April 7, 2005

Vol. 15, No. 37

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.

Spring Carnival starts at 3 p.m., Thursday, April 14, in the Morewood Gardens Parking Lot and continues through Saturday. Enjoy the rides, student booths and food from 3 to 11 p.m. on Thursday and noon to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The annual Sweepstakes Races will take place from 6 a.m. to noon, Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16. Access to campus by car via Schenley Park or Margaret Morrison Street will not be possible after 6 a.m. Roads will reopen by 12:30 p.m.

—This year's carnival will also feature a student and alumni art sale from 2 to 8 p.m. on Saturday in the University Center. Artwork for sale includes paintings, prints, photographs, jewelry, sculptures, music and other mediums.

—The schedule of carnival events is posted at http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/carnival/events.htm

INFORMATION NETWORKING INSTITUTE CELEBRATES 15TH ANNIVERSARY

Carnegie Mellon's Information Networking Institute (INI) will celebrate 15 years of innovation and excellence in education, April 14 -16. The institute was created in 1989 as a cooperative endeavor of the College of Engineering, the School of Computer Science, the Heinz School and the Tepper School of Business. INI is the educational arm of CyLab, a multidisciplinary entity recently formed to promote secure and trustworthy computing. Under current Director Dena Haritos Tsamitis, the INI has expanded its programs, increased enrollment and outpaced the competition with a successful mix of internship programs in a variety of industry sectors, including telecommunications, cybersecurity and information technology. Further information: http://www.ini.cmu.edu/

RESEARCHERS STUDY ABILITY OF HUMANS TO RECOGNIZE FACES

Recognizing faces is effortless for most people but this ability is impaired in those who have suffered brain damage or have a rare congenital condition. Research by Carnegie Mellon psychologists reveals startling insights into how the brains of those individuals operate.

—Psychology Professor Marlene Behrmann and postdoctoral associate Galia Avidan have found that people with congenital prosopagnosia—in which their ability to recognize faces is impaired from birth—are not just deficient at recognizing individuals they know, but also poor at simply discriminating between two faces when presented side by side. The researchers also have discovered through functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans that, contrary to their expectations, the regions of the brain that are activated when normal individuals perceive and recognize faces also are activated in individuals with congenital prosopagnosia. Behrmann and Avidan summarize their findings in the April issue of the journal Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050404_faces.html

SCHOOL OF ART PRESENTS "NO STONE UNTURNED" APRIL 11

The School of Art will host "No Stone Unturned: Artists + Gardens," the first symposium to investigate the garden as art through the perspectives of some of the nation's leading artists and landscape designers, on Monday, April 11, in McConomy Auditorium. Symposium speakers, such as Mel Bochner (A'62) and Michael Van Valkenburgh, creators of the Kraus Campo, will discuss the continuing evolution of the garden through a variety of recent and prominent projects and developments within the art and design communities. Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. To register, send email to nostone@andrew.cmu.edu or call 412-268-2409.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cfa/symposium/index.html

PERSONAL MENTION

—Vice President for Enrollment William Elliott has announced that Dean of Student Affairs Michael Murphy has been named Associate Vice President, effective at the end of this school year. This position will allow Dean Murphy to extend his focus in a variety of strategic areas of student development and campus life, consistent with the vision for the university community. Jennifer Church, Associate Dean of Student Affairs, will assume the interim role of Dean of Student Affairs for the coming year. The position will be formally posted in the coming academic year. Dean Murphy has been Dean of Student Affairs since 1990, and Dean Church has been at the university for the past nine years.

—The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a New Directions Fellowship to Assistant Professor of Philosophy Alex John London to develop rigorous standards for evaluating whether medical research is conducted ethically. London is the second member of the Department of Philosophy to receive the fellowship. In 2003 it went to Professor Jeremy Avigad for the study of the development of mathematics in the 19th century. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050404_london.html.

—Denise M. Rousseau, the H.J. Heinz II Professor of Organizational Behavior and Public Policy, has been elected a fellow by the British Academy of Management.

—During spring break in Doha, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar sent a contingent of students (Wesam Said, Maha Obaidon, Yasmine Abdel-Rahman, Noora Al-Ansari and Fahad Al-Jefairi) to the Pittsburgh campus. The students attended classes and met with leaders from a variety of student organizations, hoping to bring best practices back to Doha. Qatar staff member Olufunke Ilori chaperoned the trip.

—Following a national search, Carnegie Mellon has named Susan Bassett, director of athletics at William Smith College, its new director of athletics and physical education, effective July 1. Bassett succeeds John Harvey, who retired last May after a 15-year tenure. David Belowich, head swimming and diving coach, has been interim director since Harvey's departure.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Sunday, April 10: The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, conducted by Robert Page, will perform the world premiere of "Requiem" by Professor of Composition Nancy Galbraith. 8 p.m., Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. The work was commissioned to honor Page in his 26th and final season as the choir's music director and conductor. For information, call 412-823-4188, or visit nancygalbraith.com.

—Tuesday, April 12: Feynman Lecture Series. "Probability & Uncertainty - The Quantum Mechanical View of Nature." 4:30 p.m., Doherty Hall 2210. On videotape, the late Professor Richard Feynman considers the behavior of electrons and photons according to the theories of quantum mechanics.

—Tuesday, April 12: Graduate Support Programs is hosting an InterUniversity Graduate Students of Color Dinner in recognition of graduate students completing their degrees. 6 p.m., William Pitt Union, University of Pittsburgh. Reservations must be made by the morning of Friday, April 8. To register, go to http://gposerver.as.cmu.edu/ registration/multiregis.html.

—Tuesday, April 12: Lecture. "The Seventh Arab-Israeli War—Its Conduct and Consequences." Michael Oren, senior fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. 7:30 p.m., Doherty Hall 2315. Oren is a research scholar and author of "Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East."

—Wednesday, April 13: Graduate Support Programs Farewell Luncheon for graduate women completing their degrees. 12:15 p.m., Connan Room. Register at http://gposerver.as.cmu.edu/registration/multiregis.html.

—Monday, April 18: The School of Architecture presents its 2005 Hornbostel Lecture, featuring Larry Scarpa. 6 p.m., Doherty Hall 2315. In1997, the Academy of Architecture Arts and Sciences named Scarpa one of the top 39 architects worldwide under age 39.

—Tuesday, April 19: Graduate Support Programs Doctoral Career Paths Seminar. "The Public Sector, Part 2: Non-Profits and Hospitals." Noon, Rangos 1. Speakers: Ellen Dorsey, Program Office, Environmental Programs, Heinz Endowments; Peter Cohen, associate director of Foundation Relations, Carnegie Mellon; and Joan Kiel, chair, Health Management Systems/Info Tech, Duquesne University. Lunch will be served. Register at http://gposerver.as.cmu.edu/registration/multiregis.html

—Tuesday, April 19: Weight Watchers at Work. 11:45 a.m.- 1 p.m. Dowd Room, UC. The cost for the new session (12 weeks plus 1 free) is $144 or $132 for Life Time Members, 5 lbs. over goal. Registration is 11:45 a.m. - 1 p.m., Tuesday, April 12, in the Dowd Room. Fifteen paying members are needed on April 12 for the new meetings to begin the following weekend. If you have questions, contact Amber Vivis (albrown@andrew).

—Wednesday, April 20: "Ethical Dilemmas in the Information Society." Rev. Michael C. McFarland S.J. (E'79, 81), president of the College of the Holy Cross. 7 p.m., Harvard-Yale-Princeton Club, downtown Pittsburgh. Cocktail hour begins at 6 p.m. $10 per person. Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Area Jesuit Alumni.

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