January 12, 2006

Vol. 16, No. 25

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.

2005 Editions are available online.

Previous editions are available online.

Carnegie Mellon will honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, Jan. 16, with a series of afternoon activities designed to stimulate discussion and reflection on the great civil rights leader's life and work. Classes will be canceled after 12:30 p.m. so all members of the campus community can participate in this important celebration. All events will take place in the University Center.

—President Jared L. Cohon will kick-off the day's events at 12:30 p.m. with his annual address on the state of diversity at Carnegie Mellon. Following his speech, at 1:30 p.m., students from Carnegie Mellon and local high schools will read narratives revealing their experiences with racial difference and discrimination as part of the university's seventh annual Martin Luther King Jr. Writing Awards ceremony. At 2:30 p.m., a panel of civic leaders and members of the Carnegie Mellon community will discuss "King's Dream in the Wake of Katrina's Nightmare." Moderated by Everett Tademy, the university's director of diversity and equal opportunity services, the panel will include Allegheny County Medical Examiner Cyril Wecht, YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh Chief Executive Officer Cecilia Golden, KDKA radio and "On Q" host Chris Moore, University of New Orleans Professor and Black Collegiate Magazine Editor James Perry, and Carnegie Mellon Interfaith Council member John Tyler. At 3:45 p.m., members of the university community will honor King's spirit through song, verse and personal interpretation during the Community Collage. The day's events will conclude at 5 p.m. with a keynote address by Derrick Bell, one of the nation's most highly respected constitutional law professors and a visiting professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Bell will discuss "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Was He a 20th Century Jesus?" For more information,visit http://www.cmu.edu/.

CFA CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION FEATURES A CENTURY OF ALUMNI ARTISTS

As part of the College of Fine Arts (CFA) Centennial Celebration, the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery will host "100% Centennial," a show of alumni work featuring the talent and accomplishments of a century of Carnegie Mellon artists, including Andy Warhol, Mel Bochner, Joyce Kozloff and Phillip Pearlstein. "100% Centennial" will open on Friday, Jan. 20, and continue through March 5. Works by alumni from all of the college's schools--art, music, architecture, design and drama--will be displayed throughout the gallery's three floors. An opening reception will take place from 5 to 8 p.m., Jan. 20. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/051220_miller.html

PNC BANK OPENS NEW SERVICE CENTER ON CAMPUS

PNC Bank will open a new Electronic Customer Service Center in the lower level of the University Center near Andy's on Monday, Jan. 23. All deposits and withdrawals will be processed at two ATM machines and a 24-hour Internet station will support Web-based banking. PNC staff will be present during regular business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Special features include free student savings and checking accounts and financial literacy seminars. Refreshments will be served during the grand opening week (Jan. 23 - 27). In addition, the PNC "Banking is Easy" game will debut on Jan. 23 and continue through March 3. Game pieces, prize information and contest rules can be picked up at the center.

NEWS BRIEFS

—Do you know a graduate student who deserves special recognition? If so, consider assembling a nomination package for the Graduate Student Teaching Award, which recognizes exemplary teaching by a graduate student. The award recipient will receive an engraved tray, a monetary honorarium, and will be recognized during the Graduate Student appreciation week in April. The complete call for nominations, advice to nominators and important details for packages are available at http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/eberlycenter/awards/. Contact Michelle Pierson, Eberly Center, mg2e@andrew or x8-2896 with any questions. The deadline for nominations is Monday, Feb. 27.

—The "2006 Leadership Symposium: Effective Strategies for Leading the Best" will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 16. The conference is designed specifically for university managers and leaders and is offered at no cost to participants. It includes three sets of concurrent sessions in four focus areas: leadership development, management practices, culture and workplace environment, and legal issues. Many of the university's senior leaders will share their expertise in these sessions, including Joel Smith, Michael Murphy, Mary Jo Dively, Martha Harty, Gloriana St. Clair and Deborah Moon. Denise Rousseau will present the lunchtime keynote address. More information about the symposium and registration will be available in February.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Hubert I. Aaronson, the RF Mehl University Emeritus Professor, died on Dec. 13, following a lengthy illness. He was a member of the staff of the Metals Research Laboratory at CIT (1953-1957), a faculty member in the Department of Metallurgy and Materials Science (1979-1991) and professor emeritus from 1991 until his death. For more, see the Jan. 6 official.cmu-news posting.

—Professor and alumnus James Tomayko (HS'71,'80), a founder and former director of the Master in Software Engineering (MSE) program in the School of Computer Science (SCS), died Monday, Jan. 9, after a long illness. The funeral will be at 10 a.m., Friday, Jan. 13 at St. Paul Cathedral, Oakland. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Jim Tomayko Memorial Fund, Institute for Software Research International, 5321 Wean Hall. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060110_tomayko.html.

—The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has conferred the grade of fellow upon the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) Nancy R. Mead, Paul D. Nielsen and Douglass E. Post. Mead is a senior member of the SEI technical staff in the Networked Systems Survivability Program. Nielsen is director and CEO of the SEI. Post is a senior member of the SEI technical staff working for the U.S. government on high-performance computing.

—Richard Green, the Richard M. and Margaret S. Cyert Professor of Economics and Management, and Jonathan B. Berk of the University of California, Berkeley, received the 2005 TIAA-CREF Paul A. Samuelson Award for Outstanding Scholarly Writing on Lifelong Financial Security. They received the award--now in its tenth year--for their article, "Mutual Fund Flows and Performance in Rational Markets," which appeared in the December 2004 Journal of Political Economy.

—ECE Professor Vijayakumar Bhagavatula along with ECE alumnus Abhijit Mahalanobis and Richard Juday, a retired researcher from the NASA Johnson Space Center, have coauthored "Correlation Pattern Recognition," a new book published by Cambridge University Press.

—Bella Karr Gerlich, head of Arts and Special Collections for the University Libraries, has been named the Associate University Librarian at Georgia College and State University (GCSU), effective Feb. 1. GCSU is Georgia's designated public liberal arts university.

—Mark Bier, associate research professor and director of the Center for Molecular Analysis in the Department of Chemistry, has received a $546,000 grant from the National Science Foundation's Instrument Development for Biological Research program to build a heavy-ion mass spectrometer. This one-of-a-kind mass spectrometer will characterize with unprecedented sensitivity large biomolecules, such as intact proteins, protein complexes, virus particles and DNA. It may also provide a new tool for analyzing large man-made polymers used in nanotechnology. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060110_heavyion.html.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Saturday, Jan. 21: Jump Start, an opportunity for all students to enhance their academic and personal success at Carnegie Mellon. Noon to 4 p.m., University Center. Sessions include "Getting the Most from Your Academic Adviser," "Essential Elements for Health and Wellbeing," "Succeeding Through Undergraduate Research," and "Stress Management." Sponsored by Student Affairs and the Office of Orientation and First Year Programs. Further information: http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/first-year/jumpstart/

—Sunday, Jan. 29: Spring SafeZone Training. 11:45 a.m. - 3 p.m. UC, Class of 1987 Room. Applications are due Jan. 23. SafeZone is a network committed to providing a safe and affirming environment for all at Carnegie Mellon, including anyone dealing with issues of sexual orientation and gender identity. Members of the campus community--students, faculty and staff, straight and gay, are welcome to join the network. To become a member, you are invited to participate in a three-hour orientation session. SafeZone at Carnegie Mellon is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. Applications are available at: http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/safezone/.

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