News
View the newsletter archive or subscribe to rEPPort, the Department of Engineering and Public Policy newsletter, for updates on news, events, and research going on in the department. Share your news with the EPP community.
EPP News
September 8, 2017
Lorrie Cranor writes in The Washington Post, "As researchers into password security, my colleagues and I have known for years that most password advice was not actually based on scientific knowledge. To address this, we have been conducting experiments about the effects of password requirements on security and usability."
September 6, 2017
In her paper, “Compliance by Design: Influence of Acceleration Tradeoffs on CO2 Emissions and Costs of Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Regulations,” Whitefoot analyses the role that design tradeoffs, such as compromising acceleration, can play in cost-effectively bringing vehicles into compliance with regulations.
August 21, 2017
Polarization for Controversial Scientific Issues Increases With More Education
A commonly proposed solution to help diffuse the political and religious polarization surrounding controversial scientific issues like evolution or climate change is education. However, Carnegie Mellon University researchers - including EPP's Baruch Fischhoff - found that the opposite is true: people’s beliefs about scientific topics that are associated with their political or religious identities actually become increasingly polarized with education.
August 18, 2017
Marketplace Podcast: Where do White Supremacist groups go from here?
A wave of tech companies have condemned white supremacist organizations and websites, like the Daily Stormer. But will their online presence eventually fade away, or just find another outlet? Nicolas Christin, an associate research professor at Carnegie Mellon University, joined us to discuss whether sites like these will be able to thrive on the Dark Web.
August 16, 2017
CMU Welcomes Graduate Students To Be Audacious, Courageous, Tenacious
Travis Carless, president of the Graduate Student Assembly and a doctoral candidate in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy, told the new students that CMU believes in their abilities and is there to help them.
June 10, 2017
Controlling Natural Gas Emissions
What role does methane gas play in the fight against climate change? In a video series produced by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, Allen Robinson gives the rundown on natural gas' climate-damaging emissions.
Researchers Unveil New Password Meter That Will Change How Users Make Passwords
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Chicago have just unveiled a new, state-of-the-art password meter that offers real-time feedback and advice to help people create better passwords.
Understanding Decisions
A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows how collaborations between psychologists and economists lead to better understanding of consumer decision-making than either discipline alone.
April 21, 2017
EPP Celebrates 40 Years
This year, the Department of Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) celebrates its 40th anniversary. After creating double-major undergraduate degree programs with all traditional engineering departments, EPP was established as an academic department in December of 1976.
March 22, 2017
CMU To Launch Index Measuring Carbon Dioxide Emissions
A new index that will measure carbon dioxide emissions from U.S. electric power producers has been created by Carnegie Mellon University and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems.March 15, 2017
EPP Faculty Featured Prominently at CMU Energy Week
The second annual CMU Energy Week kicks off March 27. This campus-wide event focuses on five themes: the Future of Energy, Innovation, Research, Policy, and Education.
March 07, 2017
Group Tolerance Linked to Perceptions of Fairness and Harm
A new study by research scientist Nichole Argo, and The New School for Social Research, found that people are willing to share a society with those of differing beliefs as long as they believe that those groups share a commitment to universal moral values such as fairness and harm.
March 03, 2017
Cranor Stresses the Need to Test Privacy Policies
Ten years ago, a CyLab graduate student asked, “What would happen if everybody read all of the privacy policies on all of the websites they visit?" Lorrie Cranor swiftly responded "Don't be ridiculous, that would never happen." McDonald's question, however, piqued Cranor's interest: Why would that never happen?
February 10, 2017
EPP’s Wong-Parodi wants to help us talk about climate change
The fear of starting an argument is enough to keep some people from interacting with people who might disagree with them. But thanks to Assistant Research Professor Gabrielle Wong-Parodi, they may not have to be afraid; at least when it comes to talking about climate change.
January 24, 2017
Elisabeth Bass Udyawar Wins College of Engineering Continuous Excellence Award
Elisabeth Bass Udyawar was honored with the College of Engineering's Continuous Excellence Award for superior committment to her role at Carnegie Mellon.
January 10, 2017
How Chinese Cities are Spurring Innovation
Daniel Armanios studies cities with emerging tech hubs, in order to understand how Silicon Valley's so-called "secret sauce" might be emulated.