March 18, 2004

Vol. 14, No. 34

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.

Randal E. Bryant, the Robert Mehrabian Professor of Computer Science and head of the Computer Science Department, has been named dean of the School of Computer Science (SCS), effective April 1. He succeeds James H. Morris who is stepping down as dean to pursue other duties at the university, including greater involvement in Carnegie Mellon's West Coast Campus. Morris has served as dean of SCS since 1999.

—Bryant has been a member of the SCS faculty since 1984. He has achieved wide recognition for developing computer-aided design tools that simulate and verify digital circuits, and for his research in symbolic manipulation and parallel computation. Last year Bryant was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for pioneering new abstractions for logic circuit simulation, especially the switch-level model for transistor circuits.

—"Randy Bryant is the quintessential computer science professor," said President Jared L. Cohon. "He has done outstanding research that many companies depend upon to verify the basic soundness of their computer systems. He is also known for excellence in teaching and for creating exciting new courses of study for undergraduate students in computer science. He has been an outstanding department head and he will be a great dean."

—Bryant wrote a best-selling textbook which, for the first time, provides an integrated view of the hardware, software and networks underlying computer systems. The book, "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective," written with SCS colleague David O'Hallaron, was published in 2002 by Prentice Hall. More than 70 colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad use the book in their basic computer science curricula.

—Further information: www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040316_newdean.html

SANDSTORM BEATS THE FIELD IN DARPA GRAND CHALLENGE

Sandstorm, the autonomous robotic racer developed by Carnegie Mellon's Red Team, traveled farther than any of the other 13 robots in last Saturday's $1 Million DARPA Grand Challenge, an unmanned, off-road race from Barstow, Calif., to Primm, Nevada. Sandstorm traveled 7.4 miles of the 142-mile course before encountering problems.

—Sandstorm was coming off a hairpin turn when it high-centered on the shoulder of a road. The collision broke the vehicle's front pair of half shafts and shredded both front tires as it straddled the shoulder. Fuel began leaking from the vehicle as well. "We were wounded from the start," said Robotics Professor and Red Team leader, William L. "Red" Whittaker. He noted that Sandstorm's navigation system never fully recovered from a spill the vehicle took the previous week during a practice run at the Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC).

—Further information: www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040315_redteam.html

UNIVERSITY RECEIVES NOBEL LAUREATE CLIFFORD SHULL'S PAPERS

The university has received the papers of Nobel Laureate Clifford Glenwood Shull (S'37) as a gift from the Shull family. In 1994 Shull and Canadian physicist Bertram N. Brockhouse received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their individual work with neutron-scattering techniques. Shull died in March 2001. "The scientific papers of Clifford Shull are a real treasure to have at Carnegie Mellon. Even a brief look at part of the collection gives one an appreciation of the combination of careful, intensive work and clearly stated insights that are essential components of Shull's Nobel Prize-winning research," said Fred Gilman, professor and head of the department of physics. Further information: www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040312_papersgrant.html

NEWS BRIEFS

—The Carnegie Mellon men's and women's swimming and diving teams earned Academic All-American recognition for the fall 2003 semester from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. The women's team earned the highest cumulative GPA in all of Division III and the second-highest in the nation by achieving a 3.590 GPA. The only team to post a higher grade point average was Butler (Ind.) University (3.690). On the men's side, the Tartans ranked 16th in Division III with a 3.220 GPA, including a pair of 4.00 GPAs. The men's cross country team also earned Academic All-American distinction after recording a 3.57 GPA during the fall semester.

—Carnegie Mellon and other Pittsburgh-area colleges and universities have created the Pittsburgh Consortium for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (PCMRS), an interdisciplinary, intercampus organization of scholars working in medieval, Renaissance and early modern studies throughout western Pennsylvania. The consortium, funded through a grant from Carnegie Mellon, consists of six institutions: Carnegie Mellon, Chatham College, Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh, Slippery Rock University and West Virginia University. The organization's short-term goal is to create a comprehensive Web site that provides a common calendar of lectures and other events at each institution. Information: www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040312_renaissance.html

PERSONAL MENTION

—John A Pople, the former John C. Warner University Professor of Natural Science at Carnegie Mellon and 1998 Nobel Laureate, died March 15 in Chicago. He was affiliated with the Mellon Institute for more than 30 years and helped to create the field of computational quantum chemistry, making possible the detailed analysis of matter. He received the Nobel for using fundamental laws of quantum mechanics to develop "computational methods making possible the theoretical study of molecules, their properties and how they act together in chemical reactions." "We are deeply saddened to learn of John's passing. As a pioneer of his field, he transformed our ability to conduct research and inspired generations of scientists to build upon his legacy," said Richard D. McCullough, dean of the Mellon College of Science. Further information: official.cmu-news, March 18.

—Professor Ramayya Krishnan and doctoral student Danny Fernandes have received the General Motors (GM) Technical Education Program Outstanding Distance Learning Faculty Award for 2003. The award honors those who demonstrate excellence in distance learning education. According to GM's Academic Quality Assurance Coordinator Melanie L Bartlett, their "attention to the students was remarkable."

—Professor of Computer Science, Technology and Science Kathleen M. Carley has been appointed director of the new Ph.D. program in Computation, Organizations and Society (COS) in the School of Computer Science. The COS program is the first in the country to offer a Ph.D. that prepares students to construct tomorrow's technology in a way that assures its use will be responsible to the social, business, policy and regulatory settings in which the technology will operate. Further information: cos.cs.cmu.edu.

—Statistics Professor Kathryn Roeder will give the Presidential Invited Address to the Statistical Society of Canada next May in Montreal. Her topic is new statistical methods that reveal the genetic basis of complex disease.

—Peter Madsen, executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics, will speak on educational ethics on March 19 at the United States Coast Guard Academy's Class of 1948 Ethics Forum.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Saturday, March 20: Concert. Festival of Women Composers. Robert Page, conductor. 2:30 p.m., Nave of the Church of the Ascension. 4729 Ellsworth Ave. (corner of Ellsworth and Neville).

—Monday, March 22: Open Mind Lecture Series. "Universities, the Internet and the Intellectual Commons." Hal Abelson, Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar. 4:30 p.m., Adamson Wing, Baker Hall.

—Monday, March 22: Lecture. "An Execution in the Family‹Learning from the Rosenberg Case." Robert Meeropol, younger son of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, will discuss what he views as the similarities between America under McCarthyism and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The Rosenbergs were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage and sentenced to death in 1951. 7:30 p.m., Gregg Hall (Porter Hall 100). Free.

—Tuesday, March 23: Feynman Lecture No. 4. "Symmetry in Physical Law." 4:30 - 6 p.m. Doherty Hall 2210.

—March 24 - 26: Drama. "Betrayal." Directed by Crystal Manich. 7:30 p.m., March 24 and 25. 3:30 and 8 p.m., March 26. Free. Tickets at door one hour before curtain. Helen Wayne Rauh Studio Theater, Purnell Center.

—Thursday, March 25: Distinguished Lecture Series in Environmental Science, Technology and Policy. "Pittsburgh's Rivers: From Industrial Infrastructure to Environmental Infrastructure." Joel Tarr, the Richard Caliguri Professor of History. 4:30 p.m., Adamson Wing, Baker Hall.

—Thursday, March 25: Women's Association free brown bag program: "Fitness 201: Portable Programs Using Flex Bands and Light Free Weights." Hands on demonstration by Patricia Stragar of Athletics and Physical Education. Noon- 1 p.m., Connan Room, UC.. Information: www.cmu.edu/CMWA

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