H&SS eNews,
February 2008
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.
This edition of the eNews was edited and compiled by Anne Jackson.
The eNews will be temporarily on hiatus but we look forward to its return later this semester.
In the meantime, please email your news to Joanne Ursenbach in the H&SS Dean's Office.
For more H&SS news, go to our Web site, http://www.hss.cmu.edu/. For other Carnegie Mellon news, be sure to check out http://www.cmu.edu and http://www.cmu.edu/news/blog/.
For past eNews publications, please visit the H&SS eNews archive.
Alumni News
--Karen Russell (Casella) (B.S. in Social and Decision Sciences, 1996) has been working at Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting) for over 11 years, and is currently working as a project manager developing software for the Air Force. In June, Russell is planning to go to Africa to climb Mt Kilimanjaro—at 19, 340 feet, the highest point in Africa, and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. She will be climbing on behalf of the Voluntary Service Overseas' (VSO) Regional AIDS Initiative of Southern Africa (RAISA) program, whose projects support people living with HIV & AIDS. To learn more or to help support Russell, click to http://www.justgiving.com/mariarussell1.
Student News
--Romel Mostafa, a Ph.D. student in Social and Decision Sciences, has received a $20,000 Kauffman Dissertation Fellowship from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Mostafa's dissertation title is "Economic Growth One Industry at a Time: Entrepreneurship in the Bangladesh Garment Industry." Mostafa and 15 other fellowship recipients were honored Jan. 4 at the American Economic Association's meeting in New Orleans.
--Zeb Girouard (Junior, Mathematical Science and Creative Writing), Sally Mao (Junior, Creative Writing and Professional Writing), and Joella Still (Junior, English) were winners in the ninth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Writing Awards for poems written in honor the slain civil rights leader's vision and sacrifice. They read their works as part of the university's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on January 21.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08020/850426-35.stm
College/Faculty News
--Carnegie Mellon University has named Franco Sciannameo director of its Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA) and Bachelor of Science and Arts (BSA) programs. Sciannameo had been interim director of the programs for the past 18 months. He is an active member of the university's Center for the Arts in Society. Sciannameo says, "I intend to develop a better understanding of what 'interdisciplinary' is for the students. I will frame the concept of interdisciplinarity within parameters suggested by the words creativity, fusion, energy and synthesis. I'd like to design new courses that question, research and develop the very issue of this subject."
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/January/jan7_bha-bsa.shtml
--Carnegie Mellon University joined the collaboration building the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) and is now among the 23 universities, national laboratories and corporations involved in constructing the world's most powerful survey telescope. An interdisciplinary team of researchers, including the Statistics Department in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences plan to work on the LSST. The project will result in one of the largest publicly available databases ever to be assembled. Working with the University of Pittsburgh, which has been a member of LSST since July 2007, and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center - a joint project of Carnegie Mellon and Pitt - Carnegie Mellon hopes to contribute especially to the acquisition, storage and analysis of LSST data.
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/January/jan8_lsst.shtml
--By combining methods of machine learning and brain imaging, a team of Carnegie Mellon computer scientists and cognitive neuroscientists has found a way to identify where people's thoughts and perceptions of familiar objects originate in the brain. An article in the Jan. 2 issue of PLoS One discusses this new method, which was developed over two years under the leadership of neuroscientist Marcel Just and Computer Science Professor Tom M. Mitchell.
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/January/jan3_justmitchell.shtml
--Carnegie Mellon University German Professor Stephen Brockmann has been awarded the DAAD Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in German and European Studies by the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies (AICGS). The highly competitive award is given annually to an exceptional scholar, who must be an American citizen or resident, in one of the institute's three areas of research: policy studies, economics or culture and politics.
--Carnegie Mellon University Cognitive Neuroscience Professor Marcel Just and Computer Science Professor Tom M. Mitchell have received a three-year, $1.1 million grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to pursue new breakthroughs in the science of brain imaging. Ultimately, this research could shed light on brain disease or conditions like autism, dyslexia or depression.
In the first phase of their research, funded in part by an earlier grant from the Keck Foundation from 2005 to 2007, Mitchell, Just and their colleagues combined information from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans with machine learning algorithms that discern patterns of brain activity to show for the first time where thought processes about a particular object originate in the human brain.
http://www.cmu.edu/news/archive/2008/January/jan28_keckfdn.shtml
--Paul J. Hopper, Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of the Humanities, gave a seminar on "Projectability and the Emergence of Grammatical Constructions" to the Language and History Group at Oxford University on January 23rd.
-- Carnegie Mellon University will celebrate Black History Month throughout February with a variety of on-campus lectures, performances and art exhibits. Carnegie Mellon's Student Development Office coordinates all Black History Month events, which are open to the public. Activities began Friday, Feb. 1 with a Black Caucus Reception. Contact M. Shernell Smith at 412-268-9510 or mssmith@andrew.cmu.edu for more information on the following Black History Month events.
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Research Shows People Blame
External Agents When Bad Things Happen to Them
New research by Carey K. Morewedge reveals people attribute external agents - other people or supernatural forces - when something goes wrong, but not when things happen the way they wanted or expected. Read more... |
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Carnegie Mellon To Celebrate Grand Opening Of
Behavioral Decision Research Lab in Downtown Pittsburgh
The Social and Decision Sciences Department and its Center for Behavioral Decision Research is opening a behavioral decision research lab in downtown Pittsburgh. At the Carnegie Mellon Research Café, located on the second level of Fifth Avenue Place, downtown workers and visitors will be able to earn money or gift cards for participating in studies on decision making such as consumer spending and saving, health behaviors like dieting and smoking, and what causes happiness. Read more... |
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Kiron K. Skinner Reappointed
To Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel
Kiron K. Skinner, an associate professor of social and decision sciences and director of the International Relations and Politics Program, has been reappointed to the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Read more... |
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SDS Professor Paul Fischbeck Links Health Care Debate To Risk of Dying in the U.S. and Europe
The current health care debate in the United States is complicated. Trade-offs between heath care expenditures, lifestyle choices and life expectancy have been suggested but seldom clearly demonstrated. Paul Fischbeck, professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy. uses risk of dying data in the U.S. and Europe to illustrate differences in health care systems. Read more... |
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Humanities Center Lecture Series: "Is Water the New Oil? The New Water Monopolies and the World's Poor"
Monday, Nov. 9 at 4:30 pm: Karen Piper, an English professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, will discuss how the World Bank supports policies that force poor countries to privatize their water supplies and the consequences of water privatization. Read more... |
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Happily Hopeless: Professor George Loewenstein Discovers Optimism Can Be Detrimental to Mental Health
New research by Social and Decision Sciences Professor George Loewenstein and Dylan M. Smith, Aleksandra Jankovic and Peter A. Ubel of the University of Michigan shows that holding on to hope may not make patients happier as they deal with chronic illness or disease. The study tracked and surveyed patients with both reversible and irreversible colostomies over a six-month period to measure their emotional well-being. The results confirm that people do not adapt well to situations if they're believed to be short-term. Read more... |
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Information Systems Program Receives Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Grant
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has granted the Information Systems (IS) program $206,000 over the next two years to continue its "Information Systems in the Community" summer program. The program brings students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to Carnegie Mellon for an intensive, six-week session in which they learn software development best practices, project management and teamwork. The program, derived from the highly successful IS major within H&SS, started six years ago with an initial grant from the Mellon Foundation. Read more... |
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Modern Languages Hosts Lecture on the Challenges in the Performance Assessment of Speaking at Advanced Levels
Wednesday, Nov. 4: The Modern Languages Department will host a lecture by Timothy McNamara, professor of allied linguistics from the University of Melbourne at 3:30 p.m. in Margaret Morrison A14. Read more... |
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CMU Press Publishes New Edition of Chuck Kinder's Famed Honeymooners
Kinder's chronicle of two writers pursuing fame and freedom in the Bay Area during the 1970s now includes an introduction by author and screenplay writer Jay McInerney and two previously unprinted sections: The Lost Chapters and The Lost Love Letters. Read more... |
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Carnegie Mellon Appoints New Co-Director
Of Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition
Michael J. Tarr, a new professor of psychology, will co-direct the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC). The CNBC is a joint project between Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh devoted to investigating neural mechanisms and their impact on human cognitive abilities. Read more... |
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Distracted Driving Podcast
Listen to Marcel Just, the director of Carnegie Mellon's Center for Cognitive Brain Imaging, discuss his research that shows why cell phones distract drivers. Listen here. [Requires iTunes.] |
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Facing the Economic Turning Point: A New G-20 Agenda Critical for Restoring Growth and Confidence
On Sept. 23, the university community gathered to tackle issues that world leaders would be focusing on at the G-20. Under the leadership of Professor Kiron Skinner, the day-long conference - co-hosted by Carnegie Mellon and the Atlantic Council - explored the economic and social forces at work in the post-economic crisis world. They were joined by U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Daniel Rooney, as well as leaders at the World Bank, PNC Financial Services and BNY Mellon, among others. Read article. Read related report. |
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Video: Pittsburgh G-20 Summit Forum
Carnegie Mellon recently hosted a panel of experts discussing the G-20 summit. Topics included discussion on what the G-20 is and what impact it will have. The speakers also discussed the global economy and what challenges it has encountered recently. Members of the panel included H&SS professors Lee Branstetter and Jendayi Frazer.
Watch the video. |
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CMU Press Publishes Book on Pittsburgh in the 21st Century
Carnegie Mellon University Press' latest publication is The Paris of Appalachia: Pittsburgh in the Twenty-first Century, a book by Brian O'Neill that gives a hopeful and heartfelt account of why Pittsburgh was able to hold steady during the recent financial crisis. Read more... |
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H&SS Summer 2009 Newsletter Available
In this issue: When dreaming is believing; 2009 Cognition Symposium and Guggenheim Fellowships; Study could help with weight loss; David Danks faculty profile; 2009 Harry S. Truman Scholarship winner; and much more. Read more...
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2009-10 Humanities Center Lecture Series Focuses on Global Connections, Global Responsibilities
Sponsored by Carnegie Mellon's Humanities Center and the Center for the Advancement of Applied Ethics and Political Philosophy, the lectures will focus on the diversity between affluent and economically challenged countries and their influence on one another. For complete dates, topics and speakers, click here.
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Psychology's Marcel Just Uses Brain Imaging To Show Why Cell Phones Distract Drivers
According to Carnegie Mellon neuroscientist Marcel Just, simply listening to someone speak on the other end of a cell phone is enough to impair driving. Read more... |
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H&SS is on Twitter
Stay up-to-date with everything going on in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences on Twitter. Visit twitter.com/CMU_HSS. |
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H&SS Researchers Develop Novel Tool To Rank Death Rates
Have you ever wondered what the odds are that you may die in the next year? Would it be from illness or an accident? Is it something you can control? Or is it completely out of your hands? A new Web site, www.DeathRiskRankings.com, developed by researchers and students at Carnegie Mellon University, allows users to query publicly available data from the United States and Europe, and compare mortality risks by gender, age, cause of death and geographic region. Paul Fischbeck, a professor of social and decision sciences and engineering and public policy led the development team. Read more... |
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Information Systems Program in Qatar Welcomes Class of 2013
Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar celebrated its Sixth Annual Convocation on Sunday, Aug. 23 and officially welcomed the Class of 2013 to the Carnegie Mellon Qatar family. 92 students make up the new freshman class, making it the largest incoming class at Carnegie Mellon Qatar. 20 students are enrolled in Information Systems. Read more... |
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History Department Announces Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy 2009-10 Speaker Series
The Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (CAUSE) will launch its 2009-10 speaker series with an opening reception at 4:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 11, in the Danforth Lounge of the University Center. CAUSE aims to link the historian's interest in race, work and economic change over time with contemporary analyses of politics, the urban labor force and employment policies. Each year CAUSE sponsors a speaker series that features distinguished historians lecturing on African American history in the region and nation. Read more... |
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Professor Stephen E. Fienberg
Receives American Statistical Association Award
Stephen E. Fienberg, the Maurice Falk University Professor of Statistics and Social Science, has been named a recipient of the American Statistical Association's (ASA) 2009 Founders Award. ASA is the nation's largest professional statistical society and has a membership base that spans government, industry and academia. Read more... |
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Two Social and Decision Sciences Professors Named to Security Panel Convened by National Academies
Baruch Fischhoff and Kiron Skinner have been appointed to the National Academies Committee on Behavioral and Social-Science Research to Improve Intelligence Analysis for National Security. Fischhoff, the Howard Heinz Professor of Social and Decision Sciences, will chair the panel. Read more... |
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Two H&SS Professors Win 2009 Guggenheim Fellowships
Mariana Achugar and Terrance Hayes have been confirmed as 2009 Guggenheim Fellows. Achugar is an associate professor of Spanish and second language acquisition skills in the Modern Languages Department, and Hayes is a Creative Writing professor. Read more... |
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