Carnegie Mellon News Online Edition: June 27, 2001
Carnegie Mellon News Online Edition
In This Issue
H'Olympics Held Here

Former Provost Paul Christiano Dies

University Gets Another $20 Million from Paul Mellon's Estate

New England Conservatory Provost Named Music Head

Virtual Space Scientists

MCS Staff Awards

Alberto Guzman Retires from CMRI

Engineering Class Builds Pavilion for Doherty

Changing of the Guard at the Heinz School

Obituary:
Stephanie Byram

Heinz School Races for the Cure

News Briefs


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News Briefs
University to Appoint In-House General Counsel
Carnegie Mellon will hire a senior administrator to provide full-time legal counsel to the university, President Jared L. Cohon has announced. The university's chief general counsel will become a member of the senior management team and report to the president. Cohon said the decision was based on the recommendation of a committee of trustees, faculty and administrators that reviewed the issue over the past year.

The Pittsburgh firm, DeForest & Koscelnik, has acted as the university's primary legal counsel during the past decade.

"The committee applauded the counsel that has been provided to the university by Walter DeForest and Jackie Koscelnik of DeForest & Koscelnik, but it felt it was important to have an on-site, in-house counsel to be involved in key management and policy decisions on a full-time basis," Cohon said.

"Walter DeForest and Jackie Koscelnik have provided the university with outstanding legal representation on a wide range of issues. They have served the university with great distinction and their legal services have been crucial to our success. The university expects to continue to call on them when outside legal counsel in their areas of expertise is needed," Cohon said.

A national search for in-house legal counsel will be conducted by a committee of trustees, faculty and staff. DeForest & Koscelnik will continue to represent the university until the search is completed.


"Vivisimo" Rated Top Internet Search Engine
Vivisimo.com, a new software system developed by Carnegie Mellon researchers that quickly and automatically groups Web search results into easily browsed clusters of related information, has been ranked the number one search engine by Yahoo! Internet Life magazine in its July issue. Vivisimo, which means very lively and clever in Spanish, was developed by a team of faculty, post-docs and students in the Computer Science Department. The Vivisimo software queries various search engines, extracts the relevant documents, groups them based on this summarized information and finally displays them in hierarchical categories in the style of Windows Explorer.

Vivisimo was founded last year by Computer Science Department members Chris Palmer, Jerome Pesenti and Raul Valdes-Perez.

"Vivisimo's greatest feature is its uncanny ability to track down what you're looking for," the magazine said. "Dare we dub it the best new search service on the Web? Categorically, yes."


EPP Wins Three Rivers Environmental Award
The Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) Department recently received the Three Rivers Environmental Award in the Higher Education category for its efforts to protect and enhance the environment. EPP, headed by Granger Morgan, the Lord professor of engineering and public policy, was nominated by Cliff Davidson, professor and director of the Environmental Institute.

Davidson cited EPP's "unique" undergraduate program that focuses on environmental issues. He specifically noted the depart-ment's project courses in which students work on problems with clients such as the City of Pittsburgh, the Allegheny County Health Department and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. Davidson said these courses allow students to "put together technical and social analysis components of their education to gain hands-on experience working on real- world problems."

The Three Rivers Environmental Awards, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and DQE, annually recognize individuals and organizations in several categories for their work to promote the environment. Winners receive $1,000 to benefit the nonprofit environmental organization of their choice. Carnegie Mellon's Center for the Study and Improvement of Regulation in EPP was also a finalist in the education category.

Morgan Leads Effort to Better Advise Congress
Morgan Granger Morgan, professor and head of the Engineering and Public Policy Department, is leading an effort to develop better ways to advise Congress about current and future issues in science and technology. Morgan and about 100 Congressional staff members and leaders from the science and technology policy community met in Washington, D.C., earlier this month to evaluate several proposed strategies.

Morgan said the approaches being considered include creating a venue for Congress to "farm out" analysis to think tanks and universities nationwide, and setting up a new analysis group inside one of the existing Congressional agencies like the Library of Congress. He also said creating a new analysis group within Congress, improving the way Congress uses the analysis capabilities of the National Academies of Science and Engineering, and creating an outside think tank which would work exclusively for Congress are being considered.

The independent technical advice would cover issues such as improving the nation's air traffic control system, how to manage genetically modified crops and how to improve computer security.

Fowler Named Director of Career Center
Fowler Following a national search, Paul Fowler, associate dean of student affairs, has been named director of the Career Center. Fowler, who has served as interim director since last November, replaces Scott Williams who resigned last fall.

As associate dean of student affairs for the past five years, Fowler oversaw the activities of the Career Center and played a key role in developing the center's strategic plan. The plan outlines several action items including the development of an enhanced technological infrastructure, an internship program and the creation of a new space for the center.

"Paul's dedication to this operation has been critical to our progress of late, and his taking on immediate direction of the center will ensure our success in meeting an ambitious plan over the coming years," said Dean of Student Affairs Michael Murphy. "We have been fortunate to have someone of Paul's training, ability and affection for the institution."

Fowler received the Andy Award for Dedication last fall.


(06/27/01)


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