Personal Mention
Carnegie Mellon President Subra Suresh will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary doctor of science degree at the 50th Convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras in Chennai, India, on Friday, July 19. President Suresh received his bachelor’s degree in technology from IIT Madras in 1977. The convocation will be webcast live beginning at 4 p.m., India Standard Time, 6:30 a.m. in Pittsburgh, at http://webcast.chennaionline.com/IITM-50thconvocation/index.aspx. Earlier this summer, the Franklin Institute presented Suresh with the prestigious Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science for “outstanding contributions to our understanding of the mechanical behavior of materials in applications ranging from large structures down to the atomic level.” His citation also noted that his research “showed how deformation of biological cells can be linked to human disease.” The Franklin Institute's Awards program is recognized as the oldest, and most comprehensive science and technology honor bestowed in the country and around the world. Franklin medal recipients have included Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Jane Goodall, Orville Wright, Stephen Hawking and Jacques Cousteau, to name a few.
Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science Lenore Blum has been nominated for a Greater Pittsburgh Athena Award, which recognizes exceptional women who demonstrate excellence in their profession, contribute to their community and help other women to succeed through mentorship. See the other nominees and read about the awards program.
Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Carmel Majidi, who is working to make machines and electronics more elastic and compatible with the human body, will join more than 70 of the nation’s brightest young engineering researchers and educators Sept. 19-21 at the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) 10th Frontiers of Engineering Education (FOEE) Symposium in Wilmington, Del. This year’s program will focus on cutting-edge developments in four areas: Designing and Analyzing Social Networks; Cognitive Manufacturing; Energy and Reducing Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels; and Flexible Electronics. Majidi, a principal researcher in CMU’s Soft Machines Lab who works on soft electronics and sensors, reports that the next generation of autonomous robots, medical devices and electronics will include systems that are not rigid and can adapt their functions to the changing demands of their operator and the environment. Soft robotics is a new domain in the field of robotics, where researchers are focused on creating new robotic structures, blending together organic chemistry, soft materials science and robotics.
Robbee Baker Kosak, vice president for University Advancement, is among 13 professionals to be elected to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's (CASE) Board of Trustees. The board, which consists of 30 members, sets CASE policies, approves the annual budget and ensures sound management of the organization. CASE is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas. Read the full list of CASE's newly elected trustees.
Three former School of Computer Science faculty members are assuming new, elevated roles in the recently announced Microsoft reorganization. Peter Lee will lead Microsoft Research, assuming the role vacated by Rick Rashid, who is joining the new Operating Systems Group. Jeannette Wing will now oversee Microsoft’s core research labs around the world. In addition, SCS Ph.D. alumnus Qi Lu, formerly president of Microsoft’s Online Services Division, will become executive vice president of apps and services engineering.