News Briefs

Staff Council Announces Election Winnners

Staff Council has announced its divisional election winners for the 2014-16 term. The divisional representatives are:

• Division 1 (President's Office, Provost's Office, Faculty Senate, University Libraries, Hunt Institute, Admissions, Qatar): Kim Sestili, Leah Zande
• Division 2 (Vice Provost for Computing Services, Vice Provost & Chief Technology Officer): Christine Ferguson, Sarah Suiter
• Division 3 (Vice Provost of Education): Donora Craighead, Jessica Owens
• Division 4 (University Advancement): Dawn A. Gianotti, Claire Isgan
• Division 5 (Finance): Mark Herleman, Shannon Konek
• Division 6 (Campus Affairs): Lt. Joseph Meyers, Pattye Stragar
• Division 7 (General Counsel, Vice President for Research, Associate VP for Research and Academic Administration, Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation): Evie Fisher, Jeffrey Harris
• Division 8 (College of Engineering): Aydaen Lynch, Julie Tilton
• Division 9 (Mellon College of Science): Nicole Reading, Sebastian Lacy
• Division 10 (School of Computer Science): Sylvia Berry, Nicole Stenger
• Division 11 (College of Fine Arts): Margaret Cox, Emily Syes
• Division 12 (Dietrich College): Ellen Conser, Eileen Simeone
• Division 13 (Tepper School of Business, International Relations Program): Andrew McMillen, Pete Siegel
• Division 14 (Heinz College): Rachelle Thompson, Stefanie Vanhorn
• Division 15 (Software Engineering Institute): Robert Nord, David Reinoehl

All staff are invited to attend Staff Council General Body meetings. Meeting are held from noon to 1 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month.

Parking Restrictions for Sunday's Race for the Cure

There will be no parking along Frew Street, Tech Street and Curto Drive from 4 a.m. to noon, this Sunday, May 11 for the Susan B. Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure. Vehicles parked along these streets will be towed beginning promptly at 4 a.m. Sunday.
 
In addition there will be no parking on other Squirrel Hill and Oakland streets adjacent to campus. Those streets are:

• Schenley Drive from Darlington Road to Forbes Ave. (very short section)
• Forbes from Schenley Drive to Albemarle Ave.
• Albemarle Ave.
• Squirrel Hill Ave. from Albemarle to Northumberland Street
• Northumberland Street from Squirrel Hill Ave. to Wightman Street
• Wightman Street from Northumberland Street to Bartlett Street
• Bartlett Street from Wightman to Serpentine
• Beacon Street from the park to Murdoch Street
• Murdoch Street from Beacon to Bartlett
• Schenley Drive from the bridge near the visitors' center to Tech Street
• East and West Circuit Roads

Vehicles remaining on the above streets after 4 a.m. Sunday will be towed.

Warhol Documentary Premieres Saturday

"Trapped: Andy Warhol's Amiga Experiments," a documentary about the recent discovery of previously unknown Warhol images from computer disks from 1985, will premiere at 7 p.m., Saturday, May 10 in the Carnegie Library Lecture Hall. The screening will be followed by a reception and discussion among key players in the discovery, including artist Cory Arcangel, Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry Director Golan Levin, and Keith Bare and Michael Dille of the Carnegie Mellon Computer Club.

Admission is $20, $12 for those 30 and under and for those who are Carnegie members. The documentary goes online May 12 at http://nowseethis.org.

Read more about the discovery.

Parking Restricted, Stadium Closed for Commencement Prep

Parking will be restricted on Margaret Morrison Street, and Gesling Stadium (including the track) will be closed, Thursday, May 8 through Friday, May 23 for commencement preparation and clean-up.

Barricades will be placed on Margaret Morrison Street to indicate where parking is restricted and signs also will be posted. Please do not park in this area. Cars will be towed if necessary.

For more information on commencement, visit www.cmu.edu/commencement. Questions? Contact University Events at 412-268-5052 or commencement@andrew.cmu.edu.

NASA Chooses Astrobotic for Lunar Lander Initiative

Astrobotic Technology, a spinoff from Carnegie Mellon, has been selected as one of three companies that will partner with NASA to develop reliable and cost-effective lunar landing capabilities as part of the Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (CATALYST) initiative.

Astrobotic, which is developing the Griffin lander for delivering its robots and other commercial payloads to the moon’s surface, and the other CATALYST companies will not receive NASA funding, but can negotiate an agreement to obtain access to NASA personnel, facilities and expertise.

"Moon landing once symbolized the pinnacle of human achievement,” said William “Red” Whittaker, professor of robotics and Astrobotic’s chairman.  “CATALYST now evolves that to enterprise and to the remarkable capability that is possible through this public-private partnership. CATALYST will build a bright future combining a mix of new resourcefulness with legacy and innovation."

Commercial lunar transportation capabilities could support science and exploration objectives, such as sample returns, geophysical network deployment, resource prospecting and technology demonstrations.

"This NASA partnership, modeled after the highly successful Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program, will extend the reach of commercial capabilities to the moon," said John Thornton, Astrobotic CEO.  "Astrobotic is making it possible to buy lunar delivery and utility services at a fraction of the cost.  Together with NASA, we will create a new era that makes space available to everyone."

Astrobotic was selected by a panel of experts from NASA based on its proposal to develop a commercially viable lunar cargo delivery capability. Proposals were judged on the achievability of lander development and performance, and likelihood of success.

UHS Offers Skin Cancer Screenings

University Health Services (UHS) is holding its annual skin cancer screenings from 12:30 – 4:30 p.m., May 16 and May 19. An appointment is needed and can be made by calling 412-268-2157 and choosing option 2. Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the U.S. and UHS has more appointment options this year than ever before. Learn more.

Bicycles To Be Removed, May 22-23

University Police and Facilities Management Services will be removing abandoned bicycles from the main Pittsburgh campus on Thursday, May 22. These bikes will be identified and tagged for removal by Friday, May 9.
 
Abandoned bikes are those that are in poor condition from not being used. Bikes in poor condition are identified by such features that include, but not limited to, two flat tires, missing major parts, frozen brakes and rusted chains that make the bike unusable. 
 
In addition, all bicycles, regardless of condition, must be removed from bike racks located at residence halls by Thursday, May 22.  All remaining bikes will be removed by University Police and Housing Facilities personnel on Friday, May 23.
 
Those that are deemed to be operational will be stored on campus for six months. Owners seeking to claim their bikes should contact University Police at 412-268-2323. Non-operational bikes and bike parts will be donated to Free Ride, http://freeridepgh.org/donate/bikes-and-parts/.

Andy Award Nominations Now Being Accepted

The nomination period for the 2014 Andy Awards is now underway through July 9. 

The Andy Awards, named for Andrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon, are a tribute to the spirit of teamwork and dedication embodied by the staff at Carnegie Mellon. Individual staff members and teams of colleagues whose work has had a significant impact on the university are recognized for their outstanding performance and commitment to excellence through the Andy Awards program.

Awards are given in six categories: Commitment to Students, Community Contributions, Culture, Dedication, Innovation and University Citizenship.

For more information on the awards and the nomination process, go to http://www.cmu.edu/andyawards/.

Carnegie Mellon Today Wins Communicator Awards

Carnegie Mellon Today magazine has won four 2014 Communicator Awards. It received an Award of Excellence in the Overall Design category and three awards of Distinction in the Magazine-Educational Institution, Feature Article and Column ("First Word") categories. The magazine has won 105 awards since 2007.
 
The Communicator Awards are sponsored by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), whose membership includes media companies such as Condè Nast, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, MTV, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Wired and Yahoo! More than 6,000 entries were received. Learn more.

Leadership and Negotiation Academy for Women Opens Enrollment

The Carnegie Mellon Leadership and Negotiation Academy for Women, which consists of six two-day modules, is now enrolling students for its fall cohort, which will begin study in September 2014 and end in March 2015.

"Companies and institutions that are interested in developing their competitive advantage through investing in diverse talent will find this program immeasurably valuable," said Linda Babcock, academy co-founder and faculty director. "Our goal is to help women embrace opportunities to negotiate successful strategic initiatives and deals on behalf of their organizations and stakeholders — and for themselves."

Babcock, the James Mellon Walton Professor of Economics at the Heinz College, co-wrote two influential books with fellow academy instructor Sara Laschever: "Women Don't Ask: The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation — and Positive Strategies for Change" and "Ask For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want."

The academy — the first program of its kind to look at critical leadership skills through a negotiation lens — is now offered through Carnegie Mellon's Tepper School of Business Executive Education program in partnership with the Heinz College. Learn more.

Planning for Veterans Day 2014

A new working group is forming to create a campus conversation and professional development opportunity on Veterans Day 2014. All veteran students, staff, and faculty as well as interested campus community members are invited to take part in this exciting venture. 

If you would like to be a part of this working group or have questions, please contact Jamie Brandon, jbrandon@andrew.cmu.edu, or Shernell Smith, mssmith@andrew.cmu.edu.

Staff Council Offers Tickets to Hershey Park

Staff Council is offerring discount tickets to Hershey Park this summer. Online ticket sales will start Friday, May 9. Purchase your tickets via http://tinyurl.com/cmu2014 using promo code 85214. If you purchase tickets before July 6, you will receive an extra savings on the regular 1-day pass and tickets can be used ALL summer long.

Purchases made before July 6

• Regular 1-day pass (ages 9-54) - $39.95
• Regular 1-day pass (ages 9-54) - $46.95 (rate for purchases beginning July 7)
• Jr/Sr 1-day pass (ages 3-8; 55-69) - $34.95
• Senior+ 1-day pass (ages 70+) - $22.95
• Regular 2-day pass (ages 9-54) - $78.20
• Jr/Sr 2-day pass (ages 3-8; 55-69) - $57.50

The gate rate for regular passes is $60.80 and the Jr/Sr rate is $38.30. Each ticket is subject to a $.75 processing fee. If you have any questions, please contact Sharon Cavlovich at sharonw@cmu.edu or Nicole Stenger at nstenger@cs.cmu.edu. For more information on Hershey Park, visit http://www.hersheypark.com/.

Carnegie Mellon's Employee Picnic at Kennywood Park will be held Saturday, June 14. Ticket sales will begin June 2. Stay tuned for more information regarding the Kennywood picnic.