November 10, 2005

Vol. 16, No. 19

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.

Open Enrollment for 2006 benefits continues through Friday, Nov. 18. See http://hr.web.cmu.edu/current/benefits/oe for links to information, help sheets and other resources that can assist you in making your decisions. Benefit Specialists will be available at 412-268-4747 or hrhelp@andrew.cmu.edu, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., seven days a week during the Open Enrollment period to answer your questions or email.

UNIVERSITY SEEKS HONORARY DEGREE NOMINATIONS

The deadline for nominations for candidates for honorary degrees at commencement has been extended to Nov. 15. In order to facilitate nominations, the committee is accepting very brief recommendations for initial consideration. All that is required for now is that you send the candidates name, address (if you have it), field of expertise, and a few brief paragraphs explaining why this candidate deserves to be considered. Including the name of any individual at the university who may have a relationship with the candidate will be helpful.

—Send your recommendation to the committee online at http://www.cmu.edu/advancement/honorary/, or by email to University Professor Emeritus Guy Berry, head of the selection committee, at gcberry@andrew.cmu.edu.

"CAMPUS CONVERSATION" TO DISCUSS DIVERSITY AND MORAL VALUES

The first in a series of "Campus Conversations" will take place Saturday, Nov. 19, to gauge student opinion on life, learning and values at Carnegie Mellon. It will consist of a Deliberative Poll® in which 90 students will be selected to participate through random sampling. The poll will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. in Baker and Porter halls and will address two overarching topics: the nature of a diverse campus community and the interplay of moral values in private and public campus life. Information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/051031_cavalier.html

BOOKSTORE LAUNCHES E-COMMERCE WEB SITE

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, Carnegie Mellon's Bookstore has launched a new Web site at http://www.bookstore.cmu.edu. With the click of a mouse you can buy Carnegie Mellon sweatshirts, faculty-authored books and other university merchandise and have your purchase delivered to your door. Most credit cards are accepted on this secure site.

SCHOOL OF DRAMA TO PERFORM AWARD-WINNING MUSICAL "URINETOWN"

The School of Drama is the first theatre group in Pennsylvania given the license to perform the breakthrough Broadway Tony Award®-winning show "Urinetown" which will preview Dec. 1 and run through Dec. 10. "Urinetown" won three Tony Awards, three Outer Circle Critics Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards and two Obie Awards. Based on the book and lyrics by Greg Kotis, and the music and lyrics by Mark Hollmann, "Urinetown" is an engaging satire of musical theatre traditions. For additional information about the upcoming season or ticket purchases contact the School of Drama box office at 412-268-2407, Monday - Friday, noon - 5 p.m. For more on "Urinetown" see http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/051104_urinetown.html.

NEWS BRIEFS

—Looking for inspiration for your next crafty undertaking? Or maybe just one more hour to finish that project you've been working on? Dropped a stitch and hope someone knows how to fix it? Then the next Carnegie Mellon Women's Association (CMWA) lunch program is for you! This informal hour, noon-1 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 30 in the Pake Room, University Center, will be a time to share your current projects, see what other crafty skills the CMWA membership has and enjoy time catching up with friends while working on your project. CMWA will provide cookies and coffee--feel free to bring your lunch. RSVP no later than Wednesday, Nov. 23, to Heather Andring (handring@andrew.cmu.edu), 412-268-9510, or Jamie Rossi (jrossi@andrew.cmu.edu), 412-268-2142. For information about CMWA, go to http://www.cmu.edu/CMWA.

—Help make a child's holiday wish come true by purchasing a toy for a girl or boy in the Salvation Army's Treasures for Children Toy Program. Contact Linda Hooper at 412-268-6878 or lhooper@andrew.cmu.edu for a child's name and age, and bring your unwrapped gift to the Academic Development Office, Room 212 in the Old Student Center by Friday, Dec. 2. A list of suggested gifts is available at http://www.cmu.edu/academic-development.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Ann Curran, former editor of Carnegie Mellon Magazine and currently a Carnegie Mellon student, has written a book of poetry, "Placement Test," which was a finalist in the Main Street Rag Chapbook Competition. Copies are available at the Carnegie Mellon Bookstore.

—Bo Li, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, was awarded second place for best student paper at the 2005 IEEE Sensors Conference in Irvine, Calif. His paper described cutting-edge work on chemical nano-sensors. There were more than 100 contest entries.

—Philip LeDuc, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, was selected to attend the prestigious National Academy of Science's ''Frontiers of Science'' program late last month. He discussed his work with the living cell and his ongoing project to create a virtual cell to help students understand the mechanics of problems like heart disease and cancer.

—Chemical Engineering Ph.D. student Marvi Matos won the American Electrophoresis Society Best Poster Award at the 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers annual meeting for her research on "Electrokinetic Control of Mass Transfer in Gels via Embedded Nanoparticle Pumps." Matos is co-advised by Professors Bob Tilton and Lee White. The "poster" is the means by which Chemical Engineering students explain their research project with pictures, charts, graphs, diagrams and text.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Monday, Nov. 14: Thomas McEvilley, Distinguished Lecturer in Art History at Rice University, will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the Philip Chosky Theatre, Purnell Center, as part of the "Aesthetics Out of Bounds" arts histories lecture series, sponsored by the Center for the Arts in Society.

—Tuesday, Nov. 15: Don Bialostosky, professor of English at the University of Pittsburgh, will deliver the annual Carol Brown Lecture at 4:30 p.m. in the Adamson Wing of Baker Hall.The title of his talk is "Bakhtinian Speech Genres in Life and Literature: Or Poems as Greetings, Warnings, Complaints, Excuses, Toasts, Boasts, and Burial Instructions." A reception will follow the lecture.

—Tuesday, Nov. 15: The Speak Your Mind: Diversity Discussion and Dinner Series continues with a discussion on "How Culture Shapes Family Values and Dynamics." Speak Your Mind is a series of discussions and dinners which focus on issues of diversity set in a comfortable and casual environment. 5 - 6:30 p.m., West Wing TV Room. Facilitator: Marie Norman, History Department, Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence. Dinner will be served. To reserve your place, contact Emily Half, ehalf@andrew.cmu.edu, 412-268-2075. Space is limited. Sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs.

—Wednesday, Nov. 16: Ted Kooser, the U.S. poet laureate and 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry, will speak at 8 p.m., as part of the Adamson Visiting Writers Series. Adamson Wing of Baker Hall. Free and open to the public.

—Thursday, Nov. 17: Humanities Center Lectures. "The Caribbean Diaspora and Black Internationalism: Evidence and Explanation." Winston James, professor of history, University of California, Irvine. 4:30 p.m., Gregg Hall (Porter Hall 100). Free and open to the public.

—Friday, Nov. 18: The Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) in the Department of History begins its 2005 - 06 lecture series with a talk by Johanna Fernandez, the center's postdoctoral fellow. Fernandez's talk, "The Young Lords, the Black Panthers, and the Social and Structural Roots of Late Sixties Radicalism" is at 5 p.m. in the Adamson Wing, Baker Hall. Free and open to the public. Refreshments at 4:30 p.m.

—Friday, Nov. 18: Mechanical Engineering Seminar. "Fluid and Thermal Transport in Nanostructured Materials and Devices." Arun Majumdar, University of California, Berkeley. 10:30 a.m., Scaife Hall 125.

—Saturday, Nov. 19: Doc Severinsen, renowned trumpet player and music director for "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," will teach a master class during the Trumpet Studio at 1 p.m. in the Kresge Recital Hall, College of Fine Arts. Free to the public. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/051107_severinsen.html.

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