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May 18, 2006 Vol. 16, No. 43
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) 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.
SIX TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREES AT SUNDAY'S COMMENCEMENT More than 3,000 degrees will be conferred at Carnegie Mellon's commencement ceremony at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 21 in Gesling Stadium. Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Five other honorary degree recipients will join her on the podium, including world-renowned artist Jonathan Borofsky (A'64), Carnegie Corporation of New York President Vartan Gregorian, Nobel Prize winner John Hall (S'56, '58, '62), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center President Jeffrey Romoff, and television pioneer Bud Yorkin (E'48). Andy Butler, who will receive his bachelor's degree in economics, will be this year's student speaker. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060515_commencement.html. —John Surma, chairman and CEO of U.S. Steel Corporation, and Audrey Kania (TPR'82), co-founder of WPT Enterprises Inc.--creators of the World Poker Tour--will give the keynote address at diploma ceremonies for the Tepper School of Business. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060516_surma.html. —Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt and Allan P. Woods, retired vice chairman and CIO of Mellon Financial Corporation, will be the keynote speakers at the Heinz School's diploma ceremonies. For more on Roosevelt, visit http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/commencement/. For more on Woods, visit http://www.mism.cmu.edu/currentStudents/commencement2006.asp. SWITCHGRASS COULD BE A SOLUTION TO ENERGY CRISIS Carnegie Mellon researchers say the use of switchgrass could help break U.S. dependence on fossil fuels and curb costly transportation costs."Our report indicates the time is right for America to begin a transition to ethanol derived from switchgrass," said Scott Matthews, assistant professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Switchgrass is a perennial tall grass used as forage for livestock. The Carnegie Mellon findings were published in the May 1 issue of the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science and Technology journal. "It's a renewable resource," Griffin said. "Rather than taking a depletable resource from the ground, switchgrass can be grown again and again." —Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060504_alternative.html. PHASE II OF DOHERTY HALL RENOVATION TO BEGIN Phase II of the Doherty Hall renovation project, a $27.3 million effort that will yield new labs for the Chemical Engineering Department, is scheduled to begin after commencement. The project will include about 178,000 square feet of interior renovations as well as a new 16,000-square-foot addition that will be added to the north wing of Doherty. The addition will house a new mechanical room, elevators, an emergency lighting system and fire stairwells to support the building. The project is scheduled for completion in 2008. Phase I of the renovation, completed in 2003, resulted in new undergraduate interdisciplinary science labs for the Mellon College of Science. UNIVERSITY-SPONSORED HEALTH DAY SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 7 Student Health and Human Resources will host a daylong event promoting healthy living and wellness on June 7. "Pathways to Health/Healthy Solutions 2006" will offer a series of workshops and events designed to address ways to live healthy, stay healthy and learn more about specific health interests. The event will feature 13 sessions, ranging from how to start an exercise program to balancing work and personal life. Session participants can also attend a free luncheon headlined by keynote speaker Marilyn Brooks, WTAE-TV's health editor, who will speak on "Health in the 21st Century." (Due to limited seating, only session attendees will be able to attend the luncheon.) For more information, visit http://hr.web.cmu.edu/wellnessday/. Participants can register at the Web site or from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., May 24 in the University Center (UC). NEWS BRIEFS —Due to the resurfacing of the Gesling Stadium playing field this summer, the stadium will be closed from Monday, May 22, until Sunday, Aug. 20. "The newly renovated Gesling Stadium will provide our campus community with a state-of-the-art facility giving us the ability to better serve intercollegiate athletics, intramurals, club sports and recreational activities," said Carnegie Mellon Director of Athletics Susan Bassett. The field is being resurfaced with FieldTurf, which uses silica sand, cryogenic rubber and a patented layering process to emulate natural grass. The new field should be ready for the 2006 football and men's and women's soccer seasons. PERSONAL MENTION —David Deerfield, a staff scientist at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center (PSC) since 1988, died of cancer on Sunday, May 14, at the age of 50. Deerfield directed the PSC's biomedical program and was instrumental in the program becoming a nationally prominent resource for training and research in applying high-performance computing to the life sciences. A memorial service will be held from 3 to 5 p.m., Thursday, May 18 at the Lanigan Funeral Home, 700 Linden Ave. at Cable, East Pittsburgh, PA 15112. The service will be followed that evening by a New Orleans-style funeral celebration in accordance with his wishes. Further information: http://www.psc.edu/david/ —Professor of Art Lowry Burgess has received the Leonardo Da Vinci ISDC Space Art Life Dedication Award for 40 years of cosmic art. Presented by George Whitesides, president of the National Space Society and president of the International Space Development Conference, the award recognizes Burgess for creating the NASA policy windows for moving art payloads (and people) into outer space, and for his "Boundless Cubic Lunar Aperture," the first official NASA non-scientific payload taken into outer space in 1989. —James H. Garrett Jr., who will become head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department June 1, has been selected as the 2006 recipient of the Computing in Civil Engineering Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The prestigious award is given to recognize outstanding achievement and contribution in the use of computers in the practice of civil engineering. —Xiuyu "Kelly" Wang, a doctoral student in the History Department, has won the department's annual Goldman Award, given to a graduate student with an outstanding teaching record. —Assistant Vice Provost for Education Janet Stocks is leaving Carnegie Mellon after a decade of service to become director of the Center for Academic and Professional Success at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Stocks, a member of the university community since 1996, became director of the Undergraduate Research Office in 1998, director of the Fellowship Resources Advising Center in 2000 and assistant vice provost for education in 2002. The number of fellowships and scholarships earned by Carnegie Mellon students has increased significantly under her leadership. Further information: official.cmu-news, May 16. —President Jared L. Cohon has announced the appointment of Everett Tademy as assistant vice president for Diversity and Equal Opportunity Services. Tademy began his career at Carnegie Mellon in 1975 managing "at-risk" youth programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education and conducting research in the area of compensatory education. In 1986, he was appointed assistant director for university federal compliance and in 1991, he was named director of Equal Opportunity Services. In 1999, Tademy became secretary for the President's Diversity Advisory Council. Further information: official.cmu-news, May 16. —Ralph Vituccio, faculty in the Entertainment Technology Center, will participate in the 2006 Faculty Fellowship Program at the Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program at Sony Pictures in Los Angeles from May 15 to June 21. IPAX is a program designed to expose academics to the experience of daily life in production and to be able to take this knowledge back to the classroom. This is a professional level, in-house training program that will shadow a feature production. CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS —Tuesday, May 23: Carnegie Mellon Procurement Services invites all faculty and staff to the Preferred Supplier Show 2006. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Rangos Hall, UC. A list of door prizes is at http://www.cmu.edu/procurementservices/.
—Wednesday, May 24: Annual Staff Picnic, hosted by President Jared L. Cohon and Provost and Senior Vice President Mark Kamlet. 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., Wiegand Gym and Rangos Hall, UC. All staff must present a valid Carnegie Mellon ID for this free event.
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