April 22, 2004

Vol. 14, No. 39

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.

Candace Sheffield Matthews, president of the Soft Sheen-Carson division of L'Oreal, will be the keynote speaker at the university's 107th commencement, Sunday, May 16, in Gesling Stadium.

—Matthews' successful marketing career has gone beyond her original undergraduate work in metallurgical science and engineering at Carnegie Mellon, where she graduated in 1981. She earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and went on to hold senior marketing positions at General Mills, Cover Girl Cosmetics, Bausch & Lomb, CIBA Vision Corporation and the Coca-Cola Company. From Coca-Cola, Matthews joined L'Oreal USA, which acquired Soft Sheen Products Inc. in 1998 and Carson Products in 1999. The two companies merged in August 2000 to become Soft Sheen-Carson, L'Oreal's headquarters for hair-care products for people of African descent. In 2001, Matthews became president of Soft Sheen-Carson.

—Matthews received Carnegie Mellon's Alumni Merit Award in 2003 and is a member of the Carnegie Mellon Board of Trustees.

WING APPOINTED HEAD OF COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Professor Jeannette M. Wing, a professor of computer science, has been chosen to head the Computer Science Department (CSD) in the School of Computer Science (SCS). She succeeds Randal E. Bryant, who became dean of SCS on April 1. Wing is highly regarded for her outstanding contributions in research, teaching and administrative service.

—In research, she is an international leader in formal methods, the use of mathematical models and logics to specify and reason about computing systems. The common thread in her work is the use of precise specifications to describe the behavior of software. Since 2001, Wing has been director of Carnegie Mellon's Specification and Verification Center, which conducts research in new advances in formal methods and their applications to safety- and mission-critical systems. Information: www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040421_wing.html

LEE NAMED HEAD OF THE SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

Laura Lee, a faculty member in the School of Architecture since 1988, has been appointed head of the school, effective July 1. Lee succeeds Vivian Loftness, who has announced she will step down at the end of June to return to the faculty.

—Lee, who teaches courses in design studio, professional practice, the interdisciplinary arts workshop and architecture for non-majors, said she hopes to build upon the strengths and resources of Carnegie Mellon and the College of Fine Arts and direct the School of Architecture to become the national leading model for integrated and applied design education, research and practice.

—Lee has taught at the Higher Institute of Architecture in Antwerp, Belgium; the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the University of Michigan, where she received her master of architecture degree. For more, visit www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040421_llee.html

SOCCER-PLAYING ROBOTS AND SEGWAYS TO PARTICIPATE IN U.S. OPEN

Carnegie Mellon's autonomous soccer-playing AIBO dogs, its simulation team and its new team of Segway robots will participate in the RoboCup's second annual U.S. Open at the University of New Orleans, April 24-27. The teams are led by Computer Science Professor Manuela Veloso, Brett Browning and Paul Rybski from the Robotics Institute, and a cast of doctoral, master's and undergraduate students. The American Open, conceived by Veloso and held for the first time last year at Carnegie Mellon, is a prelude to the eighth annual RoboCup International in Lisbon, Portugal, June 27 - July 4.

—A unique aspect of the U.S. Open will be a demonstration of the Segway Robotic Mobility Platform (RMP), which Veloso and Browning publicly first demonstrated at the DARPA Tech conference in Los Angeles last month. Carnegie Mellon and the Neurosciences Institute (NSI) in San Diego are the two institutions developing Segway-RMP robot soccer. The event will include a game between the Carnegie Mellon and NSI teams, each composed of two players, one Segway-RMP and one human riding a Segway Human Transporter. Carnegie Mellon's Segway-RMP research goal includes the design of a new game where robots and humans will be able to compete as true teammates and against others of similar makeup.

NEWS BRIEFS

PERSONAL MENTION

—Paul Hopper,the Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of the Humanities in the Department of English, was a featured plenary speaker at the annual meeting of the Chicago Linguistic Society (April 15 - 17). His paper was titled "The Openness of Grammatical Constructions."

—David Garlan, Professor CSD and Director of the Software Engineering Programs, ISRI, and alumnus Robert Allen have been recognized for the "Most Influential Paper of ICSE16." Given by the International Conference on Software Engineering, the award honors the paper of ICSE16 that has been most influential over the past 10 years.

—Robert P. Kail, has resigned his position as associate dean for undergraduate studies in the College of Engineering, effective June 30. On July 1, he will assume new responsibilities at Carnegie Mellon in Qatar as the associate dean for academic and student affairs.

—Ron Schiller, associate vice president for University Advancement, has been named a 2004 Fast Tracker by the Pittsburgh Business Times. Each year the publication honors 50 people under the age of 45 in the Pittsburgh region for outstanding contributions to the business community and exceptional community service. Schiller will be honored May 27 at the Racing Car Museum in Shadyside.

—The following 16 student employees were recognized as Carnegie Mellon Student Employees of the Year at the Student Employee Appreciation Lunch on April 7: Zach Beard, Emily Fahner-Vitelic, Wenyao Ho, Kevin Hutchinson, Kuok Chiang Kim, Erin Korber, Blake Lam, Katie Marcoux, Matthew Meurer, Ryan Muldoon, Erin Pischke, Mark Pimentel, Courtney Thompson, Danyelle Sinclair, Jeffrey Yang and Marguerite Kallman.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Thursday, April 22: The School of Drama presents the "The Wild Party." Previews April 22 and runs through May 1. Curtain times are 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights. Friday and Saturday night performances begin at 8 p.m., and Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets available at the box office or by phone at 412-268-2407.

—Sunday, April 25: The School of Music presents a "Musical Petting Zoo," 1 to 3 p.m. at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. Children and their parents will have the opportunity to experience the music of six different Carnegie Mellon musical groups including a string quartet, brass trio, wind quintet and percussion trio. The museum is at 10 Children's Way, Allegheny Square on the Northside.

—Wednesday, April 28: Feynman Lecture No. 7: "Seeking New Laws." 4:30 - 6 p.m., Doherty Hall 2210.

—Friday, April 30: Department of English annual Adamson Awards for student writers. Dennis Lehane, author of the novel "Mystic River," is the guest speaker. 8 p.m., Baker Hall, Adamson Wing. Free.

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