News Briefs
MSCF Program Earns #1 Ranking
The Master in Computational Finance (MSCF) program at Carnegie Mellon was awarded the top position among financial engineering programs in the 2013-14 ranking of financial engineering programs released this week by QuantNet, a leading source of information for financial engineering graduate students. The methodology of this ranking includes a survey of hiring managers, corporate recruiters and professionals from financial institutions around the world as well as statistics reflecting student selectivity for the program and graduate employment. The MSCF program is a joint academic venture between the Department of Statistics in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Heinz College, the Mathematical Sciences Department in the Mellon College of Science, and the Tepper School of Business.
“Earning a second-straight top ranking reflects the dedication that our faculty, administrators and students put into this program,” said Rick Bryant, executive director of the MSCF program. “We are fortunate to be able to attract bright and highly motivated students, who can meet the demands of the increasingly quantitative and computational financial markets. Their continued success in their jobs, to a significant degree due to the preparation they received at Carnegie Mellon, continues to increase the reputation of the MSCF program.”
Read more about the MSCF program.
Carnegie Mellon Qatar’s 10th Year Opens With Record Enrollment
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar marks its 10th year by welcoming 118 new students for the 2013-2014 academic year, growing from an inaugural class of 41 students in 2004 to 400 student from 42 different countries in 2013.
Carnegie Mellon’s continued commitment to the growth of Qatar and the region is evident as this year Qatari nationals make up more than 50 percent of students entering the biological sciences and information systems programs.
“We are extremely pleased to see an increase in the number of Qatari students joining us, as we pride ourselves on our alignment with the country’s national research agenda and our ability to add real value to an extremely important focus for Qatar,” said Ilker Baybars, dean of Carnegie Mellon Qatar.
“The campus opened in Qatar in 2004 with 41 students studying in two programs. Today we have 400 students studying in five exceptional programs; a great way to mark our 10-year anniversary here in Qatar.” Read more.
CMU Night at Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is Oct. 12
Carnegie Mellon students, faculty, staff, alumni and their guests are invited to Carnegie Mellon University Night at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra at 8 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 12 at Heinz Hall in downtown Pittsburgh. A free pre-concert reception begins at 6 p.m. and provides an opportunity for all attendees to meet new CMU President Subra Suresh and his family.
The reception, sponsored by the Office of the President, will be in the outdoor Heinz Hall Garden, weather permitting. In case of inclement weather, the reception will be moved indoors. The orchestra will play familiar pieces from Barber (Adagio for Strings), Janacek (Symphonic Suite from Jenufa), Mozart (Piano Concerto No. 21), and Dvorak (Symphony No. 8). The PSO is conducted by Manfred Honeck with Yulianna Avdeeva on piano.
Tickets start at $15 for students and $20 for faculty, staff and alumni and include the pre-concert reception (cash bar).
To purchase tickets for the concert, go to http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/cmunight or call Group Sales at 412-392-4819.
AED/CPR Training Offered
The Environmental Health & Safety Department is offering four upcoming AED/CPR training classes for the university community. Those who have been certified more than two years ago also can attend to renew your certification. All classes begin at 10 a.m. and last about two hours. The schedule is as follows:
- Oct. 16 – University Center, Rangos 2
- Oct. 24 - University Center, Dowd Room
- Nov. 14 - Mellon Institute Social Room
- Nov. 26 - University Center, Dowd Room
You can register for any of these classes at https://ehs-apps.andrew.cmu.edu/secure/ALERT-Online/aed/registration.aspx
Seeking Students' Science Stories
Public Communication for Researchers is seeking true, personal, science-related stories from students for an Oct. 21 show at the Rex Theater. The CMU student group, which aims to help university researchers communicate effectively about science and technology, is presenting the show in partnership with The Story Collider, a national show and podcast of science stories. The Story Collider producers will work with the speakers individually to help them hone their stories for a live audience.
Students should send short story pitches to stories@storycollider.org with "Story Collider at CMU" in the subject line. These must be stories — not lectures — with a beginning, middle and end, in which the narrator undergoes a change. Stories are typically 8-10 minutes long and can be about anything from how the storyteller first fell in love with science to how their work has affected their personal life. For examples, listen to the podcast at storycollider.org/podcast. The deadline for pitches is Sept. 30.
Alumni Return for Cabaret To Benefit Drama's Senior Showcase
Alumni Michael Kooman (A’06) and Chris Dimond (A’07) are returning to Pittsburgh to perform at Pittsburgh’s CLO Cabaret at Theater Square with the School of Drama Musical Theater Ensemble at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29. “A Cabaret Evening with Michael Kooman and Chris Dimond” will feature songs from the duo’s catalog and benefits the School of Drama’s Senior Showcase Fund. The show is open to the public; tickets are $30 and $5 for students.
Kooman, an alumnus of the School of Music, and Dimond, a Drama School graduate, have earned many accolades for their work. They received the 2010 Jonathan Larson Grant and are the first recipients of the Lorenz Hart Award. Between them, they have received the Burton Lane Award, the Harold Adamson Award, the KC/ACTF Musical Theatre Award, an Anna Sosenko Grant, numerous ASCAP Plus awards, and have been three-time finalists for the Fred Ebb Award.
Their musical DANI GIRL has been workshopped at the Kennedy Center, American Conservatory Theatre, Cherry Lane Theatre, the ASCAP/Disney Musical Theater Workshop, the Festival of New American Musicals, and was featured in the 2011 NAMT Festival of New Musicals. The show has seen recent productions in Toronto, Dallas, Boston and Australia.
Kooman and Dimond are currently under commission by the Pittsburgh CLO, where a new audience participation-based musical will premiere in early 2014. Their debut album, “Out of Our Heads,” features an all-star lineup of Broadway performers — including some fellow CMU alumni — and is now available on iTunes.
Football Family Day is Sept. 28
The Department of Athletics invites you to Faculty, Staff and Graduate Student Family Day when the Tartans football team hosts Geneva College at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28 at Gesling Stadium. Admission is free.
Bring your children and pick up a foam finger, team poster and temporary Scotty tattoo. Following the game collect autographs, take your picture with Scotty and catch touchdown passes from the players on the field.
ISO To Host Mobile Device Security Day, Oct. 3
As part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October) the Information Security Office (ISO) is hosting Mobile Device Security Day from 11:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 3 in Rangos Ballroom, University Center. Vendors, researchers and the ISO will be on hand with product news and displays, research reports, training material, vulnerability demos and guidance for configuring your mobile devices for security and privacy. From 1:30 - 4 p.m., the ISO will lead presentations and discussions for administrative and technical staff on topics like the legal issues surrounding bring your own device (BYOD), CMU’s mobile device security guidelines and support challenges.
Refreshments will be available and attendees can scan their university ID cards for a chance to win prizes like a Chromebook or Wahoo Fitness strap.
For more information on National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, including a full list of vendors and presenters, visit www.cmu.edu/iso/aware/ncsam/.
Oct. 5 Donut Dash Benefits Children’s Hospital
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity is once again hosting the Donut Dash on Saturday, Oct. 5 to benefit UPMC’s Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The two-mile race around the CMU campus begins on Frew Street behind Hunt Library and requires each runner to eat donuts along the way — as many as 12 if you consider yourself a “serious” competitor and as little as you like if you’re a “casual” participant. Teams will split a box of 12. For more information and to register, go to http://cmudonutdash.org/.
Register for Relay for Life, Oct. 4-5
Faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in CMU’s Relay for Life, Oct. 4-5, on the Cut to benefit the American Cancer Society. The walking relay event begins at 6 p.m., Oct. 4 and concludes at 6 a.m., Oct. 5.
A special dinner at the start of the event will be held for those who are cancer survivors, caregivers or who know of an individual currently fighting cancer.
A $10 team registration fee is required, which goes toward each team’s fundraising goal. For more information and to register your team, go to www.relayforlife.org/pacmu.
Questions can be directed to rbradfor@andrew.cmu.edu.
Memorial Soccer Tournament Planned for Oct. 13
Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity is hosting the 4th Annual Matthew Tembo Memorial Soccer Tournament from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 13 at Gesling Stadium. Individuals ($12) and teams ($100, 8-12 players) are invited to participate with all proceeds benefitting the Gateway Rehabilitation Center, a nonprofit organization that helps those with alcohol and other drug-related dependencies. Twenty-five teams participated in last year’s event, which raised more than $4,250. In addition to participants, Pi Kappa Alpha is also seeking local and corporate sponsors. For more information, to register and to learn more about sponsorships, go to http://tembosoccer.com/.
Goodman’s Work Now in Digital Archives Collection
Two documentaries and a series of short videos by the late CMU filmmaker, organizational psychologist and professor Paul Goodman are now available in the University Archives digital collection, http://dli.library.cmu.edu/paulgoodman/. Goodman's passion was bringing to life the intricacies of global working environments and societies for his students. He said, "When students leave Carnegie Mellon, I want them to be not just good chemists or a good linguists. I want them to have some greater appreciation of global issues." Goodman (1937-2012) was the Richard M. Cyert Professor at the Tepper School.
Three-Minute Thesis Competition, Oct. 22
Carnegie Mellon's first-ever Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) event will be held from 4:30 – 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 22 in the Connan Room, University Center. Get the general idea at www.threeminutethesis.org. Watch for CMU event details in coming weeks. Sponsored by the University Libraries.
Nominations Now Open for Education Awards
The nomination period for the Celebration of Education is now open. Nominations are being accepted for the Doherty, Ryan, Academic Advising, Barbara Lazarus and Gelfand awards. The nomination deadline is Nov. 4. Read more at http://www.cmu.edu/celebration-of-education/.
Responsible Conduct of Research Seminar Series Continues
CMU's Office of Research Integrity and Compliance (ORIC) is once again sponsoring the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Seminar Series during the fall semester to provide faculty, students and staff with an overview of topics typically covered in RCR curricula. All sessions will be held from 12 – 1 p.m. in the University Center’s McKenna/Peter conference room. Upcoming sessions are as follows:- Wednesday, Oct. 2: Intellectual Property Rights and Responsibilities at CMU
- Thursday, Oct.10: Who Owns Data?
- Tuesday, Oct. 15: Data Management Planning
- Wednesday, Oct. 30: Conflict of Interest
- Thursday, Nov. 7: Safeguarding International Research
- Wednesday, Nov. 13: Mentor Trainee, Relationships, and Collaboration