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August 11, 2005 Vol. 16, No. 6
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.
RED TEAM HUMMERS HEAD WEST FOR GRAND CHALLENGE FINAL PUSH Sandstorm and H1ghlander, two robotic HUMMERS developed by Carnegie Mellon's Red Team, are heading west for the final push in their bid to win the DARPA Grand Challenge, a 175-mile desert race for robots. The robots have mastered driving skills at locations throughout southwestern Pennsylvania and have followed roads, changed lanes and avoided obstacles using only sensors and computers as guides. Now, they're on their way to Carson City, Nev., where they will spend six weeks refining the skills, speeds and strategies needed to outperform the world's best non-human drivers in the Grand Challenge semifinals, which take place at the California Speedway Sept. 26-Oct. 6. Ultimately 20 of the 40 semifinalists will compete in the Grand Challenge on Oct. 8. —Prior to departure, each robot cruised a 200-mile road course, wound through a strip mine and ran an obstacle course. The test performances had highs and lows. One of the robots gained points with a unique passing maneuver, but the same machine ran out of fuel when it failed to switch to a full reserve tank. Both robot HUMMERS have been modified with computers, lasers and electronics for autonomous control. For more, visit http://www.redteamracing.org. ROVER TAKES TO ATACAMA FOR FINAL MISSION IN SEARCH FOR LIFE Carnegie Mellon researchers, led by Associate Research Professor David Wettergreen, are preparing for the final stage of a three-year project to develop a prototype robotic astrobiologist that can explore and study life in the driest desert on Earth. Along with colleagues from NASA's Ames Research Center and other universities, the researchers will direct and monitor the autonomous solar-powered rover Zoë as it travels 180 kilometers in Chile's Atacama Desert. Equipped with an onboard Fluorescence Imager (FI) to locate chlorophyll and other organic molecules, Zoe will seek microorganisms and characterize their habitats as it explores three diverse regions of the desert during its two-month stay (Aug. 22 to Oct. 22). The results of this expedition may enable future robots to seek life on Mars or lead to the discovery of new information about the distribution of life on Earth. —The Life in the Atacama project is funded by a $3 million, three-year grant from NASA to the Robotics Institute as part of the Astrobiology Science and Technology Program for Exploring Planets (ASTEP), which concentrates on pushing the limits of technology to study life in harsh environments. Scientists from Carnegie Mellon's Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center, led by director Alan Waggoner, developed the FI with a separate $900,000 NASA grant. For more information, see http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050810_atacama.html. EDUCATION, NUTRITION PROGRAMS AID CANCER SURVIVORS' WELL-BEING A study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh and Emory University shows that women who enroll in educational or nutritional programs after breast cancer treatment are less likely to be depressed and will have a better quality of life than other breast cancer survivors. The study, led by Department of Psychology Head Michael Scheier, was published in the July issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. —The researchers followed 252 women under the age of 50, beginning two months after they completed their treatment. The women were divided into three groups: one group received no information, the second attended four educational sessions that covered topics ranging from talking to children about cancer to the genetics of the disease, and the third group received information on maintaining a healthy diet. Based on surveys of participants, the women who received either the educational or nutritional information were less likely to be depressed and were more optimistic about their health and ability to cope with their illness than the women who had received no information. Nutritional programming had a greater impact than educational programming. For more, visit http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050810_cancer.html. NEWS BRIEFS —Human Resources Total Compensation is moving to the first floor of the UTDC, effective Aug. 18. Staff members will not be accessible Aug. 16-17 while the move is in progress. Telephone/fax numbers and email addresses will remain the same, but mail should be sent to the UTDC, 4615 Henry Street. —During an Aug. 1 Web conference, Heinz School students Kevin Fleming, Wendy Hirsch, Ritesh Lal, Jennifer Piper, Abhishek Sharma, Takahito Shimada and Nell Todd presented their project, "Prisoner Reentry in Allegheny County," to researchers who belong to the Urban Institute's Reentry Mapping Network. Heinz School Professor Wil Gorr advised the group. Using data obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services, the team mapped areas with concentrations of returned prisoners and compared those areas to ones with accessibility to drug and alcohol treatment and mental health services. The project was the first in the nation to structure a policy simulation model of the criminal justice system focused on community-based programs and human services for offenders and ex-offenders. —The International Society for Bayesian Analysis began publishing its electronic journal, Bayesian Analysis, at http://ba.stat.cmu.edu on Aug. 1, with Statistics Professor Rob Kass as its editor-in-chief. Bayesian methods have been used for many years by Carnegie Mellon researchers in diverse disciplines. An indication of its popularity is that the Institute for Scientific Information's list of the 10 most highly cited researchers in the mathematical sciences during the past decade contains four whose work focuses on Bayesian statistics, including Kass (who ranks third on the list). The journal's manuscript-handling and publication software, which will be available to the public, was written by Carnegie Mellon alumnus Adrian Rollett (A'01) with guidance from Statistics Professor Pantelis Vlachos. The first issue includes an historical article written by Statistics Professor Steve Fienberg titled "When Did Bayesian Inference Become 'Bayesian'?" —The results from Summer Session Two and all 2005 Faculty Course Evaluations are now available online. To access results, go to http://www.cmu.edu/fce and select "View FCE Results." —The College of Humanities and Social Sciences has redesigned its Web site. View the new site at http://www.hss.cmu.edu. PERSONAL MENTION —Assistant Professor of Art Kim Beck will exhibit her work Aug. 25-Sept. 20 in "Lot" in the Sonnenschein Gallery at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill. Beck will give a lecture as part of the exhibit on Aug. 26. Her work will also be included in "Skyline" Sept. 13-Oct. 21 at the Sherman Gallery at Boston University's School of Visual Arts. She will be a visiting artist at the school on Sept. 26 in conjunction with the exhibition. —Cliff Davidson, professor of civil engineering and engineering and public policy, and doctoral student Allison R. Harris will meet with members of an EPA panel of experts to discuss outdated lead standards Aug. 16 in Research Triangle Park, N.C. For more, see http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050809_davidson.html. —Carnegie Mellon graduate Eliot Goren has signed a professional contract with the Manchester Magic of the English Basketball League (EBL). During Goren's senior season he led the Tartans with 3.7 assists per game and 46 steals. He averaged 9.2 points per game and finished his career with 939 points. Goren reports Sept. 1. —The Pittsburgh post of the Society of American Military Engineers recently presented 2004-05 ROTC Awards to sophomore Robert Marinaro and junior Tyler Paulk. Both students are enrolled in the Navy ROTC program and are majoring in electrical and computer engineering. —Materials Science and Engineering Professor Anthony D. Rollett, former graduate students Kee Young Jung and Bassem S. El-Dasher, and Alcoa researcher Joseph Fridy won the 2004 Henry Marion Howe Medal for the best paper published in a specific volume of Metallurgical and Materials Transactions. Their paper, "Statistically Representative Three-Dimensional Microstructures Based on Orthogonal Observation Sections," uses data from cross-sections of materials to construct three-dimensional digital representations for use in computations that predict performance of engineering structures. This tool is already in use at various industries and government laboratories. Their paper was published in the July 2004 issue of the journal. CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
—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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