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May 26, 2016

Personal Mention

Charlene CastellanoTeaching Professor of Russian Charlene Castellano has been a fixture of the Dietrich College’s Department of Modern Languages for more than 25 years. In recognition of her retirement this spring, Castellano was interviewed by the Dietrich College News about her many roles in the department since she came to Carnegie Mellon in 1990, from co-founding and co-leading the Russian Studies Program to teaching many Russian language and culture courses. Learn how she became interested in Russian studies, what led her to Carnegie Mellon and what she'll remember most about her time here at the university in the Q&A with Castellano.

Kiron SkinnerKiron Skinner, director of the Dietrich College’s Institute for Politics and Strategy, wrote an opinion piece for Forbes on Donald Trump and the presidential election. In “The Beginnings of a Trump Doctrine,” Skinner writes, "According to the foreign-policy chattering class, Donald Trump is a purveyor of dangerous rhetoric and ideas, his statements are inconsistent, and he would lead the United States and the world into global chaos. Just maybe, though, there is more intentionality to the presumptive Republican nominee’s foreign policy than the pundits and critics realize.” Read the full piece. 

Alex John LondonAlex John London will appear at the fourth bi-annual Uppsalaforum research conference in Uppsala, Sweden. London, professor of philosophy in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and director of CMU’s Center for Ethics and Policy, will present "Ethical and methodological considerations for pharmacovigilance with accelerated release of medicines" on Monday, May 30. View the conference agenda. In April, London was appointed to a national committee on Ebola research that will explore and analyze the scientific and ethical issues related to vaccine and therapeutic drug design, conduct and reporting in response to the West African epidemic.


Nico SlateAssociate Professor of History Nico Slate is one of over 40 artists and scholars participating in "Crosslines: A Culture Lab on Intersectionality." Slate’s research is the inspiration for a performance piece created by a dancer who specializes in Bharatnatyam, a classical South Indian form; after each performance, Slate will participate in a discussion about his research and the significance of the dance. The cultural festival runs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 28-29. Learn more about Crosslines and view a full list of participants.


Aryn GittisJoel McManusAssistant professors Aryn Gittis (far rt.) and Joel McManus (rt.) have received Eberly Family Career Development Professorships in Biological Sciences. The professorships were established in 1993 to recruit, retain and recognize exceptional biological sciences faculty in the Mellon College of Science. "Career development professorships support young researchers during pivotal points in their careers, allowing them to pursue adventurous paths in research, including more risky paths that might not attract initial funding from other sources," said Fred Gilman, dean of the Mellon College of Science. "Aryn and Joel are impressive young researchers who are already doing great things in their fields. These professorships will help them to achieve even more."