December 4, 2003

Vol. 14, No. 21

The "8 1/2 x 11 News" is published each week by the University Advancement Division. News of campus interest should be sent to one of the following editors:   Ed Delaney, 412-268-1609 (ed47@andrew.cmu.edu)
  Bruce Gerson, 412-268-1613 (bg02@andrew.cmu.edu)
  Susan Cribbs, 412-268-7521 (cribbs@andrew.cmu.edu)

The newsletter is available on the official.cmu-news and cmu.misc.news bulletin boards.

2001 Editions are available online.

2002 Editions are available online.

Previous editions are available online.

A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) have won the 2003 Gordon Bell Prize, one of the most important awards for high performance computing. The team was honored for developing earthquake computer simulations that play an important role in reducing seismic risk. Team members include Volkan Akcelik, Jacobo Bielak, Ioannis Epanomeritakis, Antonio Fernandez, Omar Ghattas, Eui Joong Kim, Julio Lopez, David O'Hallaron and Tiankai Tu of Carnegie Mellon and John Urbanic of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center.

—Further information: www.psc.edu/science/2003/earthquake/big_city_shakedown.html

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND DRAMA HIRE "ROBORECEPTIONIST"

The School of Computer Science and the School of Drama have announced the hiring of Valerie, the university's first robot receptionist ("roboreceptionist") to greet and direct visitors as they enter the lobby of Newell-Simon Hall. In addition to her sparkling personality, Valerie has the ability to remember names, give directions and tell stories.

—Say hello to Valerie. She's on the third floor (main entrance) of Newell-Simon Hall any day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Be sure to bring your university ID card so she can identify you. Further information www.roboceptionist.com

CARVER OFFERS PARENTS TIPS FOR JOYFUL, NOT TEARFUL, HOLIDAYS

The holidays can be the most wonderful time of the year‹especially for children‹but they can also be quite stressful, both for parents and children. Sharon Carver, director of the Carnegie Mellon Children's School, offers advice on how to keep the holidays fun for children, and relaxing and memorable for mothers and dads. Tips include allowing a leisurely pace so children can help with holiday preparations, being realistic about children's tolerance for excitement and showing extra attention and affection.

—Carver's tips are posted on www.cmu.edu/PR/releases03/031201_joyholiday.html

GSIA STUDENTS TO SPEND DAY HELPING LOCAL COMMUNITY

On Friday, Dec. 5, approximately 125 Carnegie Mellon graduate business students will volunteer throughout Pittsburgh during the business school's first "Business to Community Day." Students, joined by administrators and friends, will prepare meals, mentor high school students, wrap holiday presents and spend time with the elderly during the all day, city-wide event. Starting early in the morning and going late into the day, volunteers will work at the Greater Pittsburgh Area Food Bank, East End Cooperative Ministry (Meals on Wheels, soup kitchen, food pantry, Orr Compassionate Care Center, Bridge House, Safe Haven), Carnegie Library, City High School, Council Care, Carnegie Museum, Carnegie Science Center, Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh Clean Ways, Race for the Cure and Pittsburgh Cares.

NEWS BRIEFS

—Academic Development is sponsoring a Salvation Army Angel Tree this holiday season. Visit the office at 4902 Forbes Ave., take a stocking with a child's name on it and buy him/her a gift. Call 8-8289 for further information. The gifts are needed by Tuesday, Dec. 9.

—Carnegie Mellon is one of more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide participating in the Independent 529 Plan, a new prepaid college tuition program created specifically for private colleges that locks in tuition at today's prices. The plan is a tax-advantaged way to help parents afford a private college education for their students. The certificates can be redeemed at participating colleges across the country. Information: www.independent529plan.org/

PERSONAL MENTION

—The National Science Foundation has awarded a three-year, $675,000 grant to a team of Mellon College of Science faculty for the development of integrated molecular biosensors to be used in a range of applications, including medicine and environmental monitoring. The scientists include Bruce Armitage, associate professor of chemistry; William Brown, professor of biological sciences; and Alan Waggoner, professor of biological sciences and director of the Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center.

—Elias Towe, professor of materials science and electrical and computer engineering, has been elected a fellow of the American Physical Society.

—Wilfried Sieg, head of the Department of Philosophy, recently gave a series of seminars at the University of Bologna, Italy, on his research on computability and proof search. While in Bologna, he was a senior visiting fellow at the university's Institute of Advanced Study and lectured on the correspondence between Kurt Gödel and Jacques Herbrand, two of the most influential mathematical logicians of the 20th century. He also spoke at a conference in Pisa that focused on machine-oriented investigations of intelligent behavior.

—Florin Manolache, systems manager for the Department of Mathematical Sciences, has been appointed director of Scientific Computing for the Mellon College of Science. He is also managing the Unix clusters that provide important research infrastructure for the departments of Physics and Chemistry.

—Professors Mike Reiter and Dawn Song are studying cybersecurity from a biological perspective in collaboration with the University of New Mexico. Their research, which looks at computers the way a physician would look at genetically related patients, is designed to ward off attacks by worms, viruses and other cyberintruders. Their goal is to ensure that an attack against one computer can't be automatically replicated against a large number of computers, thereby considerably slowing large-scale attacks.

—Eiko Ushida, a recent graduate of the Ph.D. program in Second Language Acquisition in the Department of Modern Languages, has won the 2003 H&SS Graduate Student Teaching Award. Ushida was an active and central participant in the department's undergraduate courses in Japanese.

—Wendy Hermann has resigned as assistant dean of student affairs to become director of Student Services for the Graduate School of Industrial Administration. She will oversee the master's programs and work on academic planning for the college. John Hannon, director of student activities, has assumed the position left vacant by Hermann's departure. A national search will be launched for a director of student activities.

—Computing Services Help Center Consultant Gretchen Beck is one of nine nominees for this year's Pittsburgh Service and Support Professionals' "Pittsburgh Help Desk Analyst of the Year" award. The annual award recognizes excellence in the areas of technical aptitude, team orientation, leadership, customer service, people skills and positive attitude. The winner will be announced at an awards ceremony today, Thursday, Dec. 4.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Friday, Dec. 5: Holiday Concert, featuring Carnegie Mellon's concert choir and repertory chorus. Robert Page, conductor. Noon, College of Fine Arts Great Hall. Free. Live broadcast on WQED-FM 89.3.

—Sunday, Dec. 7: Final class composition projects in the Introduction to Computer Music course. 8 p.m., Alumni Concert Hall, College of Fine Arts.

—Monday, Dec. 8: "Sweeney Todd" concert version. Combined production with the schools of Drama and Music. 8 p.m., Kresge Music Hall.

—Wednesday, Dec. 10: Dowd Seminar, 2 - 4 p.m., Hamburg Hall 1000. Presentations will be given by Dowd Teaching Fellow Vijayakumar Bhagavatula, professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Dowd Institute for Complex Engineered Systems fellows and graduate students Pedram Afshar, Eric Miller and Amrinder Nain. The fellowships are made possible by an endowment from Philip L. (E'63) and Marsha Dowd.

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