Carnegie Mellon University

The Piper

CMU Community News

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December 13, 2012

Personal Mention

David Garlan, professor of computer science; James C. Hoe, professor of electrical and computer engineering; Radu Marculescu, professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Brad A. Myers, professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, have been named 2013 Fellows of the Institute for Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) for their career achievements. Garlan was cited by the IEEE “for contributions to software architecture.” Hoe was recognized for contributions to high-level hardware design and synthesis. Marculescu was honored for his contributions to the design and optimization of on-chip communication for embedded multicore systems. Myers was cited “for development of software tools for human-computer interaction.” IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional association. Read the full story.

The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) has named Raj Reddy, the Mozah Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics, and Garth Gibson, professor of computer science and electrical and computer engineering, among its latest class of ACM Fellows. Reddy was cited by the ACM for pioneering the design and construction of large-scale artificial intelligence systems. In 1994, he received the ACM’s Turing Award, its highest honor, for his contributions to artificial intelligence. Gibson was cited by the ACM for contributions to the performance and reliability of storage systems. He is the founder of CMU’s Parallel Data Laboratory and was the leader of the Department of Energy’s Petascale Data Storage Institute. Read the full announcement.

Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon and Doris Carson Williams, president of the African-American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania, received the Ronald H. Brown Corporate Leadership Award from the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh last Friday at the Westin Convention Center. The award recognizes their commitment to improving the quality of life for African-Americans in the region. Tim Stevens, chairman of the Black Political Empowerment Project and a former president of the NAACP, received the special Lifetime Achievement Award.

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Alison Barth has received a 2013 Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award from the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience. Barth, one of four researchers to receive the award, will use the three-year, $300,000 grant to study how experience transforms the connections between neurons as well as the neurons themselves. These transformations are thought to play a key role in how the brain codes for learning and memory. In her work, Barth will make electrophysical recordings of neurons in the cerebral cortex to identify which neurons become changed by experience. Read the full story.

Jendayi Frazer, Distinguished Service Professor in the Dietrich College and Heinz College, spoke at Brown University’s Achebe Colloquium on Africa last week. The colloquium convened an international group of scholars, and officials from African governments, the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and other organizations for two days of discussions on strengthening democracy and peace in Africa. Frazer, the director of CMU’s Center for International Policy and Innovation (CIPI), delivered remarks during the “Governance, Security and Peace in Africa” forum. Read more.

Following more than 28 years at CMU, Jim Gartner, senior director of global security, has announced his “semi-retirement,” effective Dec. 31, to become managing director of Corporate Security Concepts, Inc., a security consultant with clients in the Middle East and North Africa. Gartner began his career at CMU in 1984 in what is now Property Accounting Services, where he helped develop policies and procedures and the computer systems that support the function today. In 1995, he was promoted to director of financial services, and later to associate controller. In 2003, Gartner was chosen to address security on the Qatar campus and became senior director of global security. He moved to Doha in 2006.

The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) has presented its 2012 Sidney D. Drell Academic Award to Juergen Pfeffer, assistant research professor in the School of Computer Science’s Institute for Software Research (ISR). The award recognizes Pfeffer’s contributions to the intelligence community, particularly in the area of social and organizational network analysis. Pfeffer is involved in research projects analyzing data from emerging conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East. He became a post-doctoral researcher in ISR with Professor Kathleen Carley in 2010 and joined the faculty this year. Read the full story.

John Pena, an adjunct assistant professor of art who earned his master’s degree at CMU in 2008, recently won a Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award in the Emerging Artist category. The $15,000 annual award honors an emerging artist for exemplary artistic achievements and promise for future work. The award is named for Brown, one of Pittsburgh’s most important cultural leaders, who led the transformation of downtown Pittsburgh’s cultural district. Brown is an emeritus life trustee at CMU. The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments sponsor the award.

Alex Lang, senior manager of the Desktop Support Program for the past two years, is taking over leadership of the new Secure Integrated Infrastructure (SII) program for Computing Services, effective Dec. 17. In his new role he will oversee efforts to keep Computing Services’ production systems secure. In an email to the DSP customers, Tom Dugas, associate director for Global IT Services, praised Lang for his contributions to the DSP program, and cited his efforts in helping the DSP become more effective and efficient. Dugas will serve as interim manager of the DSP.

Patrick Robinson, a senior offensive tackle on the CMU football team, has been invited to play for the USA All-American Eagles against an all-star team from the Mexico university system in the 2012 Aztec Senior All-Star Game, Dec. 14 in Monterrey, Mexico. Robinson, a 6’4” 285-pound lineman, is the third player in school history to be selected to participate in the small college post-season bowl game. He is a two-time All-University Athletic Association honoree. Read more about Robinson and the Aztec Bowl.