Personal Mention

Erica Cochran Hameen, an assistant professor in the School of Architecture, was recently named the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Pennsylvania Impact Designer of the Year for 2021. She was chosen by colleagues, peers and industry partners from across Pennsylvania for the honor, bestowed during the AIA Pennsylvania’s 5th annual awards broadcast in mid-November. Only one member is selected each year. Typically, this award is provided to an architect for a specific built project, however this year, the AIA PA team selected Hameen based on the impact of her research, teaching and initiatives and how they have provided significant social, humanitarian, community and environmental benefits. “It's a great honor and wonderful recognition for CMU and highlights the impact that faculty can have on the world!” she said. Hameen is co-director of the Center for Building Performance & Diagnostics and track chair of the Doctor of Design program. Her architectural experience includes over 50 educational, media and broadcast, residential and community facilities. She has received numerous honors for her research and architectural design. Learn more about Hameen.

David Touretzky, a research professor in the Computer Science Department, will receive the 2022 AAAI/EAAI Outstanding Educator award for his work with the Artificial Intelligence for K-12 Initiative (AI4K12.org). The award is presented annually by the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) and the Educational Advances in Artificial Intelligence (EAAI) conference to individuals or teams who have made major contributions to AI education. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium, membership in AAAI and complimentary registration to upcoming AAAI/EAAI conferences. Touretzky, the founder and chair of AI4K12, shares the honor with the other members of the AI4K12 Steering Committee: Christina Gardner-McCune of the University of Florida; Fred Martin of the University of Massachusetts Lowell; and Deborah Seehorn, formerly of the Computer Science Teachers Association. The winners are invited to deliver a talk at the 36th AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, scheduled for February 2022 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Find out more about the award.

Paulina Jaramillo is one of four Andrew Carnegie Fellows who will participate in the Andrew Carnegie Fellows Forum: Smart Takes on Climate Change from noon to 1 p.m., Wednesday, December 8. Moderated by TIME’s Justin Worland, the panel will explore how we can take urgent, responsible and just actions to tackle the climate crisis. Joining Jaramillo on the panel will be professors Micheal Greenstone of the University of Chicago, Sikina Jinnah of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Thea Riofrancos of Providence College. Jaramillo is a CMU professor of engineering and public policy, co-director of the Green Design Institute, a fellow of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation and Research, and a research affiliate of the Kigali Collaborative Research Center. She is currently involved in multi-disciplinary research projects to better understand the social, economic and environmental implications of policy-driven changes in the operations of the energy system. Over the past five years, her research and education efforts have expanded to include issues related to energy access and development in the Global South. She has also worked to incorporate values and beliefs in energy planning in historically disenfranchised communities and to understand the implications of energy access in gender equity. Learn more about Jaramillo and the panel.