Understanding how the brain works is one of the toughest puzzles left to solve. And it can’t happen soon enough. Consider these facts:

If you’re lucky enough to reach age 85, you have a 50 percent chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Sixteen million Americans per year are known to suffer major depression. One in 68 U.S. children annually are diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

That’s just some of the human cost of not understanding how the brain works. The economic costs are also staggering. Addiction, alcoholism, mental illnesses, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s cost the U.S. $1.1 trillion annually. The global price tag? Five trillion dollars.

To help stem the epidemic, Carnegie 
Mellon has launched BrainHub^SM, a global research initiative that will bring together CMU’s strengths in computer science, neuroscience, psychology and engineering.

The initiative aims to help develop a better understanding of the brain’s structure and function — why we do the things we do — and to create new tools to accelerate discovery and reduce the burden of brain disorders.

“This is the right time, and this is the right place,” Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said during his keynote address at the program launch. “I think weʼve found that sweet spot — it doesn't happen all that often — between the world of academics and the world of public policy, and hopefully the world of financing.”

CMU’s BrainHub partners include Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China; the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore; Oxford University and the University of Warwick in the U.K.; and the University of Pittsburgh.

As part of the launch event, CMU faculty members Alison Barth, Marlene Behrmann and Tom Mitchell participated in a panel discussion.

Mitchell, the E. Fredkin University Professor and head of the Machine Learning Department who has conducted research on how the brain processes language, said brain science is data-starved. He said new algorithms are needed that can combine results from diverse brain studies to create databases large enough to begin to answer fundamental questions about something as complex as the brain.

Behrmann, the George A. and Helen Dunham Cowan Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and co-director of the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, said new high-resolution imaging technology is needed to allow scientists to study the brain of an infant and continue as it gradually develops. She also called for non-invasive mobile imaging technology to allow subjects to be studied in normal, everyday circumstances.

Barth, professor of biological sciences, predicted that in the future biology would help scientists to identify and map every cell, every synapse and every connection in the brain, giving researchers more fundamental information to build upon.

Insel said the brain is — without question — the topic of the decade. He noted that the future of the National Institutes of Health’s BRAIN initiative (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) relies on bringing together the physical sciences, engineering, psychology, computer science and mathematical sciences with neuroscience.

Moving forward, CMU BrainHub will focus on several key areas of research: designing new tools to measure and connect brain function and behavior; creating tools to build brain-related data sets as well as tools to integrate and analyze those large-scale data sets; and developing new methods for treating neurological disorders and training the brain to improve its performance.

Over the next five years, the research will be supported by private, public and internal commitments totaling about 
$75 million.

By: Piper Staff

Hunt Library has been a collaborative learning hub since it was built in 1961. This year, new design studios and lab spaces are taking that collaborative 
experience to the next level, as Hunt 
becomes host to the university’s Integrative Design, Arts and Technology program (IDeATe).

The library has reconfigured its main floor and lower level to support students and faculty working together across disciplines in IDeATe’s “maker” experiences that combine arts and technology through 30 new studio-based courses.

The program builds on decades of CMU’s success in the arts and technology to facilitate collaborative learning experiences for students from any 
discipline. These types of working experiences will help prepare the students to meet the growing demand for professionals in the creative industries, such as social media, game design and responsive environments.

“The placement of the IDeATe facility in Hunt Library is part of an overall plan for the evolution of the library into a 21st century, mediated learning commons,” said Thanassis Rikakis, CMU’s provost for design, arts and technology. “A key aspect of integrative design is bringing together diverse teams to solve complex problems, and no university is better positioned than Carnegie Mellon to address the demand for professionals in this area.”

Visitors to the library will notice two large design studios have been constructed on the main floor that now serve as IDeATe’s primary classrooms. Glass partitions provide a glimpse into the goings-on without distracting those nearby who are seeking quieter study. When not in use for classes, the studios are open to the public.

Downstairs on the lower level are the less publicly accessible — and soundproofed — fabrication, multimedia and physical computing labs.

The digital and standard fabrication labs are equipped for 3-D printing in plastic; laser-cutting in wood, plastic, matboard and cardboard; and computer numerical controlled (CNC) routing in wood, plastic and foam.

In the media lab, students can experiment with multimedia and performance. In the physical computing lab, they can explore interactive digital media, programmable electronics and robotics.

“The idea is not just to teach a student how to, for example, use a 3-D printer, but to teach students who have different backgrounds and skillsets how to talk to each other,” said IDeATe Project Manager Ben Peoples (A’02).

Keith Webster, dean of university libraries, wants to assure the community that those involved are not engaged in dismantling the function of the library 
in its traditional sense, but rather adding to it.

“We’re responding to the needs of a new generation of students who are using libraries in different ways in high school and want to continue to do that when they arrive at the university,” 
Webster said.

Webster noted that libraries across the country are creating maker spaces like this to reflect the way in which libraries are available to support digital media in all its forms.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity for Hunt Library to serve as a connector between faculty, students, technology and knowledge,” Webster said.

By: Kelly Saavedra, ksaavedra@cmu.edu

The days of completing green paper time sheets, manually keeping track of your PTO and remembering yet another password to view your pay stub are gladly coming to an end.

Workday, a web-based, human resources (HR), benefits and payroll management system that provides employees and managers with the information they need, is in the final stages of its campus-wide rollout. Workday deployment is set for late December 2014, with the first payroll to be run in Workday in January 2015.

Workday will bring payroll in-house and consolidate several manual spreadsheets and information and processing systems — some of which were created and developed at Carnegie 
Mellon more than 20 years ago. The systems are the HR Information System (HRIS), the HR Employee Module (HREM), HR Connection, the Talent Management System (TMS), the Payroll Roster System (PRS) and ADP for Payroll. Green time sheets and Excel spreadsheets for PTO requests and tracking of faculty appointment, promotion and tenure also will be replaced by Workday.

“Software generally does not age gracefully. What may have begun as an elegant design when the system was first conceived 25 years ago, today limits what you can realistically accomplish,” says CMU Chief Information Officer Steve Huth on the Workday website. “When it became clear that the current systems could not keep up with the changing needs of the university, we explored new options. Workday will provide us a HR/Payroll system agile enough to support the needs of a 21st century university.”

Workday, which has been adopted by many state governments, businesses and universities, including Brown, Cornell, Chicago, Georgetown, Miami, Rochester, USC and Yale, will provide faculty, staff and student workers with a more efficient way to navigate the HR benefits and payroll aspects of their life at CMU.

Employees will be able to record their work hours, view their pay slips, review and update their payroll information, make changes to their health benefits and request PTO.

Supervisors will receive notification of the time entry approval and PTO request via email from Workday and will be able to approve or deny the request from their desktop, laptop or mobile device. Managers will have access to the data for the people they supervise, such as general employee data, contact information, work history, position history and PTO data.

Workday also will enable managers and administrators to more accurately track faculty appointments, promotions and tenure dates, something Sharon 
McCarl is anxiously anticipating.

“Currently we spend a great deal of time entering appointments year after year. This will be greatly reduced in Workday and that will allow people to focus on other things,” said McCarl, associate dean for Financial Affairs in the Mellon College of Science and a member of the Workday Campus Team, Steering Committee and Executive Sponsors Group.

“Carnegie Mellon has entered the global community and our employees don’t all work in Pittsburgh. We need a system that allows us to serve all of our employees. The new functionality for faculty appointments will allow us to use one system to track faculty.”

Like Huth, Cheryl Wehrer, associate director of Finance and Administration in the Robotics Institute who has been a member of the CMUWorks Campus Team and Steering Committee, says Workday will bring Carnegie Mellon’s HR systems into the 21st century.

“Moving from our current HRIS to Workday is analogous to going from a 1970s rotary phone to the latest smartphone in one fell swoop. There’s a ton 
of delivered functionality in Workday that we simply don’t have today,” 
Wehrer said.

About 40 members of the university community have participated in user acceptance testing to provide feedback to the implementation team, but training for the university community will begin in earnest this November.

Individuals who will be conducting transactions in Workday on a regular basis will receive instructor-led training. The majority of CMU employees will get their training online, which will be complemented with screencasts and quick guides.

Going live in conjunction with Workday will be the newly created CMUWorks Service Center. The team is in place, assisting with the project and getting up to speed on their new roles. Located in the UTDC Building on Henry Street, the CMUWorks Service Center will be a one-stop shop where CMU employees can get answers to their inquiries related to HR benefits and payroll transactions. The CMUWorks Service Center, which consists of about 20 employees, will debut in late 
December.

McCarl, who has learned how to use the Workday system, thinks people will get the hang of it.

“Parts of Workday are very intuitive but others are a bit tricky. Some people will say that it is complicated. [But] we do ‘complicated’ every day and just as we had to learn to use Oracle, we will learn to use this system,” McCarl said.

Wehrer also has tested the system and has conducted Workday demonstrations for users.

“Workday is very easy and intuitive. If you can read Gmail or use a Web browser such as Amazon, the experience is similar. Employees will easily figure out many parts of Workday on their own,” Wehrer said.

For more information, visit the Workday website. You can subscribe to the 
Workday monthly newsletter 
by emailing cmu-works@
andrew.cmu.edu and using “subscribe” in the subject line.

(Pictured) Using Workday, employees will be able to record their work hours, view their pay slips, make changes to their health benefits and request PTO online.

By: Bruce Gerson, bgerson@cmu.edu

In a world deluged with data and increasingly sophisticated methods for collecting and analyzing it, scientists are focused on how they can use all of this information to improve our lives.

Four Carnegie Mellon faculty members will provide their perspectives on this topic during a session titled “Data Science in Action” at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2014 — also known as Summer Davos — Sept. 10-12 in 
Tianjin, China.

Manuela Veloso, the Herbert A. Simon University Professor of Computer Science, will discuss the future of autonomous robots. She will show how these robots not only use their own sensors to collect data from their environment but also can collaborate with other robots to share and process massive amounts of data in real-time, allowing them to make decisions and take action. Veloso also will be featured in a panel titled “Discover! Robot Revolution,” moderated by NPR’s science correspondent Joe Palca.

Marlene Behrmann, director of Carnegie Mellon’s Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, will discuss how analyzing brain signal pathways in individuals with autism can help identify markers that accurately predict the onset of the condition and allow for early behavioral intervention.

Marsha Lovett, director of Carnegie Mellon’s Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence and Educational Innovation and co-coordinator of CMU's Simon Initiative, will explain how collecting data from students using online learning software can help scientists customize each learner’s experience, which results in more effective and efficient learning.

James H. Garrett Jr., dean of the College of Engineering, will examine how sensors can be used to collect data from infrastructure, such as water and sewer pipes, buildings and bridges, in order to locate trouble spots before they break down, which could save trillions of dollars in repair costs.

President Subra Suresh will introduce the session.

Forum Leadership

Suresh, who is one of nine “programme mentors” for Summer Davos and the only university president serving in that capacity, will be featured in a session titled “Optimizing Education through Technology.”

Last November, Carnegie Mellon launched the Simon Initiative, harnessing the university’s leadership in learning science to improve learning outcomes for both CMU students and learners around the world.

Adding further to Carnegie Mellon’s leadership in this area is Justine Cassell, Simon Initiative co-coordinator and associate vice provost of technology strategy and impact. Cassell serves as head of the forumʼs Global Agenda Council on Robotics and Smart Devices at Summer Davos. She will speak during several sessions on the topics of wearable computing technologies, gender and how emerging technologies are augmenting the human experience.”

40 Under 40

Each year, the forum selects 40 scientists under the age of 40 to participate as Young Scientists alongside the business and political leaders.

These scientists are selected from all regions of the world and from a range of disciplines to provide perspectives on the most up-to-date trends in scientific research.

Three of the scientists chosen this year are Carnegie Mellon faculty who were selected following nominations by the university’s Marketing and Media Relations (MMR) team, in collaboration with the deans. The CMU scientists are:

• Inês Azevedo, associate professor, Engineering and Public Policy; co-director, Center for Climate and Energy Decision Making;
• Jessica Hammer, assistant professor, Human-Computer Interaction Institute and Entertainment Technology 
Center; and
• Chris Harrison, assistant professor of Human-Computer Interaction.

Hammer will be a panelist during a session called “Future Learning: Better, Faster, Smarter.” The session will explore how as machines get smarter, education and learning can become smarter, too.

Harrison will present during sessions 
titled “Tomorrow’s Consumer Tech” and "Consumer Industry Transformations."

CMU and the Forum

The World Economic Forum’s membership includes the top 1,000 companies 
from around the world that drive the 
global economy and collaborate on shaping global, regional and industry agendas.

Carnegie Mellon’s relationship with 
the forum began in 2010, when MMR initiated a daylong visit between faculty from across the university and a forum representative. Shortly after, Carnegie Mellon was invited to join the forum’s Global University Leaders Forum, a group of 25 elite global universities, only 11 of which are in the U.S.

Since then, 15 faculty members 
from six schools and colleges — plus 
the Entertainment Technology Center — 
have presented at forum meetings.

See highlights from the World Economic Forum.

(Pictured) The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2014, also known as Summer Davos, is taking place 
Sept. 10-12 in Tianjin, China.

Amanda Smith has stage presence. That and her jaw-dropping singing voice — qualities she’s learned and nurtured at Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama the past two years — helped the junior musical theatre major win the Miss Pennsylvania crown for 2014.

Smith, who sang an amazing rendition of the Phantom of the Opera’s “Music of the Night” in the state pageant, will be competing for the title of Miss America on Sunday, Sept. 14 in Atlantic City. The competition will be broadcast live at 9 p.m. EDT on ABC.

Amid her busy schedule, 
the Piper recently caught up with Smith to talk about her role as 
Miss Pennsylvania and her fitness 
and nutrition platform.

Q: What’s it like to wear the crown?
A: It truly has been an amazing experience. It’s a lot of personal appearances, community service work, paperwork and training. It keeps me busy, but I love every second.

Q: Has your CMU education helped you compete?
A: Oh, absolutely. As a musical theatre major, I take acting, voice lessons and dance — ballet, jazz and tap — every semester. I also have taken classes in speech, movement, Alexander technique and foundations of drama. The talent portion of the pageant is 35 percent of your score, and CMU’s School of Drama definitely contributes not only to my confidence and technique onstage, but how 
I carry myself in social situations as well.

Q: How do you deal with the time crunch?
A: I will be taking a year of absence from CMU; however, the faculty and staff have been incredibly supportive as I embark on this journey dedicated to scholarship, community service and personal growth. And I can’t thank them enough for that.

Q: When people think of pageants, 
the movie “Miss Congeniality” comes to mind. Can you separate fact from fiction?
A: (laughs) … Taking the truth and stretching it always makes for a good comedy. I’m sure there are pageants out there that are about beauty and “world peace,” but I feel proud to be part of an organization that really prides itself on intelligent, talented, beautiful, caring, authentic and forward-moving women.

Q: What platform are you 
promoting?
A: Fitness and Nutrition: The Key to Healthy Living. I took on this platform to make people aware of how fitness and nutrition are directly related to cancer and other diseases. Recently, I’ve started an initiative to educate families and individuals about affordable ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle, since cost is a key issue for Americans today.

Q: How are you preparing to compete for the Miss America title?
A: I’ve been keeping updated on current events, working with my personal trainer for that swimsuit body, working on interview skills and expanding my personal platform.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part of this experience?
A: The most rewarding part for me is meeting the people who are so grateful for Miss Pennsylvania coming to support an event or cause.

Q: What are your plans post-graduation?
A: I love serving, and I love promoting the benefits of fitness and nutrition to help others. And with the connections I’m making, I can certainly continue to do that without a crown on my head. I also hope to pursue a career onstage in New York City or in film and television in Los Angeles.

By: Piper Staff

As a competitive figure skater from the age of 6, Rebecca Gilbert was used to pushing herself through pain. But the body has its limits, and Gilbert's right knee let her know that loud and clear in college during her senior year.

On what should have been a typical day for her — classes sandwiched between time on the ice — her knee totally gave out from chronic pain that had been plaguing her for months. It didnʼt matter that Disney awaited her arrival in Florida where she was to join the “Beauty and the Beast” European Tour; this was Gilbertʼs final bow, and the show hadnʼt even started.

“They tried to get me into shape with physical therapy, cortisone treatments and electrical stimulation. 
Nothing worked,” she said.

A surgical procedure promised her a knee that would work like new. However, post-surgery the problem worsened, and Gilbert was faced with her toughest pill to swallow — a future without figure skating.

Gilbert moved on. She went to business school, earned an MBA and began working as a market analyst. Still suffering five years after her professional skating career ended, Gilbert searched the Internet for help with chronic joint pain and stumbled on a study done in Scandinavia.

“The experimental group went vegan for six months, eating a completely plant-based diet — no meat, no butter, no dairy, no eggs, no fish. The control group ate whatever they wanted. The experimental group reported an 80 percent reduction in their osteoarthritic knee pain,” she said.

What did she have to lose by eating plants for a few weeks?

“I was desperate. These people had knee pain, and then they didn’t. And that was all I needed to know,” Gilbert said.

Starting with beans and rice as a staple, she figured out the rest as she went along. Her pain subsided in the first couple of weeks, and within five weeks of the start of her vegan diet, the pain was completely gone.

“Stepping out onto the ice for the first time in six years felt amazing,” said Gilbert, who still tears up when she remembers the moment.

“Itʼs not just about the loss. We all have something in our lives that gives us so much joy. When weʼre doing it, time stops. We smile. Weʼre fulfilled. For me, skating was that. No one can skate for six hours a 
day who doesnʼt love it. And I felt so sad. I just missed it. And I was just so, so grateful to be able 
to do it again.”

Gilbert works for Carnegie Mellon as a fundraiser. In her free time, she promotes the benefits of a vegan diet and shows people how easy it is to switch to plant-based eating. She speaks regularly at vegetarian festivals and has given talks in New York and Paris.

Gilbert has a substantial following on Twitter and Facebook, and her newly published beginnerʼs guide to becoming vegan, “Itʼs Easy to Start Eating Vegan! Yummy Plants 101,” offers practical tips, including:

• Easy egg and dairy substitutions;
• Ideas for stocking your vegan pantry;
• Plant-based protein sources;
• Sample meal plans and tasty, easy-to-make basic recipes; and
• Tips for navigating social situations.

“Living a life of service is important to me,” Gilbert said. “Whether itʼs through 
the work I do to raise financial support for CMUʼs amazing students, faculty and programs, or through my personal work to teach people about the health benefits 
of a vegan diet, I want to use my talents to make this world a better place.”

(Pictured) Rebecca Gilbert, a fundraiser for CMU, spends her free time promoting the benefits of a vegan diet.

By: Kelly Saavedra, ksaavedra@cmu.edu

After 26 years of working in the 
Carnegie Mellon Provost’s Office, Edna Jackson has decided to pack it up and see the world. Her first stop … Doha.

Jackson, who has been a mainstay on the sixth floor of Warner Hall for more than two decades, and her husband, Bob, have moved to Carnegie Mellon Qatar, where she has assumed the new position of director of the 
Office of the Dean for Ilker Baybars. Bob will be doing “a little bit of everything,” she said.

For Jackson, this trip — a three-year stint — is her fifth time to CMU-Q. She and Bob were there for four months as part of the initial set-up team 10 years ago. They both returned for the inaugural year celebration and the 10-year anniversary gala this past spring. Jackson also has been back for the CMU-Q building opening ceremony and the first graduation there.

From their first visit, Jackson said Qatar has always been a “special place.”

“It really changed our view of the world. It made me realize that parents there are the same as parents here. They ask the same questions. They want the best for their kids and they want us to look after them. We found a close group of friends there and we found a church to be involved in.

“People had this distorted view of this part of the world after 9-11 that we found to be unfounded,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s son, Andy, said his parents’ affinity for Qatar is evident.

“Every time they came back, there was a sparkle in their eye and a jump in their step. They were living a dream over there,” he said.

Jackson feels pride, a sense of family and hope when she talks about CMU-Q.

“CMU came up out of the sand there. It really is Carnegie Mellon there. The kids work just as hard. What we are here is what Doha is as well. I’ve told Mark [Kamlet] that the thing he should be most proud of is the Qatar campus,” she said.

“I believe education changes the world, and I think that’s our only hope for peace in the Middle East. Qatar is like the Switzerland of the region. The universities are there to encourage and advance the mindset of peacefulness and collaboration. Maybe we can share that thoughtfulness, peacefulness and diplomacy with others,” she said.

Carnegie Mellon has been family to the Jacksons. Their two sons, Ryan (DC’01) and Andy (DC’03), are CMU graduates. Ryan is director of Financial Systems for the Financial Systems team, and Andy is a major gift officer in University Advancement. Daughter Libby, a teacher in California, worked at the Cyert Center for Early Childhood Education during her summer breaks in college and before she earned her full-time teaching certification.

“As little boys Ryan and Andy came to the first football game at Gesling Stadium. We’ve been a CMU family. CMU has been good to us. It’s our home,” Jackson said.

Jackson’s role in the Provost’s Office, under Angel Jordan (1983-1990), Paul Christiano (1991-2000) and Mark Kamlet (2000-2014), has included many aspects, from learning how to type a bit in Spanish for Provost Jordan to serving on search committees and tenure review committees with influential faculty members. She’s also helped plan many special events.

She has deep admiration for her three provosts.

“Angel [Jordan] was a great person to work for, he was very protective of me, and Paul [Christiano] and I had a very special relationship,” she recalled. “They were both engineers, and Mark [Kamlet] was my first chance at a social scientist. We quickly became fast and furious friends. I’ve loved them all for different reasons.

“Mark is an amazing man and very thoughtful. His door was always open. He always had time to give you the backstory,” Jackson said.

At a celebration in early August, Jordan and Kamlet thanked Jackson for her outstanding contributions.

Jordan noted her ability to work with many different people and personalities and her ability to keep calm during controversial times. He praised her for her patience, confidence, loyalty and stability.

Kamlet said Jackson was “extraordinarily important” to him from the day he walked into the office in July 2000.

“She has immense common sense, a very good sense of humor, is wise and experienced, and has seen and handled pretty much every situation one can imagine,” said Kamlet, who stepped down as provost this past summer after 14 years.

“She treats everyone with respect and dignity and has the patience of a saint. She has a keen understanding and appreciation of the culture of Carnegie Mellon and has contributed profoundly to that culture. But, perhaps more than anything else is how much she cares for the individuals she works for and all those that she works with,” Kamlet said.

Over the years Jackson has worked with four presidents; 19 vice presidents; 37 deans; 53 vice provosts, associate provosts and associate vice presidents; 127 department heads; and has served on 1,820 reappointment, promotion and tenure review committees. “Edna was invaluable in every one of those activities,” Kamlet said.

Jackson said her new assignment should be an easy transition.

“I’ve known Ilker for a very long time. Every provost I’ve worked for has had a great relationship with Ilker, so in my mind this is a perfect fit,” she said.

Dean Baybars agrees.

“Edna is the most experienced high-ranking administrative assistant/office manager at CMU. She is knowledgeable, skilled, competent and hard working with a very pleasant demeanor. She is a veteran, who is intimately familiar with the academic components of CMU, and she would serve any dean in Pittsburgh extremely well. I am lucky that she was ready for a change and she decided to join us,” Baybars said.

And what about traveling and 
seeing the world?

“You can’t be in that part of the world and not take advantage of the 
opportunity,” Jackson said.

By: Bruce Gerson, bgerson@cmu.edu

Team captains lead by example, and such is the case with Brock Kitterman, a 9-year-old who is the youngest Tartan football player and co-captain in school history.

Brock, who “officially” became a member of the team last spring after signing a letter of intent in front of the players and staff, was paired with Carnegie Mellon by Team IMPACT, an organization that matches courageous kids facing life threatening or chronic illness with collegiate athletic teams to help lift their spirits and improve their quality of life.

At 12 weeks old, Brock’s parents were told he was completely blind and the doctors diagnosed him with Bilateral Retinoblastoma, an incredibly rare eye cancer. During chemotherapy treatments, one of the agents he received to fight the disease significantly compromised his hearing.

Brock is legally blind with 20/200 vision in his right eye and 20/400 vision in the left. He can hear without his hearing aids, but misses a lot.

When his mother, Tammy, realized that he was struggling with his peers, she decided to reach out to Team IMPACT, which placed him with CMU.

“We were certainly skeptical at first, but after meeting the guys from the team and the coaching staff, we knew we had been paired with a great team at a great school,” she said.

Brock has been immersed in the entire Carnegie Mellon football team experience. He attended and participated in picture day. He hangs out with his “teammates” on and off the field, and helps get out the pads and pants for the team. He even gets to ride in the golf cart used to transport equipment.

Outside of school and attending football practices, Brock enjoys spending time with his family, friends and pets. He also likes competing in triathlons, playing video games, listening to books, and is a rollercoaster enthusiast.

A group from the Tartan football team surprised him at one of his triathlon races when they arrived to cheer him on. After the race was over, they again surprised Brock with a trip to Kennywood.

“I have never let Brock go anywhere without me, but the guys have been so great and I knew they would have a great time and take good care of Brock,” Tammy said.

At Kennywood, Brock rode the Black Widow seven times in a row.

“He had our stomachs turning,” said football senior and co-captain Dustin Schneider. “Brock is an amazing kid. He went through more struggles prior to his first birthday than some people experience in a lifetime, and the fact that every time he is around the team he is smiling ear-to-ear is truly inspirational.”

Players and coaches say Brock has been an incredible addition to the Carnegie Mellon football team, and they are looking forward to having him around for many years to come.

“The Carnegie Mellon football team is thrilled to add Brock to the Tartan football family,” said head coach Rich Lackner. “I hope that our team has made as big an impact on Brock as he has made on us.”

“Brock is an inspiration to all those associated with the Carnegie Mellon football team,” Lackner continued. “We are ALL blessed to have Brock in our lives.”

For more about Team IMPACT, visit www.goteamimpact.org/.

(Pictured) Tartan captains Fred Bolio (83), Tim Swanson (2), Dustin Schneider (49) and 
Alexander D’Angelo (54) stand in solidarity and support of their newest co-captain, Brock Kitterman (center), who was paired with CMU through Team IMPACT, an organization that matches kids facing life-threatening or chronic illness with athletic teams to help lift their spirits and improve their quality of life.

By Lauren Butler

Richard Caruso (right), fire safety manager for Carnegie Mellon’s Environmental Health & Safety Department, conducted two mock dorm room fires last month on the CFA lawn to help spread the word to students about the importance of smoke detectors and sprinkler systems.

The first fire, portrayed to be in a Carnegie Mellon-owned student residence, was quickly extinguished by the installed sprinkler system, but the second fire in an off-campus facility fully 
engaged the entire dorm room within 
a minute.

“Fire sprinkler systems offer residents an additional level of safety because they can contain and control the fire immediately in the room of origin, and often extinguish the fire before the fire department arrives,” said Caruso, who noted that all CMU-owned residence halls are equipped with smoke detectors and sprinkler systems.

Caruso encouraged students living in off-campus housing to investigate to see if their residence has a fire alarm or sprinkler system, or that smoke alarms on every floor, at the very least, are present. He said the batteries in the smoke detectors should be checked frequently to make sure the detector is in good working condition.

“There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ city or town when it comes to avoiding the risk of fire for college students. Fire safety should be something that goes with you wherever you reside, particularly in off-campus housing,” Caruso said.

To see a video of the mock dorm room fires, go to www.cmu.edu/ehs/.

For more on the EH&S Fire Safety program, go to www.cmu.edu/ehs/fire/index.html.

By Bruce Gerson

The hashtag.

Love it or loathe it, the little pound sign is preceding words and phrases everywhere.

By turning any words that directly follow it into a clickable link, hashtags initially made it possible for Twitter users to organize content, track discussions and easily follow topics of interest.

Since then, the hashtag has exploded. People are using it to advertise, carry out social movements around the world and frequently convey humor. Its popularity once prompted late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon to parody its use — and misuse — for laughs in a sketch with singer Justin Timberlake.

“I thought that sketch was awesome,” said hashtag creator Chris 
Messina, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communication design from Carnegie Mellon in 2003. “Here are these Hollywood types making fun of an idea some geek had in Silicon Valley. It just shows how much cultural relevancy us geeks now wield in the world.”

Looking back on the trajectory the hashtag has taken — from organizational tool to cultural icon — Messina says the uses we see today echo its very first uses, just on a much broader and widespread level.

“The tongue-in-cheek usage 
developed over time, but the relevance to spreading news was there from the outset,” he said.

Messina argues one of the most important aspects of the hashtag is that it can be used both humorously and for purposes where life and death are concerned, such as when a child goes missing.

“It means the hashtag can’t be owned or tamed by anyone. It is an artifact of digital communication that needed to exist, and now it does,” he said.

Messina also feels the life that the hashtag has taken on is a reflection of our increasing dependence on digital media and mobile devices.

“It’s really something of the post-PC era. When you no longer have a keyboard to type out sentences, everything is about brevity and efficiency. And the hashtag is, quite frankly, about as condensed as you can get,” he said.

Nonetheless, Messina still admits to be taken aback when he sees a hashtag where he wouldn’t have thought of putting one.

“I wouldn’t have expected the hashtag to show up on taxi cabs, billboards or album artwork,” Messina said. “A lot of people complained it was ugly, but now it connotes hipness and modernism.”

By Kelly Saavedra

Carnegie Mellon’s School of Drama has given a lot of talent to the hit Broadway production “The Book of Mormon.” And over the past couple of weeks, “The Book of Mormon” has been giving back.

Since it premiered in 2011 with three School of Drama grads in originating principal and ensemble roles, several more alumni have joined the cast. In late September, when the national tour rolled into town, the New York producers invited current Carnegie Mellon students to attend a performance at Heinz Hall.

Denee Benton (A’14), who stars as Nabulungi in the national tour, noted that her castmates could tell how much the Pittsburgh house loved her during these performances.

Benton and her co-star, David Larsen (A’02), gave a post-performance talkback for Carnegie Mellon alumni moderated by Professor and Head of 
the School of Drama Peter Cooke on Sept. 29.

During the conversation Cooke asked Larsen what he thought distinguished the School of Drama from other conservatory training programs. Larsen replied that it was the strong foundation in acting theory that set School of Drama alumni apart in the musical theater world.

“To tell the story of the song is more important than hitting the notes,” Larsen said. “I mean, you’ve gotta hit the notes but I would rather see a story told.”

Before their two weeks in Pittsburgh were over, Larsen and Benton made their way back to Oakland for a visit to the Purnell Center for the Arts, where they spoke to current School of Drama students about their work in 
“The Book of Mormon.”

Many students were curious about Benton’s recent transition from the conservatory to the professional atmosphere.

Benton suggested to students that they never get too comfortable, that they take directorial advice with grace and that they always believe in the innate gifts that helped them win the role.

Larsen also offered up some wisdom from his 12 years as a working actor.

“You should never need to take 
extra classes if you continue to apply what you learned here,” Larsen said. “It’s those who stick around, it’s those that persevere, that’s who ‘makes it.’”

By Erin Keane Scott

(Above) Denee Benton (A’14) and David Larsen (A’02), co-stars of the Broadway hit “The Book of Mormon,” returned to their alma mater for a talkback, moderated by Peter Cooke (center), head of the School of Drama.

After receiving a new name and months of preparation and anticipation, the Jared L. Cohon University Center addition will soon begin in earnest. The start is tentatively scheduled for late November 
with completion anticipated in late Spring 2016.

The 62,000 square feet of space being added to the CUC will bring new fitness facilities, swimming pool enhancements, a new studio theater for student performance groups and a stunning university presence along Forbes Avenue.

At a town hall meeting about the project, Bob Reppe, director of design for Campus Design and Facility Development, explained that the front door and lobby area to the CUC will sit along Forbes in front of the current loading dock and service area. The current turnaround will be removed to allow for new construction.

Reppe said the lobby would be easy to navigate with plenty of natural light and a main hallway, or “spine,” that will lead you by the bookstore to McConomy Auditorium and the Information Desk.

Director of Athletics Josh Centor and Director of Student Activities Elizabeth Vaughan gave a preview of the new fitness and studio theater components.

Centor said the new facilities would include a weight room with heavy and light free weights, a service area and locker room on the first level. The second floor will feature a large area with 70-75 pieces of technology-equipped cardiovascular machines, a personal training and fitness area, two exercise studios for group exercise classes and a dedicated cycling, or spinning classroom.

The current fitness center will be transformed into meeting space and the existing exercise studio will remain as such and will be shared by Athletics and Student Activities. The squash court that has been filled with cardio equipment is expected to revert back to being a squash court.

A balcony with about 120 seats will be added above the swimming pool. The pool area also will be renovated with HVAC upgrades.

“When the pool area closes for renovations in early spring 2015, we’re making arrangements with Chatham University, the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill and Club One in East Liberty to accommodate our recreational swimmers,” Centor said.

He noted that while the current locker rooms will close in early spring, locker facilities would be available in Skibo Gym.

Vaughan said the studio theater would be a “highly functional, multipurpose space that will answer the prayers 
of many of our students.”

The theater will be used by CMU student performance groups, including Scotch’n’Soda, the All University 
Orchestra, the Kiltie Band and several dance organizations.

Vaughan said the theater will be equipped with 100 seats in a “telescopic format.” She said the theater would be easily reconfigured to accommodate 
various types of performances.

For example, she said one full side of the theater will be lined with mirrors for dance groups. But, when musical groups are performing soundproof curtains can be pulled across the mirrors.

The theater will feature a “tension wire grid” for greater safety and flexibility in lighting, a control booth, conventional and LED light fixtures, and user-friendly in-room technology, such as plug-ins to play music from iPods.

Vaughan said the project will also provide “shell space” on the lower level and third level. She said the third floor space might be used for a graduate student lounge and for undergraduate needs to be determined by Student Senate. The lower level space will be used by the bookstore, copy center, dining services and CUC operations.

The addition also will cause the East Campus Garage entrance/exit to be reconfigured. A new driveway to and from Forbes to the garage with single lanes for entry and exit will be constructed across from Devon Road. Once completed, all permit holders will be required to exit the garage from Beeler Street during the rush hour, between 4 and 6 p.m.

Cannon Design of New York City is the architectural firm leading the project and the construction manager is Mosites Construction. Adam Homer of Campus Design and Facility Development is the project manager.

By Bruce Gerson

(Pictured) The renovation will bring a stunning university presence to Forbes Avenue.

Forecasts of another particularly cold winter have raised concerns about space in Pittsburgh’s homeless shelters, which contain only 375 beds. There are an estimated 1,500 homeless individuals in the city.

Carnegie Mellon students addressed this concern by putting their technical and creative skills to good use. Their results were on display during the College of Engineering’s Impact-a-Thon, part of the Innovation Palooza event that took place in early October.

Student teams that participated in the competition were given less than a week to research the problem and come up with temporary and economically viable shelters that could be erected during cold weather.

Each group approached the challenge in a unique way, with ideas that ranged from converting old public buses into portable homes to outdoor shelters that can be folded up and carried like a backpack during the day.

“The most difficult part was trying to grasp the problem in such a short time,” said Rajlakshmee, who is working on her master’s degree at CMU’s Integrated Innovation Institute. “We had to go from understanding the problem to building the prototype in five days.”

The teams were required to have at least one engineering student, but many were interdisciplinary groups with students from across the university, like Rajlakshmee’s team, which won second place and $600 in the competition with members Alex Surasky-Ysasi from the Integrated Innovation Institute; Priya Ganadas from the School of Architecture; and Linh Thi Do from the Tepper School of Business.

“You need the diversity of perspectives,” said Surasky-Ysasi. “Linh Thi reminded us, ‘Don’t forget about cost!’ and I would ask, ‘Mechanically, does this work?’ and Raj would say, ‘But the fabric!’”

The students presented their solutions to judges, who determined which teams would receive the three prizes.

The third-place prize of $400 went to Porchlight, the truly innovative idea of not building shelters at all. After careful research, the group discovered that a major hurdle for many of the individuals in need is the stigma of homelessness. They also found that it is very hard to open new shelters, but that 68 percent of the people they surveyed said they would harbor those in need in their own homes. Based on this information, the team developed a third-party service that would match up willing hosts with those needing a place to stay.

“We introduced the concept of having a third party — a caseworker — who does a background check, so there’s a great degree of confidence that the people in your house are reputable people that don’t have any problems,” said Michael Richardson, a graduate student in human-computer interaction (HCI) whose team included fellow 
HCI students Katarina Shaw (CS’15), 
Jason Azares (CS’15), Ron Kim (CS’15), Jim Martin (CS’15) and electrical and computer engineering student Joseph Carlos (E’15).

The second-place team developed a product called a Satellite Shelter. The structure is flat when folded, but it can be laid on the ground and opens into a tent-like sleeping bag. It is insulated 
with Mylar, an affordable polyester material used in space blankets, and has a waterproof layer with ventilation. Wool blankets also keep occupants warm and make the space more comfortable.

Green Residence won $1,000 for first place. The team included graduate students Wei-Hsun Chen (CMU’15), Fan Sai Kuok (CMU’15), Vanessa Li (CMU’15), Hongqiao Lu (CMU’15) and Ruyao Wu (CMU’15), all from the Integrated Innovation Institute. Their project was a structure that could be set up in Pittsburgh’s parks.

During the day, the structure folds up into a billboard, which the team proposed selling for $100 per month to cover maintenance costs. Homeless individuals can reserve one of these structures after 8 p.m., using an ID system that tells them which units are available and swiping the ID card to open the temporary residence. Inside, there is a heating element and fan that can be plugged into the city’s lampposts. The ID system also assists homeless individuals with job placement.

The Impact-a-Thon was part of a larger College of Engineering event called the Innovation Palooza, which highlighted faculty research such as 3-D bioprinting from Adam Feinberg, professor of biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering, and included a lesson on how to make butter from heavy whipping cream using mechanics from Mechanical Engineering Professor Phil LeDuc and Chemistry Professor Subha Das.

The Palooza also showcased demos and lightning talks from industry leaders, such as Merline Saintil, head of operations for mobile and emerging products at Yahoo! and Bill Fuller of Big Burrito, who put an innovative spin on mealtime by making Asian-style lobster tacos with wasabi guacamole.

The College of Engineering plans to host the Innovation Palooza and Impact-a-Thon annually, something that teams said will help them immensely as they move forward in their careers.

“The biggest value of this project 
was that, rather than just designing a 
solution, we went out and talked to 
people. We got a survey, and we were 
able to get a good sense for what people cared about and what the issues actually are by talking to people in those situations,” Richardson said.

“That makes our opportunities in industry much better because decisions informed by research have good results.”

By Tara Rae Moore

(Pictured) Rajlakshmee (E’15), a master’s degree student in the Integrated 
Innovation Institute, demonstrates her team’s project, the Satellite Shelter, which is designed to keep the homeless warm.

Open Enrollment for 2015 benefits will take place from Monday, Nov. 3 until 
5 p.m. (ET) on Monday, Nov. 17.

During this time, employees have the opportunity to review benefit options and make new elections for 2015. Employees who do not elect their 
benefits during this period will be automatically enrolled in the same benefits they currently have in 2014 (except flexible spending accounts, in which employees must actively enroll each year to participate).

Elections made during Open 
Enrollment are effective on Jan. 1, 2015, and will remain in effect for the entire calendar year. Employees can only change benefit elections during Open Enrollment, unless they experience a qualified life or family status change during another time of the year.

CMU will continue to offer plan options with Highmark, UPMC and HealthAmerica. Most of the contracts between Highmark and UPMC will end on Dec. 31.

The state of Pennsylvania has enforced a “Consent Decree,” which may protect UPMC in-network access for some Highmark members. More 
information can be found online at http://stayinformed.pa.gov/. Employees with concerns about network access in 2015 should contact the health plan provider directly.

Medical plan changes for 2015 include changes to the PPO 1 and 
PPO 2 plans and the elimination of the PPO 3 plan.

Detailed plan information and rates are available to view at www.cmu.edu/hr/benefits/OE. Questions can be directed to the HR Benefits Office at 412-268-2047 or hrhelp@andrew.cmu.edu.

Upcoming Events

Staff Council's Benefits Open Forum
Tuesday, Oct. 28
Noon-1 p.m.
McConomy Auditorium, Cohon 
University Center

2014 Benefits & Fitness Fair
Wednesday, Nov. 5
10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Rangos Ballroom, Cohon University Center
     Benefits and fitness vendors are available to answer your questions. The fair also includes fitness demonstrations, free health screenings and flu shots, raffles and giveaways. For more information, visit www.cmu.edu/hr/benefits/fair.html.

SEI Open Enrollment Presentation
Monday, Nov. 10
10-11 a.m.
SEI Building, A.J. Auditorium

By Emily Baskin

Bodies in motion tend to stay in motion. Even for 100 years.

That law of physics appropriately rings true for two members of the Physics Department, who enjoyed the distinction of winning Andy Awards and Years of Service citations for their combined 100 years at Carnegie Mellon at this year’s staff recognition ceremony on Sept. 30.

Joe Rudman, scientific project administrator, earned the Andy Award for University Citizenship and was celebrated for his 55 years at the university. Chuck Gitzen, storeroom manager, received the Andy Award for Dedication and was honored for his 45 years 
at CMU.

Joining Rudman and Gitzen as 2014 Andy Award winners were Treshea Wade for Innovation; Leon “Pete” Smith and William Taylor for Community Contributions; Diane Stidle for Culture; and Rubab Jafry O’Connor for Commitment to Students.

Here’s a look at this year’s honorees.

University Citizenship: 
Joe Rudman

Rudman (pictured above, left, with Chuck Gitzen) has been a valuable member of the Physics Department for more than five decades, but it’s his many efforts outside of the department that made him this year’s choice in the University Citizenship category.

He has presented more than 100 etiquette dinners for undergraduate and graduate students; delivered talks during Family Weekend, Homecoming and Orientation; and has served on numerous university committees, including the commencement student speaker selection committee and the student disciplinary committee. He has served as an adviser to students seeking prestigious national scholarships and fellowships. And he’s volunteered as the assistant golf coach for more than 30 years.

Rudman, who has a Ph.D. in English, has taught classes as an adjunct faculty member at the Tepper School and Dietrich College. He is an expert in authorship attribution and specializes in 18th century author Daniel Defoe. He has given talks around the world on the subject and has been cited in many international publications.

“To Physics, he is a constant. To campus, he is who you can call,” wrote his nominator Anne Witchner, assistant dean of Student Affairs. “Joe is unique and special, and Carnegie Mellon has benefited greatly from his decision to remain here for 55+ years.”

“Over the years, the name Joe 
Rudman has been synonymous with caring and commitment,” wrote Vice President for Campus Affairs Michael Murphy in a supporting letter. “He makes people around him better than they would have been, and he never gives up on those in whom he believes.

“Joe is inordinately dedicated not just to the tasks or responsibilities under his purview, but also to the university as a whole,” Murphy added. “He is ever present at university events and programs, and he is a staunch advocate of the many and varied campus activities that make this such a rich community.”

Dedication: 
Chuck Gitzen

Gitzen wears many hats for the Physics Department. He is the storeroom manager, purchasing agent, Mr. Fix-It, Mr. Mover and the “general go-to-guy” for more than 150 faculty members, post-doctoral researchers, graduate students and staff.

“Chuck is thoroughly committed to serving our department. Day in and day out, he just gets the job done, no matter what it is,” wrote his nominator Stephen Garoff, professor and head of the Physics Department. “In everything he does, Chuck is committed to doing a quality job.”

Garoff said that although the department has grown significantly over the past few years, Gitzen has continued to perform his duties at the highest level, while always remaining calm, professional and friendly.

“He is dedicated to his work and performs every task with care and creativity,” Garoff said.

Professor Sara Majetich recalled that when she arrived at CMU in 1990, Garoff told her that Gitzen was the best thing about the department. “[And] he’s absolutely right,” she wrote in a supporting letter.

“In the other places I’ve been there’s no equivalent. There may be a supply room, but there’s no one to promptly and reliably place the orders 
and keep track of the paperwork. There’s a reason that so many of my grad students have acknowledged Chuck Gitzen in their Ph.D. theses. My students all hope to graduate before Chuck retires. I don’t know how we will ever replace him,” Majetich said.

She also noted his pleasant 
demeanor.

“He’s always cheerful and helpful to others, even when I know he’s had tough times in his own life. He never complains — even when the rest of us would,” Majetich said.

Physics Business Manager Patrick Carr calls Gitzen’s job performance “nothing but impeccable.”

“His commitment to his job is like no one I have ever seen before. Chuck possesses the attitude of ‘Let’s get ’er done,’” Carr said in a supporting letter.

Community Contributions: 
Leon “Pete” Smith and 
William Taylor

Simply put, Smith and Taylor (right), bus drivers for the Leonard Gelfand Center for Service Learning and Outreach for a combined 35 years, make a large percentage of the outreach and service activities of CMU faculty and students possible.

“These drivers go above and beyond, taking care of the buses as if they were their own — cleaning them and checking mechanical elements regularly to ensure that passengers are transported in safe vehicles,” wrote nominator Judith Hallinen, assistant vice provost for Educational Outreach. “Most service programs take place in the evening and on weekends, and the drivers are flexible to meet the needs of the users.”

Susan Polansky, faculty liaison for the Modern Languages Tutoring for Community Outreach course, praised them for their dedication and dependability.

“Without fail, through rain and snow, very early in the day or late in the day, they have met us at the appointed hours and often waited for us to make the return trip to campus if the visits have been short. They have just been wonderful: punctual and congenial as well as excellent, safe drivers,” she wrote in support of their nomination.

Satvika Neti, a member of Moneythink, a student organization that works with urban youth to help educate them about personal finances, said Taylor and Smith were vital to its success.

“The Gelfand drivers were absolutely essential to our organization having such remarkable growth in its first year,” Neti wrote. “It was imperative that we had at least one site that didn’t need Port Authority … and because of the flexibility of the Gelfand Center drivers, we ended up having two.”

Minnar Xie, former president of FORGE, called their services “invaluable” in helping the organization to build its roster of student mentors for local refugees and in providing a space [the bus] each week for student volunteers to bond and share their experiences immediately after visiting refugee homes.

“We are so grateful for the service Bill and Pete have offered us, especially in picking up our Saturday afternoon shifts,” Xie said.

Commitment to Students: 
Rubab Jafry O’Connor

As associate director of the Undergraduate Business program for the Tepper School, O’Connor is an adviser and confidant to business majors and minors, exchange students and to various business clubs. With more than 200 students in the program each year, it’s not an easy task, but her commitment to students is exceptional.

“She rises to the challenge and far beyond, being proactive in reaching students who may be struggling, affirming those who are doing well, and urging many to participate in program events that help them build their professional development,” wrote her nominator Stephen Pajewski, director of the Undergraduate Business program.

Pajewski specifically noted a monthly brunch she created called “Waffles, Coffee and Professors,” which gives students the opportunity to meet with faculty and to talk about their courses and interests; her work in planning networking events with employers; and her efforts in planning the school’s etiquette dinner and business fashion show.

He also praised her for her willingness to help international students far from home.

“Rubab is from Pakistan, and she has had advisees from Pakistan, and recently one exchange student from the Doha campus,” Pajewski recalled. “She builds relationships with these students from her home country, making them feel comfortable in Pittsburgh and at CMU, and at times conversed with them in their native language of Urdu. On numerous occasions she has invited students to her home for a home-cooked dinner.”

Student Melissa Dileo calls O’Connor a mentor and role model.

“She is honestly one of the most caring individuals I have ever met and continues to guide me every single day, whether it is in schoolwork or in life,” wrote Dileo in a supporting letter.

Alysia Finger (TPR’14, A’14) said O’Connor played a critical role in her academic, professional and personal development.

“I know I speak for the majority of business undergraduates when I say that Rubab’s trust, support and mentorship have been crucial to my growth at this university,” she wrote.

Innovation: 
Treshea Wade

Wade, assistant director of Alumni Communication and Online Services at the Tepper School of Business, is being recognized for her leadership role in helping to design and launch new alumni communication tools, including the “Tepper Ticker” electronic newsletter, the Alumni Reunion Weekend App, the Tepper Online Magazine App, and a new annual giving social media campaign.

“An incredibly hard worker, she has earned a reputation for her imagination, creativity and innovative ideas especially related to online communication with alumni and social media,” wrote her nominator John Sengenberger, executive director of Alumni Relations at the Tepper School. “A skilled artisan of her craft, she is always learning the latest trends and has applied the insights she is learning in her courses at the Heinz College to her work in the office.”

In a supporting letter, Meghan Bollens, director of Annual Giving for the Tepper School, praised Wade for her innovative approach to alumni relations and fundraising, her positive attitude, flexibility and creative thinking.

Bollens noted Wade’s work to strategically improve the Tepper School’s LinkedIn presence, her critical role in bringing the Tepper Ticker to fruition and her key role in launching a webinar series.

“Treshea is a student of communication, social media and marketing, and she is constantly reading expert commentary, attending webinars, collaborating with colleagues from other top schools and searching for best practices. She brings this knowledge base to the table, helping to shape our online strategy with not only her expertise but the data to back it up,” Bollens said.

Ann Powers, senior executive 
director of Individual Giving and Alumni Relations for the Tepper School, credits Wade for her work in improving communication with younger alumni.

“Her social media fundraising campaigns have enabled us to increase annual support from a very key demographic that has helped us to continue to break fundraising records from year to year,” Powers said.

(above) Treshea Wade (left) and Rubab Jafry O’Connor were this year’s recipients of the Andy Awards for Innovation and Commitment to Students, respectively.

Culture: 
Diane Stidle

The Ph.D. students in the Machine Learning Department fondly call Stidle the “mom of the department.” Faculty members call her the department’s “heart and soul.”

That’s why Stidle, the business and graduate programs manager in the Machine Learning Department, is this year’s Andy Award winner for Culture.

“Diane makes everybody feel welcome not only with her warm personality and light-hearted sense of humor, but also with her genuine human touch,” wrote Professor Christos Faloutsos in a nominating letter.

Since becoming the Machine Learning Department’s first staff member in 1997 (it was then called the Center for Automated Learning and Discovery), Stidle has worked to make the office environment “home” to 
faculty, staff, students and alumni.

“Since that day she has worked enthusiastically and consistently to foster a wonderfully positive and supportive department culture, consistently exceeding expectations along every dimension,” wrote eight professors in a supporting letter — Tom Mitchell, 
William Cohen, Geoffrey Gordon, 
Robert Kass, Barnabas Poczos, Alex Smola, Larry Wasserman and Eric Xing.

The professors noted her “self-defined role as a helper and confidant” to students and her “superb community-building skills.” They credited her for creating an engaged and loyal alumni group; for instituting weekly departmental teas for students, faculty and staff; for encouraging students to organize retreats; and for recently organizing a reunion for students, faculty and alumni at a major Machine Learning conference in Chicago.

“Diane Stidle has demonstrated the highest standards of CMU, a genuine concern for every person she interacts with, and an amazing ability to foster a culture in which we all feel we belong,” they wrote.

In a supporting letter signed by 33 Ph.D. students, Stidle was called “the glue that holds the department together.”

“She knows us all personally, her door is always open and she receives everyone with warmth,” they said.

(above) Diane Stidle, (center), business and graduate programs manager in the Machine Learning Department, won this year’s Andy Award for Culture. Pictured with her are Deb Cavlovich and Geoff Gordon.

By Mike Yeomans

Since leaving Pittsburgh to attend 
Columbia University, Rick Siger’s career has been on a fast track.

His rapid progression shaping public policy in the areas of science, technology and economic development — first in Virginia, and then in Washington, D.C. — resulted in his appointment as chief of staff in the White House 
Office of Science and Technology Policy in 2011.

But the further he progressed, the more it became apparent to him that 
all roads headed back home, and specifically to Carnegie Mellon.

Siger, a native of nearby Fox Chapel, joined CMU in September as director of Strategic Initiatives and Engagement, a position in which he will focus on directing the university’s strategic planning process. He also will coordinate the university’s engagement in regional and national economic development initiatives, as well as engagement with key university partners and stakeholders.

From cybersecurity, to energy policy, to advancing the nation’s science, technology and innovation agenda, to unlocking the secrets of rebuilding rust-belt cities, Siger said Carnegie Mellon’s influence is growing in Washington, D.C., and beyond.

“Pittsburgh is a great story from a public policy perspective,” he said. “There is a reason the president has come to Pittsburgh and to CMU so many times. There is an energy and momentum in the narrative of the city and of the university that is compelling.

“I think that is the reason so many people are ‘boomeranging’ back here. There is the sense that profound things are happening. Young people want to contribute to building something that is much bigger than themselves,” he added.

Siger pointed to new leadership in key organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sectors across the region, including new Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, as creating the conditions for transformational change.

“This is an important moment in time for CMU and the region to step up to a larger role — both nationally and internationally,” he said. “Pittsburgh was the frontier of an expanding new nation and the engine of the industrial revolution. The city and the university are now poised to lead in a new global era where human capabilities and creativity are being rapidly transformed by technology.”

Siger said the university’s strategic planning process comes at an important time for the CMU community to reflect on the university’s strengths and how to build on them. The process also serves as an opportunity to collectively identify new areas of emphasis and investment.

“CMU has a well-earned reputation as being a place where stakeholders from widely different perspectives come together to solve problems that improve the world,” he said. “I look forward to the innovative ideas that emerge from the strategic planning process, and to establishing a framework to measure progress against those goals.”

Prior to his time at the OSTP, Siger served as deputy chief of staff and chief of staff to the deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Before arriving in Washington, he served as deputy secretary of commerce and trade in the cabinet of Virginia Governor Tim Kaine, focusing on rural economic development and energy policy, among other areas.

An avid outdoorsman, Siger has guided canoeing trips across North America, most recently in the Yukon Territory and Alaska.

By Bruce Gerson

If students have a university-related project, or an idea for one, but need funding to get it going, there’s a new program at Carnegie Mellon that just might fit the bill.

Or help pay the bill, actually.

CMU Crowdfunding, sponsored by University Advancement through the Office of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving, is designed for students and student organizations to pitch their projects — and funding goals of between $2,000 and $10,000 — to the university community and the public at large via social media, including videos and text similar to crowdfunding efforts like KickStarter or Indiegogo.

Projects are posted to the Web at www.crowdfunding.cmu.edu for a 
30-day period, during which individuals can donate funds directly to the project via credit card. Payments are processed through CyberSource, a secure payment processing system used by Carnegie Mellon.

“CMU Crowdfunding is beneficial to the individual or group seeking support and to the donors as well,” said Mary Ann McCollough, director of Constituent Insights and Business Operations for Alumni Relations & Annual Giving. “The program allows individuals and organizations to state their case directly to the public and donors to know exactly where their gift is going.”

McCollough said the university’s Office of Alumni Relations and Annual Giving will coordinate a review committee to select about five to six projects 
every 30 days for participation from among the applications received from 
the student community.

“Projects selected cannot be funded by existing operating budgets in any form,” McCollough said. “They also 
must be upcoming projects. Funds cannot be used to reimburse projects already completed.”

The first five initiatives selected 
were recently posted online. They’ll be live until Dec. 16. The projects are:

• Carnegie Mellon’s swimming and 
diving team, led by Nicole Crimi (DC’15), is raising money to help fund its annual winter training trip to the Charles Hadley Aquatic Complex in Miami; their goal is $8,000;
• The Catholic Newman Club, led by Luke Tsai (E’16), is seeking funding to send members on a spring retreat and mission trip; their goal is $2,500;
• Lily Daigly (DC’16) and CMU’s chapter of Camp Kesem, a nonprofit organization that runs one-week summer camps for children in families affected by cancer, is raising money to support campers between the ages of 6 and 17; their goal is $7,500;
• Daniel Mathews (A’15) and fellow School of Drama students are raising money to support a June trip to the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, often called the Olympics for theatre designers, in the Czech Republic; their goal is $10,000; and
• The CMU Global Medical Brigades, led by Jeremy Applebaum (CS’16), is seeking funds to purchase medication and health care supplies to take to Nicaragua, where they will help set up medical clinics in rural communities; their goal is $5,000.

The groups will receive all the funding, even if the dollar goal is not achieved,” McCollough said. “If the funds raised exceed the goal, the group will receive all the funding with the expectation that the funds will be used for the project. There is no administrative 
or processing fee,” she said.

McCollough said the gifts go 
directly to the project and not the 
university, so they are not tax deductible, or eligible for matching gifts. However, she said the gift would count as a gift 
toward the CMU Annual Fund, and donors will be recognized as CMU donors.

To apply to the program, interested parties must complete a short application and submit it to crowdfunding@andrew.cmu.edu.

If selected, project leaders must agree to attend an orientation session, develop and maintain website content and a short video (2-3 minutes), develop an email list of at least 100 individuals prior to the launch of the project, spend all funds toward the project as outlined in the proposal, provide updates on their progress and meet all deadlines outlined by the review committee.

By Kelly Saavedra

Here comes the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. It’s a time of planning, preparing food, shopping for gifts, visiting with friends and family … and a whole lot of stress.

So, take a break from the chaos and give yourself a gift by visiting Carnegie Mellon’s Mindfulness Room. Located on the first floor lounge of West Wing, between Margaret Morrison Carnegie Hall and Gesling Stadium, the Mindfulness Room has a peaceful décor designed to help you relax, recharge and, well, just breathe.

Walls painted a soft, banana-cream-pie yellow and sparsely decorated with inspiration surround this cozy space, which is populated with plenty of pillows for meditating — a practice many regard as an anchor in life’s storms.

“If we observe our daily lives, most of it is spent reacting to external circumstances,” said Hari Chandan Mantripragada, who earned a doctorate in engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon in 2010 and leads guided meditation sessions in the Mindfulness Room on Thursday evenings during the spring and fall semesters.

“Meditation is a tool that helps us anchor ourselves to our inner peace, making us less dependent on external stimuli, however intense they may be. We become truly free and find more fulfillment in our lives,” he said.

Mantripragada’s sessions typically draw anywhere from 10 to 20 people. He begins each session with a brief description of the two styles of meditation that he will guide participants through, mindful (pun intended) of newcomers or those who may be returning after a gap.

The first style of meditation involves rhythmic breathing, chanting, emptying the mind and filling the mind with positive things. The second style, which also calls for rhythmic breathing but in a different way, teaches awareness of the body and focusing and holding attention on an image.

“There is no rush, and an all-pervading calm hangs over the room the whole time,” said Kunal Ghosh, assistant head for Undergraduate Affairs and a teaching professor of physics, who regularly attends the meditation sessions.

“I feel more agitated on the days when I don’t meditate. On the days when I do meditate, I find myself less quick to respond emotionally to negative words or acts, if I even choose to respond at all.”

Ghosh added, “I also find that my brain remains very fine-tuned after I meditate, and my concentration in any task I use it for, even solving a physics problem, increases quite a bit.”

David Creswell, a professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon, recently wrapped up a study on mindfulness meditation — the act of staying focused on experiencing the present moment.His experiment involved study participants who gave speeches and performed difficult arithmetic under harassing conditions.

He found that three consecutive days of mindfulness meditation practice for 25 minutes each day reduced their psychological stress.

Creswell meditates regularly and thinks of it as exercise for the mind — the more you do it, the bigger the benefits.

“I have been so delighted to see the Mindfulness Room become available to the campus community,” Creswell said. “Everyone should check it out.”

Meditation sessions are held in the Mindfulness Room on Thursday 
evenings during the Spring and Fall semesters. Above, CMU staff and students display what mindfulness means to them. (Top to bottom) Angela Lusk, Housefellow for Stever House; Emily Melillo (A’19); Michael Booker (E’16); Ida Chow (A’18) and Emily Su (DC’18). 

By Bruce Gerson

Out of sight, but definitely not out of mind.

While some campus construction 
projects are very visible to passersby, such as Scott Hall and the Cohon 
University Center addition, there’s a 
provocative project unfolding off of Forbes Avenue, nestled in between 
Hamburg and Smith halls, that will greatly enhance the Heinz College, improving its facilities to help meet its growing size and stature.

Ranked first among graduate schools by U.S. News & World Report (2012) for its School of Information Systems and Management and ninth 
for its School of Public Policy and Management, the Heinz College has seen tremendous growth over the past 14 years, expanding its programs and more than doubling its number of students from 726 in 2000 to more than 1,500 today. In the past five years, 17 new faculty members and 17 new post-doctoral researchers have been hired.

“The growth attests to the quality and competitiveness of the Heinz College education and to the worldwide reputation and prominence of its entrepreneurial and innovative faculty,” said Heinz College Dean Ramayya Krishnan, the William W. and Ruth F. Cooper Professor of Management Science and Information Systems.

Heinz College areas also garnering top national rankings by U.S. News include public policy analysis (7), environmental policy and management (8), public finance and budgeting (13), health policy and management (16), and nonprofit management (21).

“While the college’s reputation and programs have grown, its physical space has not. This investment in infrastructure is necessary for the Heinz College to stay competitive, and to attract the best and brightest students and top faculty by providing space for collaborative, project-based learning in state-of-the-art facilities. This is an urgent priority for the college,” Krishnan said.

Krishnan said the new space would allow Heinz College programs to continue to hire new faculty, continue to grow its Ph.D. and master’s degree programs, and eliminate the need for space outside of Hamburg Hall.

Here’s a rundown of the four-phase project:

Phase 1 — completed in summer 2013 — upgraded and relocated student services offices to the ground floor and created nine interview rooms for on-campus recruiters.

Phase 2 and 2.5 of the program, an $18 million effort funded largely in part by a $10 million gift from The Heinz Endowments, is set to begin later this year or early 2015. Phase 2 will feature a new 150-seat auditorium tucked into the surface parking area between Smith and Hamburg halls, and the transformation of Hamburg Hall 1000, the large lecture hall commonly called the “rotunda.”

The rotunda, which currently has poor sight lines and acoustics, will be converted into a grand entrance and lobby area where students, faculty, staff and visitors can network and collaborate on projects. The lobby will connect to the new classroom — modeled after Rashid Auditorium in the Hillman Center — and will include a rooftop courtyard that can be enjoyed during the spring and summer months. The new auditorium is expected to be operational by fall 2015.

Phase 2 also will see construction of an ADA-compliant entrance to Hamburg from Forbes Avenue. In addition, 
existing infrastructure will be upgraded to meet current building codes.

Phase 2.5 is scheduled to begin in 2016 when the Institute for Complex Engineered Systems, now located on 
the first and second floors of the west wing of Hamburg Hall, will move to Scott Hall. Ralph Horgan, vice provost for Campus Design and Facilities Management, said the space vacated by ICES would be made into “forward-looking classrooms that will allow faculty to experiment with new pedagogies.” The 10,000 square feet of space also will be used to create faculty and student offices.

Phase 3 of the program will see construction of a glass roof above, and glass walls surrounding the rooftop courtyard of the new lecture hall. A café in the courtyard will be added once the glass-enclosed room is completed.

Phase 4 will renovate third-floor faculty and Ph.D. offices, and meeting spaces.

Heinz College facility 
enhancements will 
include a glass-enclosed rooftop courtyard 
(top photo) above a new 150-seat auditorium (middle photo) nestled between Hamburg and Smith halls. The project also will transform Hamburg Hall 1000, commonly referred to as the "rotunda," into a grand entrance and lobby area (bottom photo), where students, faculty, staff and visitors can network and collaborate on projects.

By Jordan Markley

Kenny Chesney was a valet. Toby Keith played football. Merle Haggard was in jail.

And Dan Smyers?

Before the rising country star took to the stage with songwriting partner Shay Mooney, the Dan + Shay guitar slinger studied finance at Carnegie Mellon University.

“It was very important to me to graduate and complete my education at Carnegie Mellon,” Smyers (TPR’10) said. “Being a musician, it’s not just learning the notes I get to play on stage. I’m basically running a small business here. A lot of the things I learned are very transferrable to what I do now.”

Smyers spent his high school years touring and cutting his teeth in the music industry. He always had a passion for learning, and when he was accepted to the Tepper School of Business, he knew it was time to dive back into school full time.

Though he did record a solo EP while he was at CMU, he spent most of his time in the classroom and the library, sometimes taking eight or nine classes in order to graduate in three years — while still taking a few precious electives in the College of Fine Arts.

One of his favorites was Jazz History, taught by two-time Grammy Award-winner Eric DeFade.

“That class was just incredible. Professor DeFade was awesome,” Smyers said. “You could just feel the energy by walking through the School of Music and School of Drama. There’s just so much talent and creativity going on there, producing so much awesome stuff. And the way that those schools operated was a little different from Tepper, which enabled me to broaden my horizons.”
DeFade was excited to learn of Smyers’ success.

“I remember Dan as an extremely conscientious and open-minded student,” DeFade said. “He was always willing to try new concepts.”
Tepper School Professor Evelyn Pierce remembers Smyers from her Business Presentations class.

“In my day, we’d have said he was the one with ‘the coolest vibe’ — a very positive aura; simultaneously alert, involved and mellow. No surprise that he was an outstanding presenter. I’m thrilled that he’s found a way to share that energy with others,” Pierce said.

“He should know that I still have all his PowerPoint decks, but I promise never to sell them to any rabid fans,” she added. “Lucky us at CMU to be able to say, ‘We knew him when.’”

Smyers’ creative energy drove him to Nashville after graduation. But the path between Tepper and the Nashville limelight wasn’t smooth.

“It was tough roughing it for a few years because the degree from Carnegie Mellon is so valuable,” Smyers said. “Especially at first, but I knew I was passionate about it, and you know I just kept grinding and living out in Nashville.”

That work paid off.

Dan + Shay’s formation and almost overnight success has the ring of Music City folklore. The duo first sang together at a mid-winter party, under a tent Smyers and his roommates had constructed. At the time, they were volunteering for medical studies and taste testing pizzas to make a living.

Less than a week after meeting Mooney, the duo’s first song was optioned by Rascal Flatts. Months later, they were cutting an album they co-wrote with Music Row stalwarts Danny Orton, Rhett Atkins and Ben Hayslip.

Dan + Shay received nominations this year for Vocal Duo of the Year (American Country Music Awards), Duo Video of the Year (Country Music Television Awards), and Vocal Duo of the Year (Country Music Awards).

After a summer of opening for Hunter Hayes and Blake Shelton, Dan + Shay are now headliners on their own tour, “Where it All Began.” Thanks to his time at Tepper, Smyers can partner with managers to make sure they grow their brand and business the right way.

“When I talk about it with our manager and our business manager, they say that it’s cool to work with someone who understands these things, the investments and savings,” Smyers said. “I’m very thankful that I can keep track of that, where our business is and how we’re growing.”

Pictured above are country duo Dan + Shay: Dan Smyers (TPR’10) and Shay Mooney.