Campus News in Brief

CMU engineering professor appointed fellow of AIAA

Nadine Aubry, head of Carnegie Mellon’s mechanical engineering department, has been recognized as a fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) for her work in aeronautical fluid dynamics.

“I am deeply honored by this election,” Aubry said in a university press release. “At a time when aviation has become an inherent part of our life and our economy, it is crucial to continue making technological advances [that] address reduced fuel consumption or sustainable fuel alternatives.”

Aubry will be one of 28 AIAA members, selected from a membership of over 36,000, who will be inducted in May as AIAA fellows at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala in Washington D.C.

This most recent distinction is one of Aubry’s many scientific achievements. In addition to AIAA, Aubry is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Physical Society, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

She is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering, as well as vice- chair of the American Physical Society Division of Fluid Dynamics. “Nadine is undoubtedly a leader in her field and a wonderful role model,” said Pradeep K. Khosla, the dean of the Carnegie Institute of Technology, in the press release. “This latest honor is an indication of how widely recognized she is.”

CAS researchers start new exploratory media initiative

Carnegie Mellon’s Center for the Arts in Society (CAS), a research center within the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Fine Arts, is launching a new initiative to explore how new media influences peoples social and political lives.

“The media initiative is an attempt to draw together Carnegie Mellon faculty who focus on media — whether they are ‘old’ or ‘new’ — and support projects that use the rubric of media as a vehicle to foster new, productive collaborations between artists and humanistic scholars,” said history professor Paul Eiss, the director of CAS, in a university press release.

The initiative will primarily support three projects. The first, Listening Spaces, seeks to understand the effects of technology on personal interactions with music. The second, entitled “Gender/Sexuality/Media,” will explore gender expressions and representations in new media. The third project is currently open for proposals.

Another major aim of the initiative is to encourage students to participate in the growing and enriching dialogue on media-related issues. Professor of art James Duesing and professor of English Kathy Newman are heading up the project. “Media allows for the humanities and arts to come together around a shared theme,” Newman said in the press release. “Media and social change connects immediately in some way to the kind of work that many of us do at Carnegie Mellon.”