January 8, 2004

Vol. 14, No. 24

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.

2003 Editions are available online.

Previous editions are available online.

Carnegie Mellon's Red Team, led by Fredkin Research Professor William L. "Red" Whittaker, unveiled "Sandstorm," its entry in the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) $1 Million Grand Challenge for autonomous robots, earlier this week. Sandstorm, a 1986 HMMWV equipped with high-performance computers, sensors, scanning radar, satellite receivers and laser rangefinders, will attempt to autonomously travel 210 miles off-road from Barstow, Calif., to Las Vegas, Nev., in 10 hours or less on March 13, 2004. The team that completes the course, which will be announced just two hours before the race begins, in the allotted time will win a $1 million cash prize. If there is no winner, the race will be held again in the future.

—"We're not in it for the money," said Whittaker, a pioneer developer of mobile robots for hazardous environments. "We're in it because of who we are and for the future of technology."

—The Red Team includes Whittaker, students in his Mobile Robot Development Class, colleagues and a host of corporate sponsors. The race is expected to include 20 competitors.

CARNEGIE MELLON AND CHATHAM COLLEGE FORGE ACADEMIC PARTNERSHIP

Chatham College and the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management have announced an agreement to create a dual degree program, allowing undergraduate students from Chatham to begin a master's degree at Carnegie Mellon in their senior year.

—The Accelerated Masters Program will allow Chatham students to complete one of the following Heinz School degrees in five years: Master of Science in Public Policy and Management; Master of Science in Healthcare Policy and Management; Master of Information Systems Management; Master of Arts Management or Master of Science in Educational Technology Management.

—"Like Chatham, Carnegie Mellon is committed to training the next generation of women leaders who are focused on issues affecting the public interest. I am eager to work with these talented students from Chatham College," said Linda Babcock, Heinz School faculty member and chair of the Women's Policy Group.

JOHN ANDERSON NAMED PROVOST, VP AT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

John Anderson, dean of the College of Engineering, will become provost and university vice president of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, effective April 1. "This is truly a case of Carnegie Mellon's loss being Case Western Reserve's gain," said President Jared L. Cohon. "John Anderson has been a superb dean of our College of Engineering for almost eight years. In that time, he provided outstanding leadership for the engineering profession, as well as his college and the university. We wish him all the best in this new role."

—Anderson joined the Carnegie Mellon faculty in 1976. Before being appointed dean, he was head of the Chemical Engineering Department from 1983 to 1994.

A CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

Classes will be cancelled from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Monday, Jan. 19, to allow students, faculty and staff to participate in the university programs honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The following is the schedule of events:

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. "State of Diversity at Carnegie Mellon," President Jared L. Cohon, Rangos Hall, University Center (UC);

1:30 - 2:30 p.m. Readings of creative works and presentations of The Martin Luther King Jr. Day Writing Awards, Rangos Hall, UC;

2 - 3:30 p.m. Children's Program—"The Tree House" puppet show and readings from Beginnings with Books, Kirr Commons, UC;

2:30 - 4:30 p.m. Community Conversation, Connan Room, UC;

3:45 - 4:25 p.m. Community Collage. Students, faculty and staff honor the spirit of Dr. King through song, verse and personal interpretation. Kirr Commons, UC;

4:30 - 5 p.m. Candlelight Procession from the Fence to the UC;

5 - 6:30 p.m. Keynote Address and reception. "Where Do We Go From Here: Human Rights in Crisis Times," Dr. Mary Frances Berry. Rangos Hall, UC. Further info: www.cmu.edu/mlk/

FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS ANNOUNCED

The following members of the Carnegie Mellon faculty have received a 2003 - 04 Fulbright Scholar grant. Listed are the university where they will teach, and the dates of their assignment.

—Victor Adamchik, lecturer, Department of Computer Science. Lecturing/Research: "Symbolic Computations in Research and Education." University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia. March - July 2004.

—Jane Bernstein, associate professor, Department of English. Lecturing: "Creative Writing and Community Building." Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Feb. - July 2004.

—Ignacio E. Grossmann, professor and head, Department of Chemical Engineering. Lecturing: "Discrete Optimization Techniques for Process Systems Engineering." University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain. Sept. 2003 - Jan. 2004.

—Joseph B. Kadane, professor, Department of Statistics. Lecturing/Research: "Strengthening the Statistics Ph.D. Program at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile." Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Santiago, Chile. Feb. - July 2004.

—At Carnegie Mellon are Chiang Sanchez and Luciano Eduardo, Catholic University, Santiago, Chile. Research: "Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles: Application in Mining, Forestry and Agriculture." Through Jan. '04. Remzoe Dedic, Mechanical Engineering, University of Mostar, Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Research: "Mechanization of Above-Knee Prosthesis." Through June '04. Katerina Dobesova, doctoral candidate, Prague School of Economics, Czech Republic. Research: "Renewable Support Mechanisms in the United States Electricity Market." Through Aug. '04.

—The Fulbright Scholar Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, with additional funding provided by the participating governments and host institutions.

CHILDREN'S SCHOOL JOINS MR. ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD SWEATER DRIVE

During the first two weeks of January, the Children's School will join organizations across the country to celebrate the late Fred Rogers' neighborly spirit by participating in the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood Sweater Drive. The school will collect gently worn sweaters and other garments, such as coats, hats, scarves, mittens, gloves and boots. Bring your donation to the Children's School in Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall by Jan. 16. If you have questions, contact Jean Simpson at 8-2198.

NEWS BRIEFS

—Registration for the Learning and Development Spring '04 semester has begun. Visit www.cmu.edu/learning-programs for details. To register and read course descriptions, go to the Web site, click the blue box for Learning and Development and follow the links to registration page. If you have questions, contact ldhelp@andrew.cmu.edu.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Gregory S. Rohrer, the Mullins Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, has received the Richard M. Fulrath Award from the American Ceramic Society. The award recognizes outstanding academic and industrial ceramic engineers/scientists.

—Computer Science Ph.D. candidate Spiros Papadimitriou has received a Best Paper Award from the Very Large Data Bases (VLDB) 2003 Conference. The VLDB conference is one of the most prestigious and selective database conferences.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Jan. 16 - March 14: Exhibit. "Typographically Speaking: The Art of Matthew Carter." Regina Gouger Miller Gallery.

—Saturday, Jan. 17: Graduate School of Industrial Administration Open House for its MBA Flextime Program. The program is designed for those interested in obtaining an MBA while continuing their careers. 9:30 a.m. - Noon, Posner Hall - Bach Auditorium. Information: www.cmu.edu/mba or call 412-268-5687.

—Jan. 29 - Feb. 1: Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's "The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" will be performed as part of a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon's schools of Music and Drama. 8 p.m., Jan. 29, 30 and 31, and 2:30 p.m., Feb. 1. Philip Chosky Theatre, Purnell Center. Tickets—$15 for general admission, $10 for students—can be purchased at the School of Drama box office. Information: official.cmu-news, Jan. 7.

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