Department News
A Colorful Tradition Takes Off B
ack in April 2000, Professor William Messner started Different Color Hair Day as a fun break for his “Dynamic Systems and Control” class. “I offered the students a homework holiday for Spring Carnival if 25 percent showed up with different-colored hair one day,” remembers Messner. “It could be a wig, a single streak of temporary spray, or something more dramatic.” About 25 of his 80 students participated. This April, more than 1000
Carnegie Mellon students, faculty, staff, and alumni participated in Different Color Hair Day. The event has spread beyond MechE, and even CIT. Hair-spraying stations across campus make it easy to
participate, and alums e-mail photos of their hair. In 2002, Messner added a charity component. “To grow the event, I thought we needed a more important purpose,” says Messner. He and his students have selected different charities every year, including Children’s Hospital of
New Faces at MechE
The Department recently welcomed two new staff members: B.J. Robbins and Kelsey Patsch. We hope they will enjoy long careers at MechE!
B.J. Robbins: A Coach for MechE Students After receiving her M.A. in Student Affairs in Higher Education at Slippery Rock Univer- sity, Barbara “B.J.” Robbins joined Carn- egie Mellon as an Academic Advisor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She recently joined MechE in the same role,
advising 50 Masters students and 100 undergrads as they choose classes. “In my previous position, I was only advising first-year students. I didn’t get to follow their growth beyond that freshman year,” says Robbins. “At MechE, I will coach and counsel students as they progress through the B.S. and M.S. programs. I think that will be incredibly rewarding.” Robbins lives in Shadyside with her two cats, Cody and
Zoe. In her spare time, she enjoys arts and crafts, skiing, and camping.
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Kelsey Patsch: Support With an Artistic Flair Administrative Assistant Kelsey Patsch holds a B.S. in Art History and Studio Art from Seton Hill University. But she also has strong busi- ness skills—while earning her degree, she was Executive Assistant to Seton Hill’s president. Since graduating in 2009, Patsch has held
administrative positions at the Mattress Factory Art Museum, Fallingwater, and Pittsburgh Center for the Arts. At MechE, she will be supporting Assistant Professors Carmel Majidi and Sheng Shen. She will also be assisting scholars and professors in managing visa processing. “While MechE might seem like a different environment because of its science and engineering focus, I find that the people and the challenges are really very similar,” notes Patsch. Patsch lives in Bellevue and enjoys a range of hobbies—
from cake decorating to metalsmithing—that reflect her creative background.•
CARNEGIE MECH
Pittsburgh Oncology Ward, tornado relief in Alabama, and Haiti earthquake relief. “We’ve had a number of fundraising schemes based on
increasing participation,” says Messner. “Most recently, I’ve offered a donation of 50 cents per person for less than 500 participants, and a dollar per person if we exceed- ed 500. If we ever exceeded 1000, I promised two dollars per participant.” With 1046 participants in 2011, Messner happily made a contribution of $2,092 to the Red Cross of Japan, to support earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. Messner has also been an enthusi- astic participant. “Nobody believed me the first year when I told them I
would become a blond,” he says. Since then he has sported a Mohawk and even shaved his head!
For information about participating in, sponsoring, or volunteering at the 2012 Different Color Hair Day event on April 11, send an e-mail to
bmessner@andrew.cmu.edu.•
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