October 12, 2006

Vol. 17, No. 14

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)

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The Carnegie Mellon Alumni Association will honor more than a dozen individuals with alumni awards for merit and service as part of its Homecoming and Reunion Weekend, Oct. 12 - 15. The Alumni Awards Ceremony will be held at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 13 in Rangos Ballroom in the University Center and is open to all students, faculty and staff. Awards and recipients are: Distinguished Achievement, Frederick H. Dill (S'54, S'56, E'58) and Lawrence R. Sulak (S'66); Distinguished Service, Virginia Wright Schatz (A'43); Achievement, Iris Rainer Dart (A'66), Raymond Gindroz (A'63, '65), Aaronel deRoy Gruber (MM'40) and Wilbur C. Thomas (E'44); Service, Ivan M. Faigen (E'48) and Sema Moskovitz Faigen (MM'49); Student Service, Menna Mulugetta (TPR'07) and Ramzi J. Ramsey (TPR'07); Faculty Service, Cindy Limauro and Susanne Slavick; and Honorary Alumnus, Arthur C. Schwotzer (HA'06). Further information is posted at http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/061006_awards.html.

MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, "SMART PEOPLE," TO BE FILMED ON CAMPUS

The big screen is once again coming to campus, and this time Carnegie Mellon is getting top billing. "Smart People," starring Dennis Quaid as an eccentric Carnegie Mellon English professor; Rachel Weisz as his former student whom he falls in love with; and Mary Steenburgen—wife of Carnegie Mellon alumnus Ted Danson—as the English Department head's assistant, will be filming on campus during the weeks of Nov. 6 and Nov. 13. The film's producer is Michael London, whose credits include "Sideways," "House of Sand and Fog" and "The Illusionist." Details regarding the production schedule and locations will be released when finalized.

ANDY AWARD NOMINEES TO BE HONORED OCT. 19

The Carnegie Mellon community will recognize and honor the 2006 Andy Award nominees at noon, Thursday, Oct. 19 in McConomy Auditorium. The Andy Awards is a university-wide staff recognition program that honors individuals and teams for outstanding performance in five categories--dedication, innovation, enthusiasm, citizenship and culture. "The Andy Awards recognize those whose hard work and extra effort have gone above and beyond to advance Carnegie Mellon as one of the nation's premier educational and research institutions," says Barbara Smith, associate vice president and chief human resources officer. A reception in Rangos Hall will follow the ceremony. The list of nominees is posted at http://www.cmu.edu/andyawards/06nominee.html.

TARTAN RACING TEAM TO RECEIVE URBAN CHALLENGE DEVELOPMENT FUNDING

Carnegie Mellon's Tartan Racing team is one of 11 teams that will receive technology development funds from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to help prepare for the agency's Urban Challenge event for autonomous vehicles. The Urban Challenge, scheduled for Nov. 3, 2007, will require driverless vehicles to negotiate 60 miles of streets in a mock-urban setting somewhere in the western United States. Each of the 11 "track A" teams will receive up to $1 million from DARPA, with monies paid out in increments as the teams achieve milestones over the next year. More than 60 teams submitted proposals to DARPA for track A funding.

—Tartan Racing, with General Motors as its premier sponsor, will prepare two driverless Chevy Tahoes, though only one can be entered in the competition. Other sponsors of Tartan Racing include Caterpillar, Applanix, Continental AG, Google and Intel. For more information about the team, visit www.tartanracing.org.

CARNEGIE MELLON, NASA, GOOGLE TEAM HONORED FOR INNOVATIVE SOFTWARE

A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon, NASA's Ames Research Center and Google will be honored by the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif., for their work on the Global Connection Project, a joint software development effort that has helped rescue workers respond to natural disasters. The Tech Museum Awards, which recognize innovative uses of technology that help solve global challenges, will be presented during a Nov. 15 black-tie gala at the museum.The Global Connection Project's software makes it possible to rapidly overlay aerial photos of disaster areas on Google Earth, the popular earth-imaging browser. It enabled rescue workers and evacuees to use the Internet to assess damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and monitor receding water levels in New Orleans in the weeks following the storm. The overlay software subsequently was used for hurricanes Rita and Wilma and for the earthquake in Pakistan.

—For information about the Global Connection Project, visit http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/061009_gc.html.

NEWS BRIEFS

—While broadcast networks around the globe battle to earn and keep the highest viewer ratings, a new study from researchers at the Tepper School of Business and INSEAD, one of the world's leading graduate business schools, suggests that some of these networks might benefit significantly by tossing the script and going to a live format for certain types of shows--such as game or talk shows--to increase their attractiveness to both viewers and advertisers. "The appeal of live broadcasts lies in the fact that viewers know that the event has not been decided beforehand, and how it unfolds is decided as it happens," says Tepper School Assistant Professor of Marketing Joachim Vosgerau, who led the study. Information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/060928_vosgerau.html.

—The Times Higher Education Supplement, published by the London Times, has ranked Carnegie Mellon 35th among the top 200 global universities and 19th among the top 50 universities in North America in its 2006 survey of world universities. Carnegie Mellon ranked 44th in the 2005 survey. Rankings criteria include peer reviews, the opinions of employment recruiters, faculty-to-student ratio, citations of academic papers, and the percentage of international faculty and international students. Harvard University was ranked first.

PERSONAL MENTION

—Sculptor Robert Norman Fisher, 67, of Bellefonte, Pa., a distinguished fellow at Carnegie Mellon's STUDIO for Creative Inquiry, died suddenly on Sept. 13 while vacationing on the Outer Banks, N.C. He is perhaps best known for his monumental three-piece installation, "American Dream," at the Philadelphia International Airport.

—Help Center Service Leader Matt Howell and Help Center Consultant and Accounts Specialist Dolores Heagy have been elected officers of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Help Desk Institute (HDI). Howell was elected president and Heagy will serve as a co-VP for communications. Both offices are two-year terms. HDI is the world's largest association for internal and external IT service and support professionals.

—Elaine A. King, professor in the School of Art, and co-editor Gail Levin of CUNY, had the anthology "Ethics and The Visual Arts" published in September by Allworth Press in New York. This volume of 19 essays explores a diverse range of topics about ethics in the visual arts and is available on Amazon.com.

—School of Architecture Professor Ramesh Krishnamurti has been named associate dean of research for the College of Fine Arts. Krishnamurti, whose Carnegie Mellon career spans nearly 20 years, will lead the development of a broad research agenda within the creative and performing arts. In addition to this newly created position, he will continue to teach in the School of Architecture. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases06/061010_ramesh.html

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

—Saturday, Oct. 14: The School of Drama Class of 1966 will present A.R. Gurney's "Love Letters" at 5 p.m. in the Philip Chosky Theater in the Purnell Center for the Arts. The one-night-only performance during Homecoming and Reunion Weekend is free and open to the public. A reception will take place prior to the show. For free tickets, contact the School of Drama box office at 412-268-2407 between noon and 5 p.m., Monday - Friday.

—Wednesday, Oct. 18: Town Meeting on the vision for the design of campus, hosted by Lucian Caste, emeritus life trustee and chair of the university's Design Vision Committee. 6:30 p.m., Connan Room, UC. The meeting will be an opportunity to share ideas about our collective vision for the campus and will be an important component of a design vision forum for various members of the campus, local and national communities the following day. Direct questions to Michael Murphy at 412-268-9019 or mm1v@andrew.cmu.edu.

—Friday, Oct. 20: Mechanical Engineering seminar. "Optofluidics: Emerging Technologies and Applications," presented by David Erickson, assistant professor, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University. 10:30 a.m., Scaife Hall 125.

—Wednesday, Oct. 25: The Center for the Arts in Society BYOBrain Series presents Kim Beck, assistant professor in the School of Art. Beck's talk is entitled "Growth." Noon, Dowd Room, UC. Bring your own lunch; beverages and dessert will be provided.

—Saturday, Oct. 28: The College of Humanities and Social Sciences will hold a memorial service for Preston Covey, associate professor of philosophy and husband of Carnegie Mellon library faculty member Denise Troll Covey. 3 p.m., Adamson Wing (136A), Baker Hall. Covey died Sept. 18.

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