November 13, 2008
Vol. 19, No. 19
In this issue:
New Smoking Policy Supports Healthy Campus Initiative
A new smoking policy, effective Jan. 1, 2009, has been approved in support of the Healthy Campus 2010 initiative, a university-wide effort to make the campus a healthier and greener environment by 2010. The new policy — overwhelmingly approved by Student Senate, Faculty Senate, Staff Council, the Graduate Student Assembly and the President's Council — will now permit smoking on campus ONLY in designated outdoor areas.
Designated smoking areas will be selected by a committee led by the Environmental Health & Safety Department. The committee will have student, faculty and staff representation, and smokers will be represented as well. Once the sites are chosen, the site locations will be announced and signs will be installed.
While the policy goes into effect Jan. 1, there will be a 90-day grace period before University Police begins enforcement. A $25 fine for each violation of smoking in a non-designated area and/or not properly disposing of cigarette butts will be assessed beginning April 1.
For more information, read the November issue of the Piper at
http://www.cmu.edu/news/piper/index.shtml.
Carnegie Mellon Artists Use Google Maps Technology
In an innovative integration of art and technology, artists
Robin Hewlett (A'04) and
Ben Kinsley's (A'08) "Street With A View" project, a collaboration with local actors and community members performing on Sampsonia Way in Pittsburgh, is now live on Google Maps and can be viewed online at
http://www.streetwithaview.com.
Partnering with the Mattress Factory, the artists timed various public performances while Google was documenting the small, one-way alley. For one day, artists and citizens created an elaborate montage of spontaneous performance, including a statue of a de-feathered chicken, a faux-marathon of local runners and a marching band.
For more:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov11_streetwithaview.shtml
Deb Moon Named CFO of the Year
Carnegie Mellon Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Deborah Moon was named CFO of the Year in the large nonprofit company category by The Pittsburgh Business Times. The Business Times noted Moon's accomplishments in supervising the financial records of the university's seven schools and colleges; her work in managing the requirements and limitations of the school's research grants, which total nearly $300 million annually; and her contributions to Carnegie Mellon's international operations, including the opening of the campus in Doha, Qatar. Moon joined Carnegie Mellon in 2001 and was appointed CFO in 2005.
For more:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov10_cfoaward.shtml
Steinbrenner Institute, CIT Host Media Summit on Changing Newsroom
Carnegie Mellon's Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research and its College of Engineering (CIT) will host a media summit to discuss the challenges of a changing newsroom from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Nov. 20 in the Singleton Room of Roberts Hall of Engineering. Summit participants include
Allan Dodds Frank, president of the Overseas Press Club and a correspondent for Bloomberg Broadcast News;
Steve Hamm (HS'74), senior writer for Business Week and author of "The Race for Perfect;"
Nitya Venkataraman (HS'01), a producer of digital media for ABC News; and
Michael Yablonski, editor, publisher of Pittsburgh Professional Magazine, Inc.
Deborah Lange, executive director of the Steinbrenner Institute, said the summit is a great way for media to see some of our best university research, and discuss some of the most efficient ways for covering it. The panel, which will be introduced by CIT Dean
Pradeep K. Khosla, also will discuss how technology plays a role in building new flows of digital information.
For more:
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov6_mediasummit.shtml
News Briefs
- Employees must process any benefit changes online through HR Connection's Open Enrollment module by 5 p.m., Monday, Nov. 17. If you do not submit changes, your 2008 benefits will roll over into 2009, but new rates and plan provisions will apply. To verify current coverage and dependent information, visit http://www.cmu.edu/hr/.
- Popular Science has named Tartan Racing's self-driving SUV, Boss, to its 21st annual "Best of What's New" list, featured in the magazine's December issue. A year ago, Boss won the $2 million DARPA Urban Challenge race in Victorville, Calif. "Boss drove the course at up to 30 mph and took corners hard, finishing almost 20 minutes faster than its closest competitor," the magazine reports. "Its performance suggests that self-driving cars might not be so far off after all." For the full article, visit http://www.popsci.com/bown/2008.
- Carnegie Mellon's Alumni Association is seeking nominations for the 2009 Alumni Awards, which will honor alumni, students and faculty who have given outstanding service to the university, and alumni who have achieved exceptional success in their careers. Nominations must be received at the Alumni Office by Nov. 30, 2008. For nomination forms, visit http://www.cmu.edu/alumni/find/awards.html.
- The Environmental Health & Safety Department has posted information online identifying where emergency telephones and Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are located. For a list of AED locations and a campus map, see http://ehs-alert.fms.bap.cmu.edu/AEDLocations.php. For a map showing emergency telephones, see http://ehs-alert.fms.bap.cmu.edu/images/Emergency-Phones-Locations.jpg.
Personal Mention
- Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Philip R. LeDuc will join more than 70 of the brightest scientific researchers Nov. 12-15 at the National Academies Keck Futures Initiative on Complexity at the Beckman Conference Center in Irvine, Calif. For more: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov10_leduc.shtml
- President Jared L. Cohon will be among a group of university presidents that will be traveling to Iran, Nov. 14-21. The group, representing member schools of the Association of American Universities (AAU), will be meeting with university leaders in Iran to discuss and share ideas about higher education in America. Cohon will be joined by AAU President Robert Berdahl; Rice University President David Leebron; University of Florida President J. Bernard Machen; University of Maryland President C. Daniel Mote, Jr.; Cornell University President David J. Skorton; and University of California, Davis, Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef.
- Barbara Freed, professor of French studies and applied linguistics, has been named an Officier de l'ordre des Palmes académiques by the French Minister of Education. The Order of Academic Palms, created in 1808 by Napoleon I, "honors members of the educational community ... who have rendered distinguished service to Education, and have contributed to the expansion of French culture in the world."
- Carnegie Mellon's Marija Ilic has received an honorary academic chair from TU Delft University in The Netherlands for her efforts in modernizing the world's electricity infrastructures. Ilic's appointment runs through 2013. For more: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov11_marijailic.shtml
- The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) has selected Linda Argote, the David M. Kirr and Barbara A. Kirr Professor of Organizational Behavior and Theory at the Tepper School, to receive the 2008 INFORMS Fellows Award in recognition of her professional contributions to the advancement of operations research and the management sciences. Argote joins four faculty members and five Ph.D. alumni as INFORMS Fellows. For more: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov7_informsfellow.shtml
Calendar Highlights
- Friday, Nov. 14: "How To Be A Yes Man." 5 p.m., Miller Gallery. The Yes Men will conduct a workshop and lecture, followed by a business casual-themed reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on the gallery's third floor. For more: http://millergallery.cfa.cmu.edu/
- Thursday, Nov. 14: Opening reception for "PREDRIVE: After Technology." 8-10 pm., Annex Gallery, Mattress Factory. The School of Art's Melissa Ragona curates the exhibit on the phenomenon of instant information. For more: http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov4_instantinformation.shtml
- Nov. 14-15: "Future Ten 5: Yinzer Edition." 8 p.m., 819 Penn Avenue. Future Tenant, a gallery space managed by Carnegie Mellon Master of Arts Management students, presents five short works with a Pittsburgh-inspired theme. For ticket information, visit http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/November/nov10_futuretenant.shtml.
- Monday, Nov. 17: "Journeys" Lecture Series. 4:30 p.m., McConomy Auditorium, University Center. Recently retired Vice President for Enrollment Bill Elliott will give "A Reflection of 38 Years at Carnegie Mellon."
- Wednesday, Nov. 19: "Law and Popular Culture Film Series." 6:30 p.m., Porter Hall 100. The Pre-Law Program presents episodes of "Court TV," followed by a discussion led by actors, writers, students and legal professionals.
- Thursday, Nov. 20: Authors' Rights Research Showcase. 4:30 p.m., Giant Eagle Auditorium, 51A Baker Hall. Dan Hood, outreach coordinator for Carnegie Mellon's new institutional repository, will demonstrate the site and talk about future directions and repository services. For more: http://repository.cmu.edu/
- Saturday, Nov. 22: "Hip-Hop, Art & Commerce." 2 p.m., College of Fine Arts, Room 206A. The Arts Greenhouse series on hip-hop continues with a talk by Luqman Abdus-salaam and current student Sterling Berliant.
- For more events, visit http://my.cmu.edu/site/events.
