Carnegie Mellon CyLab News...
CyLab hosted 100 security, privacy and usability experts from industry and academia July 6-8 at a symposium at the Collaborative Innovation Center designed to make Internet users cybersafe. Lorrie Cranor, associate professor at the Institute for Software Research International, said the three-day Symposium On Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS) focused on privacy and security from a user's perspective. For more, see https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050630_cylab.html.
CyLab will work with Atlanta-based Tatum Partners to offer a first-of its-kind executive education program for today's fast-paced, mid-career chief information officers (CIOs). The CIO Essentials curriculum will be available to businesses across the country seeking to equip their executives with tools to lead businesses through the strategic implementation of technology. The inaugural CIO Essentials course is scheduled to debut in Atlanta later this summer. For more, visit https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050627_cylab.html.
Beginning this fall, CyLab Japan will offer a Master of Science in Information Technology-Information Security track degree in collaboration with the Hyogo Institute of Information Education Foundation in Kobe, Japan. The 16-month degree program, a joint initiative of the Heinz School and the Information Networking Institute, expects to enroll about 20 in the fall. For more, see https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050607_hyogo.html.
ETC Conjures Up Ben Franklin's Ghost...
The Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) created "Ben Franklin's Ghost," a virtual Benjamin Franklin with whom people can interact, for Philadelphia's Lights of Liberty Show in July. Guests who wished to speak with Franklin's ghost found it floating on a large screen above a table, which held a book containing questions about his life. Visitors could touch the questions that interested them or type in other ones while Franklin answered in real time. The technology enabling this exchange is called a Synthetic Interview, which was invented and patented by Scott Stevens, a senior systems scientist in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, and Michael Christel, senior systems scientist in the Computer Science Department. Franklin's Ghost was created by Jessica Trybus, director of edutainment at the Entertainment Technology Center. ETC faculty member Chris Klug designed the lighting for the exhibit. For more, see https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050628_etc.html.
Bill of Rights Stars in Posner Center's Independence Day Exhibit...
Carnegie Mellon unveiled its first-edition copy of the Bill of Rights at the Posner Center in a special exhibit that ran through July 8. The copy is one of only four remaining from the original 28 copies distributed by Thomas Jefferson in 1792. Established in 1978, the Posner Collection contains more than 1,000 fine and rare books that document history, particularly the history of science and the evolution of social concepts. The collection was built over 50 years by Henry Posner Sr. and his wife, Ida. For more, visit https://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050630_rights.html.
Writer Wins Award for Book Published by Carnegie Mellon University Press...
Poet Maureen Seaton won The Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry for her book "Venus Examines Her Breast," which was published in 2004 by the Carnegie Mellon University Press. The award was given by The Publishing Triangle, an association of gay and lesbian writers. The Carnegie Mellon University Press was founded in 1975 by English Professor Gerald Costanzo, who runs the press with the help of interns from his editing and publishing course. For more, see https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050531_seaton.html.
Sandstorm, H1ghlander Named Semi-Finalists in $2 Million Desert Race...
Two driverless HUMMERS developed by Carnegie Mellon's Red Team have been chosen to compete in the semi-finals of the second DARPA Grand Challenge, a 175-mile desert race for robots, on Oct. 8. The first robot to complete the course in less than 10 hours will take home a $2-million prize. The duo, Sandstorm and H1ghlander, are among a field of 40 contenders remaining from the original 118 entries after a series of trial runs conducted by DARPA evaluators. The 40 remaining vehicles will be put through their paces in a qualification event Sept. 27–Oct. 5 at the California Speedway. Performance at the qualifier will determine the final field of 20 competitors that will race on Oct. 8.
--Sandstorm recently drove an unprecedented 200 miles in seven hours without human guidance in preparation for the Grand Challenge. Using sensors to "see" and computers to "drive," Sandstorm completed 131 laps on the 1.5-mile racecourse at the BeaveRun MotorSports Complex. The machine averaged 28 mph and hit a top speed of 36 mph during this endurance evaluation for its computers, sensors and mechanical systems. For more, see https://www.redteamracing.org.
Heinz May Offer Degrees in South Australia...
The South Australian State Government introduced a bill earlier this summer providing funding and space for the Heinz School to offer its Master of Science in Information Technology and Master of Science in Public Policy and Management programs in early 2006. South Australian Premier Mike Rann said that the state plans to allocate a commitment of nearly $20 million in support of the academic offerings over the next four years. A final contract between Carnegie Mellon and the State Government should be reached this summer. If approved by Australia's academic accrediting bodies and the two parties, Carnegie Mellon will become the first foreign university in Australia. For more, see https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050516_australia.html.
Carnegie Mellon Research Fuels Pennsylvania's First Commercial Biodiesel Plant...
Thanks to a new "green" process developed at Carnegie Mellon's Center for Advanced Fuel Technology (CAFT), a Pittsburgh-area plant will soon become Pennsylvania's first commercial producer of biodiesel fuel, a clean-burning alternative to petroleum. Richard Jackson, president of Capital Technologies International (CTI), said the new process, which causes no harm to the environment, produces biodiesel more quickly and is less expensive than standard methods. David Purta and Marc Portnoff of CAFT were principal developers of the new process. CTI is forming a joint venture with Valley Proteins at their site on Neville Island, where Jackson expects a 10 million gallon biodiesel plant to be in operation by the end of 2005. For more, visit https://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050527_biodiesel.html.
MCS Faculty Receive Awards...
MCS recently honored its faculty at an annual awards ceremony. The Julius Ashkin Award for Excellence in Teaching was presented to Gordon Rule, professor of biological sciences, in recognition of his creativity, innovation and commitment to students. Peter Berget, associate professor of biological sciences, received the Richard Moore Award for his "substantial and sustained contributions to the educational mission of MCS." Kelley Burgin, a graduate student in Mathematical Sciences, was selected as the Hugh D. Young Graduate Teaching Award recipient. The first Guy C. Berry Graduate Research Award was presented to Sebastian Stoian in recognition of his ability to tackle problems with creativity and determination. For more, see https://www.cmu.edu/mcs/about-mcs/news/050603-teachawards.html.
Gene 'Archeology' Gets Easier Using Carnegie Mellon Software...
Pinpointing the ancestry of any given gene is a complex computational task, but powerful new software from a group of Carnegie Mellon researchers makes this gene "archeology" considerably easier. The scientists, who recently made this software publicly available for the first time, presented their findings in May at the RECOMB meeting in Cambridge, Mass. "Our software considers thousands of evolutionary scenarios to obtain the best guess about when a given gene arose," said Dannie Durand, associate professor of biological sciences. "This software can help scientists use evolutionary clues to understand what genes do in modern organisms." Already, the program, called Notung, is helping to bridge studies of molecular evolution with laboratory research. For more, visit https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050517_genearch.html.
Goodman Presents 'Escola de Samba'...
PBS stations across the country will soon broadcast "Escola de Samba," a documentary produced by Tepper School Professor Paul Goodman, a nationally recognized authority on the design and function of effective organizations. The one-hour documentary follows the work of a Brazilian group over a 10-month period as they work to prepare for the country's annual carnival in San Palo. Goodman, the Richard M. Cyert Professor of Organizational Psychology, has authored many books and produced more than 20 educational films and two documentaries on effective and reliable work systems.
Software Engineering Institute Receives Contract Renewal...
The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) has received a five-year contract renewal, funded at $411 million, from the U.S. government through June 2010. The SEI's new contract ensures that the institute will continue to pursue its mission of advancing the practice of software engineering and improving the quality of systems that depend on software. It is the fourth time that the government has endorsed the SEI mission by renewing the contract; previous contract renewals were in 1990, 1995 and 2000. The SEI was established at Carnegie Mellon in 1984. For more, visit https://www.cmu.edu/PR/releases05/050708_sei.html.
CERT's Allen Authors 'Governing for Enterprise Security'...
Julia Allen, a senior member of the technical staff with the CERT Program, has authored a new report entitled "Governing for Enterprise Security." For the past 18 months, Allen has led in-depth discussions, interviews and workshops, and worked with a wide range of organizations committed to improving their security capabilities. She discusses the beliefs, behaviors, capabilities and actions that business leaders have embraced as key components to security. The full report can be found at https://www.cert.org/archive/pdf/05tn023.pdf.
