PIPER9/07 Issue 6 A S K A NDREW th 9 I NTERN A T I ON A L Smiley Celebrates 25 Anniversary D I SP A TCHES 1 0 N EWS B R I EFS T he E M ot IC O N — th A T CUL T U R AL P he N O M E N O N th A T L et S ECTURE POTL I GHT 1 2 L S US KN ow whe N P eo PL E A re J O KING IN E MAIL — T U R NS 2 5 th IS M O N th . H A R D to B E LI E V E I T ALL S T A rte D W I th A SIMPL E thre AD O N A C A R N E GI E M E LL O N Alert Now O NLIN E BULL et IN B O A R D . T he S tor Y G oe S th A T S O M eo N E J O K E D AB O U T A C O N T AMINA te D W E AN Emergency H ALL E L E VA tor , S O M eo N E E LS E too K I T Service Offered S er I O USLY AND C O NFUSI O N E NSU E D . H ow to AV O ID MISCU E S ? M A R K J O K E S W I th A to Entire Campus “ # ” IN the SUBJ E C T LIN E , O N E wr I ter SUGG E S te D . N O , O N E W AG INSIS te D , “ & ” SMART Radios Under IS D E FINI te LY the FUNNI E S T C H A R AC ter Development O N the K E YB O A R D . F INALLY , S C ott F A H LMAN , re S E A R C H P ro F E SS or O F n Bruce Gerson C O MPU ter SCI E NC E , P O S te D A M O M E N to US Making people aware that an emergency SUGG E S T I O N . “ I P ro P O S E the F O LL ow ING situation exists is a critical first step in C H A R AC ter S E QU E NC E F or J O K E MA R K er S : crisis communications. For people to : - ) . R E AD I T SID ew AYS , ” he ADD E D take precautionary measures, they must he LPFULLY . A ND S O , A T 1 1 : 4 4 A . M . , S E P T . first know that there’s a need to do so. This fall, the Environmental Health & 1 9 , 1 9 8 2 , the E M ot IC O N , or “ SMIL E Y , ” W AS Safety (EH&S) Department hopes to INV E N te D . R APIDLY AD O P te D AND E MB E LLIS he D BY make that first step easier by offering other C O MPU ter BUFFS , F A H LMAN ’ S INSPI R A T I O N its Alert Now emergency notification C O N T INU E S to SAV E E MAIL AU thor S F ro M the I R service to all students, faculty and staff. ow N LAM E J O K E S . T he S C hoo L O F C O MPU ter S CI E NC E Alert Now is a rapid message PLANS A C E L E B R A T I O N F or the SMIL E Y O N I T S BI rth DAY , service that can send thousands of voice W E DN E SDAY , S E P T . 1 9 . messages within minutes. In the past, C O N T INU E D O N PAG E three New Social Site Promotes “Mind Over Chatter” n Byron Spice Unlike typical sites, this one, called Mindkin, is designed to connect people Not that long ago, signing up for based on whether they like each other’s Facebook was one of the first things thoughts — not their responses to a new students did once they hit campus. questionnaire or the photos they post. By the time this year’s freshmen arrived “We always want to find new last month, though, most were already ways for the first-years to get in veteran users of Facebook and other touch with each other,” explained social networking sites. Amanda Reapsummer, one of the head So you ask, why introduce another orientation counselors. “This is different social networking site at orientation? C O N T INU E D O N PAG E F O U R M INDKIN ’ S C E N tr AL F E A T U re IS “ T ho UG ht S tre AM , ” A SC ree N th A T SC ro LLS ID E AS SUBMI tte D BY US er S . F or A B etter L oo K A T the SI te , VISI T www . MINDKIN . C O M or htt P :// CMU . MINDKIN . C O M . O NE Arts-Based Robotics Program Gets Off PIPER To Flying Start 9/07 Issue n Anne Watzman P UBLI S HER Teresa Thomas Some people made edible robots and E DI T OR ate them. Others explored their neigh- Bruce Gerson borhoods with sensors registering air M ANAGING E DI T OR quality or noise, while still more worked Susie Cribbs in teams to build robots that competed W RI T ER S against each other. Middle school Amy Pavlak Jonathan Potts students, twenty-something computer Byron Spice nerds and 50-year-old artists all mingled Chriss Swaney Ken Walters together during the summer kickoff of Anne Watzman Robot 250, Carnegie Mellon’s arts-based D E S IGNER robotics program designed to foster Melissa Stoebe Communications Design Group creativity, build a sense of community P HO T OGRAPHY and increase the technical literacy of the Ken Andreyo Pittsburgh region. Communications Design Group So just how does Robot 250 achieve To contact The Piper staff, call 412-268-2900 or email [email protected]. such an ambitious goal? By bringing Budd AY students, families, artists and the gen- R Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate and Carnegie eral public together to build their own Mellon University is required not to discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs or activities customized robots using cutting-edge on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex or handicap in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of P H O T O B Y the Educational Amendments of 1972 and Section 504 of the technology and educational materials Rehabilitation Act of 1973 or other federal, state, S T UD E N T S E N ro LL E D IN C A R N E GI E M E LL O N ’ S C - MI TE S P ro G R AM F or GIF te D or local laws or executive orders. developed at the Robotics Institute. But In addition, Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate C H ILD re N H AD A C H ANC E to BUILD the I R ow N ro B ot S E A R LI er th IS SUMM er AS in admission, employment or administration of its programs on Robot 250 doesn’t stop there. Another the basis of religion, creed, ancestry, belief, age, veteran status, PA rt O F R O B ot 2 5 0 . sexual orientation or gender identity. Carnegie Mellon does not important part of the program is creat- discriminate in violation of federal, state, or local laws or execu- tive orders. However, in the judgment of the Carnegie Mellon Human Relations Commission, the Presidential Executive Order ing robotic art installations for display directing the Department of Defense to follow a policy of, “Don’t “We had been working on edu- and reach as many as 75,000 families ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue,” excludes openly gay, lesbian and in public spaces during the Pittsburgh bisexual students from receiving ROTC scholarships or serving th in the military. Nevertheless, all ROTC classes at Carnegie Mel- region’s 250 anniversary celebration cational robotics projects and decided and school-age children. lon University are available to all students. Inquiries concerning application of these statements should next year. These installations will help to make art and design a larger part of Robot 250 is built around three be directed to the Provost, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, telephone 412-268-6684 them,” said Nourbakhsh. “We asked themes: neighborhood and play, environ- or the Vice President for Enrollment, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh celebrate its robotic roots. 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, telephone 412- ourselves, ‘What’s the largest public ment, and history and heritage. Under 268-2056. The visionaries behind Robot 250 Carnegie Mellon University publishes an annual campus security report describing the university’s security, alcohol and are Robotics Institute Associate Profes- robotics education program we can the leadership of Project Director Den- drug, and sexual assault policies and containing statistics about the number and type of crimes committed on the campus sor Illah Nourbakhsh and Carl DiSalvo, imagine that focuses on using art and nis Bateman, more than 150 people are during the preceding three years.