The Posner Center Internship Program is now searching for applicants!

The Posner Center Internship Program is searching for applicants!  This funded internship ($3000 stipend) is  is open to all CMU undergraduate and graduate students. 

During the spring 2011 semester, the student will research their own topic, using books and artifacts in the Posner Memorial Collection in preparation for a summer or fall 2011 exhibit at the Posner Center. The exhibit will be promoted by the University Libraries and accessible to all Posner Center visitors, including the University’s Board of Trustees.

The application requires that students compose an essay explaining their interest or research question, suggesting possible books to use from the Posner Memorial Collection, and including a brief bio. More information can be found at: https://libwebspace.library.cmu.edu:4430/Research/posner_internship_web/index.html

All Carnegie Mellon University students are eligible to apply. The interdisciplinary collection includes titles on topics ranging from the history of science to the decorative arts. Students in all areas of study are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity for individual study and exhibition. More information about the Collection is available at: http://posner.library.cmu.edu/Posner/

Applications for the spring 2011 Posner Center Internship are due on November 29, 2010 at 5pm. Please direct questions to the Special Collections Librarian, Mary Kay Johnsen, at 268-6622 or mj0g@andrew.cmu.edu.

Hogan's Holometer: Testing the hypothesis of a holographic universe

Over at Symmetry Magazine there's an amazing article on testing whether or not our universe is actually a holograph.

"In 2008, Fermilab particle astrophysicist Craig Hogan made waves with a mind-boggling proposition: The 3D universe in which we appear to live is no more than a hologram.

Now he is building the most precise clock of all time to directly measure whether our reality is an illusion.

The idea that spacetime may not be entirely smooth – like a digital image that becomes increasingly pixelated as you zoom in – had been previously proposed by Stephen Hawking and others. Possible evidence for this model appeared last year in the unaccountable “noise” plaguing the GEO600 experiment in Germany, which searches for gravitational waves from black holes. To Hogan, the jitteriness suggested that the experiment had stumbled upon the lower limit of the spacetime pixels’ resolution."

Read more by clicking the link below!
Hogan's Holometer: Testing the hypothesis of a holographic universe

Introducing Bookmyne!

Bookmyne is the name of a free iPhone app that provides Cameo search & account functionality. There are three tools available via Bookmyne: 1) search, 2) holds and 3) My Account.

To use Bookmyne:

1. Go to the iPhone app store and install Bookmyne.

2. Open Bookmyne on your iPhone.

3. The iPhone GPS will find Bookmyne-compatible libraries near you.

4. Click 'nearby' at the top.

5. Click the plus sign next to Carnegie Mellon University to search its catalog.

6. Next click the tab labeled 'My' at the top. You will see Carnegie Mellon University.

7. Click Carnegie Mellon University to see information about the library such as hours and phone numbers.

8. Click 'search' at the bottom to do a keyword search in the Carnegie Mellon Libraries' catalog. (There is no advanced search)

9. To place a hold, click the dot on the left of an item to check-mark it, and then click 'Place hold' at the bottom. Several items can be marked simultaneously. Choose a pickup location and then press 'confirm' to send the hold.

10. Back in the list of results, click an item to see more details about it.

11. Click 'My account' at the bottom to see an account summary after logging in with a Carnegie Mellon ID and PIN.

For more information please check out this page.

SEE 2010 & Illumin Magazine

It’s summer, so that means it’s time for SEE 2010!
SEE is Carnegie Mellow University’s Summer Engineering Experience for Girls. The aim of the program is to foster an interest in the sciences and math for teenage girls. For two weeks participants have the opportunity to learn how to think like engineers and examine the world around them as an engineer would.

While looking for websites that would be good for the girls participating in SEE 2010 we found an e-magazine called Illumin published by graduate undergraduate students at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering. This magazine focuses on how everyday things work such as toilets, shoes, building materials, footballs, LEDs, and GPS. It discusses everything in a way that is very easy to understand, and it’s also very interesting. It’s definitely worth checking out, no matter what your age is or your level of experience with engineering and the sciences.


Check it out at http://illumin.usc.edu!

Upcoming

We have some great additions to the library for the upcoming Fall semester, stay tuned for more information!

BP Cleanup

The oil cleanup is probably going to be continuing for quite some time, but BP has posted live video feeds from each of the ROV's in use for this operation. It's definitely worth checking out.

Click here to see the ROV's in action

WHO knows how to get CMU digital theses?

     Photo credit:  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

HOW DO I FIND ELECTRONIC COPIES OF

CARNEGIE MELLON DISSERTATIONS?

Go to Library’s home page to get to the “Articles & Databases” link.
Click on:  Databases A-Z
http://search.library.cmu.edu/rooms/portal/page/22922_Databases_A_Z

Go to “P” for ProQuest Direct.

On the Basic search screen, you can type in the name of the author of the dissertation in the Author field.

For “Publication type” choose: Dissertations.

And now for the CUTEST, MOST AMAZING & ADDICTIVE + “popular to science librarians” website for spring:
Go to the live webcam in a barn owl’s nest:
http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Live_Owl_Nest_Box_Cam.html

And the live webcam of an eagle’s nest can be just as addictive::
http://www.sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Bald_Eagle_Nest_Cam_P0SF.html

If you know of any interesting live ENGINEERING webcams, we want to know about them--Send me an email:  Donna Beck, Engineering Librarian or Post a comment here.

Help bring Google fiber to the 'burgh!

With the recent FCC announcement to have a goal of making faster internet available to everyone in the next 10 or so years Google has announced that they're going to be one of the first contenders.


"Google is planning to build, and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the country. We'll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We'll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000, and potentially up to 500,000 people.
As a first step, we're putting out a Request for Information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. We welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public.
Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better, and faster for everyone. Here are some specific things that we have in mind:

• Next generation apps: We want to see what developers and users can do with ultra high-speeds, whether it's creating new bandwidth-intensive "killer apps" and services, or other uses we can't yet imagine.
• New deployment techniques: We'll test new ways to build fiber networks; to help inform, and support deployments elsewhere, we'll share key lessons learned with the world.
• Openness and choice: We'll operate an "open access" network, giving users the choice of multiple service providers. And consistent with our past advocacy, we'll manage our network in an open, non-discriminatory, and transparent way.

Like our WiFi network in Mountain View, the purpose of this project is to experiment and learn. Network providers are making real progress to expand and improve high-speed Internet access, but there's still more to be done. We don't think we have all the answers – but through our trial, we hope to make a meaningful contribution to the shared goal of delivering faster and better Internet for everyone."  
               via http://www.google.com/appserve/fiberrfi/public/overview



They're in the process of choosing cities right now, and Pittsburgh is a contender.
HOWEVER! In order for this to happen you need to voice your opinion by this Friday.

http://www.pittsburghgoesgoogle.com/

Click the link to make your voice heard!

Hack Pittsburgh

Have you heard about Hack Pittsburgh yet?

"HackPittsburgh is a non-profit, community-based workshop that allows members to come together and share skills & tools to pursue creative projects. Our membership is open to everyone but typically comprises inventors, engineers, scientists, programmers, hobbyists, artists, roboteers, families, entrepreneurs, and arts and crafts enthusiasts. Our focus is on collaboration, education, and community outreach. We’re a benevolent group and do not promote or condone illegal activities. The term “hacking” is used in a benign sense, in the context of deconstructing and understanding objects and systems and re-purposing existing materials for new and innovative uses." (via hackpittsburgh.org)

This Friday (tomorrow, the 19th) they will be having a craft night - Make your own buttons!

They also hold other events on a regular basis, definitely worth checking out.

Click the image to go to their site.

Popular Science Archives!

Popular Science magazine has recently opened up their archives for public searches. This service is free and it covers 137 years of their publications.

From their website:
"We've partnered with Google to offer our entire 137-year archive for free browsing. Each issue appears just as it did at its original time of publication, complete with period advertisements. It's an amazing resource that beautifully encapsulates our ongoing fascination with the future, and science and technology's incredible potential to improve our lives. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do."

Their full-color "magazine" style issues start at January 1920, and the ads featured are worth looking at.

As for right now it is searchable only by keywords, but in the future it will be much more in depth. Check it out when you get the chance!

Click the image to go directly to their archive.

Engineering students featured this week!

Congratulations, Jonathan Becker on winning our CIT Library Blog contest celebrating Engineers Week!
Congratulations to Vicki Cheng and Fei He, runners-up!

Following are their submissions:

Jonathan Becker
Electrical & Computer Engineering

I am an ECE Ph.D. student currently located at the Silicon Valley campus in the west coast. As such, I have yet to physically step foot in any of the Carnegie Mellon libraries. That's not to say that I do not use any of the library services, as part of my Ph.D. research involves finding, reading, and evaluating published conference and peer-reviewed journal papers. For my first Ph.D. project, I am designing an anti-jamming 802.11 antenna beamformer array using genetic algorithms to find optimal antenna phase and attenuation settings. For my second project, I am designing solar antennas that can convert sunlight into usable electric currents. For both projects, I not only need to read books on related subjects, but I need to read as many conference and journal papers as I can possibly find. This way, I can understand what research has already been done in my project areas, so I can implement new technologies to help solve my engineering problems. It also helps me prepare for my quals.

Now, you may ask where the CMU libraries come in all of this? Simple! Since I cannot physically visit any of the libraries in person, I login into the CMU Library’s Virtual Private Network, and I search and download online articles. I've found this to be a great service to my learning out here in the Silicon Valley. Once I'm logged in, I have a cornucopia of conference and peer-reviewed journal articles ready for me to download and read.


Vicki Cheng
Chemical Engineering

"Yesterday Once More"

I was recently reminiscing with my roommate about what it was like to grow up in the 90s, and was struck by how technologically oriented our memories were. What started out as an innocent remark about how Wikipedia was spoiling the students of this generation quickly escalated into a game of “I remember…”, in which each of us tried to outdo the other with recollections of activities from the days of yore, each of which appeared increasingly outlandish by today’s standards.
“I remember when we actually looked things up in BOOK encyclopedias at the library!”
“Yeah? Well, I remember doing research papers by going through PRINT journals and using INDEX CARDS!”
“Oh yeah? Well, I remember having to find books using the CARD CATALOG!”
At that point, both of us collapsed into a pile of hysterical giggles as we realized how far library research had come and gone over our nearly two decades of schooling. As much as we may laugh about how different library protocol was “back in the day”, the need for information has not changed over time. While I’ve found that I, along with several of my peers, are progressively moving towards online and electronic sources for our research needs, the fact remains that the CIT Library, with its wealth of resources, is as important as ever, and it will certainly be interesting to see how this infrastructure will evolve to work with students in this digital age.


Fei He
Information Networking Institute

I didn't notice this activity until I ponder for a programming design problem around E&S library's entrance. The topic reminds me how grateful I should be for the CIT library: if there's a winning prize, it should be awarded first to the CIT library itself.

Coming from a university in China, I came to CMU to study a master degree in computer science. I found myself most comfortably studying in the E&S library, as I would study in classroom in China, the pattern that most Chinese students follow as we normally don't have such a student-friendly library in China (discussion room, printers, network...you name it).

In this 2-year study at CMU, the library is the most frequent place I stayed, even more than classroom as sometimes we have to skip class to finish projects:) I searched and read books on shelf, discussed projects with teammates, and even prepared for job interviews. It serves as a cove rather than a floor, and it is its power of knowledge that leads me to job opportunity and foundations to success in future.

Although this submission might be a little late for the blog, it's the right time for me to say "thank you".

2010 Engineers Week February 14-20

Attention: Engineering Students!
Be a guest blogger for Engineers Week!
Win a prize!
Submit your original ideas for the CIT Library blog:

These may include how the library has helped you, what library resources you have used, how you’ve used the library to help you learn at Carnegie Mellon, what library book you use the most & why...

Your entry should be no more than 250 words.

The winner gets a $50 cash card.
Two runners up will each receive a $25 cash card.

Submit your entry by Monday, Feb. 15.
Engineering & Science Library staff will judge the entries and announce the winners by Friday, Feb 19.

The winning entries will be posted on the blog! Happy Engineers Week!

Submit your entries to Donna Beck, Engineering Librarian- Donna Beck

Carnegie Mellon Digitizes American Journal of Science 1810-1899

Carnegie Mellon has scanned the American Journal of Science from 1810 to 1899. While the American Journal of Science is now primarily concerned with Geology, the back issues of the Journal cover everything from the engineering of the gyroscope to the discovery of dinosaur bones in the continental United States. The collection is set up for both word searches and browsing. Included within the texts are beautiful hand drawn illustrations. The American Journal of Science is found in the A-Z list of databases under the Articles and Databases page of the library homepage. I have included below a particularly entertaining passage concerning the migration of caterpillars, from Vol. 9 of 1825 of the American Journal of Science.

Writing a paper? Help is a click away......

Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students
http://writing.engr.psu.edu/

Penn State University provides a great web resource for all engineering and
science students with the models, exercises, and advice that it gives for
over a half dozen type of documents they will likely encounter in their
schooling and eventual professions.  On the left hand side of the homepage
visitors will find "Student Resources", "Instructor Resources", and links to
the "Contributors", which include "Virginia Tech", "University of Illinois",
and "Georgia Tech".  The "Introduction" on the homepage, offers the
following basics to consider when starting a paper: "Assessing the
Audience", "Selecting the Format", and "Crafting the Style".  Also on the
homepage the site gives links to guidance on "Presentations",
"Correspondence", "Formal Reports", "Proposals", "Instructions", and
"Journal Articles".  The "Design of Presentation Slides", under the
"Presentations" link, demonstrates the use of the assertion-evidence
structure for presentation slides, as opposed to the typical PowerPoint
template, along with many resources on the left hand side of the page that
tout the benefits of that structure. [KMG]

To find this resource and more high-quality online resources in math and
science visit Scout's sister site - AMSER, the Applied Math and Science
Educational Repository at http://amser.org.