December 9, 2004

Vol. 15, No. 22

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.

Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, the J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences at the Mellon College of Science (MCS), has received the award of the Foundation for Polish Science, commonly called the Polish Nobel Prize. The award, granted for the "discovery and commercialization of new methods of controlled radical polymerization," was presented at a ceremony on Dec. 3 at the Royal Castle in Warsaw.

—Granted annually since 1991, the award is given to outstanding scientists whose achievements and discoveries within the last four years "constitute an important contribution toward the advancement of science, spiritual life and civilization in Poland," and give Poland "an important place in the international community of science."

—Matyjaszewski is director of the Center for Macromolecular Engineering at MCS as well as an adjunct professor at the Polish Academy of Sciences. He is renowned for developing atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), a controlled, living polymerization that allows precise, nanoscale control over the formation of polymers. ATRP is a significant advance over conventional methods to make polymers.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/041207_matyjaszewski.html

SCIENTISTS DEVELOP WAY TO DELIVER GENETIC TOOL INTO LIVING CELLS

By exploiting an HIV protein that readily traverses cell membranes, Carnegie Mellon scientists have developed a new way to introduce a gene-like molecule called a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) directly into live mammalian cells, including human embryonic stem (ES) cells. The work, published online Dec. 2 in Chemical Communications (http://www.rsc.org/is/journals/current/chemcomm/ccadvarts.htm), holds considerable promise in genetic engineering, diagnostics and therapeutics.

—"Our results show that PNAs could be effectively delivered into mammalian cells without requiring delivery vehicles," said Danith Ly, an assistant professor of chemistry in the Mellon College of Science. Ly worked with leading author and graduate student Anca Dragulescu-Andrasi on this research.

—Until now, getting PNAs into living cells has been difficult. While other laboratories have developed ways to shuttle PNAs into cells, these methods remain largely ineffective and limited to small-scale experimental setups, according to Ly. "We found that our modified PNAs were not only taken up by cells, but they also were localized predominantly in the cell nucleus, a specialized compartment in the cell where messenger RNAs are made," Ly said.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/041203_genetics.html

UNIVERSITY POLICE OFFER SAFETY TIPS FOR HOLIDAY TRAVEL AND SHOPPING

The following is a summary of safety tips that Creig W. Doyle, director of security and chief of University Police, recently issued to the university community. The text of his announcement is posted at official.cmu-news, Dec. 6.

— If traveling by car, drive carefully and attentively. December is among the heaviest traffic periods of the year.

— If traveling by plane, leave extra early for the airport and anticipate longer-than-usual delays at security checkpoints. Don't carry pocket knives, pointed-tip scissors or any sharp objects in your luggage. Christmas gifts should be unwrapped, as security personnel may open your packages, thus destroying the gift wrap/paper.

— When at a store checkout counter, never lay your purse or wallet on the counter, even for a second when trying to find a credit card. Keep the card in your hand at all times.

— When shopping, don't carry so many packages in your arm that you can't hold your purse securely. Once you get an armload/handful of packages, make a trip to your car and unload.

— Never leave bags or packages on the front or rear seats of your vehicle where they can be seen--put them in the trunk. If your vehicle doesn't have a trunk, take a blanket or sheet to cover your purchases.

OLETC, CARNEGIE MELLON ANNOUNCE TECHNOLOGY TRANSITION PARTNERSHIP

The Office of Law Enforcement Technology Commercialization (OLETC) and Carnegie Mellon have formed a partnership that will help transition technology developed by Carnegie Mellon into the law enforcement, public safety, first responder, homeland security and corrections markets. A program of the National Institute of Justice's Office of Science and Technology, OLETC aims to develop and deploy a national program to assist the commercialization of U.S. technology and innovation for use by the law enforcement and corrections community. OLETC provides special services and assistance to innovators, entrepreneurs, universities, federal and national laboratories and U.S. manufacturers in commercializing our country's technical and intellectual resources.

—OLETC and Carnegie Mellon will connect researchers developing advanced technologies for identifying hidden threats with the industrial professionals who will create products to improve security at public and private facilities. Specifically, the partnership calls for OLETC and Carnegie Mellon to collaborate to license technologies such as software to improve security screening and sensor networks. Other research with potential commercial application includes devices that detect chemical and biological threats in the air and water, databases that match faces of terrorists or criminals, surveillance and search-and-rescue robots, and Carnegie Mellon's Networks of Robots and Sensors for First Responders program. Information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/041208_oletc.html

PERSONAL MENTION

—Joe Schewe, associate director of Corporate Relations, has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31. After a 34-year tenure at PPG Industries, Schewe joined Carnegie Mellon in 1993 as associate director of the Career Center. He was interim director of the Career Center before joining Corporate Relations in 1995.

—Robert Callahan, an analytical chemist for the Center for Advanced Fuel Technology (CAFT), will retire at the end of 2004. He began work at the Mellon Institute in November of 1965, two years before it became Carnegie Mellon Research Institute. Over the years he worked for various groups including the Materials Characterization Center, the ERT fellowship and the Microwave Processing Center.

—Bayer Professor of Chemical Engineering Larry Biegler has received the 2004-2005 Steven Fenves Award for Systems Research. The award is presented annually to individuals for their contributions to systems research in areas that are relevant to the College of Engineering and the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems. Biegler was honored for his significant contributions in the design of complex reactor systems, and his pioneering contributions in the conception, development and application of optimization algorithms based on sequential quadratic programming and interior point methods. The award also acknowledges his dedication in disseminating optimization codes throughout academia, government and industry. The award will be presented Feb. 19.

—Mechanical Engineering Professor Philip LeDuc was selected to represent the Biological Nanofactories group at the recent Keck National Academies Future Initiatives Conference on "Designing Nanostructures at the Interface Between Biomedical and Physical Systems." LeDuc presented a novel idea of the group that merged organic and inorganic technology to regulate molecules inside the human body. The conference was sponsored by the Keck Foundation, the National Academy of Science, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine to develop future ideas of where nanotechnology will intersect with interdisciplinary research in the biological and physical arenas.

—The Carnegie Mellon Programming Team in the Computer Science Department is one of the top 76 (out of 4,100) teams to advance to the 29th ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals. The World Finals, sponsored by IBM, will take place April 3 - 7, 2005, in Shanghai, China. Team members are freshman Evan Danaher, and sophomores Thomas Quisel and Glenn Willen. Lecturer Greg Kesden and Systems Scientist Eugene Fink are coaches.

—The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society's Technical Committee on Real-Time Systems has awarded its Technical Achievement Award for 2004 to John Lehoczky, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the Thomas Lord Professor of Statistics. He is the sixth person to win this award, which was initiated in 1999.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Dec. 9 - 11: The School of Drama presents "The Duchess of Malfi." Performances are 7:30 p.m., Dec. 9; 8 p.m., Dec. 10; and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Dec. 11. Chosky Theater, Purnell Center for the Arts. For tickets call the box office at 412-268-2407.

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