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CONTACT is a newsletter published weekly in the spring and fall
semesters and biweekly in the summer to inform the IIT community of timely news.
Editor: Melanie Nimrodi
Designer: Janet Jaffke
Production: Nicholas Okuley, Deepak Natarajan
312.567.3104
Next Issue: 04.03.06
Deadline: 03.29.06
Online Submission »
Previous Issues »
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| * | March 28
8 a.m.
Sustainability Discussion
Stuart Graduate School
of Business
Guest speakers include Burt Klein, COO, Portion Pac Corp.; John Paul
Kusz, associate director, Center for Sustainable Enterprise and adjunct
professor, Stuart Graduate School of Business; Bill Blackburn, author
and former executive at Baxter International, and William Tokash,
director, Domani LLC. Their presentations will focus on the three
legs of sustainability: environmental integrity, social equity, and
economic viability. To register, contact Robin
Pelsis. | | | | | * | March 29
Noon–1:30 p.m.
Stuart Research Colloquium
Stuart Graduate School
of Business, Room 490
Yair Babad, professor in the Department of Information and Decision
Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, will discuss “Compliance
and Information Systems.” The presentation will provide an overview
of compliance issues, their impact on the organization, how to manage
and audit them, and their interaction with organizational information
systems. | | | | | * | March 29
Noon–4 p.m.
Government Career Fair
HUB Ballroom
Everyone is welcome to attend the Government Career Fair. No admission
charge for students and alumni who present valid ID. Admission for
general public is $5. Click
here for a list of agencies that will be present. For more information,
contact Lovetta Houston. | | | | | * | March 29
Chemistry Colloquium
3:30 p.m.
Life Sciences, Room 111
Fred Stevens, Biology Division, Argonne National Laboratory, will
discuss “The Enigma of Nearly Perfect Peptide Repeats.”
For more information, contact Peter Lykos at 567.3430. | | | | | * | March 30
9:30–11 a.m.
Chicago-Kent Lecture
Chicago-Kent Ogilvie Auditorium
William Meinecke, historian, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, will
emphasize the response of the German legal community to the end of
democracy, the Nazi rise to power in 1933, and the integration of
non-Nazi legal professionals into the Nazi system of law. | | | | | * | March 30
Julia Beveridge Awards
3 p.m.
MTCC Ballroom
The awards will be presented to five women for their contributions
to the IIT community and university. Please RSVP to Lisa
Montgomery. | | | | | * | March 31
11:45 a.m.–1 p.m.
CSL Presentation
HUB Armour Dining Room
Dean Buck McMorris; Ed Reingold, CS Chair, and Ophir Frieder, IITRI
chair and CS professor, will present “What's Next in Information
Retrieval?” For more information, contact Patty
Cronin. | | | | | * | March 31
2:30
Humanities Colloquium
Siegel Hall, Room 218
David Zesmer, IIT Humanities Emeritus, will discuss “The Golden
World of As You Like It.” For more information, contact Warren
Schmaus. | | | | | * | April 6
4:30–6:30 p.m.
Graduate Open house
MTCC Ballroom
Enrollment will host a Graduate Student Open House. The event is open
to non-degree graduate students who are interested in meeting with
a faculty member regarding their area of interest. For more information,
click
here. | | | | | * | April 26
1–4 p.m.
IIT Research Day
MTCC Auditorium
Hosted by the Graduate College, the event celebrates the wide variety
of IIT research. The Sigma Xi Research Awards and a Poster Session
that features student research will be presented. Students interested
in presenting a poster should submit an abstract to Robert
Lapointe by 5 p.m., Friday, March 31. | | | | | * | April 27–28
Section 1983
Civil Rights Litigation Conference
Chicago-Kent
Registration is open for the 23rd annual Section 1983 Civil Rights
Litigation Conference, April 27–28 at Chicago-Kent College of
Law. Program highlights include the § 1983 Prima Facie Case,
municipal liability, ethical issues, and much more. Visit the
§ 1983 website for more information and to register. | | | | | * | May 17–18
ID Strategy Conference
Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago
The conference is an international executive forum addressing how
businesses can use design to achieve strategic advantage. Visit the
conference
website for more information. | | | |
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View the university calendar at: http://webservices.iit.edu/calendar.
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TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE IIT/IITRI COMMUTER
BENEFIT
Would you like the convenience of having CTA passes, METRA passes,
or transit checks mailed conveniently to your home? Or would you rather
take advantage of the Chicago Card Plus option and have money automatically
credited to your card each month? Better yet, how about saying goodbye
to the upcoming Dan Ryan gridlock by utilizing mass transit? Benefits-eligible
IIT/IITRI faculty and staff can do just that!
For information on the Commuter program, please visit http://www.iit.edu/hr/transit.html.
| | | BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ONLINE ACCESS
Faculty and Staff enrolled in the Blue Cross Blue Shield health plan
have immediate access to important insurance information through Blue
Access. Members can view claims information, elect to save paper and
receive claims information by email, print temporary ID cards, and
take advantage of online smoking cessation and weight-loss programs.
To enroll in Blue Access, visit
https://members.hcsc.net/members/mbrsignon_il.html.
You will need the information on your insurance card in order to enroll.
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Chicago-Kent Professor Lori Andrews
was quoted in an Associated
Press news release about a Supreme Court
case that involves the diagnosis of vitamin B deficiencies.
The release ran in many newspapers nationwide.
Chicago-Kent Research Professor Nigel Cameron was
quoted in the March 18 Ledger
(Lakeland, Fla.) about human/animal hybrids.
Keith Black, assistant professor at Stuart, was mentioned
in the March 21 edition of Hedgeworld as a member of the
Professional Risk Managers International Association
committee that is charged with writing an exam that will certify PRM
charterholders as hedge fund risk managers (no link).
The News
Sun ran an article about Chicago-Kent alumnus and
Associate Judge George Bridges, who is running for circuit
court judge in Lake County.
The art @ IIT exhibit “The Art of the Illusion”
was reviewed in the March 23 issue of TimeOut Chicago (no
link).
Janet Woerner, adjunct faculty in the Department
of Social Sciences, was quoted in a March 21 Medill News Service
story about the use of nanotechnology in manufacturing
(no link).
The StarPhoenix
(Saskatoon, Ca.) ran an article about Dean Chapman
who was recruited from BCPS at IIT to run beam lines at Canadian
Light Source.
The Hindu
ran an article about India’s Sri Venkateswara Institute
of Technology that offers an IIT masters degree
in Computer Science, Telecommunications, Network Engineering, and
VLSI.
The
Scoop (New Zealand) ran an article that mentioned the human
trafficking conference at Chicago-Kent.
IIT was mentioned in a ShareCast
article about Millbrook Scientific Instruments sale
orders. |
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DAN RYAN LANE
CLOSURES BEGIN APRIL 1
Beginning Saturday, April 1, a major reconstruction project on the
Dan Ryan Expressway will reduce the route to three lanes in each direction
from 13th St. to 71st St. by closing the inbound and outbound express
lanes until completion of the project in October 2007.
The biggest impact on IIT will be the rebuilding of the ramps from
the Dan Ryan (90/94) to the Stevenson (I-55).
For more information and a detailed map of the construction, visit
the IDOT website. | | | U.S. CELLULAR
(BLACK) PERMIT HOLDERS
The White Sox organization restricts U.S Cellular Parking Lot (C8)
access for IIT black permit holders on selected game days throughout
the baseball season. On those specified days, alternate parking for
U.S Cellular (black) permit holders will be available in eligible
Main Campus parking lots.
The current schedule of these dates and more information about alternative
parking can be found on the HawkCard
and Parking Sevices website. | | |
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QWL WANTS TO KNOW—ARE
YOU INTERESTED?
DINING AT OPERA—A CONTEMPORARY CHINESE RESTAURANT
IN THE SOUTH LOOP
This modern Chinese spot in the South Loop provides a three-course
dinner for $25 on Tuesdays. Chose from any appetizer, entrée,
and dessert item on the menu. QWL is planning a trip to dine at Opera
on April 4. View the menu online.
If you are interested in attending, please email Lovetta
Houston. | | | PILATES COURSE OFFERED
An eight-week Pilates course will begin April 5. The classes will
run Wednesdays, 5:15–6:15 p.m., in the Bronzeville Conference
Room, 6th Floor, IIT Tower. Brought to you by GuruToYou and QWL, the
class will introduce core awareness using the Pilates method. The
instructors will guide each individual, at his or her own pace, through
a series of fluid and dynamic core strengthening postures to help
tone hips, thighs, abs, and the gluteus. The course fee is $40, and
participants are required to provide their own mat. To sign up or
for more information, visit the GuruToYou
website. Users who wish to create an account need to use “IIT”
as the company code. Please direct questions to Kim
Wilcox or call 773.267.5883. | | | APRIL 27 IS "TAKE YOUR CHILD
TO WORK DAY"
QWL is looking for activity ideas and volunteers for Take your Child
to Work Day. Please contact qwl@iit.edu
with suggestions or more information. | | | | Have other suggestions? Please submit your ideas to
qwl@iit.edu. | | |
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Hungry? Check out the menu for Center Court Café, The Commons,
Resident Dining, and the University Club located in the MTCC. For those interested in catering for larger events,
visit the Campus Catering menu.
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*Home games in ALL CAPS
For more information and location of games, visit: http://athletics.iit.edu
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Men’s
Baseball
Tuesday, March 28
at Saint Francis
3 p.m.
Thursday, March 30
ROBERT MORRIS
3 p.m.
Saturday, April 1
at Valparaiso
1 p.m.
Sunday, April 2
PURDUE NORTH CENTRAL (DH)
Noon
Tuesday, April 4
SAINT FRANCIS
3 p.m.
Thursday, April 6
at Saint Xavier
3 p.m.
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EXELON CHAIRMAN ROWE TO HEAD
IIT BOARD OF TRUSTEES  John
W. Rowe, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Exelon
Corporation, was elected chairman of the Board of Trustees at IIT.
Rowe, whose tenure begins November 9, will replace outgoing Chairman
Robert Pritzker. An IIT alumnus, Pritzker will remain active at IIT,
serving as chairman of the Board of the Pritzker Institute for Biomedical
Science and Engineering and the IIT Policy Committee. The university
also announced that Craig Duchossois, CEO of Duchossois Industries,
Inc., has been named chairman of the Executive Committee, and David
Vitale, chief administrative officer, Chicago Public Schools, will
continue as vice chairman.
“I want to express my deep
appreciation to Bob Pritzker for his leadership and dedication that
sparked the phenomenal growth of IIT over the last decade,”
said President Lew Collens. “I am looking forward to working
with John Rowe to maintain IIT’s leadership role in higher education.”
“As the leader of a company that employs hundreds
of IIT graduates, I appreciate the contribution of IIT to our community,”
said Rowe. “I especially look forward to helping IIT make the
benefits of education in engineering, science, and architecture available
to our diverse region.”
Rowe has a long and distinguished history of successfully managing
power companies as CEO of Central Maine Power, New England Electric
System, and Unicom Corporation prior to the formation of Exelon. He
worked with the Chicago law firm of Isham, Lincoln and Beale from
1970-1980, where he became a partner in 1978 and served as counsel
to the trustees of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
Company. He is a member of several boards, including Sunoco, The Northern
Trust Corporation, The Art Institute of Chicago, The Chicago Club,
The Chicago History Museum, The Field Museum, Wicell: The Wisconsin
Alumni Research Foundation, and IIT’s Mies van der Rohe Society.
| PRESIDENT OF TEC DE MONTERREY
VISITS IIT, STRENGTHENS PARTNERSHIP 
President Lew Collens hosted a lunch in honor of Alberto Bustani,
president of Tec de Monterrey (Tec), on March 24. IIT and Tec have
formed a strategic partnership to encourage institutional cooperation
through the development of joint academic programs, student and faculty
exchange, and joint research. As part of this partnership, last year
IIT and Tec secured a USAID grant for almost $500,000 to help finance
the environmental management education of Mexican citizens.
Among the attendees was Carlos Manuel Sada, consul general of Mexico
in Chicago.
“IIT is making a concerted effort to increase
the number of Latin American students,” said Rafael Alvarado,
director of Latin American Affairs at IIT. “As part of the overall
strategy, we want to team up with the best schools and without a doubt,
Tec de Monterrey rises as a natural partner for IIT, given its outstanding
quality and technological orientation.” |
PRESIDENT COLLENS INITIATES
ETHICSPOINT REPORTING TOOLS A LETTER FROM
THE PRESIDENT
All employees have a right to work in a safe and positive environment.
As president of Illinois Institute of Technology, I take this responsibility
very seriously; therefore, I have initiated a new program called EthicsPoint
to provide the best possible workplace for the IIT community.
EthicsPoint is a phone- and Internet-based reporting system designed
to enhance communication and empower faculty and staff to promote
safety, security, and ethical behavior in the workplace. This new
system, similar in nature to the IIT suggestion box, allows us to
do much more while protecting your anonymity at the same time. EthicsPoint
manages the reporting system for us, ensuring that the program is
completely confidential.
The traditional focus of a program such as EthicsPoint is to be a
service for reporting misconduct as it relates to the following areas:
Financial
Matters—accounting, auditing, theft, donor stewardship,
etc.
Research—all
issues dealing with research
Human
Resources—misconduct, harassment, time abuse, etc.
Information
Technology—data privacy, misuse of resources, etc.
Risk
& Safety—unsafe working conditions, waste, misuse of
resources
You may also refer to the “other” option to report anything
not covered in the list above that may be cause for your concern.
Please note that this site is not designed to report a situation where
there is an immediate threat to your safety, in which case you should
contact 911 or the university Public Safety Department directly at
8.6363.
Please feel free to visit the website, www.ethicspoint.com,
or call 866.294.9314 to learn more about the program or to make a
report. Again, everything you report is confidential as guaranteed
through the EthicsPoint administrative system.
All of us in the IIT community share responsibility for promoting
a positive environment, and I am confident we can all work together
to ensure IIT employees have the comfort of knowing we are in a safe,
secure, and ethical workplace.
Kind regards,
Lew Collens, President | NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
2006
National Library Week 2006, a time to celebrate your campus library,
kicks off during the first full week of April! As part of this annual
event, the Paul V. Galvin Library will host programs and events April
3–7:
- National Library Week Table—Meet your librarians, pick
up free candy, bookmarks, and key chains. Join the opening celebration
on Monday, April 3. (MTCC—all week, 12-2pm)
- Favorite Book Chain—Fill out the title and author of your
favorite book on a “book link” to build a campuswide
“book chain.” (MTCC and Galvin Library—all week)
- “It Changed My World” Display—Have you ever
wondered what books your librarians read? Check out the “It
Changed My World” book display featuring Galvin staff favorite
book picks! (Galvin Library—all month)
- Fine Forgiveness for Food Day—Contribute to a good cause
and receive fine forgiveness on overdue items! Donate one can
of food per overdue item at the Galvin Library main desk. Donations
will be taken to the Chicago Food Depository. (Galvin Library—all
week)
- Snack Break—Hungry and need a break? Join library staff
for cookies and other sweet things to help take the edge off!
(Galvin Library—Tuesday, April 4)
Librarians and library staff are available to help you reach your
academic goals. From books and journals, to databases and leisure
reading, you can find the resources you need at Galvin Library. For
more information about National Library Week activities at IIT, visit
the Galvin Library or call Alanna Aiko Moore at 567.3613 or Jeanne
Link at 567.3374, or visit the library’s website.
| ARC TO HOLD MATLAB 7
SESSIONS
The Academic Resource Center (ARC) will hold two seminar series sessions
titled “Introduction to MATLAB 7 with Engineering Applications.”
Both sessions will be held from 2–4:30 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial
Hall Computer Lab, room 218. Session 1 will be held March 31 and Session
2 will be held April 14.
The sessions will provide an overview of MATLAB 7’s basic functionality.
Through live demonstrations, attendees will see how MATLAB is used
for basic matrix and vector operations; versatility of using functions;
using built-in MATLAB functions; programming and algorithm development;
solving systems of equations; implementing iterative solvers; all
phases of data visualization, primarily focusing on 2D and 3D plotting,
and project development that integrates skills acquired in previous
sessions.
RSVP at the ARC front desk, located on the lower lever of Paul V.
Galvin Library. | STUDENTS DISPLAY WATER
PURIFICATION ENPRO AT CONFERENCE
IIT students Adrian Gomez, Eugenio Ramirez, and Laura Grimmer recently
returned from Portland, Ore., where they exhibited their water purification
invention, KlarAqua, at the March Madness for the Mind event. Student
and faculty researchers from IIT and Mexico’s Tec de Monterrey
exhibited a low-cost, clay-based water purification system for developing
countries and other regions in need of portable water.
KlarAqua was developed last summer during an EnPRO, which received
$16,000 in funding from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators
Alliance (NCIIA). The project was facilitated by Nasrin Khalili, associate
professor of Environmental Management and the EnPRO instructor, and
Jim Braband, senior lecturer in entrepreneurial studies.
The IIT team represented the more than two hundred teams of college
students, faculty, and industry mentors who have received grants to
support the development and commercialization of their inventions
over the past decade.
March Madness for the Mind is presented in conjunction with the NCIIA’s
Tenth Annual Meeting—Strengthening the Fabric: Building Capacity
for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which brings engineering, science,
and business faculty together in Portland for three days of panels,
workshops, and networking opportunities. | MMAE STUDENT POSTER
COMPETITION  Congratulations
to the winners of last week’s annual MMAE Student Poster Competition.
Winners were Edwin Schwalbach, first place, undergraduate; Jesse Collins,
second place, undergraduate; Matthew Pearson, first place, master’s;
Muhammad Siddiqui and Miad Yazdani, second place, master’s;
Rongxiang Hu, first place, Ph.D., and Smati Chupatanakul, second place,
Ph.D.
Posters reflected research or a unique project done in the MMAE department
and were from any area of study within MMAE. Entries were judged by
select industry professionals on technical level, presentation of
the material, innovation of the concepts, and overall impact. | IIT COMMUNITY TO USE
UNIFIED IDS IN NEW SUPPORT DESK WEBSITE
A new OTS Support Desk website will launch on April 1. The web address
and contact information for the Support
Desk will not change. However, the new website will require members
of the IIT community to use their Unified ID (U-ID) when requesting
assistance online.
Each member of the IIT community has a U-ID, which is comprised of
the first letter of the member’s first name and up to seven
letters of their last name. For example, Jane Doe’s U-ID would
be “jdoe.” Numbers are added to distinguish IDs among
people with similar names (jdoe234). U-IDs are currently used for
Blackboard and computer lab accounts as well as new student email
addresses. Students, faculty, and staff should expect to use their
U-ID more frequently as IIT moves toward a single login for all technology
accounts.
In addition to providing self-help tools, the new website will identify
wide-spread service interruptions and allow users to notify OTS if
they are experiencing these global issues. | PURDUE PRESIDENT, IIT
ALUM JISCHKE TO SPEAK AT MTCC EVENT  Dr.
Martin C. Jischke, president of Purdue University, will be the featured
speaker at a Rotary Club of Chicago Near South Luncheon in the MTCC
Ballroom on Wednesday, April 5. Jischke’s presentation, “An
Edge for the Midwest: The Role of Universities in Economic Development,”
will be held at noon, following a buffet lunch.
Dr. Jischke graduated from IIT in 1963 with a physics degree. He is
also the recipient of an honorary doctoral degree and a Professional
Achievement Award from IIT.
David Baker, vice president for External Affairs, has a limited number
of complimentary tickets available on a first-come first-served basis.
Please email Toni Monroe if you
would like to attend as Baker's guest.
Tickets also may be purchased for $25 each by contacting Erica
Chianneli at 567.1011. | ID PANEL TO DISCUSS
CHANGING NATURE OF INNOVATION AND DESIGN
A panel discussion about the changing nature of innovation
and design will be held at the Institute of Design on Wednesday, April
12, from 2:30–6 p.m. The program will feature short presentations
by the panelists, a discussion session, and a reception.
Panelists include Larry Keeley, co-founder and president of Doblin,
Inc.; Craig Sampson, founder of IDEO Chicago and director of IDEO's
health care practice; Denis Weil, senior director of innovation planning
at McDonald's Corporation; and Patrick Whitney, Steelcase/Robert C.
Pew Professor and director of the Institute of Design.
Discussion topics will include reliable methods of innovation, linking
user value and economic value, innovation and design of services,
innovation and healthcare, barriers to innovation inside companies,
and “D-schools”—why a new type of education is needed
now.
The cost of the event is $75 per person. Participation is limited
to 80 guests confirmed by paid reservation only. For more information
and to register online, visit the ID
website. |
Web Corner is a space where you may learn about
special things happening with IIT websites and other
e-communications.
Next Web Associates Group (WAG) Meeting: Learn more about developing
Web content and good home page design.
March 29 2–4 p.m.
Location: HUB Trustee Dining Room
Please RSVP to Janet Jaffke
The meeting will be organized in two sessions: Home Page Design, 2-3
p.m; Web Content Phase I, 3–4 p.m.
Attendees can choose between the two sessions, based on interests,
or attend both. If you have questions, are struggling with your home
page, or you would like to share a useful solution about your design,
please contact Janet Jaffke or
Jon Kavanaugh before the meeting;
the team will incorporate your challenges/solutions into the discussion.
WEB TIPS
Excerpt from Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox:
One of usability's most hard-learned lessons is that "you are
not the user." If you work on a development project, you're atypical
by definition. Design to optimize the user experience for outsiders,
not insiders. The antidote to bubble vapor is user testing: find out
what representative users need. It's tempting to work on what's hot,
but to make money, focus on the basics that customers value.
INTERESTING STUDY ON EYETRACKING (submitted by Billy Belchev)
Two years ago Stanford University and The Poynter Institute researchers
began collaborating to learn how frequently Internet news readers
perused news online. (full article) Poynter
Institute:
COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING WEB
TEAM
Janet Jaffke, Jon Kavanaugh, Nicholas Okuley, Tommy Thomas |
RACHEL WASSERMAN
 Rachel
Wasserman, a third-year Psychology major and Business minor, could
not have picked a better institution than IIT to obtain the education
she needs in order to practice industrial organizational behavior—the
psychology of people interaction, structure, environment, and other
organizational dimensions.
“With a business minor,
I will have a better feel for the dynamics of an office, and it would
make it easier to assess organizations and their employees,”
said Rachel.
An employee in the IPRO office, Rachel gets hands-on experience in
her field of study on a regular basis. She collects data, works with
other psychology professors with the surveys of IPRO students, determines
the effectiveness of marketing IPRO, and helps decide what types of
change, if any, are needed.
“The Psychology department
at IIT is wonderful. The faculty portrays a true interest in students
and their development,” said Rachel. “The class sizes
are just right. At any other university, my Introduction to Psychology
course would have been taught in a stadium. Luckily, there were only
12 of us,” she said.
If
you'd like to recommend a student to be featured in "Student
Snapshot," Contact us.
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