H&SS eNews, August 2007

Greetings from H&SS.

The H&SS eNews is a monthly electronic publication of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. The eNews is compiled and edited by Kelli McElhinny, director of media relations for H&SS. She can be reached at 412-268-6094 or kellim@andrew.cmu.edu. Contact Kelli to submit news about yourself and your fellow alumni, and to sign up for our newsletters.

For past eNews publications, please visit the H&SS eNews archive.

For news about the entire university, be sure to check out the university’s home page or the Carnegie Mellon Today website.

Alumni News

--Tim Bomba (B.A. Communication Processes, 1973) recently completed his first Ironman Triathlon at Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. The Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile lake swim, 112 miles by bike, and then a 26.2-mile marathon, all in the same day. Participants must complete the event in 17 hours; Bomba completed it in 14 hours, 45 minutes.

--Brian Gill (B.A. History and Philosophy, 1990) has joined Mathematica Policy Research Inc. as a senior social scientist. Gill, who lives in Concord, Mass., formerly worked for the RAND Corp. in Pittsburgh. His research addresses a range of issues in K-12 education.

--Mary Schuchman Hendley (B.A. History and Professional Writing, 1981) was recently elected to the board of directors of the Public Radio Association of Development Officers (PRADO). Hendley has been in fundraising for over 18 years, with the last five as development director and assistant general manager for 90.3 WBHM and 91.5 WSGN public radio in North Central Alabama.

--Jacqueline Wilkie (D.A. History, 1982) has been named director of the Paideia Program at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. The latest in a series of core academic programs established in 1964, the Paideia curriculum consists of three required interdisciplinary courses: a common two-semester sequence for first-year students (Paideia I), and a series of one-semester courses for juniors and seniors (Paideia Capstone). The program also includes support for a Humanities Lecture Series and an interdisciplinary journal, Agora.

--Kristen Williams (B.S. Technical Writing, 1999) is one-half of Basso Moderno Duo, which has commissioned over 100 lyrical works for solo bass and piano by some of the world's most prominent and exciting living composers. Williams accompanies on piano bassist Allan Von Schenkel. Williams is the executive director of the Great Noise Ensemble, Washington, D.C.'s premiere contemporary classical chamber music group. For more information go to http://www.solobass.org/index.html.

Student News

--The work of six H&SS students was featured in the "Reduce/Reuse" exhibit at Pittsburgh's Construction Junction in the spring as part of a course titled Design and Social Change. The students used discarded items to create functional products that were available for sale. The exhibit included the work of H&SS students Tria Chang; Allison Gallant; Alissa Micciulla; Olivia Ostrand; Min Junk Park; and Laura Thoren. For more information go to http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A30565.

College/Faculty News

--The perceived neediness of Hurricane Katrina victims is a better determinant of charitable giving than the victims' race, according to study by Christina M. Fong, research scientist at in the Department of Social and Decision Sciences, and Erzo F.P. Luttmer, associate professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. The paper was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The study explains that on average, charitable giving to Katrina victims is not affected by the perceived race of the recipients. Racial bias does, however, exist within certain subgroups of whites. Whites who say they identify with their ethnic or racial group give significantly less to blacks, and whites who say they do not identify with their ethnic or racial group give significantly more to blacks. For more information go to http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/July/july9_katrina.shtml.

--Fong has also published a study in the Economic Journal which reveals that people who regard themselves as humanitarians are even more likely than others to base donations to the poor on whether they believe poverty is a result of bad luck or bad choices. Fong's study supports previous findings that people are more likely to give money to the poor when they believe that poverty is a result of misfortune rather than laziness. What's surprising is that this effect is largest among people who claim to have more humanitarian or egalitarian beliefs. In fact, humanitarians give no more than others when recipients are deemed to be poor because of laziness. For more information go to http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2007/July/july24_not-generous.shtml.

-- History Professor Joel Tarr has co-authored "The Horse in the City: Living Machines in the Nineteenth Century" with Clay McShane. The book describes the critical role that the horse played in the growth of 19th century cities, and examines the challenges posed in maintaining an environment that was safe and healthy for both the animals and people. Tarr is the Richard S. Caliguiri University Professor of History and Policy. The book was published by the Johns Hopkins University Press.

Events

--H&SS will once again be hosting a homecoming reception, which is set for 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, in the H&SS Coffee Lounge on the ground floor of Baker Hall. This year, in recognition of the H&SS Honors Program 25th Anniversary, a library of honors theses will be available for viewing, as well as posters reflecting a sampling of current honors students' projects. The reception is open to all alumni and their guests.

The reception will follow the H&SS Senior Honors Program 25th Anniversary Symposium, which will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Alumni who have completed honors theses will talk about how the experience has impacted their education and personal and professional development.

The symposium will take place in the Giant Eagle Auditorium, Baker Hall A51. Check http://alumni.cmu.edu/homecoming/index.html for details and updates.

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