University Times

Pitt area studies programs retain education department designation The U.S. Department of Education has designated four Pitt area studies programs as National Resource Centers (NRCs) for another three years. The redesignation carries with it an award of approximately $3.5 million for the Asian Studies Program, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Russian […]

General Studies expand its reach Three recent initiatives have expanded the reach of Pitt's College of General Studies (CGS). The college has added a certificate program, extended its presence in the community and developed an in-house advising service geared to nontraditional students. CGS Dean Susan R. Kinsey last week announced the establishment of a new […]

Teaching lawyers the languages of the law: French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese Two law students, one American, the other French, meet on a ocean liner, become romantically involved, and find themselves ensnared in a criminal plot by an evil professor. The latest "Austin Powers" movie? No, it's the plot of a 5-act thriller penned by […]

Geologist challenges belief about development of rock formation The Masontown Kimberlite Dike is an undistinguished-looking stretch of gray rocks, sporadically exposed and less than a mile long, that Fayette County residents first noticed around 1860. It was formed many millions of years ago when molten rock, erupting from deep in the earth, pushed its way […]

Recent revelation about bacteria's evolution could affect thinking on how higher organisms evolved How do bacteria evolve? Primarily, through "lateral gene transfer" — stealing useful genes from other organisms — according to a paper co-written by a Pitt faculty member in the May 18 edition of the journal Nature. Pitt biological sciences professor Jeffrey G. […]