May 11, 2006

Vol. 16, No. 42

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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2003 Editions are available online.

2004 Editions are available online.

2005 Editions are available online.

Previous editions are available online.

—Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, will give the keynote address at Carnegie Mellon's 109th commencement at 11 a.m., Sunday, May 21 in Gesling Stadium. Her Highness will also receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters, joining five other honorary degree recipients: internationally renowned artist Jonathan Borofsky (A'64); Carnegie Corporation of New York President Vartan Gregorian; Nobel Prize in Physics recipient John Hall (S'56 '58 '62); University of Pittsburgh Medical Center President Jeffrey Romoff; and Emmy-Award winning producer and director Bud Yorkin (E'48). Andy Butler, who will receive his bachelor's degree in economics with university and college honors, is this year's student speaker.

—Her Highness has been actively engaged in education and social reforms in Qatar and has played a major role in spearheading various national and international projects. Among them was the Qatar Foundation's inauguration of Education City in fall 2003. Education City brings international universities to Qatar to share education, research and community-based ventures. In 2004, Carnegie Mellon opened its first international branch campus in Education City, where it offers undergraduate programs in computer science and business.

—Due to commencement preparations, Gesling Stadium will be closed from May 15 through May 26.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060515_commencement.html.

UNIVERSITY MOURNS DEATH OF PROFESSOR OTTO DAVIS

Otto "Toby" Davis, the William W. Cooper University Professor of Economics and Public Policy, died Tuesday evening, May 9. He was 72. A Carnegie Mellon faculty member since 1960, Davis was a founder, associate dean (1968-75) and dean (1975-81) of the School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA), now the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management. He held joint appointments in the Heinz School, the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences' Department of Social and Decision Sciences. Davis' research interests spanned several areas, including welfare economics, imperfect markets and the regulation of economic activity.

— He is survived by his wife, Carol, three children--Craig Davis of Chicago, Wendy Hicks of Virginia, and Ross Davis of Connecticut--and five grandchildren. Visitation is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, May 14 at John A. Freyvogel Funeral Home, 4900 Centre Ave. in Oakland. The funeral service is tentatively set for 11 a.m., Monday, May 15 at the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh at Morewood and Ellsworth avenues.

— In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Transplant Recipients International Organization (http://www.trioweb.org) or to Carnegie Mellon University. Further information: official.cmu-news, May 10.

JONATHAN BOROFSKY SCULPTURE TO BE INSTALLED NEXT WEEK

"Walking to the Sky," a 100-foot-tall, seven-ton sculpture created by alumnus Jonathan Borofsky (A'64), will be installed in front of Warner Hall just off Forbes Avenue, beginning next week. The sculpture, a gift from Carnegie Mellon Trustee Jill Gansman Kraus (A'74) and her husband, Peter Kraus, of New York City, is scheduled to be delivered to campus in parts on Friday, May 12. The installation, which will require the use of two large cranes and a 100-foot manlift, should be completed by Tuesday, May 16, weather permitting.

—"Walking to the Sky," first seen in the U.S. in New York City's Rockefeller Center, depicts a little girl, businesswoman, young man and several other individuals scaling a soaring 100-foot-tall stainless steel pole. Three people are looking upward from the base of the pole, which will point to the east at a 75-degree angle.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060510_borofsky.html.

ETC BRINGS USS REQUIN TO LIFE WITH MULTIMEDIA INSTALLATION

Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) has created a multimedia installation aboard the USS Requin designed to tell the story of the Cold War-era submarine moored on the Ohio River at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. The center will open the submarine exhibit to the public on Friday, May 12.

—The ETC team developed interactive touch-screen content for six of the Requin's compartments. The stories include audio and video recordings of Requin veterans describing life and experiences on the sub. Each kiosk explains an aspect of nautical science and then connects that information to real stories aboard the submarine.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060508_etc.html.

RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NEW SYSTEM TO MONITOR LIFESPAN OF AIRCRAFT

Materials Science and Engineering Professor Anthony D. Rollett has developed a computational method that may help track the lifespan of U.S. Navy aircraft. "We have created a new way of creating three-dimensional computer models of the materials used in aircraft to help us determine when an aircraft is ready for an overhaul or when it should be retired," Rollett says. Because many Navy aircraft are more than 30 years old, military officials are seeking a more precise system for reducing the risk and cost associated with ensuring the safety of U.S. military aircraft. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060504_aircraft.html.

NEWS BRIEFS

—When Henry Hornbostel built the College of Fine Arts in 1912 he included inlaid floor plans of four great buildings: the Temple of Edfu, Egypt; Chartres Cathedral, France; The Parthenon, Athens; and St. Peter's Basilica, Rome (Michelangelo design). Freshman art students taking Professor Gillian Cannell's Visual Cultures survey this past semester have built models of the buildings, which will be assembled in CFA's Great Hall on Friday, May 12.

—The online version of The Tartan (www.thetartan.org), Carnegie Mellon's student-run newspaper, has been named a finalist in the Associated Collegiate Press's Online Pacemaker Competition. Awards are based on design, ease of navigation, writing and editing, graphics and interactivity. Winners will be announced in October.

—For the second time in three years, a team from the Tepper School of Business has won the top prize at Moot Corp., the leading business plan competition, at the University of Texas. Their winning venture, NeuroLife Noninvasive Solutions, which seeks to develop a new handheld medical device that measures brain pressure, beat out 33 teams from leading business schools worldwide. The winning team consisted of NeuroLife™ founders Daniel McChesney (TPR 'O5) and Ernest Braxton, Jr. (TPR '07), as well as Adil Wali (TPR' 07) and Franco D. Harris (TPR' 07). NeuroLife's proposed diagnostic will be the first in the world to gauge brain pressure non-invasively through a patient's eye using an ophthalmological technique.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Daniel Nagin, the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Professor of Public Policy and Statistics in the Heinz School, has been named the 2006 recipient of the Edwin H. Sutherland Award. Established in 1960 by the American Society of Criminology, the award recognizes outstanding contributions to theory or research in criminology. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060509_nagin.html.

—Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Burak Ozdoganlar has received the National Science Foundation Faculty Early Development (Career) Award for his proposal "Mechanics and Dynamics of Micromachining." The five-year, $400,000 award enables Ozdoganlar to investigate a novel, micro-machining technique in which 3-D micro-scale structures can be made from metals, polymers and ceramics.

—Artificial Intelligence Expert Manuela Veloso has been named the Herbert Simon Professor of Computer Science. "It is especially fitting for Manuela to hold this chair, given the tremendous contributions she has made, and continues to make, to the field of artificial intelligence," said School of Computer Science Dean Randal Bryant. University Professor Raj Reddy held the Simon Chair from 1992 to April 2005, when he was named the Mozah Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060508_veloso.html.

—Asi Burak and Eric Brown, graduate students in the Entertainment Technology Center, recently won the "Reinventing Public Diplomacy through Games" competition at the University of Southern California for their game "PeaceMaker." The game allows the player to take the role of either the Israeli Prime Minister or the Palestinian President. The player must react to in-game events and interact with other political leaders to establish a stable resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Further information: http://www.etc.cmu/edu/projects/peacemaker.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Wednesday, May 24: Annual Free Staff Picnic, hosted by President Cohon and Provost Mark Kamlet. 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. in Wiegand Gym and Rangos Hall, University Center. All staff must present a valid Carnegie Mellon ID.

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