July 13, 2006

Vol. 17, No. 1

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.

Computer Science Professor Peter Lee has been named the university's new vice provost for research. Lee succeeds Duane Adams, who retired this past January after holding the post since 1996. Lee is internationally recognized as a leading figure in computer science research, particularly in areas related to the use of advanced language technology in the design, implementation and analysis of operating systems and networks. He is best known for co-developing the patented "proof-carrying code," a technology for ensuring the safety of mobile code. Lee's work has been published extensively in major symposia and scientific journals, and he has been a principal investigator on many grants and contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation.

—In addition to his research, Lee has played an active role in education at Carnegie Mellon. An award-winning teacher, Lee served as the School of Computer Science's associate dean for undergraduate programs from 2000 to 2004. Under his watch, Carnegie Mellon's undergraduate computer science program continued its rise to national prominence for its intensive problem-solving curriculum and unprecedented success in attracting women to the field. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060703_lee.html/

TUITION GRANT FOR CHILDREN OF STAFF MEMBERS INCREASED FOR 2006-07

The tuition grant for sons and daughters of staff members has been increased for the 2006-07 academic year. Eligible children may receive up to $2,750 per semester ($5,500 per academic year) while attending another college or university. The tuition grant for children of faculty has also been set for 2006-07.

—Further information: http://hr.web.cmu.edu/current/work-life/tuition/child/.

NEW PROGRAM TO COMPETE IN COMPUTER POKER COMPETITION

Computer Science Professor Tuomas Sandholm and graduate student Andrew Gilpin have developed a game-theory-based computer poker program, called GS2, which will compete in the American Association for Artificial Intelligence's first Computer Poker Competition at the National Conference on Artificial Intelligence July 16 - 20 in Boston. An earlier version of their program, GS1, outperformed the two leading "pokerbots" in playing heads-up Texas Hold'Em Poker in tests at Carnegie Mellon earlier this year.

—Much as computer chess was an early test of artificial intelligence (AI), computer poker has emerged as an even greater AI challenge. Unlike chess, where the status of all of the chess pieces is known to both players, poker forces players to make decisions based on incomplete information. And the sheer number of possible combinations of cards dealt, cards on the table and bets in two-player Texas Hold'Em games—a billion times a billion—makes it impossible for even the fastest computers to fully analyze every hand.

—"Poker is a very complex game," said Sandholm, director of Carnegie Mellon's Agent-Mediated Electronic Marketplaces Lab. "Computer poker programs really require sophisticated technology."

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060706_pokerbot.html/

NEWS BRIEFS

—NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Earth Science Division, has awarded a $1.3 million grant to Carnegie Mellon to support the agency's Advanced Information Systems Technology Program. The program aims to develop new and innovative information technologies, which will lead to smaller, less resource-intensive and less expensive flight systems that can be built quickly and efficiently.

—The university will welcome the Class of 2010 on Sunday, Aug. 20. New students will participate in a weeklong orientation program designed to help them become familiar with the university and Pittsburgh. An overview of Orientation 2006 will be presented from 2 to 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 25 in the McKenna Room, University Center. See http://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/first-year/orientation/2006/ or contact Anne Witchner at 412-268-4886.

—Carnegie Mellon will host its 17th annual Football Alumni Golf Outing beginning at 11:30 a.m., Monday, Aug. 7 at the Longue Vue Club in Verona. The $200 entry fee includes greens fees, golf cart, skill prizes, lunch and dinner. For more information and an entry form, contact Head Football Coach Rich Lackner at 412-268-2216. Entries must be received by Monday, July 24.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Robert P. Kail, senior associate dean of Carnegie Mellon in Qatar, has retired after more than 37 years of service at the university. During his tenure, Kail played a critical role in formulating and implementing strategic plans for the College of Engineering and was responsible for the undergraduate engineering academic program and students. In Qatar, he oversaw admissions and student affairs and was one of the key staff involved in developing the Qatar campus initiative. "Bob could always be counted on to provide thoughtful insight that reflected perfectly the ethos of Carnegie Mellon," said Chuck Thorpe, dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar. "His empathy for others, his ability to listen, his good nature and sense of humor will be sorely missed."

—Jolanta Lion, director of Carnegie Mellon's International Film Festival, is organizing "Exposed: New Films of the New Europe," July 14-16 at the SouthSide Works Cinema on the South Side. The festival will feature a sampling of contemporary European cinema, including films from Poland, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Hungary and Croatia. For more information, go to http://www.southsideworks.com/filmfestivalexposed.asp

—Jonathan Caulkins, professor of operations research and public policy at the Heinz School, has received the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Investigator Award in Health Policy Research. Caulkin's project, "Synthesizing Lessons for Drug Policy and Policy Research," focuses on modeling and analyzing problems pertaining to drugs, crime, and violence, and how policies affect those problems. Information about the award is available at http://www.ihhcpar.rutgers.edu/rwjf/

—Silvia Borzutzky, an associate teaching professor in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, is the co-editor of a new book, "After Pinochet: The Chilean Road to Democracy and the Market." Borzutzky and co-editor Lois Hecht Oppenheim bring together several American and Chilean scholars to assess the impact of the coalition government of Chile's Socialists and Christian Democrats.

—ECE graduate student Ahren Studer won a best student paper award at the international conference on Applied Cryptography and Network Security in Singapore this past June. His paper, "Adaptive Detection of Local Scanners," was also his master's thesis, completed under the direction of his faculty advisor, Chenxi Wang.

—University Libraries has named its 2006 Excellence Award winners. Gloria Henning of Hunt Library Access Services (periodicals) earned the Excellence in Innovation Award for her leadership of the MetaLib implementation team and the library's Public Services Council. Ann Marie Mesco of Archives/Digital Library Initiatives earned the Excellence in Library Citizenship Award for her personal commitment to committee functions and projects, particularly her dedication to ensuring timely book retrieval from offsite storage on Penn Avenue.

—Jonathan Milikowsky, a 2006 graduate of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and School of Computer Science, died on June 25. Memorial contributions may be sent to the Foote School, 50 Loomis Place, New Haven, CT 06511 or to the Crew Team Jonathan Milikowsky Memorial Fund at Carnegie Mellon Gift Administration, 6 PPG Place, 11th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

—Jeffrey Pencosky, 34, a computer security practitioner in the Information Security Office (ISO), died suddenly on June 28. He began his career at Carnegie Mellon in 2001 as a Windows consultant in Computing Services. In 2004, he joined the university's computer security effort as a computer security practitioner in the group that established ISO. "He was a truly good friend and co-worker and an asset to both the campus and Pittsburgh communities," said John Lerchey, assistant director for incident response in the ISO.

—Fahad Al-Jefairi, a junior majoring in business at Carnegie Mellon in Qatar, died from injuries sustained in a car accident in Saudi Arabia on July 1. A much-loved member of the Carnegie Mellon Qatar community, Al-Jefairi was president of the Carnegie Mellon Qatar Student Government and a featured student speaker at the campus' inaugural event in 2004.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Friday, July 14: Memorial service for Marta Sanchez, who died this past April. 4:30 p.m., Kresge Recital Hall, College of Fine Arts. Sanchez, Emerita Professor of Music and founder of Carnegie Mellon's Dalcroze Training Center, retired from Carnegie Mellon after 40 years of teaching. She was internationally recognized as an author, researcher, lecturer, educational consultant and Dalcroze specialist. The Dalcroze Method is an approach to teaching musical concepts through which students learn to combine music and movement in order to develop rhythmic unity between the eye, ear, mind and body. Further information: http://www.carnegiemellontoday.com/article.asp?Aid=356.

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