More than 100 Carnegie Mellon University students are tapping into their talents as designers, models, dancers, videographers and technicians to pull off one of Pittsburgh’s most anticipated fashion shows.

The Lunar Gala, now in its 21^st year, will showcase nearly 150 original designs created and modeled by students across many disciplines and cultures who infuse technology and complex materials into wearable fashions. More than 1,000 tickets have been sold for this year’s show at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Cohon University Center’s Wiegand Gym.

Traditionally themed around the Zodiac animal of the Chinese New Year, this year’s production will be reminiscent of the rooster. From mood-sensing Intel chips to zip ties, sheet metal and laser-cut wood, nothing is off limits in the students’ quest to reflect culture, technology and reactions to events happening in today’s society.

New in 2017 is an alumni line designed by graduates who couldn’t resist an opportunity to relive their Lunar Gala experience.

“It was so much fun to strut on the runway to some blasting electronic music at the end of a stressful day of classes,” said Aya Demler, one of the featured alumni designers.

Demler, a 2015 College of Fine Arts graduate, was on the Lunar Gala board for two years; modeled in the 2012 and 2015 shows; and designed a line with a friend in 2014.

Students model two of this year's Luna Gala fashions during a dress rehearsal.

“It's always fun to tap into a little bit of fantasy and pretend you’re a fashion model or designer for a little while,” said Demler, now a product designer for Duolingo.

Demler’s favorite part of being on the board was coaching the models to walk a certain way.

“They all have to know how to walk in heels, but the next step is making sure they look confident and comfortable doing it,” she said.

“When we are being watched or our nerves kick in, some people purse their lips too tight. Some swing their arms too much. Others don’t take long enough strides. It’s all about the details and perfecting them, so that you look as natural as possible. There’s nothing really natural about it.”

The look Demler created for the line is inspired by the Japanese Yukata, a casual version of a kimono, and the color red.

“I'm eager to watch it come to life through the beautiful model and through the insanely amazing stage that the AB Tech team puts together each year,” she said. “It’s a lot easier designing this time around since I don’t have the stress of school work looming over me!”

In the throes of that balancing act now are producers Michelle Cho, a business major, and Lynzky Deleon, who is studying psychology. Deleon modeled in Lunar Gala as a first-year student.

“Honestly, it is so exhilarating, you kind of get dragged back into it the next year because you want to experience that feeling again,” Deleon said.

Miriam Buchwald, a communications design graduate who produced last year’s Lunar Gala, is back as one of the featured alumni designers. She said producing Lunar Gala taught her valuable lessons in leadership and delegation.

“I never would have otherwise had the opportunity to manage such a large organization at such a young age,” Buchwald said. “I am extremely grateful for that opportunity.”

However, by far the greatest lesson she learned, Buchwald said, was to be adaptable.

“Whether it was one of my hot glue dresses falling apart two minutes before it was supposed to be on stage or dealing with a leak over the runway, I always had to think quickly on my feet and find solutions fast,” Buchwald said. “It’s those life lessons that help you no matter where you go after college.”

Cho’s goal is for the audience to be “blown away” by the students’ work and to be fully entertained for the entire two hours.

“A lot of the designs are multicultural. One line is influenced by Indian garments but they also applied LED lights to it, so you have a sense of engineering and culture in one amazing look,” Cho said.

“I want the audience to see the diversity that’s here at CMU and also see what you can do with things that you think aren’t related.”

Visit the Lunar Gala blog to find out more about the show's participants and how it all comes together.

Teaching a robot to complete complex manufacturing tasks can showcase its efficiency and precision. Highlighting its spontaneity, curiosity or playfulness brings out its personality.

With her latest robotics project, “Mimus,” Madeline Gannon, a Ph.D. candidate in computational design at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Architecture, is bringing museum visitors face-to-face with a curious 1200 kg industrial robot at the Design Museum London’s exhibition “Fear and Love: Reactions to a Complex World.” The exhibition runs through April 23.

Mimus is an ABB IRB 6700 industrial robot that would normally be found completing repetitive tasks on a car assembly line. But, today it serves as the museum’s latest “living” resident. In its large glass enclosure, Mimus engages visitors like a curious animal at the zoo.

She said she hopes to reinforce the message that robots can be seen as creatures, and not just things.

“Creating new ways to communicate with machines is my passion, and I’m so excited to share this experience with others through Mimus," Gannon said. “When something responds to us with lifelike movements — even when it is clearly an inanimate object — we, as humans, cannot help but project our emotions onto it.”

Gannon named her creation Mimus after the Latin root of “mimic” and a genus of the mockingbird family. A number of CMU students and alumni had a hand in bringing Mimus to life, including Kevyn McPhail, Ben Snell and Dan Moore. She developed the project at the Frank-Ratchye STUDIO for Creative Inquiry and during a sponsored residency at Autodesk’s new Boston BUILD Space.

“The big void in robotics is being able to communicate with the hardware in a way that allows them to be dynamic and adaptable. Currently, these huge machines do the same thing their entire lives,” said Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of Autodesk. “In the future, robots will be more entrenched in our daily lives as designers, builders and engineers. ... Madeline and Mimus highlight how that new relationship can emerge.”

Her goal for Mimus was to embed ways for the robot to sense and respond to human interaction in a life-like way, without any pre-planned movement. Its movements and behaviors rely on a combination of depth sensors, simulation algorithms and custom gesture-based software. As Mimus explores its surroundings, the layers of hardware and software culminate into movement that can often give visitors a sense of empathy and compassion for this piece of industrial machinery.

A continuation of her work as the “Robot Whisperer,” Gannon hopes that “Mimus” can aid in refashioning the perception of robots as primarily replacements for human labor.

“What’s fascinating is the way Madeline has subverted the robot by reprogramming it, taking something designed for industrial repetition and making it seem alive and spontaneous. One starts to get the sense of how robots may behave in the future,” said Justin McGuirk, chief curator of the Design Museum.

“Mimus” is one of 11 installations in the first exhibit at the Design Museum since opening in a new space. Since 1989, the museum has been dedicated to promoting contemporary design in many forms including architecture, fashion, graphics, product and industrial design.

Longtime Carnegie Mellon University carpenter Jack Aul made his first baseball bat when his oldest son was in little league.

Since then he has made more than 75 bats for his six sons, and has passed on the skill to his now–adult son Joseph, who is growing a business making major league-quality bats for little league, high school and college players.

“There are two things that I really have a passion for,” Aul said, “carpentry, which is what I do for a living, and baseball.”

Aul was born into a family of skilled tradesmen. His grandfather and cousin worked as carpenters and his father was a pipe fitter.

“I’ve been buying tools since the second grade,” he said. “I just love anything mechanical.”

Carpentry, in particular, appealed to Aul because he liked the naturalness of working with wood. About 15 years ago, he put his two passions together and began making bats for his young sons.

“All of my boys have played baseball, and they all used wooden bats,” Aul said. “I started making baseball bats for them because I felt that using wooden bats would make you a better hitter.”

Aul says wooden bat barrels have less hitting surface than their aluminum counterparts, which allows less room for error. The “sweet spot” is less than six inches on a wooden bat, which forces a player’s swing to be more accurate, and players have to generate more power to hit the ball a distance with a wooden bat.

Joseph played baseball all the way up through college at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., and he used his father’s bats while practicing in summer leagues. When Joseph graduated, he started the Aul Bat Company with the help of his father. The company sells wooden bats to baseball players from little league through minor and independent leagues.

Aul said bat companies that supply the major leagues use the best wood only for those players, not for younger, developing players. Thus, he and his son would rather focus on that void, giving little league, high school and college players high quality bats that can help them get to the major leagues.

Have a suggestion for the Piper Spotlight? Send it to piperweekly@andrew.cmu.edu.

Students visited Autodesk, a Silicon Valley firm that creates software for the architecture, engineering, construction, manufacturing, media and entertainment industries.

Carnegie Mellon University MBA students recently took a trip to the West Coast to see what Silicon Valley has to offer. They were not disappointed.

“I enjoyed learning from legendary investors like James Swartz and Doug Leone, listening to what they look for in budding entrepreneurs, and hearing what they think the next big trends will be in the tech industry,” said Nathan Pitzer, president of the Graduate Entrepreneurship Club (GEC) and member of the James Swartz Entrepreneurial Fellows program.

Swartz, a 1966 Tepper School graduate and veteran host of student visits, gave $31 million to the university in 2015 to establish the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon. The new center was inaugurated in October 2016 and will be housed in the Tepper Quad, set to open in 2018.

Pitzer said he also enjoyed visiting prominent venture capital firms like Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners.

The annual “tech trek” to the San Francisco Bay Area for Tepper School students is organized by the MBA Business and Technology Club (B&T Club) and the Career Opportunities Center. This year two groups made the trip, students in the B&T Club and Graduate Entrepreneurship Club (GEC). The trip features visits to top technology companies and investment firms, and alumni networking.

“I first heard about the trek during Diversity Weekend, and it really cemented the fact that Tepper has a great connection to Silicon Valley, which is an advantage to anyone who's interested in tech,” said Shweta Aladi, a first-year MBA student in the B&T Club who helped organize the trip. “My favorite visit was to Uber. It was easy to see the passion of the employees for their roles and the company’s vision.”

In addition to Uber, students in the B&T Club visited Cisco, Paypal, Google, Intuit, Veritas, Jupiter Networks, Walmart eCommerce, VMware, Salesforce, Autodesk and Intel.

MBA student Jassum Gloster tries out a driving simulator at Autodesk.

Students in the GEC visited company accelerators Y Combinator and Hax, and startups like Harmless Harvest, Prenav, BrightEdge, Heroku and Modsy.

“The trek set me up with a network of key individuals that I can leverage to build more opportunities within the entrepreneurship community,” said GEC member Andrew Ellerhorst. “It also provided me with exposure to businesses in the various stages of development.”

“Incoming students look forward to our technology treks from the time they arrive on campus, and for good reason,” said Scott Scheible, associate director of the Career Opportunities Center. “Attendees come away with a wealth of new knowledge about the tech industry and a much greater sense of what it takes to succeed in major tech hubs like Silicon Valley, Seattle, Austin, etc. They’re also able to forge dozens of new connections with company representatives and Tepper MBA alumni currently working in those areas.”

The trip featured a networking reception for students on the VMware campus, where local alumni shared their experiences in the Bay Area tech culture

“It was a great way to meet alumni who have been through the same recruiting process, and were able to offer insights and guidance to current students. It was easy to imagine what life could be like if I was to move there for my internship,” Aladi said.

Provost Farnam Jahanian (left) and James Garrett, dean of the College of Engineering, don virtual reality headsets for a glimpse into how ultra-high speed travel would change lives.

The Hyperloop team at Carnegie Mellon University shared its mass transit pod design and vision for ultra-high speed transportation on Feb. 12 during an event that drew more than 300 faculty, staff and students to the Cohon University Center.

Many of the participants waited in line up to an hour for a turn inside the Hyperloop simulator, a virtual reality (VR) experience created by scenic design majors Tom Kelly and John Walker.

“Traveling at the speed of sound via VR at the Hyperloop pod launch demonstrated the necessary nexus between experiential artistry and technological savvy for the future to meet the present,” said Peter Cooke, head of the School of Drama, who was among the first guests in the simulator.

Walker said the most difficult aspect of the VR project was making sure all the components fit together to tell a cohesive story.

“It is sometimes hard for people to relate technical specs to real-world impact. We wanted to humanize the technology and give a small glimpse into a world where the Hyperloop defines the way we live our lives,” Walker said. “Story was always the most important thing to us, and balancing the technical with the artistic to do that was quite the challenge.”

Some guests were hoping to fully experience how fast the Hyperloop goes, but Kelly said that was not the goal of their project.

“We wanted to showcase an honest and touching story that would immerse guests in what Hyperloop would really do for us as humans, how it would make two worlds one,” Kelly said. “The idea now that New York is only half an hour away, you can live in Denver and go hiking in the afternoon, and then go meet your parents in New York for some NYC-style pizza.”

The CMU Hyperloop team's pod design placed eighth in overall design and construction at SpaceX’s first Hyperloop competition held in January in Los Angeles.

A carbon fiber shell enables CMU’s first Hyperloop pod to maintain extremely high speeds without spending a lot of energy. Its state-of-the-art levitation system supports speeds up to 220 miles per hour with minimal resistance, while a combination of non-contact magnetic braking and friction pads can bring the pod to a screeching halt in under 10 seconds.

Although the ultimate goal is to create a pod that can travel more than 700 miles per hour, the need for speed has not been the driving force behind the CMU team’s efforts thus far.

“I think the Hyperloop’s real potential lies in its ability to help us build relationships,” said Lauren D’Souza, a Tepper School of Business student and the Hyperloop team’s marketing lead.

“Imagine getting to spend more time with people you love who live far away, or even getting to meet family members that you’ve never met before,” she said. “There are so many ways that the Hyperloop can help us expand our horizons and our opportunities, and understand our world that much better.”

The team placed eighth in overall design and construction at SpaceX’s first Hyperloop competition held in January in Los Angeles. The team was one of 30 selected from more than 1,500 that applied to compete.

As SpaceX moves forward this summer with the second installment of the competition, the CMU team will make maximum speed their top priority, because the pods will be judged only on this single criterion. The competition is open to new student teams interested in competing on the test track and existing student teams that want to further refine their designs.

The CMU team is hoping to recruit at least 20 new engineers and designers to help in the next phase.

“We will take everything we learned at SpaceX to design an entirely new pod to make it even lighter, safer and more efficient,” said Karthik Chandrashekaraiah, the lead design engineer who earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2016. “We will modify our subsystems to further drive down the magnetic drag forces on the pod. Our in-house testing facility is playing a major role in extracting physical data for the new subsystems.”

The 50-member CMU Hyperloop team includes students from the College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, School of Computer Science and Tepper School of Business.

Related Link: In It To Win It

The new "portal" in the Sorrells Engineering & Science Library.

A renovation of Carnegie Mellon University’s Sorrells Engineering & Science Library has transformed the space to support student learning in new and innovative ways.

Individual study spaces have increased by 25 percent, and new technology-equipped group study and project rooms have been added to facilitate collaborative work. These recent upgrades build on work completed in 2013 that included quiet and group study areas and improved lighting.

Individual and group study spaces have expanded.

A grand re-opening event is slated for 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 1.

“For generations of students, the Sorrells Library has been at the heart of their work, providing access to information spaces for serious study, and an opportunity to work alongside specialist librarians,” said Keith Webster, dean of University Libraries. “This remodeling begins to deliver spaces that meet the needs of 21st century students — spaces for collaboration and innovation, a venue for quiet study, and innovative technology.”

“I love the new modern look to the library,” said Juliana Nam, a junior design major. “It’s definitely drawing in more students because not only is it visually pleasing, but also much more intuitive of students’ needs in a study environment.”

Made of bamboo, three striking millwork pieces bring the transformation to life, defining spaces and bringing warmth where students can go to collaborate, focus and learn.

A “portal” connects the front and back sections of the library; the “cabana” lines the group study tables along the south wall; and the “den” houses a multimedia group study area at the rear of the library.

The platform on the back side of the portal is a casual gathering area.

The organic structures were created by Standard & Custom, an architectural design and fabrication firm founded by Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts alumni Filip Agren and Lexi Chung, 2011 and 2010 graduates, respectively.

To accommodate the major changes, a large number of books were moved to offsite storage. About 12,000 frequently used books remain on site.

GBBN Architects was the architectural firm leading the project and the construction manager was Mosites Construction. Jennifer McDowell of Campus Design and Facility Development was the project manager.

View a gallery of additional photos.

Ashley Grice is working to ensure everyone feels welcome on Carnegie Mellon’s campus.

In her previous role at Carnegie Mellon, she advocated for the LGBTQ+ community as a facilitator of SafeZone training, which educates faculty and staff about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and suggests ways they can grow in their support of the LGBTQ+ community.

Building on that experience, Grice is now an assistant director in the Alumni Association, for which she brainstorms with teams of volunteers to engage more alumni in meaningful ways.

Her efforts are focused on alumni in the southern regions of the United States as well as the Black, Latino/Hispanic and LGBTQ+ alumni interest groups.

“In a less formal capacity, I believe my role is to be an advocate and educator for the entire campus community,” Grice said.  “Anyone — whether it’s a student, faculty, staff, alumni or someone visiting our campus — should feel confident that once they step foot on our campus, they will be embraced holistically and feel they are on the path to a meaningful and memorable experience at Carnegie Mellon.”

Grice values the opportunities she’s been given to be innovative and creative in meeting the needs of every member of the campus community.

“Success within my role also will come from meaningful engagement with our current students to ensure that while at the institution, they feel valued and given a skillset that will set them up for success as they approach graduation and contribute to society,” Grice said.

If you see Yulia Zhukoff tapping her feet behind her desk in Carnegie Mellon University’s Alumni House, there’s a good reason why. The executive assistant is an accomplished cellist, music professor, dance instructor and co-owner of PghTango since 2008.

By day, Zhukoff is the top aide for Nancy Merritt, assistant vice president for Alumni Relations. She works closely with the Alumni Association Board and plays key logistical roles in Alumni Relations programs, such as Carnival and the Alumni Awards. Her time away from the office is highlighted by her love for music and dance, including performances with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and in Duquesne University’s City Music Center.

“She is an indispensable team player, who does whatever it takes. Her passion for music and teaching, as well as experience running her own business, are skills that definitely transfer to her role here,” Merritt said.

Zhukoff emigrated from St. Petersburg, Russia, to New York City in 2002, with her parents and older sister, Katherine.

Zhukoff is an accomplished cellist.

“As artists, opportunities were limited for them in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Those were difficult economic times and my parents wanted their children to have a more promising future,” she said.

Zhukoff attended the elite LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts, which was featured in the movie “Fame.” After high school, she entered Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music, where she met her future husband and business partner, Koichiro (“Chewy”) Suzuki. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2009.

A year before earning her degree, Zhukoff and Suzuki launched PghTango. They conduct classes in Argentine Tango at the Absolute Ballroom Dance Center in Bakery Square. They also organize a weekly “Milonga,” or dancing event, for the area’s Tango community at venues across Pittsburgh, and plan yearly trips to Buenos Aires, home of the Argentine Tango.

“As instructors, we don’t just teach our students to dance, we encourage them to go out and dance wherever and whenever they can,” Zhukoff said.

David Garlan, a CMU alumnus and professor of computer science, is the faculty adviser for the CMU Tango Club, which meets Wednesday evenings in the Cohon University Center. He said PghTango has made an enormous impact on the Tango scene in Pittsburgh.

“Yulia is one of those rare people who can balance work, family and play, bringing remarkable energy and creativity to each role,” Garlan said.

CMU first-year mechanical engineering graduate student Kaveh Nikou is one of the couple’s loyal students.

“I became addicted to the dance because of its constant challenge and fun factor, and because Yulia and Chewy are such great teachers, who break down the complex figures of tango into smaller, achievable steps,” Nikou said.

Zhukoff said there is a clear distinction between ballroom dancing and the Argentine Tango, which is a more social, improvisational “street dance” with African, Gaucho and European influences.

“Of course, there are basic structures, forms and cool moves like you see on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’ But not as staged and structured like ballroom — and that’s why I fell in love with it,” she said.

Zhukoff’s enthusiasm for music and dance extends to CMU.

“Just to be able to say I work here makes me proud. In many ways, the Tango reminds me of the culture at the university with its blend of technicality, innovation, teamwork and creativity,” she said.

Scott Kurdilla can see what is on your mind.

As a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research technologist and MRI safety officer, Kurdilla manages day-to-day operations at the Scientific Imaging and Brain Research (SIBR) Center in CMU’s Psychology Department.  His responsibilities range from safety training and scheduling to scanner maintenance, quality assurance and metal screening.

“Whenever we use our brains, neurons and supporting structures require oxygen and nutrients to provide energy for optimal brain function. Blood flow changes are linked with brain activation and can be measured using special MRI techniques,” Kurdilla explained.

Functional MRI is a process by which images of the brain are obtained while the participant is engaged in some task. The process is “functional” because the images show which areas of the brain are working the hardest during various tasks.

The SIBR center is used by researchers at CMU, the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University. Kurdilla works with many different lab groups that perform fMRI scans to study new ways to understand addiction, lie detection, stress levels, sports concussions, autism and schizophrenia, to name a few.

Kurdilla has scanned the brains of a number of celebrities including many professional sports players, and TV and movie stars. Alan Alda, Barbara Walters, Temple Grandin and Jenna Bush Hager have recently had fMRI scans performed at the SIBR.

But he enjoys working with the autism groups the most.

“The subjects diagnosed with autism try so hard, from holding still in the MRI scanner so the pictures are clear to doing the best they can at the functional task. They are such inspirations,” he said.

Kurdilla, who has been at CMU for seven years, has a degree in radiologic imaging and has been working in the field for the past two decades. When he is not scanning brains, he enjoys spending time with his family and German shepherd.

“My wife, Renee, and my son, Hunter, mean everything to me,” he said. “Renee teaches me every day how to be a better person.”

Justin Weinberg is making it his business to improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

The Carnegie Mellon University chemical engineering Ph.D. student co-founded a tech startup called 101 that enables professors to engage students in active learning exercises during their traditional classroom lectures.

Weinberg and his former classmate, Igor Belyayev, created an app that professors can use to send problems to students’ mobile devices.

“What we’re trying to do with 101 is take college STEM out of the dark ages of passive learning and usher in the new age of active learning,” Weinberg said.

Weinberg met Belyayev while studying at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City. There, they created Chem Pro, an app that features video lessons to help students learn chemistry. When the app was downloaded half a million times by U.S. students, they realized the need for enhanced teaching tools.

101 recently introduced its first classroom tool for chemistry students. Chem101 focuses on the teaching of Lewis structures, a core part of early chemistry education. Using Chem101, professors can assign a Lewis structure problem during their lecture by sending it directly to students’ mobile devices.

Students respond using an intuitive drawing tool to build out the structure, then send answers back to the professor. Instructors can observe and address student mistakes in real-time.

“This is the first subject-specific response tool, which makes it very attractive to professors,” Weinberg said. “Clickers and other digital response tools only allow students to answer generic questions like multiple choice. Chem101 actually helps students learn the subject matter because they can visualize concepts like molecular geometry and obtain feedback on their answers they would otherwise never get.”

About 2,000 students in nine elite universities, community colleges and high schools have used Chem101 and the feedback has been positive. More than 75 percent said they preferred it to other existing courseware and 40 percent said it increased their interest in chemistry after using it for a couple weeks.

In one case study, students using Chem101 experienced a 200 percent improvement in learning versus students who did not use it, based on pre- and post-semester exams.

Justin Weinberg (left) and Igor Belyayev debuted Chem101 during the American Chemical Society national meeting in 2016.

“For the chemical structure drawing aspect of Chem101, I have experienced nothing as interactive, easy to use and versatile in providing detailed applicable structural information,” said Leonard Vuocolo, assistant teaching professor of chemistry at CMU.

Vuocolo said he is willing to make Chem101 a course requirement for students to learn to draw Lewis structures.

“This app is a terrific tool for students and it would be great if it could be expanded to also cover other topics in chemistry,” said Daniele Ramella, an assistant professor of chemistry at Temple University.

Zack Masciopinto, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, also gave it high marks.

“Compared to other websites ... Chem101 was simpler to navigate, easier to complete specific activities ... and overall a better experience for learning,” he said.

Duquesne University student Garrett Craig said it was the best app he has ever used in school.

“It was clear and explained things very well when answering questions. Using the app in class made learning chemistry fun and easy,” Craig said.

Weinberg said he and his co-founder are working to add more to the app to support more chemistry courses.

“From here we want to explore opportunities to break into more STEM subjects, like math, physics and biology,” Weinberg said.

The startup has received support from CMU’s Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and Project Olympus.

Julia Corrin is preserving Carnegie Mellon University’s history.

In her third year as CMU’s archivist, Corrin said she was drawn to the profession by her love for storytelling.

“I love the idea of how we tell stories and what we use to tell them,” she said. “I love being able to reach across time, whether it’s across five years or 100 years, to touch another person and to touch another time. It’s amazing what even a memo from a dean to a president, or from a dean to a professor can tell you.”

Corrin’s workspace in Hunt Library is part office, part storage facility, filled with thousands of boxes and filing cabinets that house a myriad of stories, from the late Herb Simon and Allen Newell’s academic papers on artificial intelligence to Margaret Morrison Carnegie College cookbooks, to “dinks” or beanies that first-year students wore on campus in the ‘50s and ‘60s, to the original album for “Pippin Pippin,” the award-winning musical Stephen Schwartz wrote as a CMU undergraduate.

There are invitations, tickets and posters from past Beaux Arts balls in the College of Fine Arts, newspaper reports of Carnegie Tech’s incredible victory over Notre Dame in 1926, and more than 100 boxes of film negatives and photographs.

“We have student life, we have academic life, we have minutia of campus policies and all these pieces come together to form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts,” said Corrin, who earned her master’s degree in information science at the University of Michigan. “No matter what you’re looking for about the university’s history, we probably have something about it.”

One of her favorite items in the archives is the School of Drama Prompt Book Collection, books from the 1920s through the ‘80s that senior drama students compiled to document their stage productions.

“They are the photographs, costume designs, lighting props and invitations to all the shows. They’re lovely artifacts that tell you a lot about what student life was like when they were being made. The ones from the earlier years are most exciting,” she said.

Corrin also has photos from modern-day alumni stars, such as Holly Hunter, Ted Danson and Blair Underwood. “You name them, we got them,” she said.

Another one of her favorites is a 1940s scrapbook from Margaret Morrison Carnegie College.

“It tells the story of a group of students that took over a house for their senior project. It opens the biggest window into that time period,” she said.

Corrin is always on the hunt for new material and is reaching out to departments in an effort to help them preserve their history.

As Carnegie Mellon University’s 50th anniversary approaches, she said the archive is a resource for people who are telling the university’s stories.

“The archives are magical. It gives you a sense of discovery in finding that gem of a document, photograph or artifact. You never know what you’re going to find,” she said.

In his annual update to the Carnegie Mellon University community last week, President Subra Suresh reported progress on top strategic priorities, and laid out the extraordinary opportunities that lie ahead for the university.

“There’s no better time to be at Carnegie Mellon University,” he said.

Noting CMU’s pioneering global excellence in robotics and artificial intelligence, data science, the internet of things, technology connecting with humanity, autonomous systems, and ethics and policy — the pillars of the Fourth Industrial Revolution — Suresh said, “I strongly believe … that Carnegie Mellon is uniquely positioned to impact the global society more so than at any other point in our long and distinguished history.”

Strategic Priorities:
Attracting and Retaining Outstanding and Diverse Talent

“Attracting and retaining outstanding and diverse talent necessarily requires building a healthy and growing endowment, and since I spoke to you in the fall, we as a community have made great strides,” said Suresh, who noted that for the first time in history, the total of endowed funds that benefit CMU has surpassed $2 billion, increasing by nearly 60 percent over the last three and one-half years.

The Presidential Fellowships and Scholarships program, created to attract and retain the best and brightest undergraduate and graduate students, is now supporting 255 students and has grown to $285 million in endowed funds with the help of 450 donors. The most recent contribution was a $10 million gift last month from CMU Trustee Frank Brunckhorst to support Presidential Scholarships.

Funds also have been raised to support several professorships across the university’s seven schools and colleges. A recent $5 million gift from two regional foundations will endow the Jack G. Buncher Chair for the head of the School of Music. The gift is the largest in the history of the school.

President Suresh said CMU continues to form mutually beneficial partnerships with government and industry. He cited several recent developments, including the $10 million gift from K&L Gates to study the policy and practical ethics of artificial intelligence, a gift of up to $31 million from PwC US to form the new Risk and Regulatory Services Innovation Center, and CMU’s key role in the formation of the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Institute, which will receive $250 million from the Department of Defense and partner organizations.

Enhancing the CMU Experience

On the heels of a university-wide email, titled “Delivering on the CMU Experience,” Suresh reaffirmed his commitment to providing the most secure, supportive and nurturing environment possible for students, faculty, staff and alumni.

“I see the CMU experience as having two distinct but interrelated dimensions: the personal dimension in environment and infrastructure that allows each of us to live healthy, fulfilling lives; and a community dimension that creates a united sense of spirit and purpose, or a dimension that many of us would like to call ‘One CMU,’” Suresh said.

He said the university will work to implement tactics that address three areas of focus identified by the newly convened President’s Advisory Board for the CMU Experience. They are: change the stress culture; define and deliver the CMU Experience; and create a “One CMU” Experience.

Suresh commended the new host family program for international students as a creative way the university can promote greater community. He also discussed progress by the Task Force on the CMU Experience, led by Provost Farnam Jahanian, on improving academic and advising infrastructure and policies in an effort to improve course management for students.

The president touched on some of the historic infrastructure improvements underway, such as the Tepper Quad, the TCS Building, Ansys Hall and the recently completed Scott Hall. He applauded the transformative renovation of the Sorrells Engineering and Science Library in Wean Hall, and the upcoming new health and wellness center, authorized by trustees last month, that will more than double the size of CMU’s health and counseling facilities, while allowing the university to adopt a new, more proactive approach to wellness for all students.

“This is a major investment that will put CMU at the forefront of student support in the years to come,” Suresh said of the new health and wellness center.

Building Excellence Across Carnegie Mellon

By adding outstanding talent and improving the quality of the CMU experience, Suresh said Carnegie Mellon is poised to build excellence across the university.

“At CMU, that excellence will be built on our historic commitment to science. This foundation, combined with technology, business, policy, design, fine arts, social sciences, architecture, entrepreneurship and humanities, makes this a great research university, well-positioned to have a powerful impact on the 21st century human condition,” Suresh said.

He said faculty are actively encouraging students to expand studies outside their colleges.

Suresh said CMU’s scholarly excellence across disciplines is made evident by prestigious accolades earned by faculty. He noted recent awards won by professors David Creswell, who won the American Psychosomatic Society’s 2017 Herbert Weiner Early Career Award; Andrzej Strojwas, who earned the 2016 Phil Kaufman Award for Distinguished Contributions to Electronic System Design; and Takeo Kanade, the first Carnegie Mellon professor to receive the IEEE Founder’s Medal. The autonomous driving technology startup ARGO AI, founded by former CMU staff and students, recently received a $1 billion investment from Ford, and several alumni were involved in creating the scenes for the Oscar nominated film “Fences.”

Commitment to Diversity

President Suresh concluded his update by reiterating his commitment to diversity and inclusion. As a recent example, he cited CMU’s participation with other top U.S. research universities in an amicus brief opposing the presidential executive order banning travel to select nations. Student leaders also hosted an open forum to oppose the executive order and discuss possible developments.

“On a personal note, this issue is of paramount importance to me, as my personal and professional journey over the past 40 years were made possible by the historically welcoming immigration policies of this country,” Suresh said.

The president’s update was broadcast on Facebook Live and the web. Watch the update in its entirety.

Nicole Reading, Matt D'Emilio and Sebastian Lacy (l-r) at a recent Staff Council committee meeting.

Now is the time to stand up and be counted. Let your voice be heard.

That’s the message from Staff Council, an elected body of 60 representatives from across campus that diligently works to help shape and enhance the Carnegie Mellon University staff experience.

Nominations for a seat on Staff Council are now open through March 17. All staff neither represented by a collective bargaining unit nor holding a faculty designation can be nominated, and you can even nominate yourself for this important role.

"The talented and hardworking staff at CMU provide the critical support for our amazing students and faculty in their campus life and academic work,” said President Subra Suresh. "Through their passion, commitment and dedication to CMU, members of the Staff Council contribute significantly to the outstanding achievements of this great university.”

Staff Council representatives attend monthly general body and committee meetings and help to organize various university-wide events that benefit staff, such as the annual Benefits Open Forum and the Benefits and Fitness Fair. Members also have the opportunity to provide input and feedback to CMU’s senior administration on issues, such as the university’s strategic plan, professional development opportunities, health care and tuition benefits, and parental leave.

“Staff Council is a great way to be engaged in campus activities, committees and decision-making across campus, and you meet great people, too,” said Margaret Cox, assistant director of the Miller Gallery.

Each member of Staff Council is required to participate in one of several committees. Three of the committees, the Relations Grievance Advisory Committee, the Strategic Plan Alignment Committee and the Benefits Committee, are directly involved with supporting staff.

The Relations Grievance Advisory Committee is available for all staff who may be seeking information or guidance regarding workplace issues. The Strategic Plan Alignment Committee ensures that Staff Council activities align with the university’s priorities in respect to the CMU Experience for staff. The Benefits Committee works with Human Resources to enhance staff benefits.

“CMU is similar to a small city that operates 24 hours a day, every day,” said Rodney McClendon, vice president of Operations. “Every day, the extraordinary CMU staff, in partnership with the faculty and administration, work to ensure service excellence in support of the academic, research and creative missions of this great university. Much of that service excellence is inspired and coordinated by the exceptional work of Staff Council.”

In addition to the important work being done, Staff Council members also get the opportunity to have fun and meet other staff on campus. Staff Council sponsors the ice cream social, the Staff Appreciation Picnic and the staff picnic at Kennywood Park each year.

“It is incredible to see how many people are working hard to ensure that the voice of staff members on our campus is being heard,” said Bryan Koval, assistant director of Residential Education and a current Staff Council member.

Tom Wilk, information technology manager for the School of Computer Science, joined Staff Council because he wanted to meet people outside of his “small Computing Services world.”

“I felt it could help me meet more people, maybe expand my career opportunities, and show me what goes on at this university beside my daily grind,” Wilk said. “And you know what? Just about everything on that ‘bucket list’ did happen.”

To nominate yourself or a colleague, complete the nomination form. You may nominate up to five people for the 2017-2019 term. Nominations close at 5 p.m., Friday, March 17.

Visit Staff Council for more information.

Angela Ng and Joshua Zak have been selected to receive Student Service awards from Carnegie Mellon University’s Alumni Association for their outstanding contributions to the university, student body and community. They will be honored during the annual Alumni Awards ceremony, Friday, May 19, as part of commencement weekend.

Angela Ng and Joshua Zak

“Joshua and Angela stand out for their incredible breadth of service and leadership across the university community,” said alumna Rebecca Albrecht Allison, immediate past president of the Alumni Association Board and co-chair of the Alumni Awards Committee.

“Both of them have engaged in many service opportunities on campus, locally and globally, and have done so with passion and dedication, and while maintaining strong academic records. The impact of their leadership and initiatives will certainly be felt by current and future generations of students,” Allison said.

Ng, a fifth-year scholar who earned her bachelor’s degree in civil and biomedical engineering with university and college honors, has traveled around the world as a volunteer for several service programs, such as Alternative Break; International Volunteer HQ; Technology Consulting in the Global Community; IMPAQT, a relationship-building program with students on CMU’s Qatar campus; Habitat for Humanity; and Folia Water, an effort that provides clean water to people in developing countries.

On campus, Ng founded the Mindfulness Room, a room of relaxation and rejuvenation; and Paws to Relax, a therapy dog program that includes pet-friendly housing. She has been a resident assistant and community adviser and has been an active member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority, participating in booth and buggy for Spring Carnival and Greek Sing.

She plans to attend graduate school for public health.

Zak, a member of the Science and Humanities Scholars program, will earn his bachelor’s degree this May with a major in materials chemistry and a minor in Japanese studies. He has been extremely active on campus, serving as head orientation counselor, head of booth for Spring Carnival, social chair and booth chair for the student organization Fringe, a member of Phi Kappa Phi fraternity and a three-year member of the Carnegie Mellon UNICEF executive board. In 2016, he participated in the IMPAQT program and traveled to CMU’s Qatar campus in Doha.

Zak was president of Carnegie Mellon’s Mortar Board, was selected as an Andrew Carnegie Society Scholar and spent three years as an undergraduate researcher in Chemistry Professor Stefan Bernhard’s Lab.

Following commencement, Zak plans to enter the Ph.D. program in materials chemistry.

Joining Ng and Zak at the Alumni Awards ceremony May 19 will be 13 alumni who will be recognized for their professional achievements, distinguished service and impact. See who they are.

Four School of Drama students will compete to be this year’s Campus Superstar at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 26, at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland.

Campus Superstar is an American Idol-like singing competition featuring Pittsburgh area college students. Over 150 students auditioned in the fall, and 10 finalists were selected following a semi-final round in November. Campus Superstar is a professionally produced musical spectacular, in which performers are accompanied by a full band, with all of the glamour that one would expect from a concert or Broadway show.

Competing from CMU will be seniors Hanna Berggren and Daryl Paris Bright and sophomores Gena Sims and Ramsey Pack.

"I am very excited to be heading into the finals,” said Sims, a music theater major who will be singing “Be a Lion” from The Wiz. “It will be so much fun performing with such passionate musicians in an awesome venue! Above all, I hope to leave the audience entertained, moved, inspired and empowered. Life is hard, but music illuminates the beauty in it all, reminding us why it's worth it to push through,” she said.

“Once spring break is over, we jumpstart into rehearsals. I’m really looking forward to the experience,” said Berggren, a California Bay Area native who will be performing “They Just Keep Moving the Line” from NBC-TV’s “Smash.”

Bright, an acting major who hails from Washington, D.C., said she was grateful for the opportunity because she never sang in front of a large crowd before.

“I've always wanted to do this competition, and having this opportunity proves that you can do anything you put your mind to,” said Bright, who will be singing “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker.

Pack, a music theater major from Long Island, N.Y., will be singing "My Cherie Amour" by Stevie Wonder.

"Heading into finals I'm honestly just happy that I have this opportunity. I can't wait to get up on the stage and have fun getting the opportunity to perform," Pack said.

Rounding out the 10 finalists are two students from Duquesne University, two students from Point Park University, one student from the University of Pittsburgh and one student from Seton Hill University.

Student tickets are free with a valid school ID. Faculty and staff can purchase tickets for $36. Staff can order tickets through the faculty order form. Campus Superstar is presented by The Edward and Rose Berman Hillel Jewish University Center of Pittsburgh. Find out more.

Download the promotional flyer.

The former loading dock was transformed into a new entrance facing Forbes Avenue.

The Cohon University Center addition has won a Master Builders’ Association 2016 Building Excellence Award.

Presented annually, the building excellence awards are the highest and most sought-after commercial construction awards in western Pennsylvania. The Cohon Center project, managed by Mosites Construction and designed by CannonDesign, took top honors in the New Construction Between $10 and $25 Million category. Second-place went to Schenley Place, an Oakland office building at the corner of Bigelow Boulevard and Ruskin Avenue.

The multipurpose 62,000 square-foot Cohon Center addition houses new athletic facilities, including a weight room and cardio fitness area, locker rooms, a cycling studio and two group exercise rooms. It also includes a spectator balcony above the swimming pool, a studio theater for student performance groups, a renovated dining area and new office space and conference rooms.

“This is a fantastic space that enhances campus life for the entire Carnegie Mellon community,” said Ralph Horgan, associate vice president for Campus Design and Facility Development. “The project added much needed space for fitness and student organizations, increased meeting areas for students and improved pedestrian access in the building and on campus by creating a main hallway that extends from Forbes Avenue to the East West walkway.”

The construction also gave the Cohon Center a new glass-enclosed lobby facing Forbes Avenue, turning the former loading dock into a stunning new entrance to the building that some have called a new “front door” to the university.

Horgan said the grand new Forbes Avenue entrance to the Cohon Center would help to serve as a connector to the Tepper Quad and the Tata Consultancy Services building that will soon be underway.

The weight room (below) and cardio fitness center (above).

“We are very pleased that given the impressive competition, the Master Builders’ Association has recognized our project and our contractor for their excellent work,” said Andrew Reilly, director of construction for Campus Design and Facility Development.

Reilly noted that the Cohon Center also received an award from the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Institute of Architects last fall.

Bonnie Schultz is director of Tepper Academic Services.

Tepper School faculty know where to go for help. They turn to Bonnie Schultz and her team at Tepper Academic Services.

Schultz directs the one-stop support shop for just about everything, from coordinating conferences and seminars, processing expense reports and making travel arrangements, to preparing course packets, entering grades, making web updates, and creating PowerPoint presentations and electronic invitations. Developing and conducting surveys using the Qualtrics software will soon be added to its long list of services.

“We’re unique. We're the only department like this on campus,” said Schultz, who began her 31-year tenure at the Tepper School as a coordinator in its Word Processing Center.

“There were three of us then,” she said. “We did straight typing of math equations, hundreds of handwritten pages. It was on a big processor. We had workstations and at the end of the day we downloaded it to a big CPU (central processing unit).

“We’ve come a long way. We have a team of seven now and we’re into graphics, web design, e-vites, conferences, you name it. If the faculty want something done, they come to us,” she said.

Schultz, whose workday begins at 7 a.m. and extends into the evening, said serving about 145 faculty members and completing thousands of jobs each year is very demanding and rewarding.

“The faculty expect perfection. They depend on us to make everything work well and that’s a challenge, but when you meet those challenges, it’s very rewarding,” she said.

Schultz’s efforts have been lauded with two Tepper School Staff Excellence awards and her team has been recognized twice as well.

“I have been so lucky to be surrounded by such good people that have the same kind of work ethic that I do,” she said of her team. “I’m very proud that many of the coordinators here have gone on to pretty high-capacity jobs across the university. I try to do what it takes to help them grow.”

Professors Linda Argote and Rosalind Chow praised Schultz’s managerial skills.

“She has a great eye for talent and has brought together a tremendous team in Tepper Academic Services,” said Argote, the D.B. Kirr Professor of Organization. “Due to her dedication and multi-tasking ability, Bonnie is able to ‘keep more balls in the air’ than anyone I know. We are very fortunate to have Bonnie as a colleague at Tepper.”

“Bonnie runs one of the tightest ships around, which is a sign of an excellent manager,” said Chow, associate professor of organizational behavior. “Everything gets done, either by Bonnie or someone else, in a quick and efficient manner. It’s such a relief as a faculty member to know that once a request is sent to Bonnie, I can depend on it getting done.”

Sunder Kekre, professor of operations management, said Schultz and her team help faculty deliver the quality of services that students expect from Carnegie Mellon.

“Bonnie and her team provide us in the faculty with on-demand high quality service — whether it is preparation of course packets or taking care of logistics for our industry partners for project courses,” Kekre said. “She has made our academic tasks easy by anticipating our needs and we surely count on her every day for her invaluable support.”

Associate Professor of Marketing Jeff Galak said his requests of Tepper Academic Services have never been denied.

“Without TAS, I can safely say that my life as a faculty member would be significantly more difficult,” he said.

Schultz is thankful for the opportunities Carnegie Mellon has provided her. She said she feels privileged to work with the Tepper School faculty who are leaders in their fields, and has made lasting friendships with faculty, staff and students.

Up until a few years ago, Schultz hired and supervised the work-study students for the Tepper School.

“The work-study students were awesome. They keep in contact with me. They ask me to do recommendation letters for them. They tell me it was the best job they had and what a wonderful experience it was for them,” she said.

Schultz also is very thankful to the university for two of her grandchildren. Her son met his wife on an information systems course project team at CMU.

“They met, fell in love, were married and now have two children. Thank you, CMU,” she said.

Bill Francis is a family man with a big heart who looks out for his “kids” — more than 100 of them.

As equipment manager and storage clerk for Carnegie Mellon University’s Athletics Department, Francis ensures the student-athletes on the Tartans football team are safely “suited up” on the field, and the coaches have everything they need on game day.

“The Athletics Department and the university are very family friendly. That’s what got me here and has kept me here for so long,” said Francis, who has been part of the CMU community for 26 years.

Prior to serving the football program, Francis maintained CMU’s swimming pools and spas in Skibo Gym before the new aquatics facility opened in the Cohon University Center.

Francis is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and a talented musician. He likes listening to ‘70s music and has played drums, piano and guitar with various bands in “every nice venue in Western Pennsylvania,” including KeyBank Pavilion in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania's biggest outdoor amphitheater. He also has played at the Allegheny and Westmoreland County fairs and opened for country music stars George Jones, Vince Gill and Tracy Lawrence.

Francis is the father of two sons, Donovan and Dylan. Donovan will graduate high school this year and pursue a degree at Tidewater College in Virginia. Dylan plans to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a U.S. Marine.

Have a suggestion for the Piper Spotlight? Send it to piperweekly@andrew.cmu.edu.

Clif Stanford in front of the sculpture, known as the "Cheeto," outside the Doherty Apartments. 

Clif Stanford is king of “the hill.”

One of four facility coordinators for Housing Services, Stanford is responsible for all building-related matters in the “hill dorms,” the 12 residence halls along Margaret Morrison Street, plus the Doherty Apartments across from the East Campus Garage on Forbes Avenue.

Although the amount of maintenance work in 13 housing units sometimes seems endless, Stanford processes the work orders and manages the projects in stride with his big smile, easy-going manner and outgoing personality as big as his 6-foot, 3-inch-tall frame.

“Sometimes the number of jobs can be challenging, and sometimes it gets slow, but it picks up pretty quickly,” he said. “For the most part it’s pretty constant all year long.”

Carnegie Mellon has become a second home for Stanford, who started working at the university more than 30 years ago. He first joined CMU as a member of the custodial staff before moving to Parking and Transportation Services for a short time. He’s been with Housing Services for the past 12 years.

“This is a very special place to work. The students are so unique in what they do, as far as their majors go, and what they’re involved in. I enjoy talking to them,” he said.

Stanford enjoys the work environment at CMU.

“There are a lot of good people here. I grew up here. I’ve seen a lot of good changes. My colleagues always tease me that I was here with Andrew Carnegie,” he said.

In his spare time Stanford enjoys listening to rhythm and blues, jazz and a little hip-hop, and watching sports. He has four grown children and five grandchildren. His daughters live in Pittsburgh; his oldest son is graduating from the College of New Jersey this year and plans to attend law school; and his youngest son is a defensive end on the Robert Morris University football team.

This summer, Stanford is looking forward to several big projects on “the hill,” including the re-opening of Spirit House and fire alarm and wi-fi upgrades in several residence halls.

“I accomplish a lot working here. I take pride in my work,” he said. “I like what I do.”

Have a suggestion for the Staff Spotlight? Send it to piperweekly@andrew.cmu.edu.

The UPLift Challenge is an initiative that taps into the innovation and creativity of the CMU community to help enhance the campus environment.

During this pilot year of UPLift Challenge, students, faculty and staff can submit their creative ideas for experimental and temporary campus infrastructure projects, renovations or installations anywhere on the Pittsburgh campus.

A faculty-staff-student committee will select the best ideas, which the university will fund and execute up to $20,000 per project.

“We are looking for projects that are modest in scope, but ambitious in imagination,” said Provost Farnam Jahanian, who heads the task force.

The term UPLift refers to University Placemaking, or the idea that the right kind of physical spaces can meaningfully influence community and culture.

“We are looking for projects that are modest in scope, but ambitious in imagination." — Provost Farnam Jahanian

Students, faculty and staff should submit their proposals by April 28.

Jahanian said projects could range from creating new indoor or outdoor gathering spaces or experiences to renovating existing ones.

While the challenge is open to all ideas, the Task Force is specifically seeking ideas that address three primary areas: “Health and Wellness;” “Recognizably CMU” and “Crossroads of the Mind.”

Infrastructure projects in the “Health and Wellness” category would promote physical and mental well-being. Ideas that are “Recognizably CMU” would leverage university pride through creative placemaking and campus branding. Finally, projects that fit into the “Crossroads of the Mind” theme will work to foster interdisciplinary collaboration.

Once selected, winning proposals will be implemented in partnership with Campus Design and Facilities Development, Facilities Management Services and others.

In addition to this grassroots initiative, Jahanian said the Task Force has identified several highly trafficked, common campus spaces for renovation. Upgrades to two of these so-called “nooks” — in Wean Hall and the College of Fine Arts building — will be completed over the next few months.

The UPLift Challenge is dedicated to the work of the late University Professor Larry Cartwright, who worked with civil and environmental engineering students to enhance the student experience and Pittsburgh campus through various building projects.