For those of you who haven't been watching your calendar, next Tuesday marks exactly 47 days until the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox. That is to say, it is Mardi Gras, the final day of Carnival, and the eve of the beginning of Lent, at least according to the Gregorian calendar. The point? It is an excellent opportunity to socialize as a department in that most exciting of monthly activities--- Happy Hour.
When: Feb. 5, Tuesday
Where: Upson Lounge
Time: 5:00 pm
Why: Jambalaya, Red Beans & Rice, etc.
Your M&AE student organization, SiGMA, invites you to welcome the New Year, the new semester, and a few new students with a social event at Korova's this Friday night (Feb 1). We'll kick off at 7pm with soft drinks and Yuengling, and then order pizza for 7:30pm (lots of it on the first order this time, I promise!). For drinks, be sure to bring your ID.
Once again, that's this Friday at Korova's (on the Commons, next to Taste of Thai) at 7pm. Feel free to bring your "significant others". This is meant to be a no-name-tag, no-pressure opportunity to get-to-know your fellow students better.
When: Feb. 1, Friday
Where: Korova's (on the Commons)
Time: 7:00 pm
Why: Pizza, Soft Drinks, Tasty Beverages
Be there or be studying.
This is the first installment in a series of professional development seminars sponsored by SiGMA. This discussion will include software management methods that are helpful when starting projects, large or small. Lunch will be provided.
This event is funded by the GPSAFC and is open to the Cornell community.
See our flyer!
When: Dec. 4, Tuesday
Where: Upson Lounge
Time: 12:00 noon
Shepherd's pie, macaroni & cheese, and authentic MAE entertainment await!
When: Nov. 29, Thursday
Where: Upson Lounge
Time: 5:30 PM
Specially held on a Wednesday instead of the traditional Thursday, this month's happy hour celebrates Halloween. VIP for this event will be John Orak, Building Coordinator.
Do you remember those Halloweens where you would carve a pumpkin, set it outside your front door welcoming trick-or-treaters, and then dress up in your awesome Halloween costume? Why not relive those days again this October 31st and take part in our SiGMA happy hour festivities!
In the hours prior to the happy hour, there will be 50 pumpkins available for individuals and teams to compete in the SiGMA Pumpkin Carving Contest. Following the pumpkin carving fun, there will be a brief pause in the activities while the event volunteers setup the lounge for the happy hour dinner and drinks, as well as determine the contest winners. During the happy hour, winners will be announced and awarded their prizes, for a list of prizes, see below.
Prizes will also be awarded for the best Halloween costumes, so wear yours to the happy hour and maybe you'll get another treat!
Main course: Vegetarian chili, meaty chili, bread
Dessert: TBD
Beverages: Water, soda, and frightful drinks such as Zombies and Dead Man's Ale
Prize list (indicates quantity of that prize):
$5 campus store giftcertificates (5), Free game of bowling and Helen Newman Hall (10), Cornell cinema ticket (2), 1/2 gallon of cider + small basket of apples from Cornell Orchards (2).
Main course: Vegetarian chili, meaty chili, bread
Dessert: TBD
Beverages: Water, soda, and frightful drinks such as Zombies and Dead Man's Ale
When: Oct. 31, Wednesday
Where: Upson Lounge
Time: 1-3PM, 5:30 PM
So come and learn about your fellow grad students' research projects while enjoying a free lunch.
Speakers for this event will be:
Maureen Lynch
from Biomechanics
and
Paolo Luzzatto Fegiz
from Fluids
When: Oct 23
Where: Upson Lounge
Time: 1:00pm to 2:00 pm
When: Sept. 20
Where: Upson Lounge
Time: 5:30 PM
Thursday, 5pm, Upson Lounge
SiGMA is excited to
invite you to an
"Open
Mic Night" Happy Hour
Support
your fellow MAE faculty and graduate colleagues this
Thursday afternoon as they regale the department and
friends with their non-academic (gasp!)
talents. Lasagna, drinks, and authentic MAE
entertainment await!
Thursday,
5pm
November 30,
2006
Upson Lounge
Of course...It's never
quite too late to sign up to perform! Contact Marcia
(mjs14) if interested.
Sponsored
by
SiGMA.
jaa73
"We gotta stop fighting amongst each other. I think the only rift should be when we take it the stage and try to out perform each other." -Grandmaster Flash
I'm pleased to announce the next installment of the SiGMA Student Seminar
Series. Please come out this Thursday to get a free lunch and hear two
short, informal talks by your fellow grad students. The details:
Thursday, October 19
12:00-1:00
Upson Lounge
Wegman's subs at 12:00, followed by talks at 12:15
Speaking this week:
Oliver Purwin
"Cornell RoboCup - The Secret of Our Success"
and
Tim Morse
"Flow-Induced Vibration or Why the Tacoma Narrows Bridge Fell Down"
Hope to see you there!!
Thursday, 5:00pm
September 28, 2006
Upson Lounge
"The Death of the Cool"
Celebration of Miles Davis on the 15 Year Anniversary of his Passing
(May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991)
"I never thought that the music called "jazz" was ever meant to reach just a small group of people, or become a museum thing locked under glass like all the other dead things that were once considered artistic."
-MD
A trumpeter, bandleader and composer, Davis was at the forefront of almost every major development in jazz from World War II to the 1990s. Join SiGMA for a happy hour to commemorate one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the 20th century.
"For me, music and life are all about style. "
-MD
Sponsored by SiGMA
MECHANICAL
AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM SERIES:
Biologically Inspired Robots
Professor Hod Lipson
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Cornell University
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
4:30 pm
B17 Upson Hall
Refreshments: 4:15 pm, Upson Lounge
ABSTRACT
Robotic systems are of growing interest both because
of their many practical applications as well as their
ability to help understand human and animal behavior,
cognition, and physical performance. Though
industrial robots have long been used for repetitive
tasks in structured environments, one of the
long-standing challenges is achieving robust and
adaptive performance under uncertainty. This talk
will examine two approaches for achieving adaptation
in robotic systems: one involves adaptation of
behavior, based on the notion of self-modeling; the
second approach involves adaptation of morphology,
from reconfiguring to self-repairing systems.
M&AE Graduate Student and
Faculty
Welcome
B-B-Q
Thursday,
August 31
The Large Pavilion, Stewart Park* in Ithaca
5:00 p.m. for drinks and conversation
5:30 p.m. dinner will be served.
Catered by Dinosaur Bar-B-Q in
Syracuse
*Stewart Park is
located at the base of Cayuga Lake where Rt. 34 and
Rt. 13 meet
Need a Ride?
SiGMA
members will be providing rides for those students
who need them. There will be a sign up sheet on the
door to 107 next week. Students who have signed up
should meet in the Upson Lounge at 4:45 p.m. on
Thursday.
This month’s happy hour will be held on Tuesday, April 18th from 5:30-7:30PM. It will center on a Texas Hold’em poker tournament, which will be preceded by a brief tutorial. In order to plan the tournament effectively, it is necessary to have interested parties pre-register for the event. There is no buy-in for this tournament, but there will be a prize for the winner. Standard happy hour fare will also be available to people simply interested in watching.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TEXAS HOLD’EM
Texas hold’em has been dubbed “the game that takes minutes to learn, but a lifetime to master.” Learning how to play is extremely easy, and there is a large industry that revolves around helping you learn. Information regarding rules and strategy can be found on Wikipedia (and many other sites) at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_hold%27em. You can also practice by playing for free on several gaming sites, including http://www.partypoker.net.
PLEASE PRE-REGISTER SO THAT WE CAN PLAN ACCORDINGLY. A sign-up sheet will be posted outside of the grad cube-farm on the 2nd floor of Upson Hall (Upson 245). Please pre-register NO LATER THAN Friday, April 14th.
See you there!
Mike Moorhead
SIGMA Social Director
? 2007 Allen Hurst & SiGMA