April 2, 2009
Vol. 19, No. 36
In this issue:
Education Award Winners To Be Honored April 23
This year's Education Award winners will be recognized and honored at the Celebration of Teaching at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 23 in Rangos 1 & 2 in the University Center. Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy Professor
Cliff Davidson will receive the William H. and Frances S. Ryan Award for Meritorious Teaching. Retired Vice President for Enrollment
William Elliott and
Paul Goodman, the Richard M. Cyert Professor of Organizational Psychology at the Tepper School of Business, are co-winners of the Robert E. Doherty Award for Sustained Contributions to Excellence in Education.
Therese Tardio, associate teaching professor of Hispanic Studies, will be presented with the Outstanding Contributions to Academic Advising and Mentoring Award. Receiving the new Mark Gelfand Service Award for Educational Outreach will be English Professor
Linda Flower and Physics Professor
Leonard Kisslinger.
Teaching award winners from the colleges will also be honored. They are: Mechanical Engineering Professor
William Messner (College of Engineering); Assistant Professor of Architecture
Jeremy Ficca (College of Fine Arts); Psychology Professor
Kenneth Kotovsky (College of Humanities & Social Sciences); Adjunct Professor of Public Policy and Management
Harold D. Miller and Visiting Associate Teaching Professor of Information Systems and Information Technology Lynne Pastor (Heinz College); Associate Biological Sciences Professor
Peter B. Berget (Mellon College of Science); Teaching Professor and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
Klaus Sutner (School of Computer Science); Associate Professor of Accounting Pierre
Jinghong Liang, Economics Professor
Stephen Spear and Associate Professor of Organization Behavior and Theory
Ray Reagans (Tepper School).
Esteemed Panel To Discuss Prospects for the Economy, April 4
Are we living through the worst economic crisis since 1932? Will changes on Wall Street and new policies in Washington have their intended results, and if so, how soon?
Hear a variety of perspectives on current economic challenges and opportunities with a panel of prominent economists and investors from 1:30 to 3 p.m., Saturday, April 4 in Rangos Ballroom. "The Global Economy: Prospects for Policy and Investment," will focus on the U.S. stimulus package, changing global financial markets, and the role of growth-oriented investment in innovative technologies in areas such as energy.
Panelists will include
Allan Meltzer, the Allan Meltzer Professor of Political Economy at the Tepper School;
Lee Branstetter, an international economist at the Heinz College;
Charles Evans, (TPR '85, '89), president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago;
Ann-Marie Petach (TPR '84), chief financial officer of Blackrock; and
Ray Lane, life trustee and managing partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Carnegie Mellon Professors Discuss Sustainable Building in Qatar
Leaders in sustainable building design recently gathered together for the latest Carnegie Club roundtable discussion, "Green Building Matters," at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. The discussion focused on sustainable building design and challenges in Qatar and the region. Professor
Stephen R. Lee, head of the School of Architecture, led the roundtable discussion. Joining the discussion were
Kelly Hutzell and
Rami el Samahy, both assistant professors in the School of Architecture.
"Sustainable building design is one of the most important areas for innovation in the region. I am honored to host so many leaders in this important area to discuss contemporary solutions for Qatar and the region. Carnegie Mellon University is at the forefront of this research globally and we are committed to continuing these knowledge sharing sessions with leaders in sustainable building design," said Lee, who also spoke at the Middle East Qatar Green Buildings 2009 conference in March.
The discussion highlighted the work of the School of Architecture's Center for Building Performance and Diagnostics, focusing on how sustainable design and practice can be made relevant and economical in the Gulf Region. The Carnegie Club hosts forums for in-depth discussion on relevant and significant business topics in Qatar and the wider region eight times a year at Carnegie Mellon Qatar's new building in Education City.
For more:
http://www.qatar.cmu.edu/media/index.php?pg=ni&id=2321
Carnegie Mellon's GigaPan Explores Chicago
The hundreds of thousands of travelers who pass through O'Hare International Airport every day — but don't necessarily see anything else of Chicago — now can experience some of the Windy City's famous sights through GigaPan imagery. Panoramas created with GigaPan, a technology developed by Carnegie Mellon's Robotics Institute and NASA, are featured on a new city Web site (
http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en.html). The imagery of iconic Chicago locations can be explored in detail with 50 HP TouchSmart PCs installed throughout the airport by HP and the Chicago Department of Aviation and Office of Tourism.
The O'Hare installation includes two "Explore Chicago" technology lounges in Terminal 2. In addition to HP computer kiosks and comfortable seating, the high-tech lounges feature 30-foot-by-10-foot prints of GigaPan panoramas of the skyline, Millenium Park and the Chicago trading floor of the world's largest derivatives exchange, among other sights. The computer terminals feature the city's new Web site, where the panoramas can be explored in detail.
Many of the Chicago GigaPans were created last summer by
Mary Jo Knelly, project assistant, and colleagues from the CREATE Lab of
Illah Nourbakhsh, associate professor of robotics.
For more on the GigaPan, see
http://www.gigapan.org/index.php. For more on the CREATE lab, see
http://www.createlab.ri.cmu.edu/.
News Briefs
- Last fall, the Carnegie Mellon Information Security Office and the CyLab Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory conducted a study to determine how vulnerable the university community is to phishing attacks and evaluate the effectiveness of email-based anti-phishing training messages. The campus community is invited to attend a presentation and discussion of the results of this study to learn how to protect themselves from online scams, from 1 to 2 p.m., April 10 in McConomy Auditorium. Presenters include Mary Ann Blair, director of Information Security; Lorrie Faith Cranor, associate professor, Computer Science and Engineering & Public Policy; and Ponnurangam Kumaraguru, Ph.D. candidate, School of Computer Science.
- School of Computer Science researchers have developed a new location-sharing application for Facebook that features a unique user interface for determining when and where various friends can see the user's location. Called Locaccino, a version for use with laptops is available for download at http://www.locaccino.org. A version for use with certain GPS-equipped cell phones is slated for release later this spring. For more information, listen to a podcast with Norman Sadeh, director of the Mobile Commerce Lab, at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/video/Locaccino.mp3.
- Carnegie Mellon hosts two Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs — Harvest Valley Farms (http://www.harvestvalleyfarms.com) and Isidore Foods — in which consumers purchase a "subscription" online from local farmers who deliver orders to campus on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Isidore Foods (http://www.isidorefoods.com/) is offering one free week for those ordering a spring produce box by April 15. For more on CSAs, read The Piper story in the March issue at http://www.cmu.edu/news/news-notes/piper/Piper+March09.shtml.
- The Computational Molecular Biology Symposium is an annual event organized by the Department of Biological Sciences supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The eighth symposium, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, in the Mellon Institute Conference Room, brings together biologists, computer scientists and interdisciplinary researchers to share new approaches and cutting-edge findings in areas where computation and biology intersect. In honor of the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, the theme of the 2009 symposium is "Evolution." The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To view the schedule and register, visit http://www.cmu.edu/bio/seminars_events/comp_bio_symp/index.html.
Personal Mention
- After serving in an interim role, Martin Aurand has been appointed head of the Arts Library and Special Collections. "I want to thank Martin for his leadership during the interim and not simply maintaining status quo but also fostering new initiatives," said Erika Linke, associate dean of University Libraries. "Moreover I would like to recognize and acknowledge the Arts and Special Collections group for their support of Martin during the interim and look forward to their ongoing contributions in making the library an important teaching and learning hub for faculty and students."
- Executive Producer of the Entertainment Technology Center Don Marinelli was featured in Variety's Education Impact Report as a "Leader in Learning." Read the story at http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001714.html?categoryId=3584&cs=1.
- Carnegie Mellon's Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team, comprised of nearly 200 undergraduate students from majors across the university, was named a Regional Champion Monday, March 30, in Philadelphia. SIFE brings together university students, academic professionals and industry leaders to develop community outreach projects that improve the quality of life and standard of living for people in need, addressing market economics, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, personal success skills, environmental sustainability and business ethics. In addition to earning a spot to compete at the SIFE USA National Exposition in May, the Carnegie Mellon team's educational outreach projects received a national award in the Business Ethics category. For more on the team, visit http://www.cmusife.org.
- Alfred A. Thiele, a distinguished scholar in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, died suddenly March 26. Thiele, 71, came to Carnegie Mellon in 1981. For more: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2009/April/april1_alfredthiele.shtml
Calendar Highlights
- Friday, April 3: "What's Next? The Black Potential in the Age of Obama." 2:30-5:30 p.m. Danforth Lounge, University Center (UC). The conference, sponsored by CAUSE (Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy), brings together students, faculty, staff and members of the Pittsburgh community to discuss the prospects for African American empowerment and community development. The keynote address will be given by Henry Louis Taylor, professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Buffalo. For more information, visit http://www.hss.cmu.edu/cause or call 412-268-8928.
- Friday, April 3: "Innovation with Impact Celebration of Graduate Student Research, Projects, Teaching and Service." 4 p.m., Rangos Ballroom, UC. This year's Graduate Student Teaching Award winner is Nina Baird of the School of Architecture. Emily Mize Robare, a second-year master's degree student in Public Policy & Management, is this year's Graduate Student Service Award winner.
- Friday, April 3: School of Music Collage Concert. 8 p.m., Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall. This 90-minute, non-stop concert includes Baroque, classical, contemporary, vocal and jazz performances, staged by Karla Boos of Quantum Theater. General admission is $15, tickets for senior citizens are $12 and college students can purchase tickets for $10 with a valid Carnegie Mellon ID. For more, watch Head of the School of Music Noel Zahler on KDKA at http://kdka.com/video/?cid=49.
- Saturday, April 4: Carnegie Mellon Wind Ensemble. 8 p.m., Shady Side Academy. In collaboration with the Bach Choir of Pittsburgh, the ensemble will perform the U.S. premiere of "The Agnostic," led by Thomas Douglas. Tickets — $25, $18 for seniors and $10 for students — are available through ProArts Tickets at http://www.proartstickets.org/.
- Sunday, April 5: Carnegie Mellon Baroque Ensemble. 3 p.m., Alumni Concert Hall. Under the direction of Stephen Schultz, Carnegie Mellon Baroque Ensemble performs works by Corelli, Vivaldi and Bach. Senior Kathryn Petrarulo is featured in Mozart's Concerto No. 4 for Horn and Orchestra in E-Flat Major, K. 495. Victoria Olson serves as guest conductor. This concert is free and open to the public.
- Sunday, April 5: Campus SuperStar Final Event. 7 p.m., Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland. The 10 singing finalists include Carnegie Mellon's Roberta Burke, Amanda Jane Cooper, Corey Cott, Trevor McQueen Eaton and Lilli Passero. The winning student will receive a $5,000 scholarship. Second- and third-place winners will each receive $1,000 scholarships. Winners will be determined by audience vote. Student tickets are $1 and will be available at the University Center Information Desk. Student and adult tickets ($75) can be purchased by contacting Becca Tobe at 412-621-8875 or rebeccat@hilleljuc.org. Ticket sales benefit the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry. For more information, visit http://www.hilleljuc.org/campussuperstar.
- Monday, April 6: University Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., McConomy Auditorium, UC. Bobbito Garcia, author of "Where'd You Get Those? New York City's Sneaker Culture: 1960-1987," will talk about his role as a pioneer in urban culture and fashion. For more: http://www.cmu.edu/uls/april/garcia.html
- Tuesday, April 7: University Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall 103, Breed Hall. Milton Fine, chairman of FFC Capital, will give the Journeys lecture, titled "Take what you HAVE and make of it what you CAN: An Introspection." For more: http://www.cmu.edu/uls/april/fine.html
- Wednesday, April 8: University Lecture Series. 5:30 p.m., Adamson Wing, 136A Baker Hall. Stephen P. Hoover, vice president and center manager of the Xerox Research Center Webster for Xerox Corporation, will discuss "Good, Fast, Cheap in New Product Development: Don't Settle for Just Two." The lecture is co-sponsored by the Engineering and Technology Innovation Management Program. For more: http://www.cmu.edu/uls/april/hoover.html
- Wednesday, April 8: "Caught Looking." 7 p.m., PNC Park. Students and faculty from the School of Art, in conjunction with Pittsburgh Filmmakers, will be showing over 50 one-minute videos intended to highlight local artists in the field of contemporary video art.
- Thursday, April 15: Rachmaninoff Festival Piano Spectacular. 8 p,m., Kresge Recital Hall. As part of a three-week festival, School of Music faculty members Enrique Graf and Sergey Schepkin perform an all-Rachmaninoff piano recital, presented by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Mellon's School of Music, Duquesne University's Mary Pappert School of Music and the University of Pittsburgh's Music Department. Tickets are $10, and are available by calling 412-392-4900 or visiting http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org.
- For more events, visit http://my.cmu.edu/site/events.
- The "8 1/2 x 11 News" is published weekly by the Internal Communications group. To submit news of campus interest, email Abby Ross at abbyross@andrew.cmu.edu.
