<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:large">Important contributions </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:large"><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div>George Duncan</div><div>Emeritus Professor of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University<br><a href="http://georgeduncanart.com/" target="_blank">georgeduncanart.com</a></div><div>See posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram</div>
<div>Land: (505) 983-6895 <br></div><div>Mobile: (505) 469-4671</div>
<div> <br>My art theme: Dynamic exposition of the tension between matrix order and luminous chaos.<br></div><div><br></div><div><h1 style="letter-spacing:-0.02em;margin:0px"><font size="2" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-weight:normal">"Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion."</font></h1><div><span style="font-size:small;letter-spacing:-0.02em;line-height:1.125em"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">From "Notes to myself on beginning a painting" by Richard Diebenkorn. </font></span></div><table width="85%" style="color:rgb(93,86,81);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:18px;margin:auto;border-collapse:collapse!important"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align:center"><p style="margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:12px"><font size="2">"It's that knife-edge of uncertainty where we come alive to our truest power." Joanna Macy.</font></p></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:13px;text-transform:uppercase"><p style="margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:27px;color:rgb(146,146,146);text-align:center"><br></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">---------- Forwarded message ---------<br>From: <strong class="gmail_sendername" dir="auto">Farnam Jahanian</strong> <span dir="auto"><<a href="mailto:president@andrew.cmu.edu">president@andrew.cmu.edu</a>></span><br>Date: Fri, Apr 24, 2020 at 3:55 PM<br>Subject: Recent CMU Research for COVID-19 Response<br>To: <<a href="mailto:gd17@andrew.cmu.edu">gd17@andrew.cmu.edu</a>><br></div><br><br>
<div>
<p>Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon Community:</p>
<p>Our community continues to make a <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2020/april/coronavirus-response.html" target="_blank">positive
impact</a> during the worldwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and I wish to
express my unending gratitude for how CMU faculty, students and staff have
worked together during this unprecedented time.</p>
<p>We have donated personal protective equipment; activated our manufacturing
expertise and facilities to produce supplies; offered free access to Simon
Initiative and other educational tools; and shared virtual performances that
provide a much-needed creative outlet.<em> </em>We have seen CMU-led
research making significant contributions this week, and I am writing to share
just three examples:</p>
<ul>
<li>Yesterday, the CMU Delphi Research Center launched <a href="http://www.covidcast.cmu.edu/" target="_blank">COVIDCast</a>, a site that brings together
multiple data sources to support COVID-19 forecasting, including Facebook as
well as Google, Quidel Corp. and a national health system. The site contains
five interactive maps with real-time information at the national, regional and
county level. COVIDcast leverages our leadership in machine learning, statistics
and data science, and builds upon Delphi’s long-standing partnership with
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I remain grateful to the
entire Delphi team, led by Ryan Tibshirani, associate professor of statistics
and machine learning, and Roni Rosenfeld, professor and department head of
machine learning. They were assisted by Jodi Forlizzi, director and professor of
human-computer interaction, who led the team that created the data
visualizations. This project has garnered much attention from <a href="https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/us-coronavirus-update-04-23-20/h_473c68f3d0cea263896b85e12aec7d13" target="_blank">CNN</a>,
<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/survey-data-facebook-google-map-covid-19-carnegie-mellon/" target="_blank">Wired</a>,
<a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-maps-out-coronavirus-symptoms-across-us/?ftag=COS-05-10aaa0b&TheTime=2020-04-20T13%3A20%3A50&PostType=link&ServiceType=twitter&UniqueID=C0DED558-8309-11EA-816D-B2D4923C408C" target="_blank">CNET</a>,
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/facebook-releases-county-county-maps-covid-19-symptoms-n1187506" target="_blank">NBC
News,</a> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/facebook/2020/4/20/21227347/facebook-symptom-tracker-survey-carnegie-mellon-global-expansion-ppe-ml-ai-mark-zuckerberg" target="_blank">The
Verge</a>, <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a32240823/cmu-facebook-google-covid-19-symptom-tracking/" target="_blank">Popular
Mechanics</a>, and <a href="https://gizmodo.com/carnegie-mellon-and-facebook-have-turned-covid-19-data-1842961114?utm_medium=sharefromsite&utm_source=gizmodo_twitter" target="_blank">Gizmodo</a>,
among others. This effort builds on earlier work done through our collaboration
with Facebook, which was highlighted in Mark Zuckerberg’s <em>Washington
Post</em> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/20/how-data-can-aid-fight-against-covid-19/" target="_blank">op-ed</a>
and Good Morning America <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/mark-zuckerberg-explains-plans-facebook-health-surveys-research/story?id=70238069" target="_blank">interview</a>.
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that the state is
partnering with Carnegie Mellon on a <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2020/april/dashboard-will-help-inform-state-decision-makers.html" target="_blank">dashboard
tool</a> to help policymakers make informed plans for re-opening the
state’s economy. Our data-driven tool is the result of collaboration by
economists, policy experts and scientists from the Tepper School of Business,
the Heinz College and the School of Computer Science as well as a number of
experts from across the university who are highlighted on <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2020/april/dashboard-will-help-inform-state-decision-makers.html" target="_blank">this
site</a>. The administration will use this dashboard to better understand the
inherent risks and benefits to re-opening certain businesses and industry areas.
I am grateful to Dean Ramayya Krishnan of the Heinz College for leading this
effort.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Finally, Po-Shen Loh, professor of mathematical sciences, has brought
together a team, including many CMU students and alumni working in mathematics,
human-computer interaction, computer science and information security, <a href="https://www.cmu.edu/mcs/news-events/2020/0417_novid-app.html" target="_blank">to develop
NOVID</a>, an innovative contact tracing app that uses ultrasound technology to
anonymously and reliably track exposure to COVID-19. Using this technology to
measure the distance between two people is proving to be more effective than
other Bluetooth-enabled apps on the market. This app, awaiting approval in the
Google Play Store with an iOS version under development, is currently being
beta-tested. This effort shows incredible promise to improve and accelerate the
testing, tracing and isolation strategy that is key to slowing the spread of
COVID-19 and safely restarting our economy.</li>
</ul>
<p>Like so many other institutions across society, Carnegie Mellon is being
tested like never before, but the world is looking to us to provide innovative
solutions to the various challenges we now face. I am truly inspired by, and
grateful for, the CMU researchers, faculty, staff and students who are stepping
up to answer the call and showcase our nimble leadership at the intersection of
technology and humanity. </p>
<p>Wishing you all a restful weekend and continued good health,<br>Farnam</p>
<p>Farnam Jahanian<br> President<br>Henry L. Hillman President’s
Chair</p>
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