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August 4, 2005 Vol. 16, No. 5
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.
SCHOOLS OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN GEAR UP FOR SOLAR DECATHLON The schools of Architecture and Design have joined forces with the University of Pittsburgh's School of Engineering and the Art Institute of Pittsburgh to form "Pittsburgh Synergy" for this fall's Solar Decathlon Competition. "Pittsburgh Synergy" is one of 18 collegiate teams from the United States, Europe and Canada to be selected to participate in this year's competition, which will take place Oct. 7-16 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Each team is required to design and build a home that generates enough energy from the sun to power a household, home-based business and other transportation needs. This is the second Solar Decathlon in which Carnegie Mellon has participated. —The Pittsburgh Synergy House, now under construction on the lawn between Donner Hall and Gesling Stadium, is modeled after the Zero-Energy House concept, which calls for creating enough energy on site to match the amount of energy annually used from a power grid. Following the competition, the Pittsburgh Synergy House will return to the Carnegie Mellon campus as the new home for the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research. For more, see http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050802_synergy.html. "GLADIATOR" UNMANNED VEHICLE MAKES FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE Carnegie Mellon and BAE Systems held a public demonstration of Gladiator, the first tactical unmanned ground vehicle being developed for the U.S. Marine Corps, today (Aug. 4) at the BAE Systems plant near Connellsville. U.S. Congressman John P. Murtha (D-Pa.) attended the event along with representatives from the U.S. Marines, the university, BAE Systems and other industrial partners. —In February, Carnegie Mellon's National Robotics Engineering Consortium (NREC) and BAE Systems received a $26.4 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to design, develop and produce tactical unmanned ground vehicles for the Marines. Carnegie Mellon is providing the robotics technology and overall design for Gladiator, a tele-operated, semi-autonomous vehicle equipped with remote, unmanned scout, reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities, specially designed to increase human survival by neutralizing threats and reducing risks for the Marines' Air-Ground Task Force. BAE Systems and its subcontractors will support the design effort and manufacture the vehicle. NREC HOSTS "RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR TEACHERS" For the past five weeks, 15 middle and high school teachers from the McKeesport and North Hills school districts, Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Diocese of Pittsburgh have been learning how engineering and robotics can help them teach math and science. At Carnegie Mellon's NREC, faculty and staff from Carnegie Mellon and California University (Pa.) have led lessons in basic electronics, programming, electromagnetic induction, potential energy, and analog and digital feedback. The program, "Research Experience for Teachers," is part of a four-year national initiative funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to expose middle school and high school teachers to research at local universities, and ultimately enhance teaching methods in math and science. —"Robotics provides excellent opportunities to teach math, science, engineering and technology in a context that answers the age-old question asked in schools, 'Why do I have to know this?'" said Robin Shoop, director of educational outreach at the NREC. "This educational experience is an example of how NSF direction, hard-working teachers and an engaging, timely agenda have combined in a way that will influence students for years to come." For more about NREC outreach, visit http://www.rec.ri.cmu.edu/education/index.html STUDENTS PRESENT FINDINGS FROM SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM Ten undergraduates from colleges and universities across the country presented the findings of their 10-week research projects this week as a conclusion to Carnegie Mellon's Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Run by the Department of Biological Sciences and funded by the NSF, the REU program gives students from universities other than Carnegie Mellon the opportunity to conduct advanced mentored research projects in the labs of faculty who specialize in areas like molecular biology and genetics, cell and developmental biology, neuroscience, biochemistry, structural biology and computational biology. The program, which gives undergraduate students a taste of graduate-level research, allows participants to design their own research projects in cooperation with faculty research mentors. By the end of the summer, they come up with results that could be published in major scientific journals. In recent years, nearly 70 percent of Carnegie Mellon's REU alumni have entered Ph.D. programs in the sciences. The rest have gone to medical school or directly into scientific employment. For more, visit http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050801_reu.html. NEWS BRIEFS —Pittsburgh native Burton Morris (A'86) has been named the official artist of the 2006 Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star Game, to be held at PNC Park next July. Morris designed the game's recently unveiled logo, which captures the view of Pittsburgh's skyline from the club levels of PNC Park. Two gold bats form the first and third base lines before crossing at home plate. "I think it's definitely got the Pittsburgh flair to it," said Pirates CEO Kevin McClatchy in an interview with MLB. The uniform patch players will wear in next summer's game will also be based on Morris' work. For more, visit http://www.pirates.com or http://www.burtonmorris.com. —Researcher Michael Bigrigg, a project scientist in the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems, recently started a company that manufactures a sensor to detect and mitigate temperature problems in computer hard drives. The Pittsburgh-based company, Pervasive Sensors Inc., is producing Critter™, a computer-based temperature sensor that monitors and helps regulate adverse environmental conditions. The $21 device attaches to a desktop computer's game port and can be installed in minutes, requiring no special knowledge of computer software. The spinoff company is a result of research performed at the university over the past two years. For more information, see http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050727_critter.html. PERSONAL MENTION —Jim Tomayko, principal lecturer in the Institute for Software Research International and former director of the Master of Software Engineering (MSE) program, will receive the inaugural Coach Award at the MSE's 15th anniversary celebration this weekend. The award, which will be presented annually, was established to recognize Tomayko's many contributions to the MSE program and to the university. A Carnegie Mellon alumnus, Tomayko (HS'71,'80) was instrumental in creating the MSE program and has been an active member in alumni affairs. He's a long-time member of the Andrew Carnegie Society and sits on the ACS Executive Board. He recently co-authored "Human Aspects of Software Engineering." —Statistics professors Christopher Genovese and Larry Wasserman received the American Statistical Association's 2005 Outstanding Statistical Application Award for their paper "Nonparametric Inference for the Cosmic Microwave Background." The paper, published in the journal Statistical Science, provides a new analysis of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the radiation left over from the Big Bang about 380,000 years ago. Genovese will accept the award at the 2005 Joint Statistical Meeting Aug. 7-11 in Minneapolis, Minn. —Priya Narasimhan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science, has been elected to the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Working Group 10.4 on Dependable Computing and Fault Tolerance. The group's membership comprises 61 senior dependability researchers from 11 countries. Other members from Carnegie Mellon include Dan Siewiorek, Roy Maxion, Phil Koopman and Chuck Weinstock. The group co-sponsors the International Conference on Dependable Systems and Networks. CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS —Aug. 8-12: Human Resources' Learning and Development program presents its Summer Family Seminar Series. Topics include "The Single Parent Experience," Aug. 8; "Internet Safety: Helping Children Make Safe Choices," Aug. 9; "Talking to Your Parents About Their Future," Aug. 10; and "Dual Career Relationships: Coping Strategies for Couples Who Work," Aug. 12. All seminars are from noon to 1:30 p.m., in Whitfield Hall's Club Room. For more information and to register, visit http://hr.web.cmu.edu/current/learning/.
—Aug. 21-28: "Send Me on My Way," Orientation 2005. The weeklong program is designed to introduce incoming students to each other, the campus and local community. For a complete list of events, visit http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/first-year/orientation/2005/.
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