Carnegie Mellon University

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CMU Community News

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September 25, 2014

News Briefs

Football Family Day is Saturday

The Department of Athletics invites all faculty, staff, graduate students and their families to Football Family Day this Saturday, Sept. 27, when the Tartans host Geneva College at 1 p.m. at Gesling Stadium. Enjoy free admission for you and your family (with your CMU ID), and fun activities for the kids, including temporary Scotty logo tattoos, player autographs and a touchdown toss with the players following the game, and photographs with Scotty.

Meetings Scheduled Regarding Search for New Provost

Meetings will be held from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 1 and Thursday, Oct. 2 in the Posner Center Boardroom regarding the search for a new provost. The Oct. 1 meeting is for faculty, staff and students, and the Oct. 2 meeting is for faculty only.

The meetings are being hosted by the Search Advisory Committee to solicit perspectives from the university community on the role of the provost and what qualifications and qualities a new provost should have.

For those unable to attend, you can send input via email to provostsearch@andrew.cmu.edu.

The Search Advisory Committee is being co-chaired by Vice President for Research Farnam Jahanian and Vice President for Campus Affairs Michael Murphy. Committee members are:

  • Eric Anderson, associate professor of design and associate dean of the College of Fine Arts;
  • Linda Argote, the Carnegie Bosch Professor at the Tepper School of Business;
  • Irene Fonseca, University Professor of Mathematics in the Mellon College of Science;
  • Jelena Kovacevic, professor and head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department;
  • Roberta Klatzky, professor of psychology and immediate past chair of the Faculty Senate;
  • Kristen Kurland, teaching professor in the Heinz College and College of Fine Arts; and
  • Andrew Moore, professor and dean of the School of Computer Science.

Record Enrollment at CMU-Q

Carnegie Mellon in Qatar welcomed 112 new students for the 2014-2015 academic year, growing from an inaugural class of 41 students in 2004 to 427 students from 40 different countries in 2014.

“We are delighted with this year’s record enrollment, which comprises 40 percent Qatari nationals and an extremely diverse class overall. As we begin our second decade in Doha, we look forward to our continued partnership with Qatar Foundation to develop the next generation of leaders in Qatar and the world,” said Ilker Baybars, dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

The figures show consistent growth, with 46 students majoring in biological sciences, 183 students in business administration, 93 in computer science and 105 in information systems. In addition to Carnegie Mellon’s full-time enrollment, 51 students from other Education City institutions are cross-registered to take classes at the university.

Also this fall, new faculty members have joined the Qatar campus. They are: Amal Helu, visiting associate professor of statistics; Onur Kesten, associate professor of economics; Niraj Khare, visiting assistant professor of mathematics; and Zelealem Yilma, visiting assistant professor of mathematics.

VIA Festival Includes Free Music Conference Oct. 3

Faculty, staff and students are invited to the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry from 1-8 p.m., Friday, Oct. 3, for a free music conference that's part of the VIA Music Festival, Oct. 1-5. The conference is a very large collaboration among various Carnegie Mellon schools and programs, including music, computer science, IDeATe, Center for Arts in Society, Humanities Center, the STUDIO and VIA.

Richard Randall, associate professor of music theory, and Jesse Stiles, assistant teaching professor of sound media, will be moderating talks with festival artists. Ableton, producers of "Push" and "Live" hardware and software for music production, creation and performance, will be in town to teach a free Max for LIVE workshop, including features like voice-to-midi recording, and using Ableton with a variety of contemporary and retro hardware. Max for LIVE is also used for visual/lighting effects. Festival artists range from legends/sound engineers like Richard Devine, local gems like Michael Johnsen, to emerging producers like Ellie Herring and Chase Smith.

For more information and/or to R.S.V.P., go to https://www.facebook.com/events/804536276263471/.

For more information on the VIA Music Festival go to http://via2014.com/.

Cindy Lackner Memorial Game is Oct. 4 

The Carnegie Mellon community will be recognizing Head Football Coach Rich Lackner's wife's courageous fight with breast cancer in the third annual Cindy Lackner Memorial Football Game at 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4 when the Tartans take on Westminster College. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the UPMC Women's Cancer Research Fund. 

All players on the team have purchased pink socks and arm bands to support breast cancer awareness month and t-shirts will be sold to raise money for the cause. The players also will wear stickers on their helmets to honor Cindy's memory.

Fans are encouraged to attend the game, wear pink and support the football team's fight against breast cancer. If you cannot attend, donations are being accepted online.

Purchase Discounted Tickets to Fright Nights, Hallowboo and Terror Town

Staff Council is offering discounted tickets to Kennywood Park's Phantom Fright Nights and Idlewild Park’s Hallowboo.

Phantom Fright Night tickets are valid Fridays and Saturdays from Sept. 26 through Nov. 1 (7 p.m.-  1 a.m.) plus Sunday, Oct. 12 (7 - 11 p.m.). Tickets are $27 each (gate price $33.99). For more information on Phantom Fright Nights, visit http://phantomfrightnights.com/.

Hallowboo tickets are valid Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 4 through Oct. 26 (noon - 6 p.m.). Tickets are $15 each (gate price is $25.99.). For more information on Hallowboo, visit https://www.idlewild.com/plan-a-visit/events.

Tickets will be sold (cash only) Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. in Cyert Hall 285.  Please let the receptionist know you are there to see Desirée or Marisa. All questions should be directed to Desirée Chronick (chronick@andrew.cmu.edu) or Marisa Daugherty (marisada@andrew.cmu.edu).

Discounted tickets also are available to the Terror Town Haunted House in the Strip District. Tickets are $13 each, $5 off the regular price of $18. Use the online discount code, CMU2014, when purchasing tickets at http://www.terrortownpgh.com. You can also receive the discounted price when presenting your CMU ID at the door.

More information on these discounts and others available to you from Staff Council can be found at http://www.cmu.edu/staff-council/discounts/index.html.

Get Discounts on HoneyBaked Hams, Nemacolin Packages and Rent at Washington Plaza

Staff Council also is offering discounts on purchases of HoneyBaked Hams, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort packages and rent at the Washington Plaza Apartments.

To get a 15 percent discount on all HoneyBaked Hams, download the flyer from the Staff Council website and present it at any participating location. The offer is good through Dec. 31, 2015.  

Nemacolin Woodlands Resort has a "Simply the Best Package" that will be offered on select dates throughout the year. The package includes room accommodations, all taxes and resort fees, a $150 resort spending credit, and breakfast for each person in the room. Prices vary depending on the day of the week and the accommodations selected. For more information on the Simply The Best Package, contact a Resort Sales Specialist at 866-344-6957 or visit http://www.nemacolin.com/best-rates-package to book online.

Staff Council is working with Faros Properties to offer CMU employees a 3 percent discount on rent each month at the Washington Plaza Apartments. To receive the discount, during the application process you must provide either an offer letter on CMU letterhead, a letter of employment verification from an immediate supervisor/HR representative, or a recent pay stub confirming CMU employment.  All questions concerning this discount should be directed to Vivek Shastry at vshastry@andrew.cmu.edu.


Buggy Freeroll Practices Have Begun

The annual Buggy freeroll practices are taking place on Saturdays (5 - 8:50 a.m.) and Sundays (5 – 9 a.m.) on Tech Street, Frew Street and Schenley Drive (weather permitting).  During these times, vehicles will not be able to access or park on these roads. Vehicles parked on the above streets during these times will be towed.

The Sweepstakes Committee and adviser in charge of the event have taken care of obtaining permits from the City of Pittsburgh, obtaining permission for use of the metered areas and taking care of signage and safety. Four Pittsburgh police officers will be present during each practice session. They will be positioned at the far end of Westinghouse Drive; behind Carnegie Library by the bridge; Panther Hollow Bridge; and at the top of Schenley Drive by Forbes Avenue near the Golf Course. Margaret Morrison Street wiill be closed after Donner House (at the stop sign).

Here are the practice dates (weather permitting):  
 
  • September 27;
  • October 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26;
  • November 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 22, 23;
  • February: 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28;
  • March: 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 28, 29; and
  • April: 4, 5, 11, 12.  
Please contact Kaycee Palko, coordinator of Student Activities and Sweepstakes Adviser, at kpalko@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268- 8704 with any issues or concerns. For information on Sweepstakes, please visit http://www.cmu.edu/buggy.
 
Save the Date: Spring Carnival – Buggy Races: April 17 & 18, 2015


Dietrich College Undergraduate Colloquium Seeks Proposals, Mentors

The Dietrich College Undergraduate Colloquium (DUC) is seeking student proposals and mentors for this year's event on Saturday, Nov. 8. The DUC is a unique opportunity for undergraduates with a major or minor in Dietrich College to present their projects, creative work, and research in a formal, but low-stakes setting. Attendance at the DUC is open to anyone from Carnegie Mellon interested in seeing 15 minute presentations or poster presentations of the thoughtful and original work by Dietrich College students. Student proposals are due Oct. 1.

Additionally, mentors are needed to help students with their presentations to ensure that the information will be understood by a general audience.

For more information on the DUC, go to https://sites.google.com/site/cmuduc2014/home.

ORIC Offers Responsible Research Conduct Seminar Series

CMU's Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC) is once again sponsoring the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Seminar Series during the fall 2014 semester to provide faculty, students and staff with an overview of topics typically covered in RCR curricula. All sessions are from 12 – 1 p.m. in the Cohon University Center. Upcoming sessions are as follows:

  • Wednesday, Oct. 22: Research Misconduct Lessons;
  • Wednesday, Oct. 29: Using the IRB and Ethical Issues Involving Human Subjects Research;
  • TUESDAY, Nov. 4: International Research Considerations: Shipping and Setting Up a New Lab;
  • Wednesday, Nov. 12: Data Security; and
  • Wednesday, Nov. 19: Lab Safety.

More information is available on the RCR website. Space is limited, so please register early.