Newsmakers

Two alumni have made Technology Review’s annual list of 35 Innovators Under 35, found in the Sept./Oct. 2011 issue. FENGNIAN XIA *05, top, was recognized for finding a way to replace silicon with graphene in electronics. By layering two sheets of graphene and a thin polymer, Xia fabricates graphene-based transistors, which may lead to the development of more effective microprocessors. Also on the list was JOEL MOXLEY ’02, lower left, founder of startup company Foro Energy, who has developed advanced lasers that can carve through difficult-to-penetrate rock to reach oil and ­natural gas. ... Poet MELANIE DRANE ’85 received the $25,000 Rona Jaffe Founda­tion Writers’ Award on Sept. 22. ... Carnegie Mellon University has received a $265 million gift from WILLIAM S. DIETRICH II ’60 for a fund that will support global initiatives, research, and new academic initiatives. He also gave the University of Pittsburgh a $125 million gift for its School of Arts and Sciences.