Released at the beginning of each month, Dietrich College News is your chance to stay up-to-date on the latest news, events and accomplishments of Dietrich alumni, students, staff and faculty.

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A Message of Welcome and Gratitude

This month, Carnegie Mellon University welcomes Cassidy R. Sugimoto as the Bess Family Dean of Dietrich College. We thank and congratulate Richard Scheines on his 12 years of college leadership and his return to the faculty in the Department of Philosophy!

The Next Generation of AI Won't Replace Humans –

It Will Work With Them

Stories about artificial intelligence are everywhere these days. But there’s a growing divide between those excited by AI’s promise and those worried about how it could replace human jobs, creativity and decision-making.

Cleotilde “Coty” Gonzalez has a different vision for the future — one in which humans and AI work together as teammates. In fact, she and a cohort of collaborators have recently published three scientific papers investigating the facets of “cognitive AI” and how it could partner with humans on teams.

“The idea of what intelligence is has changed through the years, and now it is changing to be a collaborative human-AI intelligence,” said Gonzalez, who is a professor in CMU’s Department of Social and Decision Sciences. “It’s what we can do together with AI that makes us smarter, more capable and more able to do things that we were not able to do before.”

Learn how Gonzalez is working with other experts at CMU, including Aarti Singh and Anita Williams Woolley, to enable the human-AI teams of tomorrow.

LCAL Unifies Language and Culture Programs Under New Major

As global communication and cultural exchange continue to shape an increasingly interconnected world, the Department of Languages, Cultures & Applied Linguistics (LCAL) is introducing a newly unified undergraduate major — the B.A. in Languages and Cultures.

“This major reflects both who we have always been and where we are headed,” said Anne Lambright, department head and Paul Mellon Distinguished Professor of Hispanic Studies. “Our language and culture programs have long shared a commitment to helping students understand how language shapes identities, communities and global relationships. By bringing these programs together within a unified major, we're creating greater flexibility for students while strengthening the interdisciplinary foundations that connect our work across languages and cultures.”

Learn more about LCAL's new interdisciplinary major.

LiLi DiMuzio Receives 2026 Lankford Award

LiLi DiMuzio is being recognized with one of Dietrich College’s top student honors: the 2026 Gretchen Goldsmith Lankford Award.

DiMuzio, who studied psychology, literature and culture, and creative writing, was selected for the award by Dietrich College. The recognition honors outstanding graduating seniors nominated by their departments.

For DiMuzio, the award affirmed both the work she has done at CMU and the future she hopes to build in education and child advocacy.

“It’s an encouragement that I’m on the right track,” DiMuzio said. “People see what I want to do in education, and it’s valued.”

Read about how DiMuzio found community and support at CMU.

Faculty Spotlight: Jenelle Feather

Jenelle Feather is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and the Neuroscience Institute. Her research seeks to understand the complex patterns of neural activity underlying perception and cognition, with real-world applications ranging from designing biologically-aligned hearing aids and advanced brain-machine interfaces to building artificial intelligence systems that see and hear the world the way humans do. 

"My lab works at the intersection of neuroscience, cognitive science and artificial intelligence in an area increasingly referred to as NeuroAI. Much of my work focuses on sensory systems, specifically the auditory system and the visual system," said Feather. "It’s an incredibly exciting time to be working in neuroscience and cognitive science."

Learn why Feather believes it's "an incredible privilege to have the opportunity to do science for a living."

Upcoming Events

• ICYMI: President's Lecture Series: Edda Fields Black (Virtual): Watch a recording of "The Combahee River Raid: Finding the Voices Historians Have Not Heard," by Edda Fields-Black, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, professor in the Department of History and director of The Humanities Center.

• CDMX - The Intelligence Revolution: Scaling AI Strategy for Mexico's Future Economy (Mexico City): The CMU Alumni Association and Hispanic-Latino Alumni Association are proud to present this moderated conversation exploring “The Intelligent Future” from both a research and operational lens, which will take place on July 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

• Ligonier Highland Games (Pittsburgh): Join your fellow Tartans on July 18 for a day of tradition and community at the Ligonier Highland Games. We are excited to have been hosting this signature alumni event for 24 years! Experience the sights and sounds of Scotland in a scenic country setting, complete with bagpipes, athletics and vibrant tartan displays.
  
• Annual CMU Kayaking & Seafood Fest! (New York City): Join us for a three-hour kayak trek where we will learn the history and the science of a beautiful marine nature preserve once owned by Henry Phipps! Minimal kayak experience required, and a tasty seafood feast awaits afterwards a short distance away. Pool, hot tub, bocce ball court, paddleboards and more kayaking will be available.

• Alumni Events: From cherished, in-person Carnegie Mellon traditions to virtual learning experiences with researchers at the cutting-edge of their fields, CMU offers a variety of events for alumni to connect with each other and the university, expand their knowledge and networking opportunities, and make memories together. Explore alumni events.

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