Carnegie Mellon University

The Piper

CMU Community News

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February 14, 2013

News Briefs

CIT Names Faculty Award Winners

College of Engineering Dean James H. Garrett Jr. has announced the college’s 2012 faculty award winners. They are:
 
  • Philip L. Dowd Fellowship Award – Jeanne VanBriesen, professor of civil and environmental engineering;
  • Steven J. Fenves Award for Systems Research – Marija Ilic, professor of electrical and computer engineering and engineering and public policy; 
  • George Tallman Ladd Research Award – David Brumley, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Adam W. Feinberg, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and biomedical engineering;
  • Outstanding Research Award – Kenji Shimada, the Theodore Ahrens Professor of Mechanical Engineering; 
  • Benjamin Richard Teare Teaching Award – Fred Higgs, professor of mechanical engineering, and Larry Pileggi, the Tanoto Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Roberts Road To Shutdown for Scott Hall Utility Work

Campus Design and Facilities Development (CDFD) is scheduling two separate shutdowns of Roberts Drive for the last week of February and two weeks in mid-March to accommodate utility work for Scott Hall. Roberts Drive will be closed at the top near Scaife Hall and at the bottom at the west end of Wean Hall by the FMS pedestrian bridge. During these times, there will be no thru traffic or access to the four parking spaces at the lower Hamerschlag lot adjacent to the nitrogen tank.

Here are the specifics:

  • Underground utility work will begin Feb. 25 thru March 1, closing vehicle and pedestrian access to Roberts Drive from Scaife Hall to Wean Hall.
  • Roberts Drive will reopen from March 4 to March 11.
  • From March 11 thru March 22 Roberts Drive will be closed to complete this phase of underground utility work. There will be no vehicle and pedestrian access to Roberts Drive from Scaife Hall to Wean Hall. 
  • Access to the Roberts Hall loading dock will be maintained.
  • Roberts Drive will not be open on weekends.
  • Pedestrian access from Wean/FMS bridge to Roberts Hall and Hamerschlag Hall will not be permitted during the above road closures.

Additional information can be found at http://www.cmu.edu/cdfd/NBET/current-progress.html

Bakery Square Parking at a Premium 

CMU staff working at Bakery Square may need to find alternative parking soon. Pittsburgh City Council, acting in response to a petition from area residents and several community meetings, has approved the implementation of residential permit parking for select streets in the Point Breeze and North Point Breeze neighborhoods, effective March 1. Area residents urged council to make the move because the growing workforce at Bakery Square has rendered daytime street parking largely inaccessible for them.

Starting March 1, those parking on the affected streets will be subject to parking tickets. The affected streets are:

  • North Linden Avenue, from McPherson Boulevard to Penn Avenue;
  • Thomas Boulevard, from Fifth Avenue to North Linden Avenue;
  • Fifth Avenue, from Beechwood Boulevard to Penn Avenue;
  • Hastings Street, from Fifth Avenue to Selwyn Street;
  • Elysian Street, from Fifth Avenue to Selwyn Street;
  • and Conover Road, from Hastings Street to Juniata Place.

The closest CMU parking lot to Bakery Square is at 6555 Penn Avenue, however the university provides shuttle service to Bakery Square.

For information on the shuttle service, go to http://www.cmu.edu/police/shuttleandescort/bakery%20square%20shuttle.html.

For information on Carnegie Mellon permit parking and alternative transportation options, go to http://www.cmu.edu/parking/.

For information regarding public transportation to Bakery Square, visit the Port Authority at http://www.portauthority.org/paac/default.aspx.

Credit Union Offers Special Rate

Carnegie Mellon’s Credit Union is offering a loan special through March 31. Take advantage of the promotional fixed rate of 7.50% APR and payoff those higher interest rate credit cards. Borrow up to $10,000 for a maximum term of 48 months.

Loan Amount / Maximum Term:
$2,500-$5,000 / 36 Months
$5,001-$10,000 / 48 Months

CMU Rwanda Receives Grant To Improve Health Care in Developing Countries

Carnegie Mellon in Rwanda (CMU-R) has been awarded a grant from Ricoh Innovations Inc. (RII) to advance research on information and communication technology (ICT) for health care in developing countries. The unrestricted grant will be used to support the research of CMU-R’s Assistant Professor Hedda Schmidtke and Scholar-in-Residence Suzana Brown in the area of ICT for health care.

CMU-R has identified ICT for health care as a principal research thrust because of the profound impact that advances in this sector can have in developing countries. Creative innovations that address the needs of developing countries have the potential for significant impact because of the growing demands on limited expensive medical resources.
 
"We are delighted to receive this grant from RII," said CMU-R Director Bruce Krogh. "It makes it possible for our faculty and students to launch new research into ICT innovations that will significantly improve health care in developing countries like Rwanda, particularly through the use of mobile technology."

Read the full story.

Students, Faculty Blog About CMU Social Change Semester

Assistant History Professor Nico Slate and Emily Mohn Slate, a special instructor in the English Department, are leading a group of 10 students on a trip to Qatar and India for the CMU Social Change Semester. Their goal is to lean how to make positive changes in the world by partnering with groups and organizations that are already making a difference.
 
The trip began last month in Doha, Qatar, where the students taught migrant workers from South Asia English. In exchange, they learned about the inequalities of travel in order to recognize the privilege of studying abroad in a world where many only travel out of necessity.
 
Stay up-to-date with what the students are doing and learning this semester by reading their blog at http://socialchangesemester.org/.

CMU Press' Latest Poetry Book a Top Pick by Publishers Weekly

"Birds of the Air," a new poetry book published by Carnegie Mellon University Press, has been included on Publishers Weekly's list of the best new books for the week of Feb. 11, 2013. Written by David Yezzi, Publishers Weekly calls "Birds of the Air" "sad and serious" and says that "it should impress not just those who follow 'formal' poetry generally, but almost anyone who has an abiding love for the poetry of Robert Frost." Read more.

Share Your Opinions With Computing Services

Computing Services wants to know how it can improve its communication with you. If you haven't done so already, please complete a very brief, three-question survey to help Computing Services better meet your needs.

Turnshek Hosts Writing Workshop for Teens

Diane Turnshek of the Physics Department and faculty adviser for the Student College course “Science Fiction,” has announced that this July, Alpha, her international workshop for teen genre writers now in its 12th year, will include first-tier writers Tamora Pierce, Scott Westerfeld and Theodora Goss. The workshop for 14-to-19-year olds will be held July 10-19 at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg campus. The application deadline is March 3. For more information, go to http://alpha.spellcaster.org/.

Save a Life: AED Training Classes Scheduled

Two AED training classes have been scheduled for those who have never had the training or for those whose certifications have expired or are about to expire. The classes are:

  • March 15, 10 a.m., Rangos 1, University Center
  • April 12, 10 a.m., Dowd Room, University Center

To register, go to http://www.cmu.edu/ehs and click on the Training tab at the top of the page, then go to AED Training.  The link to the registration page is at the end of the course description. The classes are open to all students, faculty and staff. Class sizes are limited, so register early.

Recruiting TODSTW Presenters and Volunteers

The Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Staff Council committee is now recruiting presenters and volunteers for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day on Thursday, April 25. This annual program gives staff and faculty children between the ages of 8 and 15 an opportunity to see a wide range of career and learning opportunities at Carnegie Mellon.
 
If you would like more information or would like to be included as a possible presenter in 2013, please contact Alicia Angemeer at adbrown@andrew.cmu.edu by March 22. If you would like to volunteer at the event, please contact Gloria Gruber at ggruber@andrew.cmu.edu.

Student Employee of the Year Nominations Due Feb. 20

Nominations are now being accepted for the Student Employee of the Year Award sponsored by the Northeast Association of Student Employment Administrators and the National Student Employment Association. This award program recognizes the outstanding contributions of college students who work while attending college.  All student employees, undergraduate and graduate, are eligible for nomination. Application deadline is Feb. 20. The nomination process and nomination form are available online at:  www.cmu.edu/career/student-employment-experiential/index.html. For questions, contact Pati Kravetz at pk13@andrew.cmu.edu.