Personal Mention
President Subra Suresh will be inducted into the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) this week at the 17th General Assembly of the CAS in Beijing. He is being honored for his scientific contributions in materials science and engineering, including his work connecting nanomechanical cell structure to disease states. He also is being honored for his leadership in building the worldwide scientific and engineering research dialogue through the Global Research Council, which he helped to found while director of the U.S. National Science Foundation. Suresh is the only current U.S. university president to have been named a foreign member of the CAS and a member of all three U.S. National Academies — the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences. He is the second faculty member from CMU to receive this honor. The late Herbert Simon was named a foreign member of the CAS in 1994.
Robert Cavalier, teaching professor of philosophy and director of the Program for Deliberative Democracy, chaired a panel at the National Academy of Public Administration Social Equity Leadership Conference held at the University of Pittsburgh last week. The panel discussion was titled “Approaching Economic Inequality through Deliberative Democracy” and featured experts from Everyday Democracy, Public Agenda and the National Issues Forum. For more information, visit http://www.selc.gspia.pitt.edu/.
CMU’s George Loewenstein and Pitt’s Daniel Mosse wrote an opinion piece for the New York Daily News on how relying on smartphones causes us to lose sight of the pleasures of life. Loewenstein is the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Economics and Psychology and Mosse is the chair of Pitt's Computer Science Department. Read “Slaves to our smartphones.”
Last Sunday, Kiron Skinner, associate professor of social and decision sciences and director of the Center for International Relations and Politics, appeared on MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry’s show to discuss President Obama’s foreign policy strategy. Watch the video.
Nick Dunn, an assistant golf professional at Longue Vue Club, has been named head men's golf coach. He succeeds Rich Erdelyi who has retired after 29 years on the CMU staff. Dunn has been an assistant golf pro at Longue Vue in nearby Verona, Pa., since 2009. He also has worked at the Ace Club in Lafayette Hills, Pa., and Pine Crest Country Club in Lansdale, Pa. Over the course of his career, Dunn has been a teacher, administrator and golf instructor. Read more about Dunn.
Dan Rodgers, an assistant golf professional at Sewickley Heights Golf Club in nearby Sewickley, Pa., has been named head women's golf coach. Rodgers succeeds Missie Berteotti. The women's program, which competed as a club this past season, will play on the varsity level starting this fall. Rodgers has been an assistant pro at Sewickley Heights since 2009. He manages a staff of nearly 20, trains golf operations professionals, supervises tournaments, teaches clinics and gives private lessons. He also has worked at the Wildwood Golf Club in Allison Park, Pa., and Valley Brook Country Club in McMurray, Pa. In 2008, he was elected a PGA Professional and placed 20th on the 2013 TriState PGA point list. He won the 2011 TriState PGA Assistants Championship. Read more about Rodgers.
Senior men's track and field thrower Zachary Erra-Hernandez broke the school record in the hammer throw for the fifth time this season and earned All-America honors at the 2014 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Ohio Wesleyan University. His career-best throw of 57.67 meters gave him an eighth-place finish at the national meet, good enough for him to become CMU's first All-American in the hammer throw.