News Briefs
MPD Program Transitioning To Become Part of CMU's New Integrated Innovation Institute
The College of Engineering, the College of Fine Arts and the Tepper School of Business have announced that the Master of Product Development (MPD) Program is being transformed into the new Integrated Innovation Institute ("I-Institute"), co-directed by professors Eric Anderson of the School of Design, Peter Boatwright of the Tepper School and Jonathan Cagan of the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Built on primary disciplines in product innovation covering functional performance (engineering), human interface (design), and economic value (business), the institute will focus on education and research in innovation methods and practice, uniting the three schools to cross-train students to become elite innovators, enhancing the effectiveness of thinking and generating results in new products and services.
College of Engineering Dean James Garrett Jr., Tepper School Dean Robert Dammon and CFA Dean Dan Martin announced the institute earlier this week in an email to faculty. An official public announcement is forthcoming.
A progression of the MPD program, the Integrated Innovation Institute will include professional master’s degree programs, executive education and applied research including industrial consortia. The highly successful and internationally regarded MPD program will be re-named the Master of Integrated Innovation for Products and Services. In addition, the institute will manage the Master of Science of Software Management (SM) offered at CMU’s Silicon Valley campus. This degree focuses on the innovation and entrepreneurship of software systems and management of that process.
The I-Institute will be housed in the former PNC Bank building near the corner of Forbes Avenue and Craig Street, an area where CMU plans to develop a lively technology-arts gateway to campus, highlighting the university’s interdisciplinary innovative culture.
Henry Armero Memorial Award Established
Henry Armero: March 2, 1993 - December 7, 2012
In loving memory of a brilliant mind and a creative soul who will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved him.
The Henry Armero Memorial Award for Inclusive Creativity will be introduced at 2:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 13, outside the BXA Intercollege Degree Programs offices at the Solar Decathlon House on campus during a semester kickoff activity. The $2,500 award, which will be given annually in September, will reward student projects with a focus on creativity, eclecticism, individuality and inclusiveness. Projects should find innovative ways of fostering on- and off-line community. It is open to undergraduate students in their junior year who are enrolled in the BXA Intercollege Degree Programs, the School of Art, or the School of Computer Science.
Armero died Dec. 7, 2012. He was 19 years old, and those who knew him said he lived many years more within that short time.
“He was a force of nature, fantastically smart and brilliantly creative,” said Stephanie Murray, director and academic adviser of the BXA Programs. “He was the glue that held his class together, and he is missed.”
Armero was born in Spain and grew up in in Spain, Mexico City and, most recently, Greenwich, Conn. He studied computer science and art in the BCSA Program within the BXA course of study. He had served as an intern at NVIDIA Corporation in the Silicon Valley and had accepted a position at Dropbox in San Francisco for summer 2013. Upon his death, contributions from Dropbox and many others poured in, and the Armero family established the award to recognize their son’s gifts and to reward those who share similar creative ideals.
The award is based on a project-focused application process, and the winner will be selected by a jury of representatives from the BXA Programs, the School of Art and the School of Computer Science. The application is available at http://www.cmu.edu/interdisciplinary/award/application.html
“I’d like to think that this award is a way for Henry to be present on campus,” Murray said. “He had a big effect on people — everyone on campus knew him and loved him. His projects were about making connections with people, and that reflected who Henry was and how he lived his life.
Sponsored ID Card Request Process Changes for Faculty and Staff
To improve efficiency and effectiveness, The HUB is implementing a new process for Sponsored ID Card requests, effective immediately. The previous requirement that people also visit a Human Resources representative has been eliminated to best serve the campus community.
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff members seeking to request an ID card for a sponsored individual, need only complete The HUB’s ID Card Request – Sponsored form, sign it, and return it to The HUB, along with the $20 processing and printing fee. Upon presenting government-issued photo ID, sponsored individuals will have their photo taken at The HUB and a Sponsored ID Card will be created. For more details about Sponsored ID Cards, including eligibility and benefits, visit www.cmu.edu/idplus/idcards/sponsored.html.
In addition, retiree/emeritus faculty members no longer need to visit Benefits to have an additional form completed for an ID card. Retiree/emeritus faculty interested in requesting an ID card should contact The HUB at thehub@andrew.cmu.edu.
Nominations Now Open for Education Awards
The nomination period for the Celebration of Education is now open. Nominations are being acceptes 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/.
CMU Team Takes 2nd Place at PennApps Hackathon
A team of Carnegie Mellon undergraduates took second place at the PennApps hackathon, Sept. 6-8, creating a Super Duper Mario app for Android that superimposes a Super Mario Brothers game over a real-world background as captured in real-time by the camera on the player’s smartphone.
More than 1,000 graduate and undergraduate students from dozens of universities participated in this semester’s PennApps, the largest university hackathon in the world. PennApps is a 48-hour event that occurs each semester at the University of Pennsylvania. Students compete to create apps, games or something else “awesome.”
The CMU team, which won a $5,000 prize for its entry, includes Daniel Lu, Cindy Xu, Shan Huang and Yuye Zhang. All are seniors and computer science majors; Lu also majors in math and Huang has a second major in human-computer interaction.
In the team’s hack, Mario runs along edges detected by the camera, such as tabletops or walls, while the game randomly places coins in the playing field for Mario to grab.
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:- Thursday, Sept. 12: Introduction and Research Misconduct Lessons
- Wednesday, Sept. 25: Research with Human Subjects: Using the IRB
- Wednesday, Oct. 2: Intellectual Property Rights and Responsibilities at CMU
- Thursday, Oct.10t: 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
Adult Learn To Swim Classes Begin
Learn to Swim is for anyone who has NO water experience or very little water experience. The class will be divided into small groups by the ability level of the participants. Classes will be held from 5:30 – 6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 16 and 24 and Oct. 1 and 8.The classes will follow this structure:
- Week 1: Bobbing, Floating, Gliding and Kicking
- Week 2: Backstroke, Freestyle Arms and Breathing
- Week 3: Elementary Backstroke and Breaststroke
- Week 4: Deep Water—survival techniques and treading water
- Week 5: Review—Swimmers choice
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.
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.
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:
- Friday, Sept. 13: 12 – 1 p.m.
- Monday, Sept. 16: 1 – 2 p.m.
- Monday, Sept. 23: 10 – 11 a.m.
For more information as well as guidance, please visit: http://www.cmu.edu/research-compliance/conflict-of-interest/index.html