February 26, 2004

Vol. 14, No. 31

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.

Bill Gates, Microsoft Corporation's chief software architect, paid tribute to Carnegie Mellon's "phenomenal contributions" to computer science during his first visit to campus on Feb. 25. During his lecture, "Software Breakthroughs: Solving the Toughest Problems in Computer Science," Gates spoke about the evolution of computing over the years and congratulated Carnegie Mellon on being a model for computer science education. He praised the university for its work in artificial intelligence and speech-recognition and noted its work in "trustworthy computing, the most important issue in software today." He said that Microsoft has benefited greatly from the research conducted at Carnegie Mellon. Gates also demonstrated prototypes of technologies that will hit the market in the near future, including a database program for storing digital photos and a palm-sized media center for downloading movies, music and photos.

—Carnegie Mellon has a strong relationship with Microsoft. The company provides scholarships and fellowships for Carnegie Mellon students, supports university research and contributes to many ongoing research and education efforts at the university. Microsoft is a founder of Carnegie Mellon's West Coast Campus and is the largest corporate recruiter of Carnegie Mellon computer science undergraduates. Overall, 138 Carnegie Mellon alumni are employed by Microsoft and its subsidiaries.

—A video of Gates' speech is available from the Carnegie Mellon Front Door (www.cmu.edu) through Feb. 29. You must have a registered Andrew account to access the Webcast.

FALL 2004 TUITION TO INCREASE FIVE PERCENT

The university's Board of Trustees has authorized a 5 percent increase in undergraduate tuition. For students entering in fall 2004, tuition will be $30,650. The trustees also instituted a 0.5 percent ($150) technology fee that will be used to substantially upgrade Carnegie Mellon's computing environment. Room costs for all students will increase 5.5 percent to $4,964 and board costs will rise 4 percent to $3,590. The overall cost for students entering in fall of 2004 will be $39,589. This includes tuition, room and board, the technology fee and a $235 student activities fee. Tuition covers only about 70 percent of the cost of an undergraduate's education. Nearly two-thirds of all Carnegie Mellon undergrads receive some form of financial aid.

—Tuition for students who entered in the fall of 2003 will be $30,650, reflecting the 5 percent increase. Students who entered from 2000 to 2002 will also see a 5 percent increase. Their tuition will be $30,200.

NEWS BRIEFS

—The online registration deadline for Human Resources' 2004 Leadership Symposium is March 1. Register today at hr.web.cmu.edu/Leadership/index.htm before the seminars are filled. The March 9 symposium offers a full-day of professional development sessions for university managers and leaders.

—The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research offers a comprehensive, integrated program of studies in research design, statistics, data analysis and social methodology. Basic training is offered, along with opportunities for advanced work in specialized areas. Carnegie Mellon is an ICPSR member, so lower fees apply. Popular workshops fill quickly, and application for some workshops is competitive. Further information: Paul Neuhaus, 412-268-6116 or neuhaus@andrew.cmu.edu

PERSONAL MENTION

—Jim Daniels, director of the Creative Writing Program, has been named the Thomas Stockham Baker Professor of English. Baker was the second president of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, the predecessor to Carnegie Mellon University. Daniels has been director of the Creative Writing Program for the past 10 years. He established the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Writing Awards for high school and Carnegie Mellon students; a mentoring program for students at the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts; and partnered with Pittsburgh Public Schools to host the annual Power of the Pen Conference for more than 500 high school students.

—Irene Fonseca, the Mellon College of Science Professor of Mathematics and director of the Center for Nonlinear Analysis, has been appointed to an advisory committee at Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) to improve and expand that institution's mathematics program. She is one of eight mathematicians from outside universities on the advisory committee.

—Senior Brian McCarthy was recently named an Athlete of the Week by CollegeSwimming.com for his record-setting performance at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championships, Feb. 12-14, at Emory University. McCarthy earned UAA Men's Swimmer of the Meet honors after winning three events.

—Materials Science and Engineering students were honored at the Pittsburgh Golden Triangle Chapter of ASM International's Young Members Night on Feb. 19. Doctoral student Neill McDonald won first prize in the Graduate Student Poster Contest and senior Clarissa Yablinsky took second place in the Undergraduate Poster Contest. Sophomore Eric Vanderson received the Past Chairpersons Scholarship and senior Julia Hess earned the Outstanding Senior Award.

—Associate Computer Science Professor Tuomas Sandholm, Associate Chemistry Professor David Yaron and Benno Bernt, founder and former head of Carnegie Mellon's Technology Transfer Office, are among those being honored this year by the Carnegie Science Center for outstanding achievements in science and technology in southwestern Pennsylvania. The awards will be presented April 21.

—MBA student Josh Gerlick, undergraduate computer science major Yogesh Oka and graduate mechanical engineering student Mark O'Leary have won first place in the EnterPrize Phase I Business Plan Competition hosted by the Pittsburgh Technology Council. EANeedle, the name of their team and fledgling company, is developing a technology that uses ultrasounds for biopsies in places that were almost impossible to reach using ordinary needles.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Sunday, Feb. 29: University Professor of Music Andrés Cárdenes will perform with the Carnegie Mellon Chamber Orchestra. The program will include Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony #83 in G minor (La Poule); David Stock - The Philosopher's Stone for Violin & Small Ensemble; Johannes Brahms - Serenade #1 in D major, op. 11. 8 p.m., Third Presbyterian Church (corner of Fifth Ave. and S. Negley). Free admission.

—Sunday, Feb. 29: The Last Lecture Series. "What Failure Teaches Us About Success." Mark Stehlik, School of Computer Science. 5 p.m, Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136A.

—March 1 - 12: Art exhibit. "beyond nature," by Kelly Young. 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., University Center art gallery. Reception: 4 - 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 3. Free admission.

—Tuesday, March 2: Human Resources information session about employment in Qatar, where the university is opening a branch campus. 3 p.m., Whitfield Hall. Learn more about the positions available, the campus, the culture, the compensation and benefits package, and other aspects of the Qatar opportunities. To RSVP for this session, go to hr.web.cmu.edu/jobs/Qatar.html

—Tuesday, March 2: Adamson Visiting Writer Series. James Hall, author of four books of poetry, a collection of essays and 12 novels including "Under Cover of Daylight." 8 p.m., Adamson Wing, Baker Hall.

—Tuesday, March 2: Feynman Lecture: "The Relation of Mathematics to Physics," 4:30 - 6 p.m., Doherty Hall 2210. Due to the overwhelming response to the first in the series of Feynman lectures, the remaining six lectures have been moved to new locations on campus. Locations of the other lectures are on official.cmu-news, Feb. 25.

—Wednesday, March 3: Farewell reception for College of Engineering Dean John Anderson, who is stepping down as dean to become provost and vice president at Case Western Reserve University. 4 - 6 p.m., Rangos 3.

—Thursday, March 4: School of Computer Science Distinguished Lecture Series. "Translingual Information Processing." Salim Roukos, manager, Natural Language Technologies Department, IBM T. J. Watson Research Center. 4 p.m., Wean Hall 7500.

—Saturday, March 6: President's Party for faculty and staff. 8 - 11 p.m., Register at www.cmu.edu/invite/PresParty/

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