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全文摘要
9位华人校友联合成立中国校友奖学金。LTI史上总额最大捐赠之一,旨于帮助有需要的国际学生。这笔捐款由七个校友家庭提供,共约一百二十万美元,将成立语言技术学院中国校友奖学金,为有需要的语言技术学院研究生提供宝贵的资助
校友、家长和CMU的朋友们,如果对捐赠给LTI中国校友奖学金感兴趣,可以在文末联系国际发展副主任Sandra Zhao,了解更多信息。

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正文内容
9位卡梅华人校友联合成立LTI中国校友奖学金


奖学金签署线上仪式照片

在卡内基梅隆大学语言技术学院期间,张盈经常组织有趣的校园活动。那是在2000年初,该研究所是一个新成立的、规模小而关系密切的机构。张盈(常用英文名Joy) 很快和其他LTI (Language Technology Institute)学生成为了朋友。


Joy组织了电影之夜、滑雪、徒步旅行和漂流等活动。他甚至在自己的小公寓里举办了一场派对,见证了匹兹堡钢人队赢得2006年的超级碗。


15年后,拿着这群朋友们在匹兹堡奥克兰街头庆祝的照片,Joy看到了他的朋友们今天的成就:一些人创立了成功的公司,其他人则是顶级公司的高级管理人员。一些人回到了中国,而其他人留在了美国。


Joy说:“当时我们的关系非常密切,甚至在毕业后我们仍然保持着联系。”“我们的职业生涯得益于这些关系,现在我们希望帮助其他人拥有同样的机会。”


这些朋友都是LTI的校友,今天他们一起向学院捐款,这是该学院历史上最高的一笔捐款。这笔捐款由七个家庭组成,共约一百二十万美元,将成立语言技术学院中国校友奖学金(LTI Chinese Alumni Fellowship),为有需要的语言技术学院研究生提供宝贵的资助。
(第一行从左到右: 刘昕, 刘燕, 颜嵘; 第二行从左到右, 徐伟, 张奕, 苗江波; 第三行, 张盈. 不在图内: 石言心和张健)
赞助这项捐赠的校友和家庭有:

- 张盈, SCS 2002,2009, CMU前教职员工;  Airbnb 工程和数据科学总监
- 刘昕, SCS 1999; Airbnb 首席软件工程师

- 苗江波, SCS 2005; 舟谱数据科技 创始人、董事长、首席执行官

- 石言心, SCS 2007

- 颜嵘, SCS 2004, 2006; Verishop 首席技术官; 

  以及刘燕, SCS 2004,2006; 南加州大学教授, 南加州大学机器学习实验室主任

- 张健, SCS 2004,2006; Alphaton科技 创始人

- 徐伟, SCS 2000; 地平线机器人, General AI 首席科学家; 
  以及 张奕, SCS 2001, 2005, 加州大学圣克鲁兹分校教授, Rul.ai联合创始人


捐赠的想法是从同在AirBnB的LTI校友Joy和刘昕讨论了向CMU捐款的事情开始,他们想到了联合捐赠。在LTI的微信校友群、电子邮件、和Zoom会议中,这个想法越来越具象。随着人数的增加,捐赠的规模也越来越大。


计算机科学学院(SCS)院长Martial Hebert说:“这份捐赠展示了我们校友的高尚品德,体现了计算机科学学院同学关系的深远影响。”“这些朋友们在学习和职业生涯中互相帮助,现在他们再次合作帮助其他学生。”


LTI的代理系主任Carolyn Rosé教授说,”新的奖学金能够推动学生在探寻创新的自主研究方向上发挥领导作用。从传统途径获得的科研经费则通常有更多的限制。”


“奖学金为学生提供了尝试新事物的机会。如果有了创新想法,他们便可以大胆尝试。”Rosé说道。“它提供了学生科研的自由。你甚至可以做一些冒险的尝试。因为你有了一张安全网。”


这将是LTI第一笔由校友建立,给予现学生的奖学金。该研究所的教授、前代理系主任Jamie Callan说道。


捐赠的校友们在LTI从机器翻译中心转型后不久就来到了这里。Callan说,当时的研究所是一个小家庭。现加州大学圣克鲁兹分校教授、Rulai联合创始人张奕就是Callan的第一位博士生。


Callan说:“他们的创造力、奉献精神和对于工作的投入帮助LTI成为语言技术研究和教育的领导者。”他们将永远在我们心中占据特殊的位置,现在我们为他们的慷慨而感动。”


Joy为校友们能够建立起的基金感到自豪,但他希望它能做的不仅仅是为LTI奖学金提供资金。他提到这次的捐赠是由Andrew Carnegie和茅以升博士所启发。Andrew Carnegie是著名工业家和慈善家,CMU创始人;茅以升博士是中国著名的桥梁工程师和教育家,他获得了卡内基技术学院(卡内基梅隆大学前身)的第一个博士学位。两人都积极投身慈善与教育事业。


Joy说,希望这份礼物会激励其他校友回馈母校。


他说:“这个奖学金,虽然不大,但它代表着回馈大学做出贡献是有巨大意义的。”


校友、家长和CMU的朋友们,如果对捐赠给LTI中国校友奖学金感兴趣,可以通过邮箱([email protected])或微信(sandrazzhao2)联系国际发展副主任Sandra Zhao,了解更多信息。
03
English Version
Language Technologies Institute Friends Unite To Create Chinese Alumni Fellowship
Collaborative Gift Among Largest in LTI History, Will Support Students in Need
Aaron Aupperlee
Ying Zhang took charge of fun activities during his time at Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies Institute. It was the early 2000s, and the institute was new, small and close-knit. Zhang, better known as Joy, and fellow LTI students became fast friends.
Joy organized movie nights and trips skiing, hiking and rafting. He even hosted a party in his tiny apartment to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers win the 2006 Super Bowl.
And fifteen years later, looking at a photo of the group celebrating that championship in the streets of Oakland, Joy sees his friends and what they have become. Some founded successful companies. Others are high ranking executives at top firms.
"We had very strong connections back then, and we remained connected even after we graduated," Joy said. "Our careers benefited from these connections, and now we want to help others have the same opportunities."
The friends, all alumni of LTI, have come together to make one of the largest donations to the institute in its history. Totaling about $1.2 million, the gift will establish the LTI Chinese Alumni Fellowship, providing valuable funding to LTI graduate students in need.
The alumni behind the gift are:
- Ying “Joy” Zhang (SCS 2002, 2009): past CMU faculty and staff; director of engineering and data science, Airbnb
- Xin Liu (SCS 1999): principal software engineer, Airbnb
- Jiangbo “Max” Miao (SCS 2005): founder, chair and CEO, Zhoupu Data Technology
- Yanxin Shi (SCS 2007)
- Rong Yan (SCS 2004, 2006): CTO, Verishop; and Yan Liu (SCS 2004, 2006): professor and director of the Machine Learning Lab, University of Southern California
- Jian Zhang (SCS 2004, 2006): founder, Alphaton Technologies
- Wei Xu (SCS 2000): chief scientist of general AI, Horizon Robotics; and Yi Zhang (SCS 2001, 2005): professor, University of California, Santa Cruz; and co-founder, Rulai
The idea for the gift started small. Conversations about donating to CMU between Joy and a fellow LTI alum at AirBnB, Xin Liu, led to thoughts of making a joint gift. Emails, Zoom meetings and messages in a WeChat group of Chinese LTI alumni followed. As the group grew, so did the size of the gift.
“This gift demonstrates the character of our alumni and underscores the lasting impact of the relationships fostered in the School of Computer Science,” said Martial Hebert, dean of SCS. “These friends, who helped each other through their studies and their careers, are collaborating once again to help students.”
Carolyn Rosé, professor and interim director of the LTI, said the new fellowship will fuel innovation among students looking to take the lead in carving out their own research. Research funded through more typical channels comes with more constraints.
"A fellowship offers a student the opportunity to do something new and cutting-edge. If there is an innovative idea, they can just go for it," Rosé said. "It provides freedom. You can do something risky. You have a safety net."
This will be the LTI’s first fellowship from former students for current students. And it will come from some of the institute's first master's and Ph.D. graduates, said Jamie Callan, a professor in the institute and a past interim director.
The alumni behind the gift joined the LTI not long after it transitioned from the Center for Machine Translation. Callan said the institute was a small family at that time. Yi Zhang, one of the donors, was Callan's first Ph.D. student.
"Their creativity, dedication and hard work helped establish the LTI as a leader in language technologies research and education," Callan said. "They will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we are humbled by their generosity now."
Joy is proud of the fund the alumni put together, but he hopes it does more than support a fellowship in the LTI. He was inspired by the stories of Andrew Carnegie, industrialist and philanthropist who founded CMU; and Mao Yisheng, who received the first Ph.D. from Carnegie Tech and was a renowned bridge engineer and educator in China. Both were immigrants who benefited from coming to the United States and then gave back.
Perhaps the gift will inspire other alumni to give back, too, Joy said.
"This fund, although small, is a gesture to show that contributing to the university can be meaningful," he said.
Anyone — from alumni to parents and friends — interested in contributing to the LTI Chinese Alumni Fellowship can contact Sandra Zhao, associate director of international development, at [email protected] or through WeChat at sandrazzhao2 for more information.
翻译/编辑/排版:
Sebastian Yang

校对: Sandra Zhao
这里是卡内基梅隆大学
中国校友会

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