News Briefs

Pittsburgh City Council Approves CMU's Institutional Master Plan

Pittsburgh City Council has unanimously approved Carnegie Mellon’s 2022 Institutional Master Plan (IMP). 

City of Pittsburgh Zoning Code requires Carnegie Mellon University and all other institutions located in an educational/medical district to submit an update of their IMP every 10 years. IMPs provide an individualized 10-year development framework for each institution that includes plans and standards for such things as new buildings, parking, urban design and neighborhood compatibility. 

"The two-and-a-half-year planning and approval process, which started during the pandemic, has developed an exciting vision for the future of the university," said Bob Reppe, university architect. "The development of the IMP has been an integrated process with many individuals and groups that deserve our appreciation for this important milestone in the history of Carnegie Mellon."

According to Ralph Horgan, associate vice president of Campus Design and Facility Development, the potential developments proposed in the Institutional Master Plan would be state-of-the art facilities that support the academic and research pursuits of the Carnegie Mellon community, enhance the student residential experience and contribute to the economic growth and quality of life in the Pittsburgh region.

“The projects will also contribute to the well-being of those living, studying, working on or visiting campus, and the residents of the surrounding communities by being well-designed legacy buildings that are universally accessible and environmentally responsible,”  Horgan said.

For an overview of the developments proposed in the plan, read Designing the Campus of Tomorrow.

Swartz Center Selects New Cohort of Entrepreneurial Fellows

The CMU Swartz Center has selected its newest cohort of 12 James R. Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows. The graduate students hail from a diverse cross section of schools across Carnegie Mellon, including the Tepper School, Heinz College, School of Computer Science and the College of Engineering. The new Swartz Fellows are:

• Saisri Akondi, Integrated Innovation Institute;
• Aisya Aziz, College of Engineering;
• Serena Dao, Tepper School of Business;
• Tony He, Tepper School of Business;
• Sarvesh Karkhanis, College of Engineering;
• Adam Knapp, Heinz College;
• Oravee Smithiphol, Heinz College;
• Nicholas Swaminathan, Tepper School of Business;
• Liana Tai, Tepper School of Business;
• Shivam Tripathy, School of Computer Science;
• Praveen Venkatesh, School of Computer Science; and
• Zilin Zhang, School of Computer Science.

Find out more about the new Swartz Fellows.

CMU Named a Most Engaged Campus for Student Voting

Carnegie Mellon was named a 2022 ALL IN Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. The ALL IN program recognizes participating institutions that worked to increase nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout, and ensure equitable access to the polls for their campus community.

The Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting is part of ALL IN’s mission to advance voting efforts on college and university campuses across the country. This year’s honorees span 44 states and the District of Columbia and include a diverse group of institutions, including 94 Minority-Serving Institutions, seven HBCUs, 63 Hispanic-Serving Institutions and 68 community colleges. Learn more about the All IN Campus Democracy Challenge.

Girls of Steel Candy Fundraiser Runs Through Dec. 15

Carnegie Mellon’s Girls of Steel Robotics club, a K-12 outreach initiative of the Robotics Institute, is partnering with Sarris Candies in a fundraising effort in which 25% of the proceeds raised will be donated to the Girls of Steel. 

Order candies online now through Dec. 15. Candies will be shipped to you, or your friends and family for free with a $5 per order packaging and handling fee. Fees may vary per state.

• Enter the CMU/Girls of Steel Group ID: 10-2445
• Choose from holiday candies, chocolate covered pretzels, hot cocoa bombs, and more.

Who's New at CMU?

Carnegie Mellon welcomes the following new staff members this week.

• Amal Kouttab, Psychotherapy Program Director, Community Health & Well-Being;

• Christina Debski, Associate System Engineer, Robotics Institute, National Robotics Engineering Center;

• Joshua Curtis, Group Exercise Fitness Instructor, Athletics & Physical Education;

• Jessica Best, Group Exercise Fitness Instructor, Athletics & Physical Education;

• Liana Song, Research Associate, Human Computer Interaction Institute;

• Andrew Wilkey, DevOps Automation Engineer, SEI Mod/sim and Exercise;

• Brooke Schooles, Senior Multi-media Designer, SEI OCOS Communication Services;

• Charles Edmond, Information Security Training and Awareness Coordinator, Information Security Office, Computing Services;

• Colby Kite, Accounts Payable Representative, Accounts Payable;

• Jocelyn Mackay, System Engineer, Robotics Institute, National Robotics Engineering Center;

• Kyle Hayes, Associate Director, Student Services, Tepper School of Business Masters Program;

• Nadim Bodair, Principal Technical Program Manager, SEI Chief Strategy Officer Admin;

• Sierra Roth, Administrative Support, SEI Ai Do;

• Steven Miles, Senior Network Operations Engineer, SEI OCOS IT Services;

• Stanley Mukasa, Senior Manager for Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships, Rwanda - Information and Communication Technology;

• James Spelman, Assistant Director, Masters Admissions, Tepper School of Business;

• Katherine Hamilton, Group Exercise Fitness Instructor, Athletics & Physical Education;

• Monica Cooney, Communications Manager, College of Engineering Marketing and Communications; and

• Teresa Scholze, Senior Administrative Coordinator & Office Manager, Housing Services Administration.