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Monday, November 30, 2015

CMU Receives $3 Million NIH Grant To Study Healthy Aging

David Creswell blends health psychology and neuroscience to investigate the mechanisms and pathways for stress resilience, and in the process has helped to define the new field of health neuroscience. His work utilizes stress management approaches, such as mindfulness meditation and self-affirmation, to study the neurobiology of stress resilience circuits in the brain.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Philosophy Grad Student Wins Big at Startup Weekend Civic Pittsburgh

Most people don't think philosophers as natural entrepreneurs. But, CMU's Lizzie Silver is proving that isn't true.In September, UP Pittsburgh hosted a Startup Weekend unlike any of the other dozen it has hosted before. And, Silver's proposal for involveMINT came out on top.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Studying the Human Visual System

Michael J. Tarr is a world-renowned cognitive scientist who studies the human visual system. In this video, he talks about Carnegie Mellon University's long history in brain research, his own work and what the future holds for CMU's BrainHub initiative.
Move Over Black Friday
Monday, November 23, 2015

Move Over Black Friday

The Friday after Thanksgiving is retail's most anticipated day on the calendar. But what has become known as Black Friday now has a worthy competitor, and it's only three days later. Cyber Monday celebrates its 10th birthday this year and exemplifies how the world of retail is evolving.
Toy Story Turns 20
Friday, November 20, 2015

Toy Story Turns 20

When Pixar's "Toy Story" premiered 20 years ago, it revolutionized an industry as the first computer-animated feature film. "It still looks fresh, which is very gratifying," said Ralph Guggenheim (DC 1974, SCS 1979), a lead producer on the film and a two-time CMU alumnus. "Visually, we knew other feature films would surpass what we'd done. But we wanted to make it look as good as it could possibly look and set the bar high for anyone who followed us."
Brains With Autism Adapt Differently During Implicit Learning
Thursday, November 19, 2015

Brains With Autism Adapt Differently During Implicit Learning

CMU scientists have discovered a crucial difference in the way learning occurs in the brains of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This finding may explain why people with ASD might have difficulty with everyday social interactions, if their learning of implicit social cues has been altered.
Carving Unique Paths in Decision Science
Thursday, November 19, 2015

Carving Unique Paths in Decision Science

Studying decision science provides enormous flexibility in pursuing different careers and acquiring resources for responding to life's opportunities and challenges.
Alum Now Ph.D. Student By Day, Salon Writer By Night
Thursday, November 19, 2015

Alum Now Ph.D. Student By Day, Salon Writer By Night

After working as a successful freelance writer and publications manager at the California Shakespeare Theater, Keith Spencer started pursuing a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing at the University of California, Santa Cruz - a notable Ph.D. Program.Spencer, who earned a master of arts in literary and cultural studies from CMU's Department of English in 2012, is excited to start his doctoral research that will examine bureaucracy from a cultural studies standpoint.
Tell It To Me: Hispanic and Latino Children Learn “Cuéntamelo”
Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Tell It To Me: Hispanic and Latino Children Learn “Cuéntamelo”

Children from Pittsburgh's immigrant Hispanic and Latino communities have spent their Sunday afternoons this fall drawing comics, creating games and writing plays-all while improving their Spanish skills-as part of this semester's El Círculo Juvenil de Cultura. This year's fall workshop, Cuéntamelo ("Tell it to me"), is a multimedia storytelling lab for children between the ages of five and 12.
Student-Faculty Team Competing for Global Learning XPRIZE
Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Student-Faculty Team Competing for Global Learning XPRIZE

The Global Learning XPRIZE, announced last year by XPRIZE, will award a grand prize of $10 million to the team whose open source software proves best able to help children learn basic literacy and numeracy skills during a field test in East Africa. Almost 200 teams from 40 nations have registered.
Jim Daniels’ “The End of Blessings” Takes Second Place in Short Film Competition
Monday, November 16, 2015

Jim Daniels’ “The End of Blessings” Takes Second Place in Short Film Competition

English Professor Jim Daniels often works across genres, combining elements of poetry, fiction and film. His latest project is no exception.Daniels wrote and co-produced "The End of Blessings," based on his poem of the same name. The film made its world premiere at the 2015 Three Rivers Film Festival, where it earned second place in the festival's short film competition. It was one of 16 entries chosen out of over 100 submissions.
Teachable Moments
Monday, November 16, 2015

Teachable Moments

Without a strong educational foundation, how can we expect K-12 students to be prepared for higher education? It's an issue at the forefront for educators everywhere and one of the reasons the U.S. Secretary of Education visited Carnegie Mellon University as part of the Ready for Success Tour.
Undergrads Show Off Their Research
Friday, November 13, 2015

Undergrads Show Off Their Research

In early November, roughly 70 students, faculty and staff gathered in the Baker Hall Coffee Lounge for the third annual Dietrich Undergraduate Colloquium (DUC). Since 2013, the colloquium has provided an opportunity for undergraduate students to immerse themselves in a topic of interest and present their research findings in a structured environment.
First Dietrich College Dean’s Innovation Scholar Announced
Wednesday, November 11, 2015

First Dietrich College Dean’s Innovation Scholar Announced

Mara Harrell, associate teaching professor of philosophy, has been named the first Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean's Innovation Scholar. The three-year, $45,000 award was established to recognize a teaching track faculty member who is doing high-quality and innovative educational research with high potential impact. Save
Reap the Benefits of Undergraduate Research
Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Reap the Benefits of Undergraduate Research

At CMU, it is not unusual to find undergraduates who are creating documentary films, investigating cultural trends and discovering how the brain interprets visual information.Participating in research with world-class faculty is no small task and requires special training. Luckily, Dietrich College freshmen and sophomores can receive this training while actively engaging in groundbreaking research through the Dietrich College's Research Training Program.
Commanding Presence: Alumna Alysa Ambrose
Monday, November 09, 2015

Commanding Presence: Alumna Alysa Ambrose

In December 2014, Alysa Ambrose (DC'95) took command of the USS Gravely, a guided missile destroyer equipped with the Navy's latest combat capabilities. With a crew of 300, the ship is set to deploy for the Persian Gulf in mid-November, returning in June. Ambrose, who majored in psychology, talks about how her CMU education prepared her for her military career.
Self-Rated Health & the Immune System
Monday, November 09, 2015

Self-Rated Health & the Immune System

It turns out that we may be the best forecasters of our own health.New research from CMU psychologists shows that a simple self-rating of health accurately predicts susceptibility to the common cold in healthy adults aged 18-55 years. The findings suggest that physicians should ask their patents to rate their own health.
Using Science and Data To Make a Difference
Friday, November 06, 2015

Using Science and Data To Make a Difference

Assistant Professor of Statistics Ryan Tibshirani's father is a statistician, but that is not the reason he went into the field. To Tibshirani, statistics is special because of its broad potential to impact almost any domain or field. One of the projects he's involved with forecasts seasonal epidemics such as influenza and dengue fever.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards Accepting Entries Through Nov. 30
Thursday, November 05, 2015

Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards Accepting Entries Through Nov. 30

Since 1999, Carnegie Mellon University has hosted the Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing Awards as part of its campus-wide celebration of Dr. King's legacy. The program encourages high school and college students throughout the Pittsburgh area to talk about race and discrimination through poetry and prose.
Video: What is BrainHub?
Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Video: What is BrainHub?

Learn how CMU's BrainHub research initiative builds on the university's strengths in biology, computer science, psychology, statistics and engineering to study on how the structure and activity of the brain give rise to complex behaviors, and develops new technologies that stand to transform neuroscience. Psychology Professors Marlene Behrmann and Michael J. Tarr are featured.
Jim Daniels’ Film to Premiere at Three Rivers Film Festival
Monday, November 02, 2015

Jim Daniels’ Film to Premiere at Three Rivers Film Festival

English Professor Jim Daniels often works across genres, combining elements of poetry, fiction and film. His latest project is no exception.Daniels wrote and co-produced "The End of Blessings," which will make its world premiere at the 2015 Three Rivers Film Festival. It has been selected for inclusion in the festival's short film competition and was one of 16 entries chosen out of over 100 submissions.
Pakistani Ally
Monday, November 02, 2015

Pakistani Ally

After spending his collegiate years in the United States-beginning at CMU-Javed Khan returned to his homeland, Pakistan, feeling like a global citizen. Today, he is in charge of the SAIF Group, which employs more than 5,000 people in telecommunications, energy, textiles, cement, food processing, software, and consultancy. Khan (DC'72) majored in economics and history.
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