduction 5:05 Speaker 5:40 Questions & answers 6:00 Brazilian Arts Foundation Capoeira Group Performance 6:30 Winners announced Bus Reimbursement The Council offers reimbursement for student transportation to our education programs. If this cost is a barrier to your students' participation in Council events, please fill out this application and contact: Phone: (713) 316-4475 Email: edu@wachouston.org