Aug. 27, 2015                                                                                              Vol. 18, No. 17
In This Issue

Engineering News  
 
Jon Kleinberg, Chair (IS), is quoted in this New York Times article about the emergence of "disposable web journalism." 
 
Chris Schaffer, Professor (BME), is featured in this Albany Times-Union article on his visit to New York's Capital Region on Aug. 18 to advocate for more federal funding of the BRAIN Initiative.
Dmitry Savransky, Assistant Professor (MAE), is featured in this Ithaca Voice article about his role in helping to discover a new exoplanet.

Fall Faculty Reception set for Sept. 9
Engineering faculty members are cordially invited to the College of Engineering's Fall Faculty Reception on Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Room G10 of the Biotechnology Building.

New faculty will be recognized. Family, guests and children are welcome and encouraged to attend. Dress is casual business attire and no RSVP is necessary.
Proposal preparation services now available
Enhanced and expanded proposal preparation services are now available to Engineering PIs through the  Engineering Research Administration Service Center (RA Service Center).

In addition to administrative assistance with proposals, the center supports complex research center proposals, disseminates funding opportunities, delivers orientation to new faculty and makes available boilerplate information and templates. Faculty should continue to expect quick response times and friendly service. 
 
The RA Service Center is directed by Yoanna Ferrara, Director for Research and Graduate Studies, and comprises five pre-award specialists: Mark Williams, team lead (coming from AEP and BME); Kristen Butler (new to Engineering); Linda Cox (from MAE and ORIE); Sutapa Ghosh (from CEE); and Tammy Wildenstein (from CBE). Pre-award administrators specialize by agency, providing all researchers in the college with access to expert support for a wide range of agencies, and back each other up during busy deadlines and vacations.

The center is located in Carpenter Hall, Rooms 220 and 221. To notify the center of an upcoming proposal, please email [email protected].
For all other inquiries, contact Yoanna Ferrara at [email protected].
Awards and honors
Elizabeth Fisher, Associate Professor (MAE), has been named Associate Editor of the journal Energy & Fuels.
 
Jose Martinez, Associate Professor (ECE), has been named the Technical Program Chair of IEEE's 22nd International Symposium on High-Performance Computer Architecture, one of the top archival venues in computer architecture research. The conference will be held March 2016.

Martinez will also be a keynote speaker at this year's SHPE Conference, the major annual event for the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. He will speak on Nov. 12 about his personal experience and thoughts on holding a tenure-track position.

Rebecca Barthelmie, Professor (MAE), has been awarded
an Engaged Cornell Curriculum Grant to develop a new course--The Black Oak Wind Farm Community Research Program. The course is based in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and offered in collaboration with Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, the Laboratory of Ornithology and community partner Black Oak Wind Farm. Students will work in teams to design and conduct a range of research projects related to different phases of wind farm development. The course will begin in the spring 2016 semester.

Nate Foster, Assistant Professor (CS) and Dexter Kozen, Professor (CS), have received a Google Research Award for their project "A Probabilistic Network Programming Language."
New course offers chance to reduce environmental impact on campus
A new course open to undergraduate and graduate students offers the chance to earn academic credit while helping to reduce environmental impact on campus.

Green Revolving Fund Class (NBA 6790)
  • 3 credit (opt-in for grade or credit/no-credit)
  • Monday and Wednesdays 4:25-5:40p
  • Sage 134
  • Open to all undergrad and graduate majors within Cornell
An experiential-based course associated with the management of activity and investments of Cornell's Green Revolving Fund (GRF). The course provides students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience identifying, developing, proposing, evaluating, implementing and managing energy efficiency investment projects around campus.
 
For more information email Jamie Landi at [email protected].
Research funding opportunities 
The following opportunities for research funding are available. Please email [email protected] for proposal coordination if you plan to apply for one of these grants.
 
Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MRA) for New and Early Stage Investigators (R35) (NIH, Sept 9) Provides support for all of the NIGMS-related research in an investigator's lab. Within the scope of the MIRA, investigators have the freedom to explore new avenues of inquiry that arise during the course of their research.
 
Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program (National Academies, Sept 9) Provides early career individuals with the opportunity to spend 12 weeks at the Academies in Washington, DC learning about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation.
 
Engineering for Natural Hazards (ENH) (NSF, Sept 15) The goals are to prevent natural hazards from becoming disasters, and to broaden consideration of natural hazards independently to the consideration of the multi-hazard environment within which the constructed civil infrastructure exists.
 
Dynamics, Control and Systems Diagnostics (DCSD) (NSF, Sept 15) Supports fundamental research on the analysis, measurement, monitoring and control of dynamic systems, including development of new analytical, computational and experimental tools, and novel applications to engineered and natural systems.
 
Biomechanics and Mechanobiology (BMMB) (NSF, Sept 15) Supports fundamental research in biomechanics and mechanobiology. Emphasis is placed on multiscale mechanics approaches in the study of organisms that integrate across molecular, cell, tissue, and organ domains.
 
New Investigators Program (Alzheimer's Association, Letter of Intent, Sept 25) The objective is to accelerate progress in global Alzheimer's research, engaging more people in Alzheimer's science priorities, leading global efforts to advance key issues, and supporting emerging needs.
 
NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering (NSF, Nov 19) The goal is to enhance basic plasma research and education in this broad, multidisciplinary field by coordinating efforts and combining resources of the two agencies. 
 
National Robotics Initiative (NRI) (NSF, Dec 3) The goal of NRI is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the US that work beside or cooperatively with people. Research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots is supported NSF, NASA, NIH, USDA, and DOD.
 
National Asphalt Pavement Association Research and Education Foundation Scholarship Program (NAPA Research and Education Foundation, continuous deadline) Provides funding for undergraduate and graduate students who are U.S. citizens enrolled in a full-time civil engineering, construction management, or construction engineering curriculum.
Upson Hall renovation update
Abatement continues on the exterior fa�ade (facing Hoy Road) and will move to the western side of the building (the side facing Ward Hall). To prepare for this, Pike will be installing temporary panels at the exterior windows similar to the ones installed along the eastern elevation (facing Hoy Road).

Along the eastern elevation (facing Hoy Road) the remainder of the exterior wall material underlying the facade is being removed. This work includes removal of the Llenroc and Flagstone as well as CMU substrate. Once the exterior fa�ade has been removed in its entirety, Pike will perform survey and layout work which will include a three-dimensional scan of the exterior structure.

Check out the status of the renovation on the Engineering website!