Personal Mention

Ed Barr, an adjunct marketing professor at the Heinz College, has been named the Distinguished Educator of the Year by the Pittsburgh chapter of the American Marketing Association. Barr taught full-time as an associate teaching professor at the Heinz College from 2000-2011 before he was appointed chief marketing officer for iCarnegie, a CMU spin-off. Barr taught courses in non-profit marketing, health care marketing, strategy, entrepreneurism and professional writing.

Franco Sciannameo, director and principal faculty of the BXA Intercollege Degree Programs, has been signed by Rowman & Littlefield, Publishers (Scarecrow Press) to edit a collection of essays on controversial Italian composer and philosopher Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988). The book will comprise critical essays written from 1980-2011 in French, Italian, and German that have been translated into English for the first time. Sciannameo, a world authority on Scelsi, collaborated with the composer in the making and recording of some of his best-known works.

ETC Executive Producer Don Marinelli was this year's guest speaker at the third annual Randy Pausch Forum hosted by the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh in Shadyside. The Randy Pausch Forum considers the broad weft and warp of topics that engage heads and hearts. Previous speakers included Dr. Herbert Zeh, Randy's surgeon, and Jeffrey Zaslow, co-author of "The Last Lecture."

Michael D. Smith, professor of information technology and marketing at the Heinz College, will speak at the Eighth Annual State of the Net Conference Jan. 17–18 in Washington, D.C. The Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, a Washington, D.C.-based organization working to educate the Congress and the public about important Internet-related policy issues, is hosting the conference.

Thaddeus Massalski, a faculty member emeritus of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, was recently awarded the Commanders Grand Cross of the Polish Republic by the President of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski, for his outstanding contributions science and to advancing academic contacts and cooperation between Poland and the United States. Massalski received his award from Minister Jacek Michalowski, chief of the president's Chancery, at a ceremony at the Warsaw Technical University.

Tiffany Priester joined the Student Activities team on Nov. 7 as a financial assistant. Priester is in her 10th year working at the university. Prior to joining the Student Activities team, she worked in Housing & Dining Services and Campus Affairs.

Dawn Sienko has joined the Student Activities team as an office coordinator. Sienko previously worked as an administrative assistant for several years within the Highland School District.

In December, Cleotilde Gonzalez, associate research professor of social and decision sciences, spoke at the International Conference on Decision Making at the University of Allahabad’s Centre of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences. The conference brings researchers from psychology, neuroscience, engineering, science and economics to a common platform to try and understand human decision making behavior from multiple dimensions. 

In a blog post for Working Class Perspectives, Kathy M. Newman, associate professor of English and labor issues expert, looked at the Christmas season a little differently than most. Newman explains it as a season filled with opportunities to discuss iconic characters such as Santa, Rudolph and Frosty in the context of work, capitalism and the working class. Read "Working Christmas" at http://workingclassstudies.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/working-christmas/.

Jesse Schell of the Entertainment Technology Center and CEO of Schell Games will speak during a luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan 10 at the Allegheny HYP Club and Harvard Club of Western Pennsylvania in downtown Pittsburgh. Schell will speak about the many projects he is developing at Schell Games and the ETC, from interactive toys to the latest in theme parks and social, mobile and tablet-based gaming. $20 for club members and students, $25 for non-members. RSVP required at 412-281-5858 or bkurcina@alleghenyhypclub.com