Researchers link telomenes Warhol exhibit pays homage 2013 Housing and flu susceptibility • A6 to pop art legend • B4 Special: Section C SCITECH PILLBOX thetartan.org @thetartan March 4, 2013 Volume 107, Issue 20 Carnegie Mellon’s student newspaper since 1906 CMU redevelops Student passion unveiled at TEDxCMU semester in D.C. LAUREN WILLIAMS “Don’t get us wrong, our Junior Staffwriter students have had good ex- periences at Georgetown, but Katie Stoebe, the execu- we’re really excited about the tive director of the Carnegie opportunity to grow Carn- Mellon Center for Interna- egie Mellon’s presence in tional Relations and Politics, Washington and develop our and Emily Half, an under- own program there,” Half graduate academic adviser said. in the Dietrich College of Hu- The internship aspect manities and Social Sciences, of the CMUWSP will be re- recently announced that the tained; students will still Carnegie Mellon Univer- complete an internship of sity Washington Semester their choosing while study- Program (CMUWSP) is be- ing in Washington, D.C. Al- ing restructured. The new though students will apply program will be launched in and interview for internships January 2014, meaning that on their own, affording them CMUWSP will not be offered a real-world experience, a during the upcoming fall full-time adviser based in 2013 semester. Washington, D.C. will be The CMUWSP currently available to help guide their sends students to George- search. Additionally, the town University for academic Carnegie Mellon Center for study while they participate International Relations and in an internship; Carnegie Politics has an extensive da- Mellon supplements their ex- tabase of descriptions and perience with extracurricular deadlines for over 360 intern- events and internship search ships, the majority of which support. In the new program, are in Washington, D.C. however, Carnegie Mellon In the past, Carnegie Mel- will no longer be partnered lon students have completed with Georgetown. Instead, internships for government Carnegie Mellon will be part organizations, nonprofit or- of a consortium of schools ganizations, lobbying firms, partnered with the Univer- and think tanks. Students sity of California Washing- interested in the program ton Center (UCDC). These are encouraged to research Haley Bryant/Junior Photographer universities include the Uni- internships well in advance, First-year MBA student Chinmayi Bhavanishankar performed and spoke of her passion for Bharatanatyam dance at Sunday’s TEDx event. versity of Notre Dame, the as deadlines can approach University of Michigan, the earlier than expected, espe- BRIAN TRIMBOLI event’s goal was “to spark col- here a clearinghouse that Baumgartner’s record-break- University of Pennsylvania, cially for government orga- Assistant News Editor laboration and foster connec- offers free knowledge and ing jump from the strato- and Washington University nizations such as the State tions between participants, inspiration from the world’s sphere on Oct. 14, 2012. in St. Louis. Carnegie Mellon Department and the White TEDxCMU, a conference encouraging aspiring indi- most inspired thinkers, and “As a science student, I students will take classes in House. devoted to bringing together viduals to follow their dreams also a community of curious saw [Clark’s] bio before com- the UCDC building — only In the spring 2014 semes- innovative thinkers, brought and make a difference.” souls to engage with ideas ing and he was what I was five blocks from the White ter, CMUWSP students will 11 speakers — including two Zofia Tillman, a first- and each other.” waiting to hear about. It was House. Courses will be taught live in Washington Intern Carnegie Mellon students year chemical engineering TEDxCMU is indepen- really amazing seeing one of by a combination of Carnegie Student Housing (WISH). — to the University Center’s and biomedical engineering dently organized; TED’s his applied projects come to Mellon and UCDC faculty, Carnegie Mellon students McConomy Auditorium on double major and volunteer website describes such TEDx life; it’s something I want to and with the new program, will live together in a WISH Sunday to give short talks at TEDxCMU, said that the events as “giv[ing] commu- do later in life,” Nanda said. there will be more core and that covered a wide array of theme of “Spark” refers to nities, organizations and in- First-year economics ma- elective course options. See WASHINGTON, A4 topics, ranging from urban “that moment when you fig- dividuals the opportunity to jor Cynthia Hsia commented revitalization to delivering ure out how to develop your stimulate dialogue through on the message of collabora- happiness in students’ daily idea, or when you figure TED-like experiences at the tion that Clark spoke about. lives. out what you’re passionate local level.” “It was really inspiring, es- Ketaki Desai, a third-year about.” Continuing a practice that pecially with the video that graduate student in public This year, TEDxCMU fea- began last year, this year’s he showed. It was cool to see policy and management and tured Jon Clark, Jenn Lim, TEDxCMU featured two how everyone as an individu- presdient of TEDxCMU, de- Darell Hammond, Judy Carnegie Mellon undergrad- al made it work together.” scribed the idea behind TED Swan, Rodrigo Arboleda, Eve uate students as speakers: The next speaker, Eve talks. “TED is basically a con- Picker, Linda Benedict-Jones, Rebecca Alford and Stephen Picker, chief executive of- ference that was started by Jeff Ferrell, and Rob Daley, Tonti. Compared to only 18 ficer at cityLAB Pittsburgh, journalist Chris Anderson, as well as first-year computa- entries last year, this year’s focused on what she called and the idea was that people tional biology major Rebecca contest to be a student speak- the “cure for the common should be able to describe Alford and senior directing er generated 55 student en- city.” Picker explained the what they’re doing in 15 to major Stephen Tonti. tries, Desai said. difference between bottom- 18 minutes or even less. The TED began in 1987 as a Sophia Nanda, a sopho- up and top-down city design, idea was to inspire people conference to bring together more physics major in atten- using Pittsburgh’s CONSOL with things that everybody the worlds of technology, dance at TEDxCMU, talked Energy Center as an example was doing, because there was entertainment, and design. about the first speaker of of an expensive, top-down no way to know what people According to TED’s website, the day. Jon Clark, medical project and the Toonseum in were working on,” Desai said. their mission is to spread director at Red Bull Stratos, Downtown as an example of The theme of TEDxCMU ideas and change the world, described his work on the Annette Ko/Art Editor this year was “Spark”; the noting that, “we’re building team that organized Felix See TEDX, A3 University initiative aims to support alumni entrepreneurs ALVIN MATHEW and follow their dreams.” feels that children with certain to bringing the device to mar- videos and statistics from ’07) explains, “We’re turning Staffwriter The OFEF is part of the heart conditions often have ket. Bernstein hopes to bring sports teams and creates a media into a new platform … “Greenlighting Startups” ini- insufficient products used in this fee down to less than simple system that can be used on an iPad instead of paper.” Carnegie Mellon has been tiative at Carnegie Mellon, their heart procedures. $750,000. by coaches, players, and fami- After every game, the com- offering students and alumni which aims to promote and “Intra-operative conduits StatEasy, another company lies to view them. Chief oper- an opportunity to start their translate ideas and creations had to be developed from supported by the OFEF, takes ating officer Tom Matta (TSB See ENTREPRENEURSHIP, A4 own businesses since June from labs to the market. Last scratch by the doctor in the op- 2012 with support from the year, the fund awarded a total erating room for 30 minutes,” Open Field Entrepreneur’s of $300,000 to six different Bernstein said. In response Fund (OFEF). startup companies, each re- to this issue, the company This fund awards money ceiving $50,000. created the Masa Valve, de- and resources to Carnegie There is a comprehensive scribed on PECA’s website as Mellon alumni who graduated application process to select “a synthetic valve conduit for within the past five years. companies. “If you meet your pediatric RVOT (right ventri- David Mawhinney, an as- eligibility requirements, you cle outflow tract) reconstruc- sistant teaching professor of are asked to make a pitch. tion.” The product would be a entrepreneurship at the Tep- But you have to be serious to quicker, simpler solution that per School of Business, serves convince another investor to doctors could use on patients as managing director of the commit $50,000,” Mawhinney during heart surgeries. fund. said. The company is still in the “The fund was made possi- One company that received process of getting regulatory ble by a gift from a gentleman, funding from the OFEF is approval for selling its prod- Jonathan Kaplan,” Mawhin- PECA Labs, which focuses on uct, but according to Bern- ney said, “who created the Flip rare cardiovascular and pe- stein, it will be an excellent Video camera and later sold it diatric conditions. Doug Ber- option for parents and their to Cisco Systems. nstein (CIT ’12), a Carnegie children. Only a small market His wife, Marci Glazer, also Mellon alumnus who double of individuals are affected by helped found the fund. It’s a majored in mechanical engi- this issue, so no other compa- fund for young alumni from neering and biomedical en- nies have come up with more zero to five years of gradua- gineering, is the founder and affordable options because of tion to make their own jobs CEO of PECA Labs.