Carnegie Mellon University

The Piper

CMU Community News

Piper Logo
October 10, 2013

News Briefs

University of Salford Reps To Visit Today

Carnegie Mellon faculty and staff are invited to meet representatives from the University of Salford in the UK at a reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 10, in Room 303 of the College of Fine Arts. Following a presentation, CMU attendees will meet the Salford delegates during a reception. All guests are invited to view a related installation in the Ellis Gallery, CFA Room 312.

"The work focuses on the Chapel Street area, which was the civic center of old Salford, and it takes the form of a playful psycho-geographical journey, featuring a digital projection, a multichannel soundscape and printed works, with accompanying text," said CMU School of Art Head John Carson.

The installation is intended to generate ideas for potential collaboration between University of Salford and CMU and to stimulate imaginative thinking through fine art, creative technology and design. It will be available for viewing by the CMU community from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, Oct. 10-19, in the Ellis Gallery.

The University of Salford in the Greater Manchester area is an established UK higher education institution with an international agenda. The university has opened a digital learning, teaching and research space at the heart of the development of MediaCityUK, at Salford Quays, located next to the BBC and a number of commercial TV and media companies. Art and Media students benefit from access to the facilities and expertise of MediaCityUK, as well as links with other university departments such as the School of Computing, Science and Engineering, and its Advanced Robotics Facility.

"Our colleagues from Salford feel that this exciting interdisciplinary mix provides opportunities to connect with Carnegie Mellon, and links have already been made with Carnegie Mellon’s School of Architecture and the ETC," Carson said.
 
Those interested in attending are asked to R.S.V.P. to Tom Justofin at justofin@cmu.edu.

Lecture Series Honors the Lehoczkys

Carnegie Mellon is establishing a new lecture series to honor the many contributions of John Lehoczky, dean of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and his wife, Mary Lou, who serves on the board of the Andrew Carnegie Society.

The John and Mary Lou Lehoczky Lecture Series in the Humanities and Social Sciences will begin at 4:30 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15 in Doherty hall 1212 with New York University's Steven Brams and "Game Theory and the Humanities."

"John and Mary Lou Lehoczky have selflessly served the Dietrich College for four decades," said Kiron Skinner, associate professor of social and decision sciences and director of the Center for International Relations and Politics who is behind the launch of the lecture series. "Among the numerous initiatives that Dean Lehoczky has overseen, academic programs such as the Humanities Scholars Program, the Quantitative Social Science Scholars Program and the Global Studies major bridge the social science and humanities offerings available within the college."

Read the full announcement.

Environmental History Lecture Series To Begin

The Department of History is launching a yearlong lecture series to celebrate the department's longtime focus on environmental history. In particular, through the illustrious career of Joel Tarr, who explores the relationship between cities, the environment and technology, the History Department has excelled for several decades in understanding how the human world impacts urban environments.

"People often do not think about how the environment links to city environments, and we have been fortunate to have extremely talented faculty working in this dynamic area," said Caroline Acker, head of the Department of History.

Kate Brown, associate professor of history at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will open the series with a talk on the existence of radioactive isotopes in the bodies of nuclear plant workers and nearby residents. Her talk, "A Sinking Feeling: The Human Body as the Ultimate Radioactive Storage Site," will be held at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17 in Doherty Hall (DH) 2210.

Read the full lecture series announcement.

CMU United Way Campaign Begins

Carnegie Mellon’s 2013 United Way campaign began on Oct. 9 and will run through Dec. 12. Last year the university community raised more than $175,000 for United Way and the health and human service organizations it supports. We are still looking for volunteers who would like to serve on CMU’s United Way campaign committee.

You can help make this year a success by incorporating the theme “Live Generously” through donating, advocating or volunteering for CMU’s campaign. Please check out www.cmu.edu/hr/unitedway to make your pledge and find out how to volunteer with local organizations. Visit this webpage often throughout the campaign for success stories, contests and campaign progress.

Applications Due for Berkman Faculty Development Fund

The Berkman Faculty Development Fund is a small grants program in support of professional development to help projects that would otherwise be difficult to fund. The program is directed primarily to junior faculty whose access to external support is less well-developed, and to faculty working in chronically under-funded areas. In cases where a specific need is well documented, grants may be made to senior faculty and those working in fields that more easily attract outside support.
 
Full-time faculty in teaching, research, tenure and librarian/archivist tracks are eligible to apply.
 
Detailed guidelines are available on the Berkman website. Proposals must be submitted online by Oct. 17 at http://www.hss.cmu.edu/berkman/

CIT To Host Dowd-ICES Fellowship Seminar, Oct. 23

The College of Engineering and the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems (ICES) will host a seminar to showcase the research of the 2012 and 2013 Dowd-ICES fellows and the funded work of the 2012 Dowd Teaching Fellow from 3–5 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 23 in Roberts Hall’s Singleton Room. A reception immediately follows the seminar. 

The 2013 fellows include:

  • Amy Dale of the Engineering and Public Policy Department;
  • Pengfei Li of the Mechanical Engineering Department;
  • Tong Lu of Mechanical Engineering; and
  • Hang-Ah Park of the Materials Science and Engineering Department.

The 2012 fellows include:

  • Amin Aghaei of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department;
  • Jennifer Hayden of the Biomedical Engineering Departmant;
  • Gagan Srivastava of Mechanical Engineering; and
  • Dinghuan Zhu of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

The 2012 Dowd Teaching Fellow is Jeanne VanBriesen, professor of civil and environmental engineering.

The Dowd-ICES graduate student fellowships are made possible by an endowment from Philip L. Dowd, a 1963 graduate of the Materials Science and Engineering Department, and Marsha Dowd. Fellowships are awarded to support graduate students who are conducting cutting-edge research on projects for which traditional sources of funding may not be available.  Read more.

Fall Fitness Walking Challenge Underway

The six-week Fall Fitness Walking Challenge is underway. You can take the challenge by registering at the University Center Equipment Desk. All participants will receive a free pedometer to track your steps daily.

Individuals will be grouped into teams of 20 members and the team with the most amount of steps during the six weeks will win the challenge. You must record your steps in the binder at the UC Equipment Desk.

Throughout the six weeks of the challenge, you will receive tips on fitness, health and living an active lifestyle via a weekly email.

Contact Pattye Stragar with questions at pls@andrew.cmu.edu.

Staff Council Offers Tickets to Idlewild’s Hallowboo

Staff Council is offering discounted tickets to Idlewild Park’s Hallowboo. Tickets are good any Saturday and Sunday from noon – 6 p.m. through Oct. 27. Tickets are $13.50 each (cash only, please); the regular ticket price is $29.99. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets, should contact Sharon Cavlovich at sharonw@cmu.edu. Ticket quantities are limited.

Please see the Staff Council website for other available discounts.

Search Committee To Hold Town Hall Meetings

Jim Garrett and Amir Rahnamay-Azar, co-chairs of the Vice President for Research (VPR) Search Advisory Committee, are hosting Town Hall meetings to engage the campus community in the search for CMU’s next VPR. These will be open forum sessions, providing an opportunity for faculty, staff and students to ask questions about the search process and share views about the qualities and characteristics deemed essential for CMU’s next VPR.
 
Two sessions will be offered on Wednesday, Oct. 16:

  • 9 -10:30 a.m., Rangos 1, University Center
  • 2 -3:30 p.m., Rangos 1, University Center

Open Benefits Forum is Oct. 29

How will the Affordable Care Act affect CMU employees? Find out when Staff Council presents its annual Open Benefits Forum from noon – 1 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 29 in McConomy Auditorium, University Center. Join members of the Human Resources Benefits Office as they review upcoming changes to staff benefit plans and answer your questions. Open to all staff members not represented by a bargaining unit.

AED/CPR Training Offered

The Environmental Health & Safety Department is offering four upcoming AED/CPR training classes for the university community. Those who have been certified more than two years ago also can attend to renew your certification. All classes begin at 10 a.m. and last about two hours. The schedule is as follows:

  • Oct. 16 – University Center, Rangos 2
  • Oct. 24 - University Center, Dowd Room
  • Nov. 14 - Mellon Institute Social Room
  • Nov. 26 - University Center, Dowd Room

Register for classes at https://ehs-apps.andrew.cmu.edu/secure/ALERT-Online/aed/registration.aspx

Memorial Soccer Tournament Planned for Oct. 13

Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity is hosting the 4th Annual Matthew Tembo Memorial Soccer Tournament from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13 at Gesling Stadium. Individuals ($12) and teams ($100, 8-12 players) are invited to participate with all proceeds benefitting the Gateway Rehabilitation Center, a nonprofit organization that helps those with alcohol and other drug-related dependencies. Twenty-five teams participated in last year’s event, which raised more than $4,250. In addition to participants, Pi Kappa Alpha is also seeking local and corporate sponsors. For more information, to register and to learn more about sponsorships, go to http://tembosoccer.com/.

Nominations Now Open for Education Awards

The nomination period for the Celebration of Education is now open. Nominations are being accepted for the Doherty, Ryan, Academic Advising, Barbara Lazarus and Gelfand awards. The nomination deadline is Nov. 4. Read more at http://www.cmu.edu/celebration-of-education/.

Responsible Conduct of Research Seminar Series Continues

CMU's Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC) is once again sponsoring the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Seminar Series during the fall semester to provide faculty, students and staff with an overview of topics typically covered in RCR curricula. All sessions will be held from 12 – 1 p.m. in the University Center’s McKenna/Peter conference room.  Upcoming sessions are as follows:
 
  • Today (Thursday, Oct.10): Who Owns Data?
  • Tuesday, Oct. 15: Data Management Planning
  • Wednesday, Oct. 30: Conflict of Interest
  • Thursday, Nov. 7: Safeguarding International Research
  • Wednesday, Nov. 13: Mentor Trainee, Relationships, and Collaboration
More information is available on the RCR website.  Space is limited, so please register early.