Campus News in Brief

Meeting of the Minds to be held

On Wednesday, May 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Undergraduate Research Office (URO) will hold its annual Meeting of the Minds research symposium in the University Center.

There will be over 500 student presenters; some have received support from the URO through Small Undergraduate Research Grants (SURG) or Summer Fellowships, while others are senior thesis or senior project participants. Students will present their research through posters, art presentations, DVDs, live performances, and demonstrations.

There are a number of smaller competitions that take place during the symposium, such as the CIT Honors Poster Competition, the Bose Competition, the Ford Motor Company Undergraduate Research Award, and the Undergraduate Environmental Research Award. These competitions require the completion of either an oral presentation or a poster session, and the winners receive cash prizes for their efforts.

At 2:30 p.m., Peter Lee, the department head of computer science, will address symposium participants and guests in Kirr Commons. At 5 p.m., the winners of the various competitions will be announced in McConomy.

All students, faculty, and staff are invited and encouraged to attend the symposium and learn more about the diverse areas of research happening at Carnegie Mellon. A schedule of presentations will be available at the registration desk in Kirr Commons on the day of the event.

Elliott to retire from university

Vice President for Enrollment William Elliott will retire from full-time duty on June 30 after working for Carnegie Mellon for 38 years. Although he will retire, Elliott will continue to work on a number of special projects for the university.

Elliott first began working for Carnegie Mellon as director of admissions. He brought a number of changes for recruiting students to the university while in that position, such as starting the now-popular sleeping bag weekends, in addition to initiating new programs to build diversity in the student body.

The changes that Elliott enacted have helped to increase the number of applications Carnegie Mellon receives each year; as a result, the university now annually sets records for the number of applications received, this year receiving 22,027 applications, accepting only 6502.

Elliott’s role as vice president for enrollment gave him jurisdiction over Student Affairs, Athletics and Campus Services, Admissions, and Enrollment Services. In the past, he also agreed to temporarily hold leadership positions in the university during employment searches.

A farewell party on campus is being planned for Elliott to be held on May 21.