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July 14, 2005 Vol. 16, No. 2
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) 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.
SEI RECEIVES CONTRACT RENEWAL FROM U.S. GOVERNMENT The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has received a five-year contract renewal, funded at $411 million, from the U.S. government through June 2010. The new contract ensures that the institute will continue to pursue its mission of advancing the practice of software engineering and improving the quality of systems that depend on software. For the past 20 years, the SEI has defined specific initiatives that address pervasive and significant problems that impede the ability of organizations to acquire, build and evolve software-intensive systems predictably on time, within expected cost and with expected functionality. —The SEI was established at Carnegie Mellon in 1984 as a federally funded research and development center. Since then, the government has endorsed the SEI mission by renewing its contract four times; previous contract renewals were in 1990, 1995 and 2000. Information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050708_sei.html SANDSTORM ROBOT MAKES UNPRECEDENTED AUTONOMOUS RUN Carnegie Mellon's autonomous robotic HUMMER Sandstorm drove an unprecedented 200 miles in seven hours without human guidance last week in preparation for the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, a 175-mile driverless desert race with a $2 million winner-take-all prize. Sandstorm uses sensors to "see" and computers to "drive." It drove 131 laps on the 1.5-mile racecourse at the BeaveRun MotorSports Complex on July 4. The drive was an endurance evaluation for the robot's computers, sensors and mechanical systems. The machine averaged 28 mph and hit a top speed of 36 mph to complete its seven-hour, 200-mile marathon. —"That doesn't sound like a big deal for a human-driven car, but it is a very big deal for the pioneering of computer-driven vehicles," said Red Team leader William L. "Red" Whittaker. "That distance, speed and duration are unprecedented for a completely autonomous machine. However, this machine and 19 others will face far more difficult conditions in the Oct. 8 race across the Mojave Desert." —Sandstorm and its sister machine, H1ighlander, are among the 40 vehicles that will compete in the Grand Challenge semi-finals Sept. 26 - Oct. 6 at the California Speedway. That field of 40 will be culled to 20 finalists that will make the run for $2 million on Oct. 8. Information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050712_sandstorm.html/ CELLS CONVERT SUNLIGHT INTO ELECTRICITY AT 407 S. CRAIG Can solar power work in Pittsburgh, where cloudy days outnumber sunny days by five to one? The School of Computer Science (SCS) is counting on it. Thanks to an $88,000 Energy Harvest grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the renovation at 407 S. Craig Street, now occupied by members of SCS' Interactive Systems Lab and the Institute for Software Research International, includes a photovoltaic (PV) energy system which contains cells made of semiconductor material, such as silicon, that convert sunlight directly into electricity. This rooftop solar array, one of the largest of its kind in Pittsburgh, feeds directly into the building's main power supply, thus reducing the amount of fossil fuel-based electricity needed. —The amount of energy produced by the system will vary daily, based on the weather, air pollution and the angle of the sun. But even on cloudy days, the array will still produce energy. On average, the 12-kilowatt-DC solar array system will provide approximately 10 percent of the building's electricity needs. The system also reduces the output of greenhouse gases by more than 31,600 pounds per year. Further information: official.cmu-news, July 12. CYLAB HOSTS INFORMATION ASSURANCE CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM This summer, faculty from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-serving institutions, have gathered in Pittsburgh for CyLab's Information Assurance Capacity Building Program (IACBP), an intensive in-residence program to help build information assurance education and research capacity at participants' home institutions. The IACBP program offers Security Engineering sessions, hands-on experiences through a boot camp on network security offered by CISCO and several enrichment lectures on related topics. A specific session dedicated to curriculum development and assistance for how to meet the Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) requirements for Information Assurance Education, helps these faculty start planning new programs in Information Assurance or build upon existing programs at their home universities. The IACBP is funded by the National Science Foundation. Further information: http://www.cylab.cmu.edu/default.aspx?id=1955/ NEWS BRIEFS —Carnegie Mellon mechanical engineering students will have their eyes fixed on the checkered flag July 16 as they speed into this weekend's third annual Caliguiri Collegiate Cup Race at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in Schenley Park. The student team has designed and built a formula SAE racecar to compete against other college peers from the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State. Team members include Chris D'Eramo, Anthony Fazzini, Scott Israel and Drew Heutchy. Teams will compete in a timed motorcross and speed run judged by members of the local Society of Automotive Engineers. John Wiss, a professor in mechanical engineering, is the team supervisor. PERSONAL MENTION —Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences Brooke McCartney has received the Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award from the March of Dimes. The award supports young scientists embarking on their independent research careers. McCartney received the $150,000 award in support of her research on understanding signaling molecules used within cells to regulate processes during animal development and to maintain daily cell functions. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050708_mccartney.html/ —Historian Timothy J. Haggerty, assistant director of Carnegie Mellon's Center for Arts in Society, has been named director of the Humanities Scholars Program by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS). The program is a rigorous, four-year interdisciplinary program open by invitation to H&SS applicants. Besides taking seminars together throughout their undergraduate careers, the students have the option to live in the same dormitory cluster their first year at Carnegie Mellon in order to create a vibrant community of scholars. During the 2003-04 academic year, the Humanities Scholars Program was led by Michael West, a teaching professor of French, whose leadership was critical in shepherding the program through its inaugural year. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050707_haggerty.html/ —ICES has announced that the 2005 Dowd-ICES Fellowship recipients are Sarah Bedair of electrical and computer engineering, Gordon Christopher and Emmanuel Wornyoh of mechanical engineering, and Shane Grosse of chemical engineering. Further information: http://www.ices.cmu.edu/dowd. —On Aug. 1 the International Society for Bayesian Analysis will begin publishing its new electronic journal, "Bayesian Analysis," at http://ba.stat.cmu.edu. Statistics professor Rob Kass is its editor-in-chief. Kass also ranks third on the Institute for Scientific Information's list of the 10 most highly cited researchers in mathematical sciences. —Architecture student Gabriel Cuellar recently won first place in the New Visions Design Competition for Young Architects, hosted by Urban Edge Developers of Dallas, Texas. Winners receive cash awards and may see their designs for innovative and sustainable modern houses constructed at Urban Reserve, a new community in Dallas. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050712_architecture.html/ CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS —Tuesday, July 19: Staff Council open forum on parking. Noon to 1 p.m., McConomy Auditorium, University Center (UC). Speakers: Deborah Moon, chief financial officer (CFO); Beth Meiser, special assistant to the CFO; Bryan Matrazzo, parking accountant, Parking Services; Barbara Bugosh, Staff Council parking committee chair. Questions may be asked at the forum or submitted in advance to mgd@andrew.cmu.edu with the word "parking" in the subject line. Questions submitted in advance will be kept anonymous. Light refreshments will be served.
—Wednesday, July 27: Carnegie Mellon will host a staff and community blood drive from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. in Rangos 3, UC. Participants must present a valid ID to donate blood, such as a Central Blood Bank ID, driver's license, social security card, passport or birth certificate. Central Blood Bank's type O blood supply has dropped to 51 percent, a very low amount that is close to emergency levels.
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