April 13, 2006

Vol. 16, No. 38

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.

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Wei Wei Wang, a sophomore majoring in business, has died from injuries sustained in a car accident on April 11.

A much loved member of our community, she was involved in many campus activities including Kappa Pi Lambda sorority and Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity. She was also a cheerleader, served as a teaching assistant for Modern Languages, and worked in the Office of International Education.Those who knew Wei Wei describe her as a sweet soul with a profound love for her family and friends. Her loss will be felt by her family, friends and the university community alike.

—Members of the campus community are encouraged to support one another during this difficult time. Students may rely on the Counseling and Psychological Services staff, at 412-268-2922, as well as staff members available in the Division of Student Affairs. The University offers counseling to employees through our Employee Assistance Program. Confidential services are available by calling 888-267-8126 (staffed 24 hours a day).

—Information regarding services will be provided as it becomes available and will be posted on cmu.news.

PLANS UNVEILED FOR NEW GATES CENTER FOR COMPUTER SCIENCE

Initial designs for the university's new Gates Center for Computer Science reveal two contemporary structures that will make up the new home for Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science. The new structures--one a 159,000-square-foot, six-story building and the other a 50,000 square-foot, four-story facility--will sit on a 5.6-acre site on the university's West Campus. The buildings will be organized around an outdoor winter garden and connected by a four-story lobby containing pedestrian walkways between the upper floors. The smaller of the two buildings, shaped like a trapezoid, will face Forbes Avenue between Cyert and Hamburg halls.

—The center's 209,000 square feet will contain 318 offices as well as labs, computer clusters, lecture halls, classrooms and a 250-seat auditorium. Fifty percent of the center will be devoted to office space, with labs (18%), common areas (15%), classrooms (13%) and planetary robotics (4%) making up the other half.

—For more on the initial design of the Gates Center, visit http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060407_gates.html

SPRING CARNIVAL BEGINS APRIL 20

Carnegie Mellon's annual Spring Carnival will be held Thursday - Saturday, April 20 - 22. Carnival activities will be held on the "Midway" in the Morewood Gardens parking lot. The Sweepstakes Buggy Races will be held on Tech and Frew streets, and Schenley Drive from 8 a.m. to noon, Friday and Saturday, April 21 - 22. Margaret Morrison Street, Tech Street, Frew Street and Schenley Drive will be closed beginning at 6 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and will reopen by 12:30 p.m. Parking in the Morewood Gardens lot will also be impacted. For more on Spring Carnival, visit http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/carnival/

CARNEGIE MELLON CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE EXCELLENCE

The university community will join computer science alumni and more than 500 corporate and academic leaders to celebrate 50 years of computer science education and research at Carnegie Mellon with a four-day, celebration April 19 - 22. The impact of computers and computer science on society over the past half-century has been immense and Carnegie Mellon researchers have made significant contributions in the development of many of the operating systems, programming languages, robots and Internet search methods used in today's digitized world.

—Highlights of the four-day event, called "CS50," include a technical symposium, reminiscences of founding faculty members and former students, a preview of the Gates Center for Computer Science, and an appearance by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell. Events will be held in various campus locations, including the tent being constructed on the Cut.

—Further information: http://www.cs50.cs.cmu.edu/

STATUE HONORING ALUMNUS TO BE DEDICATED ON CAMPUS APRIL 18

Carnegie Mellon will dedicate a statue of famed Chinese engineer, educator and alumnus Mao Yisheng at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, April 18. The ceremony will be held at the statue site, in an alcove alongside Baker and Porter halls on the Hamerschlag Mall. The statue commemorates the achievements of Mao, who earned the first Ph.D. from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1919. "Carnegie Mellon is immensely proud of the accomplishments of Mao Yisheng, our first Ph.D. graduate. His contributions to major engineering projects and his immense impact as an educator in China make him truly one of the most important engineers of the 20th century. His career illustrates Carnegie Mellon's global reach and adds further luster to Carnegie Mellon's history," said President Jared L. Cohon. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060406_mao.html/

NEWS BRIEFS

—The Google Research Awards program recently granted $50,000 to the Computer Science for High Schools (CS4HS) program, a School of Computer Science summer workshop for teachers. The workshop, scheduled for July 21 - 24, will provide teaching modules that can be introduced into high school computer courses. The modules show students that computer science is a broader and more varied field than just computer programming.

—Students in the Department of Mathematical Sciences collectively finished eighth overall out of more than 500 teams participating in the 65th Annual William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition. This year's competition, during which students attempted to solve 12 complex mathematical problems during a six-hour period, included more than 3,400 participants. Several Carnegie Mellon team members finished in the top 200, including Ricky Biggs, who finished 12th individually and won $1,000, Chunhua Zhang, Yinmeng Zhang and Paul Zagieboylo. In addition, the following team members were ranked among the top 500: Charles Capps, Rebecca Lambert, Paul McKenney, James Qi, Brian Thompson and Jon Mendelson. The students were mentored by lecturer John Mackey and University Professor of Mathematical Sciences Luc Tartar.

—Senior Leadership Awards are presented annually to graduating seniors who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and made substantial contributions to the Carnegie Mellon community in the following categories: academics, arts, athletics, campus involvement and community service. To nominate a senior, visit http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/events/senior%5Fleader/ Nominations are due by April 24. Questions should be directed to Heather Andring at handring@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-9510.

PERSONAL MENTION

—The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences has selected John R. Anderson, the Richard King Mellon Professor of Psychology and Computer Science, as the recipient of the inaugural Dr. A.H. Heineken Prize for Cognitive Science for his groundbreaking integrative theory of the computational operations underlying human thought processes. The prize carries a $150,000 award.

—Janet Stocks, assistant vice provost for education, has been elected chair of the Board of Governors of the National Conferences for Undergraduate Research (NCUR). NCUR, established in 1987, is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship and creative activity in all fields of study.

—H&SS has named Psychology Major Haley A. Vlach winner of the 2006 Gretchen Lankford Award. The award is presented annually to an outstanding H&SS senior who plans to pursue a career in teaching. The award is named for Gretchen Goldsmith Lankford, a 1943 graduate of Margaret Morrison Carnegie College. Several members of her family are Carnegie Mellon alumni, including her son, John, who is the executive director of Executive Education at the Tepper School and adjunct professor of marketing. Her brother, William Goldsmith, is an alumnus and emeritus member of the university's Board of Trustees.

—Twenty-nine students in the Department of Modern Languages recently were inducted into Phi Sigma Iota, the national foreign language honor society. Their names are posted on official.cmu-news, April 11.

—Satyan Pai, a junior majoring in biological sciences with a minor in chemistry, has been awarded the Senator Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. After completing his bachelor's degree, Pai plans to pursue an advanced degree in molecular biology and ultimately conduct research in a pharmaceutical or academic environment.

—Egon Balas, University Professor of Industrial Administration and Applied Mathematics at the Tepper School, has been inducted into the International Federation of Operational Research Societies Hall of Fame.

—The Tepper School held its 15th annual Staff Recognition Awards Ceremony on Monday April 10. The Excellence Award was presented to Diana Dewey Emanuele, executive assistant to the executive director of the Masters Programs; the Rookie of the Year recipient was Cheryl Bender, director of Graphic Design Services; and the Team Award went to the Tepper Admissions Office.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Thursday, April 20: Carnegie Mellon's Human Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) celebrates its 12th Anniversary with a one-day symposium with distinguished speakers from the HCII community. Further information: http://www.hcii.cs.cmu.edu/HCII_Anniversary/.

—Friday, April 21: Mechanical Engineering Seminar. "Sustainable Manufacturing by Design: A Case Study in Metalworking Fluid Systems." Steven J. Skerlos, assistant professor, Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Michigan. 10:30 - 11:30 a.m., Scaife Hall 125.

—Saturday, April 22: Master of Software Engineering (MSE) Open House and memorial service for the late Jim Tomayko, founder of the MSE program. 9:30 a.m., 300 South Craig Street. RSVP to Ellen Saxon at ens@cs.cmu.edu.

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