April 19, 2007
Vol. 17, No. 38
In this issue:
Bill Cosby To Deliver Keynote Address at May 20 Commencement
Bill Cosby, an award-winning comedian, actor, author and recording artist well known for his commitment to education, will deliver the keynote address at Carnegie Mellon's commencement at 11 a.m., Sunday, May 20 in Gesling Stadium. Cosby has won numerous awards and honors for his work, including several Emmy and Grammy awards, the Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002. He and his wife, who both have Ph.D.s in education, have donated funds to a wide range of universities and delivered many commencement addresses to further emphasize the importance of learning.
Cosby will also receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Five other honorary degree recipients will join him on the commencement stage: Helen S. Faison, director of the Pittsburgh Teachers Institute, a professional development program for Pittsburgh public school teachers; Wilton A. Hawkins (E'48), who helped develop and patent a wide range of products and processes for the aerospace, chemical, electronics and semiconductor industries; Paolo Lugari, a civil and environmental engineer who developed the Gaviotas community in Colombia, South America, into a model village for social, economic and environmental sustainability; Gerald C. Meyers (E'50, TPR'54), an expert in corporate governance and crisis management, who is president of his own consulting firm and a professor of management and organization at the University of Michigan Ross Business School; and Earl Wild (A'37), a child prodigy who became one of the greatest classical pianists of all time.
Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/April/april17_commencement.shtml/
Scientists Identify Genes Activated During Learning and Memory
Researchers have long recognized that for learning and memory to take place, certain genes must be activated to alter neuron activity inside the brain. Disruptions in normal gene expression within these neurons can lead to alarming consequences, such as seizures and epilepsy. But identifying and cataloging all the genes involved in learning is a daunting task. In the March 13 issue of BMC Neuroscience, Carnegie Mellon scientists show how an innovative computational approach can provide a rapid way to identify the likely members of this long sought-after set of genes. "The work could ultimately lead to the development of drugs to treat neurological disorders," said
Alison Barth, assistant professor of biological sciences and a member of the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition. "We also expect this work to provide a valuable platform for any investigator to understand how neurons change at the molecular level during learning and the formation of memory."
Further information:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/April/april16_whiskers.shtml/
Libraries To Reclassify, Relabel and Reshelve Books
About half a million books in the Engineering & Science and Hunt libraries will be reclassified, relabeled and reshelved this summer, as the libraries convert from Dewey Decimal to Library of Congress Classification (LCC), already used in the Mellon Institute, Qatar, and Software Engineering Institute libraries. Pre-assigned LCC numbers are available for most books, which reduces processing time for new books. Nearly all U.S. academic libraries use LCC. "The transition to LCC will provide Carnegie Mellon students and faculty with a mainstream library experience that translates easily to any academic library environment. This is a big win for our scholars," said Dean of University Libraries
Gloriana St. Clair.
Computing Services Plans Changes in Several Computer Clusters
As part of its effort to provide top quality service to students and faculty, Computing Services has met with faculty committees, the Student Advisory Committee and student focus groups to examine how it can provide operating systems support. As a result, Computing Services will be making several changes to the
West Wing, Wean Hall (5201 and 5203), and
Hunt Library clusters for the fall 2007 semester. The changes implemented over the summer will provide greater flexibility and availability of Macs, Linux and Windows computers for students using the clusters for coursework, as well as for faculty using clusters for teaching. Further information: cmu-news@andrew.cmu.edu, April 13.
Human Resources Orientation CD Wins "People Do Matter" Award
The Pittsburgh Human Resources Association has presented its People Do Matter Award to Carnegie Mellon in the Work Structure and Processes category in recognition of its innovative, interactive faculty and staff orientation CD. The CD was created by Human Resources and the Entertainment Technology Center. The People Do Matter awards aim to increase regional awareness of human capital investments and recognize and replicate best practices. The orientation CD team includes
Karen Beaudway, Lori Bell, Gemma Green, Gloria Gruber, Charles Palmer, Ron Placone and
Everett Tademy.
News Briefs
- What mutual funds are your university or supplemental retirement savings invested in? Are you on track to meet your retirement goals? Meet with a representative from Vanguard or TIAA-CREF during a free one-on-one financial counseling session to answer these questions. Retirement representatives are typically on campus five days each month, and you can arrange telephone or in-person sessions at other times. Representatives are able to access your accounts to make specific recommendations tailored to your needs. To schedule an appointment, go to http://hr.web.cmu.edu/current/work-life/retirement/programs/
- The University Libraries invite members of the campus community to nominate library faculty or staff members for its Excellence Awards. Award categories are: customer satisfaction, productivity, library citizenship, forwarding instruction and research, and innovation. Winners gain campus recognition and receive cash awards. Nominations are due May 14. The nomination form and library award policy/ procedures are available at www.library.cmu.edu. Send your completed nominations to Matthew Marsteller, head of science libraries, at matthewm@andrew.cmu.edu.
- The Southwestern PA Household Hazardous Waste Task Force has received the 2007 Pennsylvania Governors Award for Environmental Excellence. In January 2002, Carnegie Mellon hosted an exploratory meeting to form this task force, which secures funding, organizes events and creates partnerships of individuals representing governmental, private and public organizations. "The Southwestern PA Task Force is a great example of academia, government and business working together to find solutions that protect our environment," said Barb Kiviz, a member of the task force and co-director of the university's Green Practices Committee.
Personal Mention
- A memorial service for Cletus Anderson, professor emeritus in the School of Drama, who died March 16, will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, April 22 in the Philip Chosky Theater.
- Jim Daniels, director of the Creative Writing Program, has authored a new collection of poetry, "Now Showing," which follows close on the heels of his recently published "Revolt of the Crash Test Dummies." Daniels, the Thomas Stockham Baker Professor of English, has written 10 poetry collections.
- Chemical Engineering Professor Larry Biegler has been selected to receive the 2007 CACHE Award for Excellence in Computing in Chemical Engineering Education. This award, sponsored by the CACHE Corporation, is presented for significant contributions in the development of computer aids for chemical engineering education. Biegler was recognized for leadership in the development of strategies and methods for process optimization. The award consists of a plaque and a $1,000 honorarium that will be presented at the Chemical Engineering Division awards banquet held at the ASEE Annual Conference, June 24 - 27, in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Calendar Highlights
- April 19 - 21: Spring Carnival. For the schedule of events visit http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/carnival/.
- Monday, April 23: Town hall meeting on emergency response procedures. 7:30 p.m., Connan Room, UC.
- Thursday, April 26: 2007 Buhl Lecture. David Gross, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2004, will speak on "The Future of Physics." 4:30 p.m., Mellon Institute Auditorium, second floor. A reception is planned for 5:30 p.m. Enter the Mellon Institute through the Bellefield Avenue entrance.
