News Briefs
October 26, 2009 -- DOE Grant Launches Carnegie Mellon Initiative To Automate Discovery of Astrophysical Phenomena
Automated methods for discovering astrophysical phenomena by sifting through massive amounts of cosmological data are being developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington under a new three-year, $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Carnegie Mellon Press Release:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2009/October/oct26_astrophysicalresearch.shtml
August 31, 2009 -- Tiziana Di Matteo's work highlighted in Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Prof. Di Matteo's recent work on black holes has been highlighted in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette in an article entitled: "The Thinkers: Black holes, black energy and the history of the universe".
Pittsburgh Post Gazette article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09243/994390-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml
July 1, 2009 -- Bruce McWilliams featured in Physics World
"Once a Physicist: Bruce McWilliams" is the feature article in the Careers section of physicsworld.com
Physics World article:
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/39686
March 20, 2009 -- Tiziana Di Matteo takes part in panel on Computational Physics at APS March Meeting
During Friday's session of the meeting of the American Physical Society at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, CMU cosmologist Tiziana Di Matteo was part of a panel on computational physics.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette article:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09079/956990-53.stm?cmpid=news.xml
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review article:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search_adv/s_617147.html
February 18, 2009 -- Tiziana Di Matteo Presents Detailed Cosmological Simulations at AAAS Meeting
Tiziana Di Matteo, Associate Professor of Physics at Carnegie Mellon University, is harnessing the power of supercomputing to recreate how galaxies are born, how they develop over time, and ultimately how they collapse. Di Matteo presented an overview of her cosmological simulations as part of the "Big, Small, and Everything in Between: Simulating Our World Using Scientific Computing" session at the 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting, Feb. 15 in Chicago.
Carnegie Mellon Press Release:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2009/February/feb18_dimatteo.shtml
Medill Reports, Chicago, Northwestern University article:
"Supercomputing means better models of earthquakes, cells and the universe"
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=116329
September 10, 2008 -- First Beam Sent Around Large Hadron Collider
The first beam in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN Laboratory in Geneva was
successfully steered around the full 27 kilometers of the world\uffffs most
powerful particle accelerator. This historic event marks a key moment in the
transition from over two decades of preparation to a new era of scientific
discovery. Carnegie Mellon physicists constructed the state-of-the-art
electronics, consisting of 150,000 channels, for the endcap muon system of
the LHC's compact muon solenoid detector.

CERN Press Release:
http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2008/PR08.08E.html
U.S. LHC First Beam Web site:
http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2008/PR08.08E.html
Pittsburgh Tribune Review Article
"Carnegie Mellon has hand in Big Bang Collider":
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/search/s_587408.html
September 2, 2008 Giant Furnace Opens to Reveal 'Perfect' LSST Mirror Blank
The mirror blank for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) has been successfully cast at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Lab. The telescope requires three large mirrors to give crisp images over a record large field of view. The two largest of these mirrors are concentric and fit neatly onto the 51,900 pound and 27.5 foot in diameter mirror blank. Carnegie Mellon is one of 23 universities, national laboratories and corporations involved in constructing the telescope.

LSST press release, video and images: http://www.lsst.org/News/LSSTC_08.shtml
April 22, 2008
Carnegie Mellon Celebrates the Establishment of the Bruce and Astrid McWilliams Center for Cosmology
Carnegie Mellon Press Release:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/April/april22_cosmologycenter.shtml
“CMU, Pitt Seek to Solve Space Mysteries,” Pittsburgh Tribune Review:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_563378.html
“Gift Helps CMU Probe Cosmic Mystery,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_563378.html
April 22, 2008
Joel Primack to Give “Brief History of Dark Matter” at Buhl Lecture
Carnegie Mellon Press Release:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/April/april11_buhllecture.shtml
March 28, 2008 LSST Mirror Casting Event
Using 51,900 pounds of glass, The University of Arizona's Steward Observatory Mirror Laboratory has began castting of the mirrors to be used in the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST). Representatives from LSST's 23 member organizations, including Carnegie Mellon's Fred Gilman, gathered in Tucson March 28 to celebrate "High Fire," the point where the furnaces heating the glass reached their peak temperature of 2150 degrees Fahrenheit.
LSST's High Fire Event Page: http://www.lsst.org/News/highfire_event.shtml
University of Arizona Press Release: http://uanews.org/node/18772
Pittsburgh Tribune Review Article: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_557780.html
March 28, 2008 Carnegie Mellon Receives $4.15 Million in Grants From the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
Part of the grant will fund a computer super-cluster. Shared with researchers in Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon cosmologists will use this cluster to carry out complex simulations of the early universe.
Carnegie Mellon Press Release: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/March/march28_moorefoundationgrant.shtml
February 1, 2008
Tiziana DiMatteo Wins Emerging Female Scientist Award at Carnegie Science Center Awards for Excellence
DiMatteo received the award for her contributions in the field of cosmology. Having developed the most detailed computer simulations of galaxy formation to date, she has provided vital information needed to gain deeper understanding into how galaxies evolve over time.
Carnegie Mellon Press Release
January 22, 2008
Compact Muon Solenoid Celebrates the Lowering of Final Detector Element
Carnegie Mellon is one of 155 institutions involved in constructing the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), one of the detectors in the Large Hadron Collider. Carnegie Mellon physicists constructed the state-of-the-art electronics, consisting of 150,000 channels, for the endcap muon system of the CMS detector.

CERN Press Release
http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2008/PR01.08E.html
January 8, 2008
Carnegie Mellon Joins Large Synoptic Survey Telescope Project
Carnegie Mellon is now among 23 universities, national laboratories and corporations involved in constructing the world's most powerful survey telescope
Carnegie Mellon Press Release
December 18, 2007
Compact Muon Solenoid Tracking Detector Successfully Installed
CERN Press Release
http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2007/PR12.07E.html
Fall 2007
Profile of Bruce McWilliams
Packaging the Goods: Bruce McWilliams Delivers Tomorrow’s Technology and Talent,” MCS News
http://www.cmu.edu/mcs/about-mcs/news.html
June 27, 2007
Carnegie Mellon Leads International Team in Conducting Most Detailed Cosmological Simulation To Date
By incorporating the physics of black holes into a highly sophisticated model running on a powerful supercomputing system, an international team of scientists has produced an unprecedented simulation of cosmic evolution that verifies and deepens our understanding of relationships between black holes and the galaxies in which they reside.
Carnegie Mellon Press Release
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/June/june27_blackholes.shtml
February 28, 2007
Giant Compact Muon Solenoid Magnet Goes Underground