09-19-2008

Happy B-Day, Smiley

On Sept. 19, 1982, Scott E. Fahlman, then and now a faculty member in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon, posted a message on the department's online bulletin-board system proposing that we use :-) as a symbol for "I'm just kidding" and :-( as a symbol for "This is serious." The idea caught on and soon was in common use at Carnegie Mellon and a few other research universities.

As the Internet spread around the world and eventually into our living rooms, the smiley spread along with it. Love them or hate them, the smiley and the other "emoticons" that it inspired have become a ubiquitous feature of online communication.

In celebration of this pivotal event in the history of human communication, the Department of Computer Science has established an annual Smiley Award for "innovation in technology-assisted person-to-person communication."

The Smiley Award competition is open to graduate and undergraduate students from any part of Carnegie Mellon, or to small teams of students. The winning entry receives a $500 cash prize, provided by corporate sponsor, Yahoo! Incorporated. In addition, each winner receives a physical Smiley Award. The names of the annual winners are engraved on a plaque on permanent display in the Computer Science Department.

Bruce Gerson

09-15-2008

Blumstein Testifies

Criminology expert Alfred Blumstein, the J. Erik Jonsson University Professor of Urban Systems and Operations Research and former dean of the Heinz School (1986-1993), testified at the U.S. Senate Committee judiciary hearing on "New Strategies for Combating Violent Crime: Drawing Lessons from Recent Experience" on Sept. 10. Blumstein proposed the establishment of a program to analyze successful approaches in cities and to replicate those methods to reduce violence where needed. He encouraged the development of technical assistance teams to work with law enforcement officials in cities experiencing an increase in violence. And he also suggested that resources be directed at early childhood development programs in high-risk neighborhoods.

Blumstein's research over the past 20 years has covered many aspects of criminal justice phenomena and policy, including crime measurement, criminal careers, sentencing, deterrence and incapacitation, demographic trends, juvenile violence and drug-enforcement policy. Blumstein received the 2007 Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his discoveries about the development of criminal behavior over the life-course of individuals.  

Bruce Gerson

09-10-2008

Grant Fosters Entrepreneurship

Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation (CTTEC) has received a $200,000 Keystone Innovation Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to assist in helping faculty and students create new technologies and business opportunities. The grant marks the third consecutive year that the CTTEC has been awarded the maximum grant from the DCED. In 2006, the CTTEC was awarded $250,000, followed by $200,000 in 2007. This year’s grant is one of 23 grants awarded to Pennsylvania colleges and universities totaling $3.5 million.

Over the last three years during which time the university began to offer enhanced services to support its growing entrepreneurial activities, 32 spin-off companies have been created with university-related technology, including 14 in Fiscal Year 2006, eight in FY 2007 and 10 in FY 2008.  Over the past 15 years, the university’s technology transfer operation has helped to spin out nearly 200 companies.

“Carnegie Mellon’s Center for Technology and Enterprise Creation has enabled many successes in transferring university developed technology to commercial enterprise; including a substantial amount to new small, medium and large regional companies, thereby supporting economic growth in Pennsylvania,” said CTTEC Director Robert Wooldridge.

Bruce Gerson

09-04-2008

ETC Student Wins Pausch Scholarship

Lisa Brown, a first-year graduate student at the Entertainment Technology Center, is one of four recipients of the first Randy Pausch Scholarship established by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS).

“The Academy has established a scholarship that will advance the game industry by supporting students interested in taking game design and development to the next level,” said Drew Davidson, program director for ETC Pittsburgh. “Randy excelled at challenging students to innovate as they worked together on interdisciplinary teams to create engaging interactive experiences. The recipients of this scholarship have already shown that they’ve accepted this challenge and it will be interesting to see how they exceed expectations.”

Brown, from Louisville, Ky., plans to use her background in traditional art, comic art, computer science, theater and animation to create games for interactive museum exhibits. “I'm extremely honored to be chosen for this scholarship. It is because of Randy Pausch and the Entertainment Technology Center that I am able to advance in the world of game design at all, and I hope to live up to that honor,” she said.

Other winners are Diana Hughes of the University of Southern California, Garrick Williams, of West Virginia University and Jason Williams of Memphis, Tenn., an online student of the University of Advancing Technology.

“It makes sense that the Academy's first scholarship honors Dr. Randy Pausch who is an inspiration to people who want to be involved in making great games," said Joseph Olin, AIAS president. "We hope these scholarships may help the next Will Wright (creator of The Sims) or Mike Morhaime (president of Blizzard Entertainment) get their start."

Byron Spice