January 2009 News Headlines
Faculty Spotlight: William "Red" Whittaker
"Red" Whittaker's pioneering career has earned him the title "Father of Field Robotics" and the distinction University Professor, the highest honor Carnegie Mellon faculty can receive. His is Director of the Field Robotics Center at Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute and has designed more than sixty autonomous and teleoperated robots to work in some of the world's most dangerous environments. Next, his robots are headed out of this world.
Computer Science Professor Tuomas Sandholm Named ACM Fellow
The Association for Computing Machinery named Sandholm a 2008 ACM Fellow for his contributions to combinatorial auctions and mechanism design. Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Rob A. Rutenbar and Software Engineering Institute researcher Watts Humphrey were also among the 44 inductees.
Computer Science Professor Luis von Ahn Named One of the "50 Best Brains in Science" by Discover Magazine
Von Ahn earned the honor for his contributions to "human computation," including reCAPTCHAs and Games with a Purpose. More than 5% of the world's population have used his software.
Carnegie Mellon Mechanical Engineering Researchers Develop New Software to Improve Design Tools
The team led by Levent Burak Kara and Kenji Shimada have developed software that will let engineers design new products by simply sketching their ideas on a tablet computer. Dubbed SketchCAD, the software is a digital pen-based computer system that can be used to design 3D products for a variety of industry sectors.
Foundation for Enterprise Development Awards Tepper School Beyster Fellowship Grant for New Research on Advancement of Biotech and Energy Business Models
The grant will support an 18-month study to address issues aimed at improving the performance of business models, capital sources, partnering and human resources that will advance innovation in knowledge-based industries, particularly biotechnology, energy and the convergence fields of these two such as biofuels.
Carnegie Mellon Scientists Featured on CBS' "60 Minutes"
Tom Mitchell, chair of the Machine Learning Department, and Marcel Just, professor of psychology, have developed computer algorithms that can interpret brain scans produced by functional magnetic resonance imaging. The interview aired Jan. 4.
