WE'RE BACK...from mid-semester break. The saga continues :-)

BARES AND STENTZ TO HEAD NREC...Takeo Kanade has announced the appointment of John Bares and Anthony Stentz as Director and Associate Director, respectively, of the National Robotics Engineering Consortium. John succeeds David Pahnos, who "was instrumental in conceiving and implementing the original vision of the consortium, but has resigned from the university to pursue other interests," and will be sharing duties with Anthony. Both bring many years of experience with mobile robots and us (!) to an exciting research center. Established in 1994 with a $2.5M grant from NASA's Office of Advanced Concepts and Technology, NREC focuses on the commercialization of mobile robotic technologies that NASA has developed over the years. This is accomplished through close cooperative interactions with American industry. Current partners include New Holland North America, Caterpillar, Ford Motor and Joy Manufacturing. The NREC is also a participant in the U.S. team developing a robot to assist in the clean-up of the Chernobyl reactor in the Ukraine. Congratulations on another new challenge!

CRA OUTSTANDING UNDERGRADUATE...The Computing Research Association has selected Andrew Ng (CS '97) as one of two overall winners of the 1996-1997 Computing Research Association Outstanding Undergraduate Award, sponsored this year by Microsoft -- a distinction that includes a $1,000 cash prize. Andrew will be formally acknowledged in the November issue of Computing Research News in the category of Outstanding Male Undergraduate and presented with the actual award at an upcoming conference. He graduated in May with a triple major in Math/CS, Economics, and Statistics and is now pursuing his PhD at MIT. While at CMU, he earned an Andrew Carnegie Society Scholarship, the Microsoft Technical Award (1995 and 1996) and the Bell Atlantic Network Services Scholarship. He also won the silver medal at the 1993 International Mathematical Olympiad. Andrew further distinguished himself with a 4.0 GPA and many more accomplishments too numerous to list. Let it suffice to say, we are mighty proud. Congratulations Andrew!

AND MORE HONORS...Congratulations to Bob Monroe for receiving this year's Kodak Fellowship. As David Garlan notes, "it was a photo finish." :-)

JONES RETURNS FOR SCS DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI LECTURE...Anita Jones, University Professor and Professor of Computer Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Virginia, assesses "Innovation -- The American Way: Unspoken Compacts and Unsealed Covenants" at this week's SCS Distinguished Alumni Lecture on Thursday, October 16 at 4:00 pm in Wean 7500. Distinguished treats will be served at 3:45. Dr. Jones recently returned to the university, having served since 1993 as the Director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Department of Defense. Join us in welcoming her back to CMU!

THE WAY WE(AN) WERE...The first Wean Hall Homecoming Celebration: "The Way We(an) Were", is scheduled for Friday, October 17 from 4:00-6:00 pm. Hosted by the Departments of Mathematical Sciences and Physics, SCS, and E&S Library, the program includes:
**4:00 pm Herbert A. Simon, Richard King Mellon Professor of CS and Psych, "Computers in the Basement", Wean 7500; followed at
**4:30 pm by Richard E. Griffiths, Professor of Physics, CMU, "The Early Universe Seen Through the Eyes of the Hubble Space Telescope", Wean 7500; and then at
**4:45 pm, Mike Molloy (Math'94) looking at "Graph Colouring with the Probabilistic Method at the Mathematical Sciences Colloquium.
Also scheduled is a continuous slide show, "Images from Space", in Wean 7316 from 4:30-6:00 pm and demos from 4:00-6:00 pm. Stop by Wean 7500 for a complete schedule, beginning at 3:45 pm. Faculty, students and staff are welcome to join our alumni for these informal presentations, refreshments and conversation!

AND WHAT ABOUT BRUCE NELSON...What better way to end the week than with the Bi-Annual Bruce Nelson Lecture! Bruce, now Chief Science Officer at Cisco, joins us for a special homecoming weekend Emigration Course on Friday, October 17 at 1:00-3:00 pm in Wean 5409. He will answer the perennial question, "What They Never Teach You in CS Graduate School", a lecture you won't want to miss. His insights and enthusiasm will linger....

WEARABLE COMPUTERS...Baltzer Science Publishers, in cooperation with ACM, has announced a Special Issue of the Journal on Special Topics in Mobile Networking and Applications (MONET), which will "concentrate on the problems associated with constructing, using and evaluating wearable computers." Dan Siewiorek and Len Bass are serving as guest editors. Contact them for particulars.

CAREER NEWS...Ram Chillaragee from the IBM TJ Watson Research Center, will visit Monday and Tuesday, October 20-21. In addition to his presentation on "A New Dimension to Measurement in Software and Our 10 Year Experience at IBM" at a special programming systems seminar on Monday at 12:30 pm, Wean 4623, he will host a pizza luncheon for graduate students interested in exploring career options at IBM on Tuesday, October 21 at noon in Wean 4623.

MUGS! MUGS!...So, tired of loosing your coffee cup? Thinking about clever gifts for friends and family? Wondering why you have been using the same drab drinking paraphernalia for years and years? "Customized" SCS mugs are now available for all and any of the reasons above. Your choice of a 15-ounce mug in black, midnight blue or green with an elegant golden dragon, or a more modest 11 ounce mug in cheer-y yellow with our traditional red dragon. Either can be inscribed on the back with your personal email address, motto, or astrally inspired thoughts -- up to 30 characters long. If interested, send mail to copetas@cs or stop by to see samples in Wean 4101. Prices are very reasonable :-) (Between $5 to $7.50 w/inscription) Watch the bboards.

IN THE NEWS..."CMU Ph.D. Student Gains Fame as Offbeat Web Site Creator," is featured in the October 14 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Wouldn't it be great to ask any question you wish, however personal, of one of the world's great thinkers?. - Freud, Einstein, Confucius, Limbaugh, Beavis, ButtHead, Barbie?" Perhaps you should check out Forum 2000, the "brainchild" of Corey Kosak. Intended for amusement only, the site demonstrates how a student can elevate "goofing off to an interactive, automated art form ideally suited to the Internet." Curious? Visit www/forum2000.org

PREVIEW OF GOOD THINGS TO COME...
**Special Seminar with Robert Sansom, FORE Systems, "Evolution of Network Infrastructures", October 28, 4:30 pm, Wean 7500
**International Festival '97: Africa, October 22-26
**Carnegie Mellon Parents' Weekend, October 24-26
**Parallel Data Laboratory Career Day, October 26

WORDS FOR THOUGHT...
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15
**SDI SEMINAR: Angel Demke, "Automatic Compiler-Inserted I/O Prefetching for Out-of-Core Applications", noon, Wean 8220.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17
**COMPUTER SYSTEMS SEMINAR: Josep Torrellas, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, "The Illinois Aggressive COMA Multiprocessor: Next Generation Scalable Multiprocessing", 4:00 pm, Wean 5409.
**ROBOTICS SEMINAR: Tomomasa Sato, The Intelligent Cooperative Systems Lab, University of Tokyo, "Robots for Teask Humans are Unable to Perform: Micromanipulation and 24 Hour Human Care", 4:00 pm, Adamson Wing.

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