March 23, 2006

Vol. 16, No. 35

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.

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2005 Editions are available online.

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The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has selected five Carnegie Mellon faculty members to receive prestigious Sloan Research Fellowships: Catalina Achim, assistant professor of chemistry, Mellon College of Science (MCS); Justin Crowley, assistant professor of biological sciences, MCS; Carlos Guestrin, assistant professor, School of Computer Science's Center for Automated Learning and Discovery and Computer Science Department; Doug L. James, assistant professor of computer science and robotics, School of Computer Science; and Adrian Perrig, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and engineering and public policy, College of Engineering. Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded to young researchers who have shown great potential to advance knowledge in their field. Each fellow will receive a two-year, $45,000 grant to pursue his or her research.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060315_sloan.html

CULYBA, WIERMAN, DUMITRAS WIN GRAD TEACHING, SERVICE AWARDS

Dave Culyba and Adam Wierman have been named co-winners of this year's Graduate Student Teaching Award, and Tudor Dumitras is the winner of this year's Graduate Student Service Award. Culyba has been head teaching assistant the last four years for the highly successful "Building Virtual Worlds" course at the Entertainment Technology Center. Much credit for the course's success has been attributed to Culyba. Wierman, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Computer Science Department, is often referred to by students and faculty as "the best TA I've ever had." Dumitras, a Ph.D. student in electrical and computer engineering, was selected for his breadth of activities in the department supporting graduate students. He was a volunteer with the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors and a volunteer income tax assistant for many students. Receiving honorable mention service citations are Andrea Lynn Benvin and Melanie Ann Vrabel, both Ph.D. students in chemistry. Winners will be honored at a 5:30 p.m. ceremony, Wednesday, April 5 in the Kresge Theatre, College of Fine Arts.

GATES CENTER INFORMATION SESSIONS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL

The Design Review Committee will host two information sessions in April about the Gates Center for Computer Science project.The first will be held from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 4 in McConomy Auditorium, University Center (UC), where Mack Scogin, principal of Mack Scogin Merrill Elam Architects, will discuss the plans in progress. Details regarding the second session in April will be announced soon. The Gates Center will be a 208,000-square-foot structure with a 150-space subsurface parking garage. The building, which will face Forbes Avenue, will help create a new West Campus quadrangle and connect the West Campus to the Cut.

PLANNING UNDER WAY FOR AVIAN FLU PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS

Campus preparations for a possible Avian Flu pandemic are proceeding well. Heeding the advice of scientific experts, the Environmental Health and Safety Department (EH&S) and Student Health Services, in collaboration with many other areas of the university, have been engaged since last November in developing a detailed response plan. Anita Barkin, director of Student Health Services, and Madelyn Miller, director of EH&S, are heading the effort as the Avian Flu continues to receive worldwide attention. "We are working to ensure that on-campus health care providers and first responders are prepared with appropriate medical protocols in place, and that medical supplies, antibiotics and equipment are readily available," said Barkin, who was recently appointed chair of the Task Force on Pandemic Planning for the American College Health Association.

—"I am very pleased with our current level of preparation and the lead role that Anita Barkin and Madelyn Miller have taken both here and nationally," said Vice President for Enrollment William Elliott. "Going forward, we will need all students, staff and faculty to add their own energies to this important effort."

—Questions or comments should be directed to Madelyn Miller at mmiller@andrew.cmu.edu.

NEWS BRIEFS

—President Jared L. Cohon will hold an open student office hour at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 27. Students interested in meeting with him should contact Jennifer Church, interim dean of Student Affairs, at jcdg@andrew.cmu.edu.

PERSONAL MENTION

—The Board of Directors of the International Digital Media and Arts Association (iDMAa) will present its 2006 iDMAa Award for Outstanding Achievement in Digital Media Higher Education to professors Don Marinelli and Randy Pausch, co-founders of the Entertainment Technology Center, at the upcoming iDMAa banquet April 7 at Miami University of Ohio in Oxford. The iDMAa recognized Marinelli and Pausch's visionary work and accomplishments in growing the Entertainment Technology Center to a position of prominence.

—Modern Languages Ph.D. candidate Yuki Yoshimura has been selected as the 2006 winner of the H&SS Graduate Student Teaching Award. A graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan, with a bachelor's degree in English and a master's degree in English Linguistics, she came to Carnegie Mellon in the fall of 2001. She is a doctoral student in her department's Second Language Acquisition program and will graduate in May. At Carnegie Mellon, she has taught Elementary or Intermediate Japanese I and II each year, as well as during summer sessions.

—The Center for the Arts in Society has awarded grants to faculty in the colleges of Fine Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences to fund interdisciplinary research. Grants of about $1,000 each went to Professor Omer Akin, architecture; Associate Professor Robert Cavalier, philosophy; Associate Professor Kenya C. Dworkin, Spanish; Associate Professor Clayton Merrell, art; Associate Professor Suzie Silver, art; Visiting Assistant Professor Christopher Sperandio, art; Visiting Assistant Professor Fabian Winkler, art, with Shannon McMullen, a Ph.D. student in sociology at the University of California, San Diego.

—After 33 years of service, Jan Wolfe, receptionist for the Office of Admission, is retiring on April 7. Wolfe has greeted thousands of admission and university visitors over the years as receptionist on the first floor of Warner Hall.

—Three Carnegie Mellon swimmers and one diver earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Championships. They were senior Brian Hunter in the 200-yard breaststroke, senior Julia Pavia in the 3-meter board (diving), junior David Krzeminski in the 200-yard butterfly, and sophomore Alex Kinzler in the 200-yard breaststroke. Both Hunter and Kinzler broke school records in their respective events.

—Bryan Matrazzo, parking accountant for the past 11 months, has accepted a position at Duquesne University as Manager of Parking Services, effective March 27. Questions, concerns and requests should be directed to the new Parking Services Manager Michelle Porter at mporter@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-6278.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Friday, March 24: "The Pittsburgh Banal," the 2006 School of Art Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Thesis Exhibition opens with a reception and performances from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Regina Gouger Miller Gallery. The exhibit continues through April 23. Featured are MFA candidates Matt Barton, William Cravis, Takehito Etani, Jesse Hulcher, Thomas Sturgill and Tiffany Sum. Information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060315_mfa.html.

—Monday, March 27: Free Lunch & Learn Session: "Step by Step: Securing Your Mac." Noon - 1:30 p.m., McKenna Room, UC. Computing Services' Information Security Office and Computer Education group offer this free class. Seats are limited. Register at https://www.cmu.edu/computing/education/ or call x8-3086.

—Tuesday, March 28: William "Red" Whittaker and the Red Team will be featured in NOVA's "Great Robot Race," an upcoming episode of the PBS science series that will focus on the DARPA Grand Challenge held last October. 8 p.m.The program will also air at 1 a.m., March 30.

—Wednesday, March 29: The Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, under the direction of Juan Pablo Izquierdo, will perform at 8 p.m. in the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. It will present selections from Sergei Prokofiev's "Romeo & Juliet," Dmitry Shostakovich's "Concerto for Piano, Trumpet & Strings," and Ludwig van Beethoven's most popular symphony, "Symphony No. 5." For tickets, call 412-268-2383.

—Friday, March 31: The Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) presents "The Hollow Prize? Black Buyers, Racial Violence and the Riot Renaissance." Alison Isenberg, associate professor of history, Rutgers University. 5 - 6:30 p.m., lecture and discussion. Refreshments: 4:30 p.m., Baker Hall A 53. Isenberg is author of "Downtown America: A History of the Place and the People Who Made It" (2004), which has been awarded the Ellis Hawley Prize by the Organization of American Historians.

—Friday, March 31: Mechanical Engineering Seminar. "Deterministic Multi-Objective Robust Optimization and Selection" by Professor Shapour Azarm, University of Maryland. 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., Scaife Hall 125.

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