March 17, 2005

Vol. 15, 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.

2004 Editions are available online.

Previous editions are available online.

The W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded Carnegie Mellon a $750,000 grant to support research into how the human brain deciphers language. This multidisciplinary research, conducted by D.O. Hebb Professor of Psychology Marcel Just and Edward Fredkin Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Learning Tom Mitchell, could one day yield advances in the treatment of neurological disorders like autism and dyslexia.

—Using computer models to interpret the results of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) brain scans, the researchers plan to develop a computational theory that describes the changes in brain activity over time during language comprehension and predicts the subprocesses involved in word and sentence comprehension. They will also demonstrate how reading different words and sentences will produce variations in brain activity and how dysfunctions in specific brain regions influence the function of the entire brain system.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050314_brain.html.

ADULTS' BABY TALK HELPS INFANTS LEARN TO SPEAK

Adults may feel silly when they talk to babies, but those babies will learn to speak sooner if adults talk to them like infants instead of like other adults, according to a study by Carnegie Mellon Psychology Professor Erik Thiessen published in the March issue of the journal "Infancy." Thiessen is director of Carnegie Mellon's Infant Language and Learning Lab, which studies how children learn during their first few years of life.

—Most adults speak to infants using infant-directed speech: short, simple sentences coupled with higher pitch and exaggerated intonation. Research has shown that babies prefer this style of communication, but Thiessen's study reveals that infant-directed speech helps infants learn words more quickly than normal adult speech.

—Further information: http://www.psy.cmu.edu/~thiessen/labpage.html.

DETECTION SYSTEM FINDS LIFE IN CHILE'S ATACAMA DESERT

At the 36th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston this week, Biological Sciences Professor Alan Waggoner presented the results of his life detection system's recent performance in Chile's Atacama Desert, where it found lichens and bacterial colonies. This marks the first time a rover-based automated technology has been used to identify life in this harsh region, which serves as a test bed for technology that could be deployed in future Mars missions. Waggoner, a member of the Life in the Atacama project team and director of the Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center, says the system may eventually enable robots to look for life on Mars.

—The Life in the Atacama 2004 field season was the second phase of a three-year program aimed at understanding how a rover controlled by remote science teams can detect life. The project is part of NASA's Astrobiology Science and Technology Program for Exploring Planets, which concentrates on pushing the limits of technology in harsh environments.

— Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050315_atacama.html

NEW HOUSE WINS GOVERNOR'S AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE

New House, the "green" residence hall between Mudge House and Morewood Gardens, has received the Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. Opened in April 2003, New House was designed using "green" design principles and construction practices and was the first university residence hall in the country to receive a Silver rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council. The Governor's award will be presented to Carnegie Mellon in April. For more on New House, visit http://www.housing.cmu.edu/buildings/newhouse/.

NEWS BRIEFS

—Carnegie Mellon researchers are teaming up with the Allegheny County Health Department to investigate air toxics in the Neville Island area. Allen Robinson, associate professor of mechanical engineering, said his team will use a mobile laboratory and the county's air monitoring stations to measure and record the amount of air toxics swirling around the narrow stretch of land in the Allegheny River. The $1.6 million project is supported by Allegheny County's Clean Air Fund and the Environmental Protection Agency. For more, see http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050315_air.html

—During the week of April 4, Carnegie Mellon will host two Russian scientists who are participating in the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation's (CRDF) Basic Research and Higher Education Program. The program supports young Russian scientists by strengthening the research capabilities of higher education institutions in Russia. Myasnikov Vladislav, assistant professor at Samara State Aerospace University, and Alexey Moshchevikin, associate professor at Petrozavodsk State University, will visit Carnegie Mellon to learn about the fundamentals of research administration, grant budgeting and proposal writing. Their visit is a collaborative effort between the Society of Research Administrators International, CRDF and the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation of Russia. Carnegie Mellon's Research Administrators Council is hosting their visit.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Student Affairs has selected Timothy Lowe, a fifth-year architecture student, as the student speaker for this year's May 15 Commencement.

—School of Music sophomore Jean Lester was recently crowned Miss Buffalo 2005. The voice performance major sang Puccini's "O Mio Bambino Caro" for the talent portion of the competition. For her upcoming year of service as Miss Buffalo, Lester's platform will be "Alzheimer's Awareness: Enhancing Care and Support for Alzheimer's Patients." Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050311_buffalo.html.

—Rob A. Rutenbar, the Jatras Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is featured in the March 2005 edition of The Economist's Technology Quarterly. His team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon and the University of California at Berkeley is working to design a radically new silicon chip architecture targeted at speech recognition. The goal is to do recognition 100 to 1,000 times more efficiently than a conventional computer. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases04/040913_speech.html.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Friday, March 18: "Remaking Men: Patriotism, Citizenship and Black Middle-Class Masculinity During World War I." Martin Anthony Summers, associate history professor, University of Oregon. 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Baker Hall A53. Sponsored by the Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE).

—Monday, March 21: Playwright Kia Cothron will speak at 9:30 p.m. in the Philip Chosky Theatre, Purnell Center, following the production of her work "Slide Glide, The Slippery Slope." Sponsored by the School of Drama. Tickets for the performance can be purchased by calling the box office at 412-268-2407.

—Tuesday, March 22: Feynman Lecture Series, "The Great Conservation Principles." 4:30 p.m., Doherty Hall 2210.

—Thursday, March 24: Digital Library Colloquium, "Can We Avoid Catastrophic Failures of Computer Networks?" Hermann Mauer, dean of the faculty of computer science and director of the Institute for Information Systems and Computer Media, Graz University of Technology, Austria. 3:30 - 4:30 p.m., Rangos Hall 1, University Center (UC). The first 100 attendees receive a copy of one of Mauer's science fiction novels. Sponsored by the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon Libraries and the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Science.

—Thursday, March 24: The College of Engineering and the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research 2005 Media Boot Camp.11 a.m.- 2 p.m., Singleton Room, Roberts Hall. For more on the event, visit http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050225_bootcamp.html .

—Monday, March 28: University Lecture Series, "Visions as a Source of Modernism in Hungarian Art." Katalin Keserü, professor of art history at Eövös Loránd University in Budapest. 4:30 p.m., Baker Hall 136A.

—Monday, March 28: Laura Waldron (HS'87) will speak about her career in publishing. 4:30 p.m., Baker Hall 260. Sponsored by Carnegie Mellon's Creative Writing program.

—Monday, March 28: Graduate Support Programs' Professional Development Seminar. "It's Hard to Be the Boss." Speakers: Richard Champney, engineering manager, General Dynamics Armament and Tactical Products; and Robert Kubacki, organizational behavior consultant. 1 p.m., Connan Room, UC. Lunch will be served. To register, go to http://gposerver.as.cmu.edu/registration/multiregis.html.

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