News Briefs
World Economic Forum Posts CMU IdeasLab Presentations
The World Economic Forum has posted videos of the IdeasLab presentations by CMU faculty Justine Cassell, Emma Brunskill and Ken Koedinger at the WEF's Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, this past January. Under the overall title of “Unlocking the Potential of Human Learning” the presentations helped debut CMU’s Simon Initiative to a global audience. The Simon Initiative is focused on improving learning outcomes by taking a scientific approach.
The WEF is the premier independent international organization engaging top global business, government and academic leaders. CMU is one of only 25 global universities, 11 from the U.S., invited to be a member of the WEF’s Global University Leaders Forum (GULF). Since 2011, 15 CMU faculty from six schools and colleges, plus the Entertainment Technology Center, have presented at WEF events.
IdeasLabs presentations are delivered in a pecha kucha-style format, in which presenters are given five minutes to deliver their material and the slides are changed automatically every 20 seconds. Watch the presentations:
Ken Koedinger
Emma Brunskill
Justine Cassell
Future Tenant One of Pittsburgh’s Top Art Galleries
Future Tenant, the downtown art gallery and performance space run by Master of Arts Management students, was recently dubbed one of Pittsburgh’s “10 Best Contemporary Art Galleries” by “The Culture Trip,” one of the industry’s leading resources for showcasing the best of art, culture and travel for every country in the world.
“Future Tenant provides a unique laboratory setting for artists, arts managers and audiences in which to explore the limits of creative expression, presentation and interpretation of a variety of art forms,” The Culture Trip said. “The gallery presents a wide range of raw, innovative art across visual, literary and performance disciplines. Future Tenant aims to engage with audiences and artists alike, providing exhibition and professional development opportunities whilst cultivating a non-traditional artistic environment in which they can thrive.”
The Future Tenant’s faculty adviser is Jerry Coltin. Read more about Pittsburgh's top 10 galleries.
CMU A Cappella Group Hits High Note
Deewane, Carnegie Mellon’s South Asian all-male a cappella group, earned first place in the University of Iowa’s 6th annual Gathe Raho, one of the nation’s largest South Asian interest collegiate a cappella competitions.
Joining CMU in the competition were teams from the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, University of Maryland, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio State University and University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Carnegie Mellon’s Deewane won the first-place prize of $3,000, while Michigan’s Maize Mirchi placed second, winning $1,000.
Deewane’s winning performance included a mash-up of Adele’s “Someone Like You” and “Abhi Mujh Mein Kahiin” from the 2012 Bollywood film “Agneepath.”
Members of the group are: Rishabh Alaap Singh, Neel Nadkarni, Elan Rosenfeld, Yitian Feng, Tanuj Apte, Mohd. Haris Usmani, Shawn Gupta, David Buzzell, Karn Mishra, Varun Murali, Mahaesh Jayaraman, Suhaas Reddy and Mihir Yerande.
Learn more about Deewane.
View Deewane’s performance.
Read more about the competition in USA Today.
Presenters, Volunteers Needed for Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day
Staff Council’s Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work committee is looking for activity leaders/presenters and general volunteers to contribute their time and enthusiasm to this year’s Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day event on Thursday, April 24. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the national Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work program, and the theme is “Plant a Seed, Grow a Future.”
Faculty and staff are encouraged to bring their children between the ages of 8 and 15 to campus to give them a glimpse of the wide range of career and learning opportunities that exist at CMU. After a group lunch program, the children can attend two activity sessions for which they have pre-registered. We are looking for individuals on campus who would like to create and lead an activity or presentation for one or two sessions in the afternoon. The commitment of presenting a program has been streamlined in order to minimize the impact to your regular academic schedule.
Each session will run roughly 45 minutes. If you volunteer for both sessions, your total commitment will be from approximately 12:40 – 3:20 p.m., including set-up and tear down. Depending on the nature of your activity/presentation, you will have either a smaller group of children (15 maximum) or a larger group (30 maximum).
If you are interested in leading an activity or presentation, please go to https://cmuprecollege.wufoo.com/forms/todastw-presenter-registration-form-cmu/. For more information about presenters, please contact M. Shernell Smith at mssmith@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-2075.
If you would like to volunteer as a general assistant to serve as a chaperone, lunch server or monitor at the end of the day (3 -4 p.m.) for the parental pick-up in Weigand Gym, please contact Gloria Gruber at ggruber@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-9685.
If you are interested in either leading an activity or volunteering generally, please express your interest by March 24.
Tartans Offer Swimming Lessons for Kids
Carnegie Mellon’s swimming team is offering one-on-one swimming lessons for children ages 3 and up every Tuesday and Thursday in April in the CMU pool. Lesson times are 4:30 – 5, 5 – 5:30, 5:30 – 6 and 6 – 6:30 p.m. The cost is $20 for one session, $70 for four lessons, $100 for six and $140 for all eight half-hour sessions.
For more information and to register, contact Kellie Ayres at klayres@andrew.cmu.edu or 412-268-6082.
Free Fridays at Warhol Museum
The Andy Warhol Museum and UPMC Health Plan present free Fridays for the month of March. The museum is free and open to the public every Friday from 5 – 10 p.m. The events also feature a cash bar in The Warhol’s newly renovated entrance space, and DJ Shawn Watson specializing in an all-vinyl set of funk, punk, reggae and rock. For more information, visit http://www.warhol.org or call 412-237-8351.
Buggy Practices Continue
Buggy practice sessions will continue every weekend through April 5-6. Tech Street, Frew Street and Schenley Drive will be closed to traffic and parking from 5 - 9 a.m. on the following dates:
- March: 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30; and
- April: 5, 6
This year's 100th anniversary of Spring Carnival is April 10-12. Learn more about Spring Carnival.
Student Employee Appreciation Lunch Registration Deadline is March 28
Registration is now open for the Student Employee Appreciation Lunch from 12 – 1:30 p.m., April 2 in the University Center’s Rangos Hall. Campus supervisors can host their student employees, and join them for lunch to celebrate the great work they do. Entertainment will be provided by musical theater students in the School of Drama. Registration deadline is March 28. Register at http://www.cmu.edu/career/student-employment-experiential/.
Responsible Conduct of Research Seminars Continue
The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Seminar Series continues. Upcoming sessions are scheduled from 12 – 1 p.m. in the University Center. Dates and topics are:
- Tuesday, March 18: Who Owns the Data?
- Wednesday, March 26: Data Security
- Tuesday, April 8: Research Data Management
- Tuesday, April 15: Ethical Issues with Research Involving Human Subjects
- Tuesday, April 22: International Research Considerations: Foreign Travel and Foreign Collaborators
More information is available on the RCR website. Space is limited, so please register early.
Safe Driving Classes Scheduled
Environmental Health & Safety has scheduled two free Safe Driving classes this semester that, depending on your insurance company, may result in lowering your insurance premiums.
University protocol requires that anyone whose job requires them to drive a vehicle on behalf of the university take this class once every three years. The class also is recommended for those who aren’t required to drive as part of their job but who may drive on occasion.
Classes will be held from 8:30 – 11 a.m. on the following days:
- Tuesday, March 11
- Tuesday, April 8
To register, go to www.cmu.edu/ehs/training/index.html and click on the Defensive Driving link.
Spring Break Rec Hours Posted
Spring break (March 6-16) hours of operation have been set for the fitness and recreation facilities. They are:
University Center Equipment Desk
Thursday, March 6: 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday, March 7: 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, March 8-9: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Monday – Friday, March 10-14: 6 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 15: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, March 16: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
UC Pool Open Rec Swim
Thursday, March 6: 7-8 a.m.; 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.; 7-9 p.m.
Friday, March 7: 7-8 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, March 8–9: 1-3 p.m.
Monday – Friday, March 10-14: 7-8 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. -1:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, March 15–16: 1-3 p.m.
Skibo Gymnasium
Thursday, March 6: 6:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Friday, March 7: 6:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday, March 8–9: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday – Friday, March 10–14: 6:30 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Saturday, March 15: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday, March 16: 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.