Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon University Impacts the World

Contact: Teresa Thomas, +1 412.268.2900, thomas@cmu.edu
Ken Walters, +1 412.268.2900, walters1@andrew.cmu.edu

Carnegie Mellon University brings together interdisciplinary dream teams to invent solutions that impact the world. At Carnegie Mellon, where creativity and innovation are part of the university culture, engineers, policy makers, artists and technologists, work together to tackle real-world problems. Students benefit from the culture and graduate ready to make immediate contributions.

Carnegie Mellon, ranked 21st in the world, is a leader in many fields, from robotics to the arts. For example, researchers are developing new and green technologies, and weaving those efforts and education programs into the global economy. The university is also an economic engine as research in computer science and entertainment technology has attracted Intel, Microsoft, Google and Disney to Pittsburgh. Researchers and alumni have created 200 new companies and 9,000 jobs in the Pittsburgh region, including Plextronics, Rinera Networks and Astrobotic Technology, which is in pursuit of the $20 million Google Lunar X Prize.

Here are a few examples of our education and technology stories:

• This fall, students around the world are taking advantage of a new Carnegie Mellon tool for teaching computer programming called Alice 3, www.alice.org. This is the latest version of innovative software, first developed by the late Randy Pausch of "Last Lecture" fame, which enables novices to create 3D computer animations using animations from the best-selling game "The Sims." By transforming tedious introductory courses into something stimulating, Alice 3 could help reverse a decline in U.S. students studying computer science.
• GigaPan, www.gigapan.org, a robotic camera platform developed by Carnegie Mellon and NASA, enables anyone with a digital camera to create huge panoramas that can be expored interactively with a computer. This fall, Carnegie Mellon and the UNESCO International Bureau of Education will use GigaPan to bridge cultural gaps between students worldwide, as students in the U.S., Indonesia, South Africa, Brazil, and Trinidad and Tobago create, share and comment on GigaPans of their communities.
• The Robert L. Preger Intelligent Workplace is a living laboratory, continually updated to feature advanced systems, components and materials that will make the sustainable and energy efficient workplace of the future. In addition to making living lab space available to students, staff and faculty, Carnegie Mellon has an environmental education program that extends throughout its curriculum. University buildings are dotted with green roofs and the university has received top marks in various world rankings for its sustainability efforts.