News Briefs

Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week is April 2-6

A highlight of the week is "Innovation with Impact: A Celebration of Graduate Student Projects, Research, Teaching and Service" from 4 to 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 5 in Rangos Ballroom, University Center. Graduate student work from all disciplines will be presented through posters, displays and performances in conjunction with a reception. The presentation of the Graduate Student Service and Teaching awards will be at 5 p.m. in Rangos 1. Read more about the week's activities.

Steinbrenner Institute Seeks Exhibitions

The Steinbrenner Institute is looking for environmental art projects, service projects and research being done by the Carnegie Mellon campus community. The institute welcomes exhibitor applications from student and staff organizations, undergraduate and graduate students and faculty from all seven colleges at Carnegie Mellon. The exhibits will be judged by a panel of campus and external sustainability experts. First- and second-place prizes will be awarded in each of the following categories: Art and Performance, Campus or Community Service, and Environmental Research. First-prize winners will receive $250 and second-prize winners will receive $100. Winners will be featured on the Environment at CMU website. For the application or questions, contact Erika Ninos at elninos@cmu.edu by April 4.

CMU To Aid Pittsburgh on IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Grant

The City of Pittsburgh was selected as one of 33 worldwide recipients for the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant. The award, which was announced March 15 by Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, will provide Pittsburgh City Planners with IBM analysts who will live in Pittsburgh for at least three weeks and provide "intelligent technology" services worth the equivalent of $400,000. IBM analysts will aid the city in developing its first 25-year comprehensive transportation plan called MovePGH through researching data generated by urban interactions and transactions. Carnegie Mellon’s Traffic 21 Initiative, funded by the Hillman Foundation, will work with IBM and the city on the blueprint and on deploying solutions that the team recommends. For more: http://www.pittsburghpa.gov/mayor/article.htm?id=1329.

Teams Place 2nd and 3rd in Programming Contest

Three teams from Carnegie Mellon Qatar participated in the Second Gulf Programming Contest (GPC), held at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Carnegie Mellon teams Brainiacs and Kufta finished in second- and third-place, respectively. GPC ’12 featured 42 teams from around the Arabian Gulf. Each team had 10 problems to solve over a five-hour period. All problems needed to be solved in the competition’s official computer programming languages of C, C++ or Java. Read more.

Applications Sought for Libraries' Posner Center Internship

Applications are being accepted through Monday, April 30, for one 15-week, $3,000 research and exhibit internship for the fall 2012 semester. Any CMU undergraduate or graduate student may apply by submitting a proposal for individual research in the Posner Collection of fine and rare books, culminating in a public exhibit at the Posner Center. Students who wish to earn academic credit must gain permission from their academic department and/or school before the internship begins. The intern should have a faculty adviser. The internship is sponsored by the University Libraries and funded by the Posner Fine Arts Foundation. For more information and to apply, go to http://www.cmu.edu/posner-center/internship/

Wall Street Journal To Remember Jeff Zaslow, April 29

The Wall Street Journal will hold a memorial gathering for CMU Alumnus Jeff Zaslow (DC'80) on Sunday, April 29 at Columbia University’s Faculty House in New York from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. A longtime Wall Street Journal columnist, Zaslow majored in Creative Writing and may be best remembered at Carnegie Mellon for co-authoring "The Last Lecture" with the late CMU Computer Science Professor Randy Pausch. Zaslow was killed in a car accident in February. The Journal is hosting the memorial as an opportunity for Zaslow's friends and colleagues at the Journal and elsewhere to share stories about the his life and work. In a message to the Journal's staff, Zaslow was called "one of the WSJ's greatest journalists, who inspired literally millions of readers around the world." Zaslow's family will be in attendance. For directions to the memorial, visit http://facultyhouse.columbia.edu/content/contact-us-new-york-event-and-reception-venue#Directions.

Buggy Push Practice Announced

Through Thursday, April 19, Buggy has been granted permits to hold their annual push practice from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sunday through Friday (weather permitting). Push practice occurs on Tech and Frew streets. Roads are not closed, but there will be barricades and Buggy team members to help direct traffic. Vehicles traveling through the area should look for directions from Buggy team members. Buggy teams will need to take their buggy and driver off the road to the sidewalk to let vehicles pass. For any questions or concerns, contact buggy@andrew.cmu.edu.

Five Students are Finalists in Campus Superstar Competition

Five CMU School of Drama students are among the 10 finalists for Campus Superstar, an American Idol-like singing competition for Pittsburgh area college students, sponsored by the Hillel Jewish University Center.  More than 150 students auditioned last fall for 25 semi-finalist spots and ultimately the 10 finalist positions. This year’s finals will be held Sunday, April 1 at the Carnegie Music Hall.

The CMU finalists are senior Annie Heise, juniors Casey Layne Anderson and Dylan Schwartz-Wallach, sophomore Denee Benton and freshman Annie Yokom.  The winner will receive $5,000. Last year’s winner was CMU voice major Gillian Hassert, who will be performing in the show.  For more information and to purchase tickets, go to http://hilleljuc.org/campussuperstar/finalists/

Nominations Now Being Accepted for MCS Staff Awards

Nominations are now being accepted for the Mellon College of Science Staff Recognition Awards. Individuals and teams can be nominated for the Merit Award, Rookie Award, Special Award and Outstanding Achievement Award. For more information and to submit a nomination, go to http://www.cmu.edu/mcs/fac_staff/staff-awards/. The nomination deadline is Friday, March 30. The awards ceremony is scheduled for Friday, April 27 in the Mellon Institute Conference Room.

Register for CMU's Student Employee Appreciation Lunch

Get to know your student employees and say “thank you” for the work they do at this year’s Student Employee Appreciation Lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 11 in Rangos Hall, University Center. The buffet lunch will include entertainment from CMU’s world-renowned School of Drama. Register by April 2 at https://www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/career/campus_employment/selunch/

EH&S Offers Additional AED/CPR Training Classes

Due to the high level of response, Environmental Health & Safety has added two more AED/CPR training classes. Classes will be held at 10 a.m. April 5 and May 3 in Rangos 2, University Center. To register, go to www.cmu.edu/ehs, click on the Training tab, go to AED Training, then click on the link to the registration page at the end of the course description. As noted previously, the Good Samaritan Act prevents anyone from being held liable should they attempt to save someone by using an AED.
 
Please note that EH&S will no longer be able to absorb the cost for individuals who register for classes but fail to attend. In the future, individuals who must cancel their registration must do so 72 hours before the class begins. If they fail to do so, their department will be charged $20. EH&S will continue to pay for those who attend.

CMU To Host Ultimate Frisbee Camp

This summer, CMU will again play host to Camp Spirit of the Game, Pittsburgh’s Ultimate Frisbee camp for kids.  Professionally run by Andy Norman of CMU’s Philosophy Department, Camp Spirit features an introduction to this exciting sport, a fun assortment of swimming, games and lessons in constructive conflict resolution. For boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 14, Camp Spirit has sessions that run from June 18 to July 27. To sign up or learn more click www.campsog.com or call 412-242-7117.

New Ticket Offers From the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is offering students, faculty and staff discounted tickets to several performances in March, April and May. They include:

• PMT’s Jesus Christ Superstar (Through April 1 at the Byham);
• Every Tongue Confess (Through April 1 at the August Wilson Center);
• Beauty and the Beast (April 3 – 8 at Heinz Hall);
• Menopause The Musical (April 9 – 11 at the Byham);
• Anoushka Shankar (April 12 at the Byham);
• PJO NEA Jazz Masters (April 21 at the August Wilson Center);
• National Geographic Live: A Camera, Two Kids and a Camera – Annie Griffiths (April 22 at the Byham);
• Lar Lubovitch Dance Company (April 28 at the Byham);
• PMT’s Legally Blonde (May 3 – 13 at the Byham).