March 31, 2005

Vol. 15, No. 36

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 editors of Hispanic Engineer and Information Technology Magazine have named Cristina Amon one of America's 50 most important Hispanics in technology and business. Amon, the Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES), was selected for the award because of her outstanding work in the field of technology and her contributions in developing science and engineering programs that serve as a role model for tomorrow's technology leaders.

—"This award is a tribute to Professor Amon's innovative research and dedication to help Hispanic students excel in school and work," said Pradeep K. Khosla, dean of the College of Engineering. "We applaud her efforts and hope that this recognition will help others develop leadership roles for a broad segment of our academic community." Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050329_amon.html

UNIVERSITY HONORED FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE

Carnegie Mellon has received a 2004 Governor's Award for Environmental excellence from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for its dedication to "green practices." Specifically, the award cited the university's commitment to assuring that all new campus construction achieves silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The award honors Pennsylvania businesses and organizations for implementing projects that take on environmental problems in ways that build new business, enhance the bottom line and engage residents in a renewed commitment to investing in their communities.

—Carnegie Mellon received its first LEED silver certification in the fall of 2003 for New House, the $12.5 million residence hall located between Morewood Gardens and Mudge House. Its second LEED silver certification came earlier this year for the renovation of Henderson House. Both residence halls feature "green" elements like continuous air circulation systems and furniture made from recycled materials that make them two of the healthiest, most energy-efficient dormitories in the nation.

NEWS BRIEFS

—During Spring Carnival, April 14 - 16, parking restrictions will be in effect in the Morewood parking lot. The Morewood lot will close at 5 p.m., Friday, April 8, to allow organizations to move their booths on to the Midway in an efficient and timely manner. Cars that are not removed from the upper portion of the Morewood lot (near the Cyert Center and Morewood Gardens Residence Hall) will be towed to the other side of the lot beginning at 5:30 p.m. Further information: official.cmu-news, March 30.

—This year's University Rowing Association Regatta will be held on April 2 on Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park. Learn more about the regatta, find directions, access the official regatta Web site and see the schedule of events at http://www.tartancrew.org/ura.

—The Department of Modern Languages has inducted 21 undergraduate students into, the international foreign language honor society Phi Sigma Iota. Selection into the society is the highest academic honor in the field of foreign languages. Members must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher, attain at least junior standing and be in the upper 35 percent of their class. The names of the students receiving the honor are posted on official.cmu-news, March 22.

—The Race for the Cure will be held on Mother's Day, May 8, in Schenley Park, to raise money for breast cancer awareness and research. If you register on campus, you can pick up your race t-shirt and packet on campus. Registration: 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., April 6 - 7, in the University Center (UC) Commons Area. You may also register online at http://www.pittsburghraceforthecure.org/registration.html.

—University Libraries seeks a summer intern to conduct self-identified research in the Posner rare book collection and create an exhibit. 15 hours per week, $2,475 stipend, option for academic credit. Carnegie Mellon students only. Application deadline is April 15. Apply at www.library.cmu.edu. Further information: official.cmu-news, March 30.

—Carnegie Mellon, one of the hosts for the Senior Olympics this June, seeks volunteers to work at the track and field events held June 7 - 17 in Gesling Stadium. Staff who sign on as volunteers for any event taking place on campus during those 11 days will be eligible for up to a half day of release time from work as long as the time is scheduled with prior supervisory approval. Contact Anne Witchner (aw0w@andrew) or Carolyn Manley (cm3d@andrew) for further information. More details will be available in the coming weeks.

PERSONAL MENTION

Takeo Kanade, the U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor in the Robotics Institute, has begun to give his papers and memorabilia to the Carnegie Mellon University Archives. Over time, this generous gift will fully document Kanade's career at the university in the closely intertwined disciplines of computer science, artificial intelligence and robotics. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050330_kanade.html

—Kevin Manley, a junior information systems major, and sophomore Rosalyce Broadous-Brown of Social and Decision Sciences, have been named among Dominion & Oxford Development's 2005 Young Achievers.This award salutes young African-American students who show great promise in their educational pursuits as well as in their church and community. Kevin is the son of Carolyn Manley, Carnegie Mellon's director of conference services.

—School of Drama sound designer Joe Pino has won a Gold Medal in Sound Design at World Stage Design 2005--the first Organization of International Scenographers, Theater Architects and Technicians (OISTAT), an international exposition of set, lighting, costume and sound design. Designers from 43 nations submitted work for the exposition.

—Professors Jimmy Zhu and Jim Bain have been appointed to head the world-renowned Data Storage Systems Center (DSSC), effective April 18. "We are extremely pleased that these two outstanding academic researchers have accepted this new challenge," said Ed Schlesinger, head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and a former DSSC director. Schlesinger said that both professors bring a cache of excellent skills and experience to the post, including outstanding innovative research in the area of information storage technologies and critical leadership skills for an increasingly competitive global marketplace.

—ECE Professor Jose M. F. Moura has been voted President Elect (2006-07) of the IEEE Signal Processing Society, a group of about 25,000 signal processing professionals within IEEE. His term as president is the two-year period 2008-2009. He previously served the society as vice-president for publications and editor in chief of Transactions on Signal Processing.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Tuesday, April 5: Feynman Lecture Series. Lecture #5. "The Distinction of Past and Future." 4:30 p.m. Doherty Hall 2210. The late Professor Richard Feynman compares the irreversible phenomena of nature.

—Wednesday, April 6: Lecture. Louis Menand, author of "The Metaphysical Club," which won the Pulitzer Prize in history, will speak at 8 p.m. in McConomy Auditorium, UC. Menand's lecture is titled "The Cat Who Came in from the Cold," and concerns the writing of Dr. Seuss' "The Cat in the Hat" and Cold War history. Sponsored by the university's Humanities Center. Free and open to the public. Menand is a staff writer at The New Yorker and professor of English at Harvard University.

—Wednesday, April 6: The $99 Mobot Mini Challenge and Mobot Clinic will take place on the Mobot course in front of Wean Hall. 12:30 - 2 p.m. Committee members will be available to answer questions about the competition and offer guidance in Mobot construction.

—Wednesday, April 6: The Modern Languages Department will screen F.W. Murnau's classic film "Faust: a German Saga." 4:30 p.m., McConomy Auditorium. Live piano accompaniment by Douglas Levine.

—Friday, April 15: The Mobot Slalom Race will take place at noon. Participants should arrive at 11:45 a.m. to sign in. The awards ceremony and presentations will be held at 3:30 p.m. in Wean Hall 7500.

-Back to the top-