Carnegie Mellon University

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CMU Community News

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August 15, 2013

News Briefs

Facebook Acquires CMU Startup

Facebook has acquired Mobile Technologies, the Pittsburgh startup founded by CMU Professor of Computer Science and Language Technologies Alex Waibel that created Jibbigo, the mobile language translation app.

Mobile Technologies, established in 2001, has developed a number of cross-lingual communication tools, including Jibbigo, the world’s first speech-to-speech translator on a phone that runs online and even offline, independent from the Internet. Travelers and health care workers around the world use Jibbigo to communicate in foreign countries.

“Voice technology has become an increasingly important way for people to navigate mobile devices and the Web, and this technology will help us evolve our products to match that evolution. We believe this acquisition is an investment in our long-term product roadmap as we continue toward our company’s mission,” said Facebook’s Director of Product Development Tom Stocky in a blog post.

Read more in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

2013-14 CMU Wall Calendars Now Available

Official Carnegie Mellon 2013-14 wall calendars are now available for purchase in the University Store. Bulk orders over 50 can be delivered on campus or sent via campus mail. For quantities under 50, visit the store on the lower level of the University Center.

Bulk orders should be sent to art-store@andrew.cmu.edu. Your email order should include your name, department, campus address, Oracle String and a phone number. Orders from off-campus locations will be assessed an additional charge for a mailing tube.

Proposals for Dietrich College Undergraduate Colloquium Due Sept. 15

Abstract presentation proposals for the first Dietrich College Undergraduate Colloquium (DUC) are due by Sept. 15. The DUC, which will be held Nov. 1-Nov. 2, is a new opportunity in which Dietrich College majors and minors can share their ideas, class projects, creative works and research projects. Presentations can be in the form of a 15-minute oral presentation followed by a Q&A or a poster presentation. Proposal and submission guidelines as well as general information can be found at https://sites.google.com/site/cmuduc2013/about.
 
The DUC committee is looking for student volunteers to organize the colloquium and faculty mentors to guide presenters through their preparations. Students can contact Catharine Youngs at cqy@andrew.cmu.edu and faculty can contact Bonnie Youngs at byoungs@cmu.edu for more information.

Applications Being Accepted for Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows Program

Applications are now being accepted for the campus-wide James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows Program, which fast-tracks the careers of Carnegie Mellon graduate students who are passionate about entrepreneurship in the technology arena. This highly selective program, directed by the Carnegie Mellon Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), is designed to develop each fellow’s entrepreneurial potential and leadership skills through coursework in entrepreneurship, mentoring, hands-on experiences and networking.

The core of the program is a mentored summer internship with a top tier, venture-backed startup within the high-tech, high-growth environment of California’s Silicon Valley. Mentoring from faculty, staff, alumni and members of the business community, cohort and community building, and two networking trips help to shape each fellow’s guided internship and career search.

The application deadline is 11:59 p.m., Monday, Sept. 9. Applications must be submitted to Emily Stark at vestark@andrew.cmu.edu

Applications must include a one-page resume and a personal statement no longer than two pages. The statement should include:

  • Entrepreneurial interests;
  • Goals (internship, immediately post-graduation, long-term);
  • Entrepreneurial successes and failures;
  • Plans to contribute to the evolution of CMU's entrepreneurial ecosystem;
  • Role of the Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows program in achieving your goals.

The applicant also must have two letters of recommendation sent directly to Emily Stark at vestark@andrew.cmu.edu

Successful candidates will be notified by Sept. 23.

For more information, go to http://www.cmu.edu/cie/for-students/james-r.-swartz-entrepreneurial-fellows-program/index.html

This program is made possible by James R. Swartz (TPR ’66), founder and managing partner of Accel Partners, a Palo Alto-based venture capital firm with more than $6B under management.

Facilitators Needed for Discussions of “The Last Lecture”

Carnegie Mellon staff, faculty, alumni and friends are needed to lead small groups of first-year undergraduate students in a discussion of “The Last Lecture” on Tuesday, Aug. 20. during Orientation. Each student received a copy of the book to read over the summer to prepare for these discussions, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and from 2 to 3:15 p.m. The two time frames are scheduled to accommodate the first-year class of more than 1,400 students. Facilitators will be paired with a Resident Assistant and Orientation Counselor and will be provided with questions to help guide the discussions.

If you would like to participate as a facilitator, please register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1HfWy10Sl7Z7dKb0xhzvGlZJg6XeDWGgSAe-yt9NjeuA/viewform

C-MITES Offers Fun Classes for Bright Kids

The Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary and Secondary Students (C-MITES) offers hands-on classes for gifted students in Kindergarten through 10th grade. One-day classes on selected dates in August through November include Robotics Programming and Design, Culinary Chemistry, Egg Drop Physics and Action-Packed Engineering.  Classes cost from $65 to $115 and financial aid is available.  For more information, see http://www.cmites.org.

New Online System Created for Research Conflict of Interest Disclosures

A new online system, SPARCS COI, became available to CMU researchers on July 15.  A team involving many campus affiliates created this secure system to comply with Conflict of Interest regulatory requirements and meet the needs of CMU’s research community. 

During the rollout of SPARCS COI, anyone who has Public Health Service (PHS) funding or expects to seek such funding in the next year is asked to complete an Annual Disclosure in SPARCS. This initial disclosure of significant financial interests must be completed between July 15 and Aug. 23.    

Researchers that have already submitted an annual disclosure using a paper form, will still need to create a new online disclosure during this six-week window. Paper forms are being phased out over time. 

The Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC) is holding a series of workshops to provide assistance with SPARCS COI.  Registration for training (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SPARCStraining) is not required but is preferred. Researchers can complete their annual disclosures during a training session.  Please bring the financial information necessary to do this.

All training sessions will be held in Cyert Hall’s first-floor cluster in room 100-D. Dates and times are as follows:

  • Monday, Aug. 19: 11 a.m. – Noon, 1 – 2 p.m.
  • Tuesday, Aug. 20: 2 – 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, Aug. 22: 10 – 11 a.m., 3 – 4 p.m.

For more information as well as guidance, please visit: http://www.cmu.edu/research-compliance/conflict-of-interest/index.html

Alumni Award Nominations Due Sept. 1

The Alumni Association is accepting nominations in the Achievement and Service categories through Sunday, Sept. 1 for the 2014 Alumni Awards. Each year, the Alumni Association honors alumni, students and faculty who have given outstanding service to the university, and alumni who have achieved exceptional success in their chosen professions. 
A nomination form, list of previous award recipients and descriptions of the award categories can be found at http://www.alumni.cmu.edu/awards. All nomination forms should be submitted with the nominee's resume/vitae and at least two letters of support. For more information, contact Yulia Zhukoff at 412-268-7048 or yuliaz@andrew.cmu.edu.