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Carnegie Mellon University alumna Matineh Eybpoosh and co-founder Matthew Maroon won $10,000 for their innovative company, Watt-Learn, at the sixth TransTech Energy Business Development Conference in Canonsburg, Pensylvania, Oct. 24-25.

The company offers a battery control software platform to help create a smarter electric grid.

"Intermittent renewable energy raises grid resiliency concerns. The technical solution available is energy storage — mostly batteries," said Eybpoosh who graduated from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering's doctoral program in 2015. "However, battery projects aren't economical, which is a large barrier for meeting the ambitious battery installation goals worldwide. This is the problem that Watt-Learn solves. By adding artificial intelligence to batteries, they become self-driving profitable investments."

The conference, co-sponsored by Carnegie Mellon's Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, provides a forum for investors to meet new companies whose innovations can solve energy, environmental and economic development issues.

Watt-Learn was one of several teams that included CMU community members who presented their research and innovations. CMU was recognized earlier this year as one of the best universities for technology transfer, ranking 10th out of more than 200 universities, according to a report from the Milken Institute.

At the conference, Scott Institute Director Jay Whitacre, joined leaders from the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Energy, Case Western Reserve University's Great Lakes Energy Institute and The West Virginia University Energy Institute for a discussion on how regional universities commercialize technologies.

"CMU's Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation, the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship and the Scott Institute provide critical services to student and faculty entrepreneurs for building innovations and new ventures. Through courses, pitch competitions, lectures and funding, we are mentoring the next generation of successful entrepreneurs," Whitacre said.

Four CMU student teams presented technology innovation posters developed in an "Energy Innovation and Entrepreneurship" course taught by Deborah Stine, professor of the practice in the Department of Engineering and Public Policy and associate director for policy outreach at the Scott Institute.

The students received feedback on their posters from investors and leaders in the energy sector including Randall Gentry, chief technology officer and deputy director of science and technology for The National Energy Technology Laboratory. They also learned about entrepreneurship at an evening keynote session.

"We heard from different business angels regarding the innovation ecosystem in Western Pennsylvania and what they look for in a company," said Pedro Benedicto Martínez, a master's degree student in CMU's Energy Science, Technology and Policy Program who aims to make better weather forecasts for solar and wind generation facilities using satellite data. "The feedback we received combined with the information we learned at the panel will help us improve our project and address the aspects that turn a project into a successful company."

Matthew DeNardo, a postdoctoral researcher at CMU's Institute for Green Science, presented work conducted by the institute and the University of Missouri on the treatment of hydraulic fracturing flowback water using new tetra-amido macrocyclic ligand catalysts and hydrogen peroxide.

Among the companies with CMU connections that competed with Watt-Learn for monetary prizes were:

• BuildSim, whose co-founder and chief product officer Weili Xu graduated from CMU's school of Architecture in 2017;
• SenSevere, whose co-founder and chief executive officer Jason Gu graduated with a degree in materials science and engineering in 2010; and
• Teratonix, whose founder Yi Luo is an assistant professor in CMU's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Learn more about the Scott Institute's energy innovation initiatives.

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Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) formally welcomed its new dean, Michael Trick, in an installation ceremony at its Education City campus in Doha. He is the third dean since CMU-Q opened in 2004.

Trick has been a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University's main U.S. campus in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, since 1989, and holds a Ph.D. in industrial engineering. He is a researcher and educator in the field of operations research, with a specialization in computational methods in optimization. He also has consulted with professional sports leagues on scheduling.

"I am honored to be named dean of this remarkable institution," Trick said. "University is a transformative time for young people, and I look forward to building an educational experience at CMU-Q that is enriching, enlightening and inspiring."

Hessa Al Jaber, a member of CMU-Q's Joint Advisory Board, welcomed Trick on behalf of Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF).

"Dean Trick is in a unique position to lead this institution through its second decade. He is an esteemed educator who will provide the guidance and leadership to fulfill the educational mission of CMU-Q. He is an internationally recognized researcher, who will bring a new perspective to the research efforts of CMU-Q. He is a strategic thinker, who will help us ensure that CMU-Q is contributing to the community in ways that matter," Al Jaber said.

Carnegie Mellon Interim President Farnam Jahanian (pictured below) spoke at the ceremony.

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"Carnegie Mellon is proud to be a part of this community to deliver educational and research programs that will support and contribute to the long-term development of Qatar's knowledge-based economy. The leader we have chosen to build on this success is Michael Trick.

"Under Dean Trick's leadership, I am confident that CMU-Q will continue its development as an integral part of the Qatar landscape, representing CMU's dynamic global capacity," he added.

Laurie Weingart, CMU's interim provost and a close colleague of Trick's for many years, spoke about his dedication to supporting students.

"I can attest to Michael Trick's long-standing commitment to a nurturing research and learning environment," Weingart said. "His commitment is driven by excellence and his belief in the power of collaboration to motivate and inspire others. These are values that will serve him well in this role."

Trick is the author of more than 50 professional publications and the editor of six volumes of refereed articles. He has consulted extensively with the United States Postal Service on supply chain design, Major League Baseball and various college basketball conferences on scheduling issues, and telecommunications organizations such as Sony and Motorola on bandwidth allocation.

The installation ceremony was capped by the presentation of a ceremonial Quaich, a Scottish vessel traditionally symbolizing friendship, trust and new ventures.

Carnegie Mellon in Qatar offers undergraduate programs in biological sciences, business administration, computational biology, computer science and information systems. Students who attend CMU-Q have identical graduation requirements as those on the main campus in Pittsburgh.

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Students and alumni of Carnegie Mellon University in Australia have developed an award-winning analytics tool to help the economy in South Australia.

BizKit is an innovative digital platform that integrates, aggregates and translates different data sources into essential information for entrepreneurs. The tool won several awards at this year’s GovHack Challenge, an international competition that brings more than 3,000 people together to collaborate and apply their creative and analytical skills for the benefit of the Australian government.

“We came up with the idea during the GovHack competition,” said Shraddha Patel, a master’s degree student in information technology at CMU-Australia who is studying at the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy in Pittsburgh this semester. “After coming up with two to three ideas, we narrowed it down to BizKit as we wanted to focus on a product that has both social and economic benefits.”

The project won three of the competition’s 12 awards, including the top South Australia Premier’s Award for “Economic Benefit to the State.” Under the guidance of Heinz College Associate Teaching Professor Murli Viswanathan, the team received a $10,000 government grant, and startup and business support from several consulting firms.

“BizKit is designed to be used by layman business owners and is built for simplicity,” Viswanathan said. “We are all about making data accessible to as many people as we can. BizKit amalgamates government data, social media and other information sources to provide businesses with key customer insights in a dynamic and easy to use dashboard.”

The tool gives business owners the ability to understand their customers, their competition, potential weaknesses, and the pros and cons of possible locations. It integrates census data, demographic statistics, roadway transportation, bicycle routes and Yelp reviews.

“Our vision is to help new and existing businesses to succeed by uncovering hidden opportunities that provide them with customer, competitor and market intelligence,” said Patel, who will earn his degree in 2018.

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The BizKit team. Pictured are (l-r) Professor Murli Viswanathan, Jose Rodriguez Garcia, Teck Jan Low and Gonzalo Becker Leon. At far right is Libby Vojin of the South Australia Water Business Development Manager.

The BizKit team plans to further develop the tool by working with restaurant owners and focusing on information concerning location.

Viswanathan said BizKit is more than a one-off planning tool for startups.

“It has the potential to send alerts of any planned interruptions that could affect business, like road resurfacing and other capital improvements,” he said. “Businesses can leverage these insights to effectively plan and unlock opportunities as a result of upcoming work.”

Patel said the BizKit experience complemented his academic studies at CMU-Australia.

“We believe CMU’s Heinz College Master of Information Technology program equips students with all the business and technology skills to succeed. We employed our data analytics and predictive modeling skills we acquired at CMU to create BizKit. And now we are excited to start our own business,” Patel said.

In addition to Patel, the team members are Teck Jan Low, Madan Parameswaran and Gonzalo Becker Leon, who earned their master’s degrees in information technology in 2017; Damian Ezequiel Zinni, who received his master’s degree in IT in 2016; and Jose Rodriguez Garcia, who will graduate in 2018.

Viswanathan is the faculty lead for the Business Intelligence and Data Analytics track at CMU-Australia in Adelaide, which includes the Heinz College’s Master of Information Systems and Master of Information Technology programs. He has mentored several student groups that have won global analytics competitions and developed mobile apps for the South Australian Government, NGOs and private businesses.

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Carnegie Mellon University’s women’s soccer and volleyball teams have received at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Championships.

The women’s soccer team, ranked 9th in Division III under Head Coach Yon Struble, will be competing in the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight year after finishing the regular season with a 13-2-2 mark and a third-place finish in the University Athletic Association (UAA). The Tartans will host a four-team regional tournament and will play Farmingdale State College (13-7-2) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 11. Franklin College (14-4) will take on Arcadia University (15-5) at 8 p.m. The two winners will play Sunday, Nov. 12.

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Senior forward Haili Adams (above) leads the Tartans with 10 goals and three assists. Freshman goalkeeper Carolyn Botz has recorded 29 saves and nine shutouts.

CMU’s volleyball team, also ranked 9th in Division III, will be making its second straight post-season appearance and fourth under 13-year Head Coach Kim Kelly. Kelly notched her 250th victory at CMU and 500th career win earlier this year.

The Tartans (29-4) are the top seed in the Mid-Atlantic region. Carnegie Mellon will face Eastern University (20-12), winner of the MAC Freedom Conference, at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 10 at Stevenson University in Baltimore. CMU defeated Eastern, 3-0, in late October.

The Tartans are led by a pair of junior hitters in Lauren Mueller (425 kills) and Sarah Jurgens (327). Defensive specialist Kayla Yew leads the team with 710 digs, including a career-high 41 in a UAA tournament match vs. Brandeis University.

The winner of the Carnegie Mellon-Eastern match will face the winner of the Randolph-Macon College (23-6) vs. Swarthmore College (21-7) contest. Stevenson (32-1) will face Hunter College (27-4) in the first round with the victor advancing to play the winner of the Johns Hopkins University (24-3) vs. Kean University (28-10) match. The regional championship will be played Sunday, Nov. 12.

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The Aquaponics Project, a startup led by Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh students, recently won the Ford College Community Challenge's (Ford C3) mobility-themed competition, receiving $10,000 and a Ford Transit Connect passenger van to transport its portable aquaponics facility that provides solutions to food production and waste, and soil remediation.

The company, which specializes in urban agriculture by raising aquatic animals and plants in one, small environment, includes CMU students Alexis Hoane, a sophomore in the Mellon College of Science, and Sasha Cohen Ioannides, a sophomore in the College of Engineering. The team also includes students from the University of Michigan.

"The vehicle will improve our aquaponics startup, allowing us to start integrating anaerobic digestion, and improve food rescue mobilization in Pittsburgh. This will create a 21st century food system that we hope other urban areas can model," said Cohen Ioannides, director of design and maintenance for The Aquaponics Project.

Established in 2016, the company deployed Pittsburgh's first portable aquaponics farm, which produced 50 pounds of basil and 80 tilapia last year. The team previously pitched their anaerobic digestion system at the 2017 Ford C3 and won $25,000. The system involves a series of biological processes in which microorganisms break down food waste in the absence of oxygen. The end product is biofertilizer and biogas, which is used for energy and heat.

Ford celebrated the 10-year anniversary of the Ford C3 with the special mobility competition, focusing on solutions that make lives better by changing the way people move. As part of the challenge, Ford invited three of the 10 teams that previously won, including The Aquaponics Project, to pitch their solutions to a panel of Ford executives for the chance to win the passenger van and additional monetary prizes.

"The future of C3 will broaden our goal to help students create meaningful, sustainable social enterprises to drive change," said Mike Schmidt, director of education and global community development for Ford Motor Company Fund, in a press release on the challenge. "Our goal is to create a movement, not a program, that allows students to be a powerful force for good in this world and to help make people's lives better across the globe."

Home Inc.Ubator, led by CMU architecture major Sophie Nahrmann, was an additional 2017 C3 winning team that received $25,0000 for its portable residential housing module prototype, equipped with reality computing and advanced virtual reality that enables residents to have input on the design of their affordable housing.

"The team at CMU's Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation would like to thank the leadership team of the Ford Motor Company Fund for their generous support of The Aquaponics Project and Home Inc.Ubator," said Anna J. Siefken, associate director for Innovation and Strategic Partnerships at the Scott Institute. "It's partnerships like this that allow the most exciting technologies and ideas to flourish into companies that will have a lasting impact on how we achieve urban sustainability."

The Aquaponics Project partners with various organizations around the city including Repair the World, The Door Campaign, and 412 Food Rescue, co-founded by CMU alumna Leah Lizarondo, a 2003 graduate of the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy. 412 Food Rescue provides compost for the startup's anaerobic digestive system.

"My biggest passion is creating accessibility to food," said Cohen Ioannides. "The Aquaponics Project allows me to collaborate with other students on and off campus, get out and do the things I'm passionate about and get involved with the community."

Learn more about the challenge.

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In the wake of major security breaches at Yahoo and Equifax, Nishchala Tangirala's commitment to protecting global citizens from cyber threats is growing. Through a full-tuition fellowship awarded jointly by Carnegie Mellon University's Information Networking Institute (INI) and the Executive Women's Forum on Information Security, Risk Management and Privacy (EWF), Tangirala is one step closer to realizing her dreams of becoming a chief information security officer.

Tangirala's education is made possible through a partnership between the INI and EWF, sponsored by Alta Associates, that offers fellowships to underrepresented minority and female graduate students. By supporting full-tuition costs, the EWF INI Fellowship eases the financial burden of a Carnegie Mellon master's degree and increases the diversity of the student body and the field of information security.

At the 15th annual EWF National Conference on Oct. 24-26, Tangirala was recognized as the fellowship's 10th recipient and celebrated alongside the previous fellows, many of whom are now working at companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, Palo Alto Networks, Red Hat and Ernst & Young.

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Clik here to view.Dena Haritos Tsamitis, director of the INI and member of the EWF board of advisers, was also honored with an award recognizing her leadership and commitment to increasing diversity in the field of information security through the decade-long fellows initiative.

"With a projected shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals looming on the horizon, tackling the field's diversity challenges has never been more important," Tsamitis said. "Over the past decade, INI and EWF have developed the next generation of women leaders, each of whom has an inherent desire to pay it forward by supporting opportunities for others in their community."

Founded in 2002, the EWF is the largest member organization serving emerging leaders and influential female executives in the security, risk management and privacy field. In addition to financial assistance, fellows gain access to the EWF community of mentors who have reached executive levels in their careers. This intense level of support has helped to lift these scholars toward success.

"As the EWF celebrates its 10th anniversary of partnering with INI, we are thrilled to be awarding a scholarship to Nishchala Tangirala," said Joyce Brocaglia, founder of EWF and CEO of Alta Associates. "The EWF's mission is to engage, develop and advance women leaders and as such we are looking forward to having Nishchala join our community."

During her undergraduate studies at the University of Nebraska, Tangirala interned with Union Pacific and ConAgra and learned firsthand the importance of protecting businesses from security risks. Yet it is the recent consumer security breaches that inspired her passion to create a secure and happy cyberspace for each and every global citizen.

"The INI is the perfect platform for me to realize my dreams of becoming a security expert," said Tangirala, noting the program's technical curriculum, specialization in information security and experienced faculty. "But for this generosity bestowed on me, it would not have been possible for me to pursue my master's degree at my dream university, Carnegie Mellon, and at the best department, the INI!"

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Carnegie Mellon University is celebrating the 50-year anniversary of the merger of two visionary institutions — the Carnegie Institute of Technology and Mellon Institute — to create one world-class university that is actively crafting the future.

Centered around the theme "For the Founders," the anniversary events, Nov. 10-11, are coupled with Homecoming festivities to celebrate the CMU community of founders, including faculty, alumni, students and staff who are keenly focused on seizing opportunities and finding solutions to society's greatest challenges.

"Carnegie Mellon was founded with the extraordinary philanthropy and vision of our founders, Andrew Carnegie and Andrew and Richard Mellon," said Interim President Farnam Jahanian. "As a relatively young institution, we have come far and accomplished much in a very short period. We have pursued world-changing innovation, big ideas and bold creations. This year we pay tribute to both the founders who created this world class institution, as well as the founders who have transformed education, society and the world every day since."

The highlight of the celebration is the two-day Founders Exposition, an interactive, future-looking showcase of prominent CMU faculty, researchers and their teams whose research impacts daily life and has the potential to revolutionize the future.

Six pavilions will feature engaging activities and a look at past, present and future innovations being created at CMU under six themes: Intersection of the Digital and Physical; Expanding Spheres of Science; Enhancing Human Capacities; Autonomy; Protecting the Planet and Society; and Unbounded Expression and Open Inquiry. Faculty will give TED Talk-style presentations throughout the Expo.

On Friday, Nov. 10, classes have been canceled to allow faculty, students, staff and alumni to commemorate this milestone at events such as the grand opening of the Expo and campus lunch; an exhibition of projects led by CMU students; academic panels and lectures, including an address by former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx; and a convocation featuring a keynote speech by Thomas Friedman, The New York Times foreign affairs columnist, bestselling author and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner.

CMU's annual Homecoming festivities will occur across campus on Saturday, Nov. 11. Attendees can enjoy a tailgate, family-friendly activities and the football game versus Case Western Reserve University. The Founders Exposition continues on Saturday.

Registration is full for many events, but the Founders Exposition, tailgate activities and football game can be attended without reservations. More information about the 50th Anniversary at Homecoming, including the complete schedule of events, can be found at cmu.edu/50. You also can find a link to download the Homecoming/50th Anniversary app from the Apple Store or Google Play on your mobile device for exclusive content, maps and more.

On Nov. 30, the 50th anniversary celebration travels to New York City for a special event featuring Interim President Jahanian and a panel discussion titled "Mind+Machine: Artificial Intelligence and its Societal Impact." The conversation will focus on the ethical and policy issues surrounding artificial intelligence, as well as highlights of the Founders Exposition. RSVP by Nov. 15.

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Carnegie Mellon University students, faculty, staff and their families gathered on Nov. 4, to package more than 150,000 dehydrated meals scheduled for shipment to Madagascar, an African nation facing a deadly plague outbreak. This is the third year the university has partnered with The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation and the global hunger-relief organization Rise Against Hunger to host the community service event. CMU's Office of Student Leadership Involvement and Civic Engagement, Partners Allied in Civic Engagement and Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity recruited more than 600 volunteers who packaged the meals in less than two hours in the Jared L. Cohon University Center’s Wiegand Gym.

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Andrew Moore, dean of the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science, has appointed Jodi Forlizzi as the new Charles M. Geschke Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII), where she has been a faculty member since 2000.

Forlizzi, who earned a self-defined Ph.D. in human-computer interaction and design at CMU, specializes in interaction design and has served on the faculty of CMU’s School of Design.

She designs and researches systems ranging from peripheral displays to social and assistive robots. Her current research interests include designing educational games that are engaging and effective, designing services that adapt to people’s needs and designing for health care.

She is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery’s CHI Academy, a group of researchers who have been judged by their peers as having made significant, cumulative contributions to the development of the HCI field. She has been honored by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center for excellence in human-robot interaction design research.

She also has consulted with Disney and General Motors to create innovative product-service systems.

Forlizzi earned a bachelor’s degree in illustration from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and a master’s degree in interaction design at Carnegie Mellon.

The HCII explores such topics as technology design and usability, educational technologies, and research on how people work, play and communicate. Part of Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science, the HCII hires faculty and trains students at the intersections of computer science, design, cognitive science, social psychology and other areas across the disciplines.
Carnegie Mellon faculty members have been leaders in human-computer interaction since the late 1960s and continue to be among the most influential researchers in the field. The HCII was the first to offer a Ph.D. program in human-computer interaction.

The HCII directorship was endowed in 2012 by Charles M. Geschke, a CMU alumnus and co-founder of Adobe Systems Inc., and his wife, Nancy.

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Nearly two decades after meeting as first-year drama students in the halls of the Purnell Center for the Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, Josh Gad and Leslie Odom, Jr. are performing together professionally for the first time. The 2003 graduates from the School of Drama are playing Hector Macqueen and Dr. Arbuthnot, respectively, in Kenneth Branagh’s reboot of the 1974 film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express.”

“It’s an extension of what we started almost 20 years ago,” Odom said. “I worked and collaborated with Josh all through college and we stayed close. We never worked together, but we’ve always been giving each other feedback. We can get to the bone a lot faster … there’s a shorthand.”

Gad echoed his co-star’s sentiment.

“It gave us an opportunity to practice the work we spent four years perfecting in the halls of CMU; to go back to the playground together,” Gad said.

The film features a powerhouse cast including Branagh, Dame Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe and Michelle Pfeiffer.

“I was so blown away to be on set with people who are legends,” Gad said. “During our time at CMU, Leslie and I watched and studied the works of Dame Judi Dench and Branagh’s ‘Henry V.’”

Odom was excited to work with Branagh, who has a background in theater and film.

“In trying to make this transition from a stage actor to film, those doors were not readily open to me before ‘Hamilton.’ Who better to work with than a person who has spent time in both of those worlds,” Odom said. “He was such a good shepherd, he was so nurturing and forthcoming.”

Gad and Odom shared a lot of time together on and off set, as their characters interact frequently in the film.

“Working with Leslie after all of these years, somebody who was not only in my class, but also someone I was very close with ... was unbelievable and something you hope for. I was really surprised by how much we had together and really thrilled because there’s nobody else in that cast that I would feel as much chemistry with,” Gad said.

Odom recounted getting headaches from laughing so much with his old friend.

“Nobody on the planet makes me laugh like Josh Gad. He doesn’t have to do much. I love being around him,” he said.

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Members of the university community honored a half-century of achievements and got a glimpse at the future as they walked through the Founders Exposition and Student Exhibit, and took part in other signature events of Carnegie Mellon University's 50th Anniversary Celebration at Homecoming, Nov. 10-11.

"I often wonder how the students and faculty who were at the founding of the Carnegie Institute of Technology or the Mellon Institute would react to the Carnegie Mellon of today," said Interim President Farnam Jahanian at the Founders Convocation on Friday evening. "I bet it would feel quite different to them at first. But beneath the surface, what fueled our origin still remains part of our DNA. Every day, we continue to fulfill the aspirations of those early years and build the foundation for our next round of breakthrough moments."

The Founders Exposition in the Cohon Center's Wiegand Gym, the centerpiece of the "For the Founders" celebration, showcased the breakthrough research of more than 100 faculty members in six themes — Expanding Spheres of Science, Enhancing Human Capacities, Protecting the Planet and Society, Intersection of the Digital and Physical, and Autonomy and Unbounded Expression. The interactive and informative exhibits covered the vast array of disciplines at CMU. Attendees played Go Fish with a robot, listened to excerpts of an original opera about the lives of enslaved Africans who worked the Lowcountry rice fields, tested the strength of their passwords, watched a piece of paper fold itself, explored the progress made in the fight against Alzheimer's and more.

"The story of the 50 years since the merger of Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Mellon Institute in 1967 is a story about people and what they have achieved," said Scott Mory, vice president for Advancement and 50th Anniversary Steering Committee member. "These events have crosscutting and interdisciplinary themes addressing the opportunities and challenges facing humanity, and showcase how CMU is leading the thinking in these areas."

Dietrich College first-year student Gloria Kwakye said the Founders Anniversary was a great experience.

"It feels like the bar is raised very high for me," said Kwakye, who attended the expo with her friend, Dietrich College sophomore Aaron Lebel.

A related exhibition of ideas and projects from 30 undergraduate and graduate students featured the ingenuity and creativity of CMU students across the colleges who are envisioning and aiming to transform the future.

The faculty-judged competition included three categories: I Built Something; I Impacted Something; and I Dreamed Something. The winner in the I Dreamed Something category was "Female-centric Video Games" by Carley Johnson, a sophomore in the College of Fine Arts. "Pitcairn Robotics and Engineering Program" by Antonio Garcia-Smith, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, won in the I Impacted Something category. "Ugly Duckling" by School of Computer Science first-year students Tiffany Yu and Pranav Kumar and Dietrich College freshman James Wang was selected as the winner in the I Built Something division. The People's Choice winner was Maitreyee Joshi, a senior computer science major, for "Retinal Prosthetics: Restoring Sight to the Blind."

Friday classes were canceled to allow students to enjoy the expo as well as the additional 50th Anniversary celebration events, such as panel discussions on "The Future of Work: Technologies and their Societal Impact," "Founding Lessons" with CMU alumni, "Trailblazers: Advancing Women @ CMU" and "The A.I. Initiative."

Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx discussed "smart cities" during his featured lecture. "It's really critical we think about the society we want to create and embed that into the system," he said.

Friday evening culminated with the Founders Convocation, which opened with a rousing recitation of what makes a founder and moving remembrances from faculty members who joined the university around the time of the merger, including Egon Balas, professor of industrial administration and applied mathematics; Marilyn Taft Thomas, professor of music; and Raj Reddy, the Moza Bint Nasser University Professor of Computer Science and Robotics in the School of Computer Science. Interim President Jahanian and James E. Rohr, chairman of CMU's Board of Trustees, also spoke.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Friedman of The New York Times delivered Friday's keynote address and discussed the importance of understanding the speed of changes in today's world. At a reception attendees listened to jazz music provided by CMU students in the Founders Exposition, and networked with fellow CMU alumni, students, faculty, staff and guests.

Carnegie Mellon University's endowment stood at $1.72 billion as of June 30, 2017. During the preceding fiscal year, the endowment contributed $68 million to university operations or approximately 6.0 percent of the overall budget.

The return on CMU's investments for the year was 13.2 percent. More importantly, the university's long-term, global equity-focused investment strategy, along with gifts from university alumni and friends and other funds invested in the endowment have helped raise the endowment from $754 million at the trough of the global financial crisis in mid-2009.

The investment return of the endowment averaged 4.8 percent for the 10-year period, which covers the transition period to the current long-term, global equity investment strategy. The five-year return averaged 9.4 percent per year and the three-year average was 6.4 percent.

The endowment total does not include assets from The Dietrich Foundation, which also generate returns to benefit Carnegie Mellon. The university's share of the annual distributions from The Dietrich Foundation is 53.5 percent. If the portion of The Dietrich Foundation's assets generating income for CMU were added to the university's endowment, the total would be $2.15 billion invested to benefit the university.

"By pursuing a long-term, global investment strategy with a key allocation to private equity, we believe the endowment will be well positioned to attain a more meaningful role in supporting the university's students, faculty and programs. We are starting to see the benefits of the strategy in the university's intermediate-term results, and we look forward to growth in years to come," said Charles A. Kennedy, CMU's chief investment officer.

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Chalk up another milestone for Lisa Murphy, the first Carnegie Mellon University alumna to play professional basketball. As of early November, the 2017 CMU graduate is the leading scorer with 19.2 points per game for Lemvig Basket, one of the premier teams in Denmark.

Although she enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at CMU, turning pro was not in her sights until the very end.

“When senior year came along, I was excited about my plans to go to graduate school and didn’t think much about playing professionally,” she said. “But as I came off the court after my final game, I told my parents, ‘I don’t feel done.’ From that point, I turned all my efforts toward getting signed.”

Agent Matt Krejci of MK Sports and Entertainment received Murphy’s highlight reel and was instantly impressed.

“She has the whole package — athletic ability, a good head on her shoulders, a strong work ethic and a desire to get better every day,” Krejci said.

The 6’1” forward filled a trophy case and record book at CMU, becoming the Tartans’ all-time leader in points (2,306), rebounds (1,180) and blocked shots (232), marks that also set records in the University Athletic Association (UAA). In her senior year, the All-America selection led CMU to a top 10 national ranking in NCAA Division III and set the NCAA record for all divisions by making 78 percent of her shots.

Murphy is a two-time UAA Player-of-the-Year, a two-time All-American, a two-time Academic All-American and a recipient of the 2017 Jostens Trophy, which is awarded to the top Division III student-athlete based on basketball ability, academic performance and extracurricular and/or civic activities.

A psychology major with a concentration in child development, Murphy was focused on and off the court.

“I had a detailed daily planner, and I budgeted my time. I never wanted to compromise on either academics or sport, so I took all the little things seriously, like sleep, nutrition and personal time,” Murphy said.

CMU Head Coach Jacquie Hullah said Murphy was driven and smart on the court.

“Every day at practice Lisa was completely absorbed with what she wanted to accomplish,’ Hullah said. “She always made strong decisions on the court that got her into a position to take great shots she knew she could make.”

Although she is excited to be playing professionally in Denmark, Murphy is looking toward life after basketball and is shooting to be an early childhood special education teacher.

“I’m particularly interested in working with children with autism spectrum disorders. It’s my dream to not only assist children with challenges, but also help cultivate more accepting young minds. Empathy and belongingness need to be more prevalent in our world today,” Murphy said.

That career path should be a layup for Murphy, according to Sharon Carver, her academic adviser and director of CMU’s Children’s School.

“Lisa has the foundation, savvy, strength and drive to truly impact children and families,” Carver said.

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Computational biologists at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a more accurate computational method for reconstructing the full-length nucleotide sequences of the RNA products in cells, called transcripts, that transform information from a gene into proteins or other gene products.

Their software, called Scallop, will help scientists build a more complete library of RNA transcripts and thus help scientists better understand the regulation of gene expression.

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Mingful Shao

A report on Scallop by Carl Kingsford, associate professor of computational biology, and Mingfu Shao, Lane Fellow in the School of Computer Science's Computational Biology Department, is being published online today by the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Scallop is a so-called transcript assembler, taking fragments of RNA sequences, called reads, that are produced by high-throughput RNA sequencing technologies (RNA-seq), and putting them back together, like pieces of a puzzle, to reconstruct complete RNA transcripts.

"There are many existing assemblers," Shao said, "but these existing methods are still not accurate enough."

When compared to two leading assemblers, StringTie and TransComb, Scallop is 34.5 percent and 36.3 percent more accurate for transcripts consisting of multiple exons — subunits of a gene that encode part of the gene product.

Like other reference-based assemblers, Scallop begins by constructing a graph to organize reads that are mapped to the corresponding locations on the gene's DNA. Many alternative paths exist for connecting the reads together, however, so errors are easily made. Scallop improves its odds by using a novel algorithm to take full advantage of the information from reads that span several exons to guide it to the correct assembly paths.

Scallop proves particularly adept when assembling less abundant RNA transcripts, improving upon the accuracy of StringTie and TransComb by 67.5 percent and 52.3 percent.

The researchers have released Scallop as open software on the GitHub repository.

"We've had more than 100 downloads already and, based on the feedback we've received, people are really using it," Shao said. "We expect more users now that our paper is out."

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, The Shurl and Kay Curci Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health supported this research.

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Carnegie Mellon University alumnus Jameel Francis wants to help bring people together. His new app, ComYoot aims to do just that.

"There are a lot of tools out there but there was nothing that connected people based on complementary needs or interests," said Francis, a 2017 MBA graduate of the Tepper School of Business. "We're often part of these large organizations and communities, like companies or universities, but we're only connected to who we're working with on a project or who is in our class."

The inspiration for ComYoot came shortly after his arrival at Carnegie Mellon, when he connected two Tepper School classmates who were unaware they were planning simultaneous trips home to the same city. The resulting carpool saved the grateful pair time and money, and a friendship was born.

The app uses machine learning and data analytics to match users based on their skills, interests and careers. Francis said he hopes to help people make new connections and collaborate in a way to advance their careers and personal lives.

"ComYoot is something that would be helpful for the members of any community where there's an inherent ability to help each other," Francis said. "In a company, for example, you could increase lateral mobility and employee retention just by providing greater access to the entire organization."

With an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering, Francis came to the Tepper School as a serial entrepreneur who had founded both a tutoring and an e-commerce company.

"I chose Tepper first, for its emphasis on analytics and use of data to solve business problems," Francis said. "Second, for the access to CMU's computer science and engineering schools and strong cross-campus collaboration. Third, I wanted a school that was entrepreneurial in nature.

"I definitely found that and more," he continued. "I didn't know the depth of what it could provide until I actually arrived. And every week at the CONNECTS series given by CMU's Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, students across campus come together, pitch ideas and work together. I found that very helpful."

While at CMU, Francis was involved with the Swartz Center and was chosen to participate in the James R. Swartz Fellows program, a highly selective technology entrepreneurship initiative that develops potential and leadership through hands-on experiences, networking and mentoring. To develop his idea, he worked closely with incubator Project Olympus, gaining invaluable advice throughout his graduate years and received funding through NSF I-Corps and Olympus Spark grants.

"Project Olympus was so helpful," Francis said. "[Entrepreneur-in-residence] Kit Needham is wonderful. She forces you to think outside of the box, to think about the critical aspects of your idea, and go out and talk to people and make sure there's a real need for the product."

It is a vital lesson that the budding entrepreneur absorbed well.

"Jameel is a great example of how an entrepreneur should go about exploring and developing a business idea," Needham said. "Many want to immediately create the technology without doing the extensive customer discovery necessary. Jameel did a great deal of research, and then explored and pivoted a few times before he found the business model that worked."

Today, Francis works with 13 others on expanding ComYoot's user base, including Andrius Didziulis, ComYoot's chief data scientist and a Swartz Fellow.

ComYoot is available for free download from the Apple app store and is expected to be available for android soon.

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There is no sitting down, relaxing and eating popcorn at Stefan Gruber's traveling movie theatre.

Gruber, the Lucian and Rita Caste Assistant Professor and chair of the Master of Urban Design program at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Architecture, is prompting passersby to climb on bikes and produce a public cinema. His pedal-powered pop-up movie theatre, "Hiding in Plain Sight," is on display at Four Gateway Plaza in downtown Pittsburgh through Nov. 19. Visitors are asked to ride a bicycle to generate power to show a variety of short films.

"I was interested in how public space is increasingly defined by people absorbed by their phones. So I began thinking about how I could feed our obsession for moving images while having people actively engage with one another," Gruber said.

Among the films being shown include the 1926 "Anemic Cinema" by Marcel Duchamp, the 1987 "The Way things Go" by artist duo Fischli and Weiss and the historic clips by William G. Beal from the archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center. Short films curated by Pittsburgh Filmmakers also are being shown.

The installation was created by STUDIOGRUBER, an architecture and urban design office with a specific interest in the design and activation of public space through civic engagement and community participation. The office is part of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership's BetaBurgh program, which promotes innovative ideas to test and launch products and services within the downtown marketplace.

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A game created by Carnegie Mellon University's Entertainment Technology Center angles to help grade school students take the right path to learning.

"Angle Jungle" was created this past spring, for Intermediate Unit 1 and Colonial School in Coal Center, Pennsylvania. The iPad game, which has 30 puzzles to teach geometric concepts and the use of a protractor, was designed by Jibran Khan, Jun Wang, Xueyang Wang and Yonglin Zhang. The game is available in the Apple store, and the team hopes to have it available for Android devices in the future.

"Given that the team only had a semester to design, test and build the game that is a lot of puzzles," said Ricardo Washington, special faculty with the ETC, who with Scott Stevens advised the students on the game. "They did a fantastic job of testing ideas early and evolving the final puzzle designs based on feedback from test groups."

Washington said that games can offer ways to enhance learning in unexpected ways.

"A game that is designed to blend learning into fun and engaging experiences has a good chance of sharing more than just a good time with players," Washington said. "At the ETC, we encourage our students to fully explore games as teaching systems for any number of audiences and subjects. Players can be learners, and vice versa."

Audrey Mowry, a curriculum specialist in Intermediate Unit 1, said this was the fourth project the district has collaborated with CMU. Younger students have help develop applications as well as work with college and graduate students who act as mentors and role models.

"The experiences of working with the teams of CMU students, and their professors, have been extremely beneficial to our students and staff at the Intermediate Unit 1 Campus Schools," Mowry said. "We are also pleased with the lasting relationships that we have developed with Carnegie Melon University and the Entertainment Technology Center that have allowed us the opportunity to collaborate on such high caliber technological experiences that have enhanced the educational experiences of our students."

The team said they was pleased with the results of the game.

"Based on the feedback in the playtest sessions, students preferred to use this game in class instead of worksheets or textbooks," Jun Wang said.

Khan said that he enjoys working on educational projects, and this semester he is working on one that helps promote environmental sustainability.

"Making fun games is all I've ever wanted to do," said Khan, who was the game designer. "At the ETC, I have followed that drive into education game projects, where I attempt to apply my desire for fun to create enjoyable educational experiences."

Xueyang Wang said that the experience was so interesting that she is taking a class on learning media design, which is part of CMU's master of education technology and applied learning science (METALS) program.

"I hope this can give some insights," Xueyang Wang said. "In the future, I would like to make both 2-D and 3-D games, maybe also combined with physical tools, to teach children STEAM [science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics] learning."

An animation artist, she said that the ETC's interdisciplinary approach to learning lets each student shine through their skillsets.

"This is the fantastic space I can devote my skills to make real product. I can work in collaborate with programmers to make our story become real," she said.

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As part of the 50th Anniversary Celebration at Homecoming, Carnegie Mellon University celebrated one of its long-standing student organizations by rededicating SPIRIT House on Saturday, Nov. 11.

SPIRIT, CMU's black student organization, was officially established in 1973, and SPIRIT House opened on Margaret Morrison Street with its founding members and residents Tanya Allmond, Eddie Bullock, Alease Carrington, R. Franklin Duck, Jr., Pearl Fletcher, Harry Gateway, Dambe Gordon, Fela Neely, Agatha Marshall, Toni McKay and Rita V. Robinson.

Duck, who earned a bachelor's degree from the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences in 1974 and a master's degree in television and film from the College of Fine Arts in 1976, spoke at the event about how he applied for SPIRIT House at a time when the university was expanding its housing options.

"Thank you to those now and all of those who walked the hall of SPIRIT House," Duck said. "Everything I came up with and thought about happened at SPIRIT House."

In 2008, SPIRIT House closed due to disrepair. After years of being vacant, the house was renovated last summer.

The more than $800,000 Housing Services project included a full renovation of the building's infrastructure, including new heating, plumbing and electrical systems. Improvements to the kitchen, living room and study space were made, and three new bathrooms were added for the 13 residents. The building also received new windows and a new roof.

"In Greek mythology, we like to talk about the theme of the phoenix bird, that when it seemed that it had fallen into the ashes and it was completely gone it rose in a new splendor, it rose to spread its wings," said Bill James, president of the CMU Black Alumni Association and a 1978 graduate of the Tepper School of Business.

Current members of SPIRIT officially moved back into the building at the start of the 2017-2018 academic year. SPIRIT President Catherine Mondoa said the rededication and ribbon cutting was a time to celebrate the past and future.

"We are learners, we are dreamers, we are institutional minorities, and we are together," said Mondoa, a junior studying materials science and engineering and biomedical engineering. "And this house ... is our anchor on this campus and beyond — even when we're apart."

At the ceremony, alumni reminisced with one another reliving the days reflected in the archival photos on display. Additional remarks were given by M. Shernell Smith, assistant director in the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs and the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion; John Hannon, associate vice president of Student Affairs for Community Life; and Peter Rezk, a sophomore in the Mellon College of Science.

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Carnegie Mellon University and the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute will host a first look at Hazelwood Green's Mill 19, as the iconic steel mill begins its transformation into a one-of-a-kind hub for high-tech manufacturing technology.

With support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, in collaboration with the Almono Partners, the Regional Industrial Development Corporation and the Hazelwood community, this cutting-edge facility rising within the skeleton of the abandoned mill will bring together academic research and industrial application under one roof.

The project holds the potential to revive an entire economic sector, as it signals a new chapter in Pittsburgh's resurgence as a global leader in innovation.

Members of the media and invited guests will have an opportunity to view demonstrations illustrative of the future of manufacturing, including assistive robotics, autonomous robotics and 3-D printing of advanced materials. Government, corporate and academic leaders will be on hand to speak about this new direction for the U.S. manufacturing sector.

When: 9:30-11:30 a.m., Monday, Nov. 20.

Schedule
9:30-10 a.m., Breakfast and demonstrations
10-10:45 a.m., Remarks, videos and ceremony
10:45-11:30 a.m., Reception and demonstrations

Where: Mill 19 at Hazelwood Green, 4620 Second Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15207 (Directions). Parking will be available at the entrance to the construction site, and shuttle service will be provided to the mill's entrance.

Attire: The event will be under an enclosed, heated tent, but please wear clothing and shoes appropriate for the weather.

For more information: https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2017/october/hazelwood-green.html 

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The Senyai Thai Kitchen project, designed and executed in Pittsburgh's Shadyside neighborhood by Carnegie Mellon University's School of Architecture faculty Dana Cupkova and Gretchen Craig of EPIPHYTE Lab, was awarded The American Architecture Prize 2017 in the Commercial Interior Design category.

The project was designed and produced with help from the student team of fifth-year seniors Trent Wimbiscus and Sinan Goral, and Thomas Sterling and Colleen Clifford, who both graduated with bachelor's degrees in architecture in 2016.

The restaurant's ceiling, inspired by vaulted geometry of ancient Thai architecture, incorporates acoustic and lighting performance into a contemporary spatial experience. Visual layering of ceilings fins is suggestive of movement while reducing the reverberation of sound in individual vaulted zones, thus creating localized acoustic privacy within the space. The texture and color of the surface's 275 unique vertical slats play with light to create a sense of spatial weightlessness and visual expansion. At the same time it appears as a continuous surface, mimicking an active body of water, or, in homage to the restaurant's name (sen yai translates to "big noodles" in Thai), a bowl of hot noodles in broth.