September 21, 2006

Vol. 17, No. 11

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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2004 Editions are available online.

2005 Editions are available online.

Previous editions are available online.

Preston Covey, an associate professor of philosophy and husband of library faculty member Denise Troll Covey, died at his home on Monday, Sept. 18. Covey, 64, joined the Carnegie Mellon faculty in 1973 and was a highly successful scholar and educator who had a distinguished record of service to the university. He was the director of the philosophy program from 1982 to 1985, vice provost for university studies from 1987 to 1989, director of the Center for the Design of Educational Computing from 1986 to 1992 and director of the university's Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics from 1988 to 2005. Visitation is from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 at Freyvogel Funeral Home, 4900 Centre Ave. in Shadyside.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060920_covey.html

GENIUS GRANT RECIPIENT INVENTS INTERNET GAME TO HELP VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Assistant Professor of Computer Science Luis von Ahn, who has been named a 2006 recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "genius grant," has invented an online, multiple-player game that could help make the Internet more accessible to the visually impaired. The game, called Phetch, is an Internet scavenger hunt available at www.peekaboom.org/phetch in which players use a search engine to look for images that fit certain descriptions. In the process, the players produce and verify captions for unlabeled images from the Web. These captions could be used to enhance the Web-browsing experience of blind people.

—This innovative use of online games was one of the reasons cited by the MacArthur Foundation for naming von Ahn one of 25 new MacArthur fellows. Each fellow receives $500,000 in "no strings attached" support during the next five years.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/060918_ahn.html

NADINE AUBRY APPOINTED HEAD OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Nadine Aubry has been named head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She succeeds Adnan Akay, who has become director of Civil and Mechanical Systems at the National Science Foundation. "I am looking forward to working with the outstanding faculty, motivated students, successful alumni and talented staff to continue the leadership and innovation so endemic to Carnegie Mellon's Mechanical Engineering Department," Aubry said. Prior to coming to Carnegie Mellon, Aubry was a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where she co-founded the W.M. Keck Laboratory for nanotechnology research and education.

—Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060913_aubry.html

NEWS BRIEFS

—The campus community is invited to attend "Advising as Teaching," a live Internet seminar broadcast by the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) from 2 to 3:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 26. The location will be determined by interest. NACADA Past President Nancy King will present academic advising as a teaching and learning process that includes a curriculum, pedagogy and learning outcomes. This Webcast marks the first of a series of professional development opportunities that will focus on advising undergraduate students. RSVP by Friday, Sept. 22 to Stephen Pajewski at pajewski@cmu.edu.

—The Information Systems Program, based in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, has received a $225,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund its Information Systems in the Community summer program for another three years. The program brings students from historically black colleges and universities to campus for several weeks to develop technology services for a local nonprofit organization.

—Family Communications Inc. and Joanne Rogers, widow of the legendary Fred Rogers, have donated a celeste—a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard—to the School of Music. The sound of the celeste is like the glockenspiel but with a softer timber. The late Johnny Costa (A'52) played the instrument at the beginning of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. The donated instrument made its debut with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic Sept. 14 at Carnegie Music Hall.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Cliff Davidson has been selected to receive the 2006 Outstanding Contribution to Environmental Engineering and Science Education Award from the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP). The award recognizes the development and application of innovative teaching methods and Davidson's impact on the environmental engineering and science field. Davidson will receive the award at the AEESP awards ceremony Oct. 23 in Dallas.

—William W. Cooper, founding dean of the School of Urban and Public Affairs, now the Heniz School, has been selected for the International Federation of Operational Research Societies Operational Research Hall of Fame. Cooper, the Foster Parker Centennial Emeritus Professor of Finance and Management at the University of Texas at Austin, was also one of the founders of the Graduate School of Industrial Administration, now the Tepper School.

—Karen R. Schnakenberg, teaching professor in the Department of English, will receive the National Council of Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication's Distinguished Service Award at its annual meeting Oct. 12 - 14 in San Francisco.

—Laura A. Hastings, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences and the Heinz School, has been named associate director of the International Relations Program, an interdisciplinary major based in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Hastings' duties include being the principal advisor to International Relations students, a position formerly held by Stephanie Wallach, who is now director of the university's Undergraduate Research Office and the Fellowship Resources Advising Center.

—Philip R. LeDuc, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is one of 79 of the nation's brightest young engineers selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering's 12th annual Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, Sept. 21 - 23 at the Ford Research Innovation Center in Dearborn, Mich. The event brings together engineers between the ages of 30 and 45 who are performing cutting-edge research and technical work.

—Robotics Institute Ph.D. students Nidhi Kalra and Tom Lauwers have developed assistive technology to address the challenge of improving blind literacy in the developing world. Specifically, they are designing, implementing and testing a low-cost adaptive Braille writing tutor in collaboration with the Mathru School for the Blind in Bangalore, India. The project Web site, www.cs.cmu.edu/~nidhi/brailletutor.html, includes videos and a link to a blog with photos of this field study.

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Friday, Sept. 22: Memorial service for Simeon Friedberg, professor emeritus who died in December. He had a distinguished career at Carnegie Mellon as a research physicist and department head from 1972 to 1980. The service will be held at 1 p.m. in the Connan Room, University Center (UC). The campus community is invited to attend. Further information: Mary Jane Hutchison, 412-268-6681.

—Friday, Sept. 22: Artist talk. As part of the exhibit "Joyce Kozloff: Exterior and Interior Cartographies," artists Joyce Kozloff and Ann Messner will talk about "Disarming Images," a three-channel video focusing on the rise of American protests against the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, political unrest, the role of the artist as activist and related issues. 5:30 p.m., Miller Gallery.

—Monday, Sept 25: "Qatar Heritage Rare Book Project: Digitization & Online Publication of Treasures from the Arabian Gulf." Gabrielle V. Michalek, head of the University Libraries' Archives/Digital Library Initiatives, 9 a.m., 1507 Newell-Simon Hall, or watch live at www.library.cmu.edu/. Includes demo of Sirsi/Dynix' digital library system.

—Tuesday, Sept. 26: Learning & Development seminar, "De-Stressing with Dr. Stress." Acquire techniques for managing and reducing the impact of stress. UPMC's Dr. Bruce Rabin leads this seminar in UC-Rangos I, 9 a.m. - Noon. Register at https://acis.as.cmu.edu/gale2/servlet/HRLearn2.

—Thursday, Sept. 28: The Center for the Arts in Society will kick off its 2006-07 Perspectives on the Arts in Society series with a presentation by musicologist and composer Jeannie Pool, who will screen her feature-length documentary "Peggy Gilbert & Her All-Girl Band." 4:30 p.m., Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall A14. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060918_pool.html.

—Monday, Oct. 2: Mumia Abu-Jamal (activist, journalist, deathrow prisoner) and Staughton Lynd (activist historian and lawyer) will lead a discussion entitled "In the Shadow of John Brown: Toward a Renewed Interracial Radicalism." 8 p.m., Baker Hall, Adamson Wing. Lynd will appear in person; Mumia will speak from deathrow via CD. Sponsored by PA Abolitionists United Against the Death Penalty, Free Mumia Committee of Western PA, AB Political Speakers and the H&SS Dean's Office. Further information: demarest@andrew.cmu.edu.

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