April 5, 2007
Vol. 17, No. 36
In this issue:
Four MCS Students Earn Goldwater Scholarships
Four students in the Mellon College of Science (MCS) have received Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships to encourage their pursuit of careers in the natural sciences. The recipients are Gregory A. Newby, a sophomore biological sciences major; Samantha N. Spath, a junior biological sciences major; Jonathan M. Stahlman, a junior majoring in physics; and Lauren M. Thorpe, a junior in the Science and Humanities Scholars program. Colleges and universities can submit up to four nominations annually, and for the first time all four Carnegie Mellon nominations were selected. Carnegie Mellon was one of seven institutions to receive four awards. More than 1,000 nominations were submitted and 317 were chosen.
"This is a great testament to our ability to cultivate student scientists," said Eric Grotzinger, associate dean for undergraduate affairs in MCS and a teaching professor in biology.
Goldwater Scholars receive one- or two-year scholarships that cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 per year.
. . . And Four Faculty Earn NSF Career Awards
Four young faculty members have received prestigious five-year Early Faculty Career Development Awards from the National Science Foundation. The recipients are
Carlos Guestrin, assistant professor of machine learning and computer science;
C. Fred Higgs III, assistant professor of mechanical engineering;
Mohammad F. Islam, assistant professor of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering; and
Srinivasa G. Narasimhan, assistant professor of robotics. All four will use their awards to further their research on machine learning techniques to better solve reasoning problems (Guestrin); developing computer models to predict wearing problems in surfaces (Higgs); to investigating how atoms and molecules are organized in crystals and alloys (Islam); and using computer vision to enable vision systems to perform in fog, mist, rain, murky water and smoke (Narasimhan).
Carnegie Mellon Grad Programs Highly Ranked By U.S. News
U.S. News and World Report's 2008 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools" ranks Carnegie Mellon's graduate engineering, business and science programs among the best in the country. The graduate engineering programs ranked sixth overall, and fourth in computer engineering, eighth in environmental engineering, ninth in electrical engineering, 10th in mechanical engineering, 12th in chemical and materials engineering, 13th in civil engineering and 24th in biomedical/bioengineering. Carnegie Mellon's graduate business programs ranked 17th overall, and second in the categories of Information Systems and Production/Operations.
The biological sciences Ph.D. program ranked 34th and the chemistry Ph.D. program was 50th. The ranking guidebook also repeats Carnegie Mellon's past rankings in computer science, economics, English, the fine arts, history, mathematics, physics, psychology and public affairs.
For more on the recent rankings visit http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/grad/rankings/rankindex_brief.php/
Parking Information For Spring Carnival, April 19-21
The Morewood Gardens parking lot will close at 5 p.m., Friday, April 13, to allow student organizations to move their Spring Carnival booths on to the Midway. Cars parked in Morewood Gardens after that time will be towed. A sizable portion of the parking lot will remain closed during the following week (April 16-20), but there will be a parking service to help direct traffic and maximize space usage. Opening ceremonies for Spring Carnival begin at 3 p.m., Thursday, April 19. For more information on Spring Carnival, visit
http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/org/carnival/
News Briefs
- Carnegie Mellon students, staff and faculty can now order Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) tickets online. Visit http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/cmutix to order tickets for performances such as Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No.3," "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin and the PSO season finale featuring Sarah Chang and Beethoven's "Symphony No.9." Paper order forms are still available at the Information Desk in the University Center. Ticket orders must be placed by 2 p.m. on the Thursday prior to your concert weekend (online orders will be accepted until end of day on Thursday). Tickets will be left at the box office for pick-up on the night of your performance.
Personal Mention
- The university mourns the loss of Mimi Lerner, who died March 29 at her home after a long bout with cancer. She was 61. Lerner, an award-winning internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, was an associate professor of voice and chair of Carnegie Mellon's voice department. She was an astute teacher and classical performer who sang at some of the most prestigious opera houses in the United States and Europe.
- Susan G. Polansky, teaching professor of Hispanic studies, has been named head of the university's Department of Modern Languages, effective July 1. She succeeds G. Richard Tucker, the Paul Mellon Professor of Applied Linguistics, who has been department head since 1995. Polansky has been on the Carnegie Mellon faculty since 1986 and is associate head of the Modern Languages Department. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/March/march29_polansky.shtml/
- Professor Elaine A. King was on a panel titled, "Hot & Bothered, A Discussion on Censorship in the Arts," at the 45th Ann Arbor Film Festival, March 24.
- Brian Mathias, a senior in the Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA) program, has received a prestigious German Chancellor Scholarship, that will allow him to study for a year at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science in Leipzig, Germany. Mathias, who studies piano and psychology in the BHA program, is interested in how the brain perceives and interprets musical sounds. Further information: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/April/april2_mathias.shtml/
- H&SS has given its 2007 Outstanding Service Awards to Sue Connelly, the undergraduate coordinator for the Modern Languages Department, and Emily McCall, an undergraduate academic advisor in the Academic Advisory Center.
- Professor of English Linda Flower has been selected to receive the first Steve Witte Award from The American Educational Research Association's (AERA) Special Interest Group on Writing and Literacies. The award honors Flowers' work during the past 20 years. She will receive the award in Chicago on April 10.
- ECE graduate student Michael Kasick, senior Felix Duvallet and alumnus Daniel Weller (E'06) have been awarded three-year graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Veronica Yusz received a NSF honorable mention citation and will continue her graduate studies in ECE next fall.
- Nine Carnegie Mellon students recently participated in the Western Pennsylvania Regional Conference of Phi Alpha Theta, the history honorary society, at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa. Those who won awards for their research are: first place, Christine M. Gorman, James Dougherty and Jennifer E. Johnson; second place, Valerie Savage, Joanna Bresee, Russell Savage, Igor Avramovic, Farhan Mohamed Ali and Lindsey Yao.
Calendar Highlights
- Friday, April 13: The Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE), Department of History, presents Luther Adams. His talk is titled "Upon This Rock: African American Migration, Urban Renewal and the Struggle for Equality in Louisville, Kentucky." 4:30 p.m. refreshments; 5-6:30 p.m., lecture and discussion. Baker Hall A53. Adams is the CAUSE postdoctoral fellow for 2006-07. He is on leave from the University of Washington--Tacoma, where he is an assistant professor in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
- Monday, April 16: Carnegie Mellon's Center for the Arts in Society presents a "BYOB" (Bring Your Own Brain) talk by Kenya Dworkin, associate professor of Hispanic Studies, Department of Modern Languages. She will present "Casa Cuentos (Story House): A Video Project for Capturing the Future of an Old-New Community, West Tampa, Florida." Noon-1 p.m. CFA 310. Bring your own lunch. Dessert and beverages provided.
- Wednesday, April 25: Carnegie Mellon's annual Administrative Professional's Day luncheon. 11:45 a.m., Rangos Ballroom, UC, This is an annual opportunity to show administrative support personnel how much they are appreciated. The guest speaker will be Samantha Bennett, award-winning Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Lifestyle columnist. Food and raffle prizes will be on hand. Registration is open through April 18 at http://hr.web.cmu.edu/ap-day/index.html.
