September 15, 2005

Vol. 16, No. 11

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.

In a letter to the campus community, President Jared L. Cohon announced the appointment of a committee to review university policy on controversial speakers. "This committee will be launched this week with William Brown, Professor of Biology, serving as chair," he said. "The committee includes faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and a member of the community who is an alumnus.

—"As a campus community, we are committed to open engagement, even to the extent of allowing offensive or troubling speech. At the same time, we have a tradition of personal respect and decency that can be tested by such unrestricted discourse. Moreover, we must abide by the law and university standards with respect to harassment, intimidation and related issues. This is not a tension unique to Carnegie Mellon; indeed, there have been many well-publicized controversies surrounding speakers on campuses across the country. In our case, there were three speakers this past semester that caused considerable concern both on campus and in the local community, with widely divergent perspectives on whether the lectures should have taken place, how they were conducted, and the impact of their being held on the campus."

—President Cohon has asked the committee to provide a preliminary report by the end of the semester. The full text of his letter and names of the committee members are posted on official.cmu-news, cmu.misc.news, http://www.cmu.edu and my.cmu.edu.

CARNEGIE MELLON LAUNCHES THE HIGHLANDS CIRCLE

On Sept. 17-18, Carnegie Mellon will launch The Highlands Circle, a new society for donors who have contributed $1 million or more to the university over their lifetimes and through their estates. These founding members—individuals, families, corporations and foundations—have given nearly $778 million since the university's founding. Activities scheduled for the weekend include an on-campus luncheon and series of interactive sessions with faculty and students, a formal dinner celebration at The Andy Warhol Museum (Andy Warhol, A '49) and a visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural masterpiece, Fallingwater.

ARCHITECTURE FIRM SELECTED TO DESIGN THE GATES CENTER

The university has chosen Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects to design the Gates Center for Computer Science, a new campus building for education, research and collaboration in computer science. Construction is expected to begin in fall of 2006. Made possible by a $20 million lead gift from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the center will enable the university to broaden its leadership in computer science by providing more space to nurture important new and ongoing endeavors. Work on the Gates Center will be part of a larger project to renovate the university's west campus. That project includes replacing surface parking with underground parking, creating new green spaces and adding new campus pathways. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050908_gates.html.

ANDY AWARDS CEREMONY TO BE HELD SEPT. 27

The Andy Awards ceremony will be held at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 27, in McConomy Auditorium, followed by a reception in Rangos Hall. The Andy Awards, a university-wide staff recognition program, honor individuals and teams for their efforts that go above and beyond the call of duty to advance Carnegie Mellon as one of the nation's premier educational and research institutions. Nominees are recognized and winners are selected in five categories: Innovation, Enthusiasm, Citizenship, Dedication and Culture.

—The list of this year's nominees is at http://www.cmu.edu/andyawards/05nominee-notip.html.

NEWS BRIEFS

—Members of the university community are encouraged to participate in the nomination process for honorary degree recipients at next year's commencement. Nominees must be distinguished individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to society; represent prominent fields and values of Carnegie Mellon, particularly those that support work in the arts, humanities, and science and technology; have connections to the university (i.e. alumni, former faculty, friends or collaborators); and represent diversity and the university culture. Nomination forms can be accessed and submitted at http://www.cmu.edu/advancement/honorary/index.html. The Honorary Degree Committee should receive them by Oct. 31. Send the nominations to University Professor Emeritus Guy Berry, head of the Honorary Degree Selection Committee, at gcberry@andrew.cmu.edu.

—The "Innovators with Impact" display in the University Center now features three new categories of student award winners. Carnegie Mellon's Fulbright Scholars, Rhodes Scholars and members of the USA Today All-USA College Academic Team join the alumni and faculty innovators highlighted in this interactive, multimedia display. Located on the first floor near the Information Desk, the display showcases Carnegie Mellon's collaborative culture and impact on the world. It has received more than 10,000 visitors since it opened in May 2005. Questions or comments about the display should be sent to Carrie Chisholm at carriech@andrew.cmu.edu.

—This year's Homecoming and Reunion Weekend is set for Oct. 27 - 30. Check the full schedule of events and register to attend at http://www.alumni.cmu.edu.

—Charity Navigator, America's premier evaluator of charities, has awarded Carnegie Mellon a four-star rating for the fifth consecutive year for its commitment to prudent fiscal management. The four stars recognize that Carnegie Mellon has "outperformed most other charities in America in its efforts to efficiently manage its finances."Further Information: http://www.charitynavigator.org/.

—Carnegie Mellon professors Jim Daniels, a writer, and Charlee Brodsky, a photographer, have created a new book called "Street" that will be published later this month. "Street" is a collection of photographs of people in Pittsburgh's neighborhoods shot by Brodsky in the 1980s. Each photograph is accompanied by a poem written by Daniels that tells the imagined story of the person pictured.

PERSONAL MENTION

—The July/August issue of History Ireland features a three-page interview with History Professor David Miller, an expert in Irish social history between 1760 and 1870. He is the author of "Church, State and Nation in Ireland 1898 - 1921" and is at work on a book under the working title "Ulster Presbyterians and Irish Catholics, 1829 - 69."

—Egon Balas, University Professor of Industrial Administration and Applied Mathematics and The Thomas Lord Professor of Operations Research at the Tepper School, received an honorary degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada on June 18. The university is the largest training center for mathematicians in the world.

—Christine Parlour, associate professor of finance at the Tepper School, has received the 2004 Goldman Sachs Asset Management Prize for the best paper published or accepted in the Review of Finance 2005. Her paper "Rationing in IPOs" was co-authored by Uday Rajan, University of Michigan.

—Andrew W. Williams, a third-year graduate student in electrical and computer engineering (ECE), has won a 2005 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Fellowship. Working with his advisor, Priya Narasimhan, assistant professor of ECE and the Institute for Software Research International, Williams is focused on security-related research that aligns with the objectives of the DHS, and includes topics such as sensor network security and secure embedded middleware. Last year, ECE graduate student Sonya Reed Johnson won the award.

—Alex Hills wrote an article published in the October 2005 issue of Scientific American titled "Smart Wi-Fi," which describes his work on improving the performance of Wi-Fi networks. This work had its roots in the development of Carnegie Mellon's Wireless Andrew network, a project that Hills led from 1993 to 1999. He is the Distinguished Service Professor of EPP and ECE.

—Doug James, assistant professor of computer science and robotics, is featured in the October issue of Popular Science magazine as one of this year's "Brilliant 10," an annual showcase of the10 brightest, most innovative young scientists in the country who are gaining recognition in their fields, but are not yet well-known to the general public. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050914_popsci.html.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Sept. 15-16: In honor of Constitution Day (Sept. 17), an original copy of the Bill of Rights from 1792 will be on display from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Posner Center. A pubic reception from 4 to 6 p.m., Sept. 15, will feature remarks by Professor Peter Shane on "The Living Constitution in the Information Age."

—Monday, Sept. 19: Seminar Series on Nanotechnology. Co-sponsored by CNXT (Center for Nano-enabled Device and Energy Technologies), and ICES. "Carbon Nanotube Research at NASA Ames: From Synthesis to Applications." Meyya Meyyappan, director, Center for Nanotechnology, NASA Ames Research Center. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Hamerschlag Hall, Room 1112. Lunch will be served. Please RSVP to ccowan@andrew.cmu.edu if you would like to attend or have any questions.

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