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July 16, 2015

Personal Mention

Kathryn WhiteheadKathryn Whitehead, assistant professor of chemical engineering with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been chosen to be one of the 89 participants in the National Academy of Engineering's 21st annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. The symposium in Irvine, Calif., is a two and a half day event for exceptional young engineers between the ages of 30 and 45 who are performing outstanding engineering research and technical work in a wide range of disciplines. This year's symposium will cover cutting-edge developments in four areas of engineering: cybersecurity; optical and mechanical materials; forecasting natural disasters; and engineering the search for earth-like exoplanets. Whitehead, who recently received the MIT Technology Review 2014 Innovator Under 35 Award, currently focuses her research on drug delivery. Find out more.

Shelley AnnaMechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering Professor Shelley Anna recently received a three-year, $364,613 National Science Foundation grant for “Synthesis and Dynamics of Elastic Capsules with Controlled Interfacial Elasticity.” The project will investigate how the distribution of nano particles on the surface of a capsule, which is a liquid drop or bubble, affects its elasticity and deformation under precisely controlled conditions. The results will enable scientists and engineers to optimize capsule formulations for a wide range of uses for drug delivery, cosmetics and paints. The results also will be used to develop educational modules for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students. Anna runs the AnnaLab at Carnegie Mellon and holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Physics.

Larry BieglerLorenz T. (Larry) Biegler, the Bayer University Professor and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, has won the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' (AIChE) 2015 William H. Walker Award for Excellence in Contributions to Chemical Engineering Literature. One of the most prestigious awards available from AlChE, the Walker Award is presented annually to a member of AIChE who has made an outstanding contribution to chemical engineering literature. Biegler will receive the award at the institute's annual honors ceremony, held during AIChE's 2015 Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. Find out more.

David BrumleyElectrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Professor David Brumley has been named director of CyLab, Carnegie Mellon's university-wide cybersecurity research and education center. Brumley succeeds ECE Professor Virgil Gligor, who is stepping down after seven years as CyLab director to take a sabbatical and to focus on his research. Brumley began as an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering after receiving his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science in 2009. He was later promoted to associate professor and most recently served as CyLab's technical director. Brumley's research focuses on software security and program analysis. Find out more

Tom HughesThomas Hughes has joined Carnegie Mellon as associate director of the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry (FRSCI) in the College of Fine Arts. Hughes earned his master’s degree in arts management from the Heinz College in 2012 and most recently was the marketing manager of Attack Theatre in Pittsburgh. In his new role, Hughes will supervise the administrative operations of the FRSCI, a laboratory that supports “atypical, anti-disciplinary and inter-institutional” arts research. Among his primary duties, he will coordinate outreach efforts, promote student and faculty works, identify funding opportunities, and market the STUDIO’s activities across traditional and social media channels. Find out more.

Gloria HillAfter 35 years at CMU, Gloria Hill will retire at the end of July. Hill, assistant dean of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of the Academic Advisory Center, has been instrumental in shaping thousands of CMU students’ educations. "Gloria brought a wonderful presence to the advising center,” said Dietrich College Dean Richard Scheines. “She was warm, welcoming, and full of energy, but also quite calm and wise. I feel a bit deprived to only get a year to work with her, but she has definitely earned a little down time!” Learn more about Hill.