Carnegie Mellon University

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August 25, 2016

Personal Mention

Katie WhiteheadKatie Whitehead, an assistant professor of chemical engineering, has been named one of 11 Young Innovators of Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering. The September issue of the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Journal will feature each of the young innovators on the cover and will include research articles from each of them. Whitehead’s research explores the structure of tiny lipid nanoparticles that contain a drug called siRNA. These nanoparticles can deliver drugs to the liver to treat diseases like hepatitis or high cholesterol. She will present her research at the Annual Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting in Minneapolis, Oct. 5 – 8. Find out more.

Jean YangJean Yang, who is joining the the Computer Science Department as an assistant professor this fall, has been named to MIT Technology Review's annual list of Innovators Under 35. Yang works to develop tools, languages and processes to help programmers create software. She believes it is particularly important to rethink programming models to suit needs of today, when more people who are not computer scientists want to develop their own software. The magazine is recognizing Yang in the Visionary category of its innovators list for her work on a programming model that bakes security into applications. This year’s honorees are featured online and will be in the September/October print magazine.

Kris MatyjaszewskiKrzysztof Matyjaszewski, the J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences and professor of chemical engineering, will receive the Outstanding Polonian Award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation, which funds programs to promote Polish-American intellectual and artistic exchange. Matyjaszewski is a world-renowned polymer chemist whose discovery of atom transfer radical polymerization has led to significant innovations in polymer chemistry and revolutionized how marcomolecules are made. “Dr. Matyjaszewski is truly an inspiration to Polish-Americans throughout the Pittsburgh region and across our nation,” said Mary Lou Ellena, president of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Kosciuszko Foundation. “His accomplishments and international recognition reflect great credit on our region and are a true source of pride for Polonians throughout Western Pennsylvania.” Matyjaszewski will receive the award at a Sept. 17 luncheon at the Double Tree Hotel in Green Tree.