Carnegie Mellon University

The Piper

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November 08, 2012

Personal Mention

Six faculty members — Lenore Blum, Irene Fonseca, Alan Frieze, David Kinderlehrer, Walter Noll and Dana S. Scott — have been selected to the American Mathematical Society's first class of fellows. A total of 1,119 people representing more than 600 institutions are in this initial class. The AMS Fellows designation recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication and use of mathematics. Among the goals of the program are to create an enlarged class of mathematicians recognized by their peers as distinguished for their contributions to the profession and to honor excellence. "The new AMS Fellows Program recognizes some of the most accomplished mathematicians — AMS members who have contributed to our understanding of deep and important mathematical questions, to applications throughout the scientific world, and to educational excellence," said Eric M. Friedlander, president of the 30,000-member AMS.

Robert Page, the Paul Mellon University Professor of Music and director of Choral Studies at the School of Music, has announced his retirement at the end of this academic year after more than three decades as a member of the faculty. Considered by his peers as the "Dean of American Choral Conductors," Page's distinguished career has included two Grammy Awards, the Prix Mondial de Montreux, the Grand Prix du Disque, and Pennsylvania's "Artist of the Year" award. The American Record Review has called Page "a national treasure" in recognition of his extensive catalog of recordings with choirs and orchestras — a collection that spans over 44 discs. "Maestro Page has been a prominent and enormously important member of our faculty for much of the past 37 years,” said Denis Colwell, head of the School of Music. “His contributions to the school are too numerous to list and the prospect of finding a suitable replacement for this fabulous musician and pedagogue is daunting, to say the least. We will be looking for ways to honor Maestro Page throughout this school year. Please join me in congratulating him on his impending retirement, and help me thank him for his sacrifices, contributions, and hard work on behalf of generations of music students."

David Dzombak, the Walter J. Blenko Sr. Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has agreed to serve as Interim Vice Provost of Sponsored Programs.  Reporting to Provost Mark Kamlet, Dzombak will oversee the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) as well as the university’s research compliance operations.  In addition he will chair the recently established search committee for the next director of the OSP. The previous head of the OSP, Susan Burkett, retired last June.  In 2010, Dzombak became a University Professor, the highest academic rank at Carnegie Mellon. Among his many internal roles, he serves as the director of the Steinbrenner Institute for Environmental Education and Research, and has been the Associate Dean for Graduate and Faculty Affairs for CIT and chair of the Faculty Senate. While serving as interim vice provost, Dzombak will continue his current duties and activities in the College of Engineering.

Elizabeth (Liz) A. Milavec has been appointed interim deputy chief financial officer and will assume the day-to-day oversight of the department heads in the Finance Division, except for Internal Audit, which, as previously announced, will report directly to the president. Milavec also will continue with her ongoing responsibilities as controller. Milavec joined CMU in 2004 as director of financial reporting and taxation. She became controller in 2006. Prior to coming to CMU, Milavec was senior manager at KPMG. She became a certified public accountant in 1994.

Ralph Vituccio, director of media development in Communications Design and an instructor in the Entertainment Technology Center, presented the documentary  “Shipbreakers” this past Tuesday, Nov. 6, at the European Parliament in Brussels. The documentary, which Vituccio created along with Tom Clancey, a former video production specialist at CMU, and the late University Professor Paul Goodman, was part of a program about a proposal for ship recycling regulation presented by the European Commission in March 2012.  “Shipbreakers” is a documentary about the men who salvage huge cargo and ocean liners. Filmed in both India and China, it looks at issues such as large-scale work processes under the poorest of conditions, worker safety and environmental concerns. The program in Brussels was sponsored by Greenpeace, NGO Shipbreaking Platforms and the BASIL Convention.

Heinz College Assistant Professor Robert Hampshire was recently named one of six Martin Luther King Jr. visiting professors and scholars at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology this academic year. While at MIT, he will work with Professor Richard C. Larson in the Engineering Systems Division as a lecturer and collaborator on research papers.