University Times

The hustle and bustle that marks the beginning of the academic year has returned: The proliferation of laundry carts and upperclass student volunteers pointing the way to newcomers and their families during Arrival Survival.

But for many at Pitt, the hazy days of summer have been anything but lazy: Facilities were renovated; faculty and staff came and went; academic programs were established.

The University Times asked deans and other unit heads “What’s New at Pitt?” The summaries that follow are overviews of school news based on material submitted by the units. Information previously published in the University Times was not included here.

The listings were coordinated by Kimberly K. Barlow and Marty Levine.

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Affordablecollegesonline.org (AC Online) has ranked Pitt among the best return-on-investment institutions in Pennsylvania, factoring in net costs (tuition plus fees) and graduates’ lifetime earnings. Of the 402 Pennsylvania colleges and universities analyzed, 81 were ranked on AC Online’s Highest ROI Colleges in Pennsylvania list.

The Pittsburgh campus ranked No. 17 with an ROI of $684,700 and Pitt-Johnstown ranked No. 21 with an ROI of $619,200. Pennsylvania rankings are available at www.affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/pennsylvania/.

In April, School of Medicine educators held the first session of a new course called “Practicing Medicine — What Awaits You?” The half-day course includes a business focus and targets creative ways to best serve patients amid current health-care cost-containment efforts and reimbursement challenges. Codirected by Loren H. Roth, associate senior vice chancellor for clinical policy and planning, health sciences, and Everette James, associate vice chancellor for health policy and planning, health sciences and director of the Health Policy Institute, the course is being offered as part of the fourth-year curriculum. It has inspired the school to create broader health-care practice elements that will be offered throughout the third- and fourth-year curriculum.

The medical school is offering a new area of concentration in resuscitation that combines expertise in emergency and critical care medicine, anesthesiology surgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

The Schools of the Health Sciences and UPMC have established the Institute for Personalized Medicine to focus on the development of individualized disease treatments and prevention approaches. Jeremy M. Berg, associate senior vice chancellor for science strategy and planning, health sciences, and faculty member in computational and systems biology, has been named founding director of the institute, which will apply new knowledge in genetics, genomics and other disciplines to advance evidence-based medicine.

To bring new therapies to wounded soldiers, the Schools of the Health Sciences have established the Center for Military Medicine Research (CMMR). Cross-disciplinary research by faculty associated with CMMR will involve regenerative medicine, reconstructive medicine, transplantation immunology, neuroscience, traumatic brain injury and neuroprosthetic applications to advance battlefield medicine, including wound healing and casualty care.

The center’s founding director is Rocky S. Tuan, Arthur J. Rooney Sr. Professor of Sports Medicine.

The University hosted its first University of Pittsburgh–Tsinghua University Joint Symposium on Medical Sciences to celebrate the accomplishments of Tsinghua medical students, who began biomedical research training at Pitt in August 2012 as part of a two-year exchange program. The initial joint symposium was held last year in Beijing; the location of the annual event will alternate between the two universities.

The Learning Research and Development Center’s 2013 distinguished speaker series continues on Sept. 19 with Marshall Smith, former undersecretary of education in the U.S. Department of Education and former dean of Stanford University School of Education, speaking on “Federalism and School Reform in a Changing Environment,” and then on Oct. 17 with Judith Harackiewicz, psychology faculty member at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, talking on the topic, “Optimal Motivation in Education.”

The Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences has modified the master’s program in rehabilitation technology. The program now allows students to complete their degree work within one year and more quickly begin a career in assistive technology for people with disabilities. The program requires 44 academic credits and encompasses a minimum of a one-year course of study: two 15-week semesters and a six-week summer clinical internship.

Pitt-Johnstown’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program graduated its first class.

The School of Dental Medicine Department of Prosthodontics has developed a new course, Digital Dentistry, which uses 10 CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or CEramic REConstruction) machines to image, design and mill ceramic dental restorations. The course, led by faculty member Thomas Kunkel, will give graduate prosthodontics residents and fourth-year dental students the ability to treat patients and deliver restorations during the same appointment.

The School of Education’s health and physical activity department presented a new six-week children’s camp at Trees Hall this summer. Pitt’s summer kids camp program merged the best of the former Kinder Kinetics and P.A.C.K. (Physical Activity Camp for Kids) camps for children ages 3-13. Participants could choose developmental skills or sports/physical activity skills.

The developmental camp focused on multi-skills instruction, with emphasis on the process rather than the product of skills. The sports/physical activity camp also focused on the process of skills while introducing the fundamentals of competition with a realization that the product also is important.

The new camp was the initiative of Marti Pristas, coordinator of the Community Leisure-Learn (CLL) program and John Jakicic, chair of the Department of Health and Physical Activity, developed in conjunction with Brent Lopick of Falk School.

For information on CLL’s fall and spring programs, go to www.cll.pitt.edu.

The Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching (OMET), now  a unit in the Center for Instructional Development and Distance Education (CIDDE), recently relocated to Alumni Hall. OMET will work closely with CIDDE’s academic testing services to support several University initiatives, including supervised testing accommodations for students registered with the Office of Disability Resources and Services; online administration of student opinion of teaching surveys, and renovation of the space formerly occupied by OMET in the Cathedral of Learning to house an expanded testing center in 2014.

CIDDE’s classroom services unit expanded its inventory of mobile tablet devices available to faculty for short- and long-term loans. The Android and iOS tablets are intended for classroom instruction and group assignments for students.

CIDDE is offering two new workshops: CourseWeb: Content and Publisher Building Blocks, on Sept. 6, and CourseWeb and Blackboard Mobile Learn, on Oct. 11. Both will meet in B23 Alumni Hall, 10:30 a.m.-noon.

New in the Department of Housing and Dining Services and Panther Central: Faculty and staff now can enroll online for Panther Funds. Visit pc.pitt.edu for information.

All residence halls on the Pittsburgh campus now have wireless access through PittNet, including the new Sutherland patio green space.

Keys are a thing of the past at Bouquet Gardens Apartments. Students now have keyless access to their living spaces via keycard technology.

Pitt-Johnstown’s recently added justice administration and criminology program blends theory and practice as it links coursework to real-world experience in the field. The program’s community lab project creates collaborative partnerships with key organizations where students can obtain internships and practical training.

UPJ’s dual-certification in special education has been submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Education for final approval. The programs — early childhood education with special education and middle level education with special education — address the growing need for excellent teachers with this highly specialized expertise.

The UPJ campus is nearing completion of the fourth, and final, step of its wireless connectivity project. By early fall, wireless Internet service will reach all areas in the UPJ residence facilities (currently, service is only available in common areas), creating a fully wireless campus.

The University’s Pittsburgh campus, Pitt-Johnstown and Pitt-Bradford all have been listed among The Princeton Review’s 225 “Best Colleges in the Northeast” for 2014.

Pitt-Johnstown has created an orientation smartphone app through which students and parents can download the orientation schedule, view campus and parking maps, post pictures in real-time, provide feedback and learn more about UPJ programs.

A bronze panther statue will be unveiled during Pitt-Bradford’s Founders’ Day 50th anniversary festivities on Sept. 3. The 10-1/2-foot-long statue was sculpted by Bradford native David Hodges and paid for in part by student contributions.

The statue will make its home on a large rock in the Robert B. Bromeley Quadrangle in front of the Frame-Westerberg Commons.

The University Library System’s Hillman Alfresco Party on the Plaza is set for 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. today, Aug. 29, at Hillman Library. The event will feature food, music and raffles.

Computing Services and Systems Development (CSSD) has nearly doubled the number of access points in University classrooms. In addition, the residence halls now have both wired and wireless network access in students’ rooms.

Mobile device charging stations are located in CSSD campus computing labs as well as its walk-in support locations in the University Store on Fifth and the Towers lobby. The stations hold multiple connections and can charge most standard mobile devices, including micro and mini USB connections and 30-pin and lightning connectors for Apple devices. Locations and details are listed at http://technology.pitt.edu/service-locations/charging.html.

The first cohort of Summer Edge students has just completed its programs. The Summer Edge series was launched to help Pittsburgh campus undergraduates gain a competitive advantage through intensive academic and experiential studies. Programming was offered in three areas: energy today, energy tomorrow; medicine and biomedical research, and public and global health. Each course was limited to 30 students.

For information on upcoming programming, go to www.summeredge.pitt.edu.

Pitt now subscribes to Versatile PhD (http://versatilephd.com), which provides doctoral students in the humanities, social sciences and STEM fields with information on finding non-academic positions.

The Graduate and Professional Student Government (www.gpsa.pitt.edu) is organizing a University-wide orientation for graduate and professional students on Sept. 10 to highlight University resources and student organizations.

The faculty residence hall mentor program is assigning teams of three-five faculty members to all first-year residence halls. Faculty teams will be invited to attend programming in the residence halls. There will also be a navigating academics program in which faculty can become involved.

Faculty can participate in a newly formed “Choosing Your Major” living learning community, which is sponsored by the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. For information, contact Kathleen Kyle at 8-1200.

Intramurals and Recreation has a new web site, www.studentaffairs.pitt.edu/IR_Fitness, with expanded information on fitness offerings for faculty and staff.

Electric vehicle charging stations have been installed at the Soldiers and Sailors, O’Hara and Posvar garages. The two Posvar units are available only to faculty and staff parking in “A.”

Units in the Soldiers and Sailors and O’Hara garages currently are available to valid permit holders; eventually visitors will be able to use them as well.

The level 2 charging stations will fill a depleted all-electric vehicle battery in four-six hours.

Information on permits is available by contacting the Parking and Transportation office at 4-4034 or parking@bc.pitt.edu.

The University Honors College (UHC) has introduced the UHC service learning course development grant program (www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/service-learning-course-development-grant), through which Pitt faculty members can receive up to $5,000 to design undergraduate service-learning courses. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis.

UHC has expanded its undergraduate research fellowships. The fall/spring community-based research fellowship program (www.honorscollege.pitt.edu/community-based-research-fellowships) supports Pitt undergraduates who are pursuing research projects that investigate an issue in the local community.

The fellowship awards a stipend of $800 for a semester and requires fellows to participate in biweekly interdisciplinary seminars at which they report on their research progress and reflect on how different disciplines enact social change.

The Oakland Transportation Management Association’s transportation fair is set for 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 26 in the University Club Ballroom A. The event will highlight transportation initiatives that impact Oakland. For information visit www.otma-pgh.org.

The School of Information Sciences has introduced specializations in several of its graduate programs: In the Master of Science in Information Science program, students can select the big data analytics specialization, which will provide essential in-depth knowledge of technologies relevant to big data management, or the human-centered computing specialization, which is concerned with the development and management of systems in which the central focus is the user.

Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) students now can specialize in academic libraries or in public libraries.

The American Library Association (ALA) has granted continued accreditation status to the iSchool’s MLIS program.

The reaccreditation, issued without conditions on July 1, will be in effect until 2020 when the Pitt program will undergo another review by the ALA’s committee on accreditation.

Pitt’s MLIS program has been accredited continually since 1962.

The University Library System has launched a web site (www.library.pitt.edu) designed to highlight important information and critical services for undergraduates, graduate students and faculty.

Hillman Library has expanded its hours this term to be open continuously from 10 a.m. Sunday-10 pm Friday as well as 9 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday.

Pitt-Bradford students have two new majors and three new minors to choose from this fall.

The major in energy science and technology is a survey of advanced mathematics, energy science and technology, physics, chemistry, global information systems, geology and engineering designed to give students a solid scientific background preparing them for work in a variety of energy fields, from traditional fossil fuels to alternative energies.

The general studies major will allow students returning to college and transfer students to make the most of their credits toward a bachelor’s degree. Students may also use the major to craft a self-directed course of study.

The new minors are in criminal forensic studies, legal studies and women’s studies.

Working with representatives from the precision manufacturing industry, Pitt-Greensburg has designed a manufacturing management program (MMP) to help keep up with the demand for certain skilled workers.

The MMP is designed for working learners with technical training in manufacturing who have been identified by their employers as candidates for future leadership roles. Military veterans and displaced workers who would like to enter the manufacturing industry also would benefit from the program. MMP credits can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree in business management.

Details are at www.greensburg.pitt.edu/academics/info/manufacturing-management-program.

Through a grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, UPG has created the Center for Applied Research (CFAR) as a campus resource to benefit student learning, facilitate course development, expand professional development opportunities for faculty and staff and establish mutually beneficial relationships with community organizations.

A team of UPG faculty and staff is working to establish CFAR as a clearinghouse of skills and resources to foster research partnerships. They include acting director Jonathan Vallano, psychology; Dean Nelson, statistics; Frank Wilson, sociology; John Prellwitz, communication; Courtney DeCarlucci, manager of foundation and corporate relations, and Jane Hoch, administrative secretary. Undergraduates working with the program are Nicole Howard, Brittany Turley and Scott Szpulski.

The center’s primary activities involve performing quantitative and qualitative empirical research. CFAR’s ultimate goal is to become a resource for research and data collection and analysis both for the campus and the greater Greensburg community. It will work in partnership with other institutions and organizations that are pursuing grants and in need of independent evaluators.

Two major projects are underway. Vallano is leading a project in conjunction with the Westmoreland County Courts, examining their current offender re-entry practices in an effort to devise a specific re-entry plan based on empirical research. Nelson is leading a project in conjunction with Smart Growth to survey manufacturing programs and the need for employees.

Led by UPG English faculty member Elisha Beshero-Bondar, a group of scholars from the United States and England have launched a digital Mary Russell Mitford archive. The group is creating electronic texts from the 19th-century writer’s written work for the archive.

As the group works its way through Mitford’s collected writings, including thousands of letters she wrote to her contemporaries, Beshero-Bondar believes that one of the results will be better knowledge of the 19th century.

The Digital Mitford is at www.pitt.edu/~ebb8/DigitalMitford but will be migrating to a new server soon. The project is an outcome of UPG’s Digital Humanities initiative.

The UPG web site has undergone a major redesign. Working with the Office of Communications Services, UPG’s Office of University Relations and Institutional Advancement oversaw the project. The updated site went live the first week of August.

The new site features a modernized appearance that is responsive to various devices and screen sizes. Work on the site also included new security and performance enhancements through an upgrade of the content management system.

UPG’s Office of Computing Services and Telecommunications initiated a campus-wide upgrade of computer software and systematic review of currently deployed hardware. All staff computers on campus were assessed and upgraded to Windows 8 and Microsoft Office 2013.

UPG has used a West Penn Power rebate program to add brighter, more efficient lighting in key areas of campus. Among the areas upgraded was Chambers Gymnasium. The rebate also was used to partially fund an upgrade to campus signage illumination at the main entrance to the UPG campus.

Pitt-Greensburg’s first sustainable office and classroom building, Frank A. Cassell Hall, opened last year. A recent addition to the building is a digital signage system that provides an overview and explanation of the building’s green and sustainable features. QR codes located throughout the building allow visitors with mobile devices to learn about the facility.

Five Pitt law school publications now are available online.

Through agreements with D-Scribe digital publishing program, the University of Pittsburgh Press and the University Library System, student-edited law reviews now are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States license.

The publications are the Law Review, the Journal of Technology Law and Policy, the Pittsburgh Journal of Environmental and Public Health Law, the Pittsburgh Tax Review and the Journal of Law and Commerce.

The law school has established the Brockett Student Scholarship Fund through a financial pledge by law alum Daniel L. Brockett.

A partner at Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in New York, Brockett’s practice areas include securities litigation, intellectual property, antitrust and trade regulation, international arbitration, real estate and financial institutions litigation.

Heinz Memorial Chapel now is on social media. Follow on Twitter @Heinz Chapel and “like” the official Heinz Memorial Chapel page on Facebook.

The chapel will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Nov. 23. (See June 13, University Times.) For reservations/information on the renewal of vows and reception, buffet dinner and anniversary concert, go to  www.heinzchapel.pitt.edu/events/75th-anniversary-celebration-4.

The 75th anniversary photo album also will be posted there.

The first national gathering of race, ethnicity and poverty centers was hosted by the School of Social Work’s Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP) in June. The two-day summit offered center directors an opportunity to share their research and find solutions to common issues. Areas of focus included the internalization of racial stereotypes, reducing the wealth gap and education disparities.

In July CRSP sponsored its first one-day summit for educators, entitled, “A Call to Conscience: Effective Policies and Practices in Educating African-American Males.” Sponsored by the Heinz Endowments, the summit brought together educators from across the region to collaborate on efforts to change educational infrastructure and to examine the role of race, class and poverty and their effects on African-American male education.

CRSP has launched a searchable database of 10 years’ worth of videos, publications and other center information — data helpful for research, grant preparation and teaching. Users can access information on seven topic areas: education; economics; criminal justice; race relations; health; mental health, and families, youth and the elderly at www.crsp.pitt.edu.

A certificate in leadership is being offered through the College of General Studies. This 18-credit certificate is open to any Pitt student interested in further developing strategic planning, people management and communication skills.

The certificate program aims to inform and motivate future leaders in both the public and private sector, relying on course work in the areas of quantitative reasoning, economic principles, oral and written communication and human architectures, as well as providing practical experience. Because its foundation can be completed using courses that also meet general education requirements, the program allows students the flexibility to tailor the certificate to suit their specific career goals while they major in their chosen academic discipline.

Among the new programs in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity are spring field studies in New York City and in London, spring Undergraduate Research Awards and a spring community education outreach program. Research awards support 10 Dietrich school undergraduates in directed research; the community education outreach program connects six Dietrich school undergraduates with 30 11th-graders at the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy.

The history of art and architecture department now has a museum studies minor, developed in consultation with professionals from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Andy Warhol Museum and the Society for Contemporary Craft.

The minor aims to introduce students to the approaches, history and theories of museum and collection practices.

The minor centers around two new core courses: the museum studies exhibition seminar, developed with support from the Fine Foundation, and the history and ethics of collecting.

Students will undertake internships with museums, archives and other organizations dedicated to conservation and education.

The German department has revised its undergraduate major into two new majors, which will take effect in spring term.

The major in German language and cultural studies incorporates many features of the previous major, but also allows courses in German for professional purposes and German for social scientists to count toward the major.

The major in interdisciplinary German studies allows students to enhance their study of German language and culture by earning credits in German-related courses offered in other departments.

For information, contact Elizabeth Wylie-Ernst, ewernst@pitt.edu.

The computer science department is offering several new courses this academic year:

• CS 0155: Data Witchcraft is a second course in computer science for non-CS majors and CS minors as well as for CS majors following a data management concentration. The lab course is an introduction to basic data management technologies, typically through the use of different discipline-specific examples. It adopts the point of view of a data user (who is just combining and analyzing data using tools), not a data provider (who would be implementing a database-driven web site).

• CS 0301: Introduction to Computer Science is an introduction to computer science as both a discipline and as a science. Fundamental concepts such as data representation, algorithms and problem solving, security and networking will be examined and experiments will be conducted to evaluate and compare various approaches and implementations.

• CS 0699: Wired Women (co-taught with the women’s studies program) explores reasons for the large disparity in gendered participation as students examine the power and possibilities that contemporary technologies offer. The class will undertake projects centered around essential technical skills that expose students to a wide-range of applications for contemporary technologies such as creating wikis and blogs, web designs, gaming and algorithms.

• CS 1675: Introduction to Machine Learning provides an overview of models and algorithms used in modern machine learning including linear models, multi-layer neural networks, support vector machines, density estimation methods, Bayesian belief networks, clustering, ensemble methods and reinforcement of learning.

• CS 1981: Project Studio is a practicum for computer science as both a way to build software of industrial strength and a way to interact with an industrial partner. Software engineering concepts (e.g., Scrums, code-sharing repositories, testing, quality assurance, etc.) will be used while spending time on design, algorithms, security, reliability and networking. Input data as well as metrics will be examined systematically in order to compare implementations in a qualitative and quantitative way. The course satisfies the CS capstone requirement.

The Department of Computer Science has partnered with the University Honors College to create a fellowship in which CS majors will work with residents of Wood Street Commons, a Downtown housing facility where individuals recovering from homelessness reside until they are able to re-enter the job market and attain stable housing.

In pairs, fellows will teach computer-based workshops such as online resume building.

The University Library System’s special collections department is on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pittspecialcollections. Its page features information about significant books, prints and archival collections and details on exhibitions, lectures and programs, most of which are free and open to the public.

The Department of Theatre Arts has renamed its production company University of Pittsburgh Stages.

Most recently known as the University of Pittsburgh Repertory Theatre, the department’s performance arm has gone by many names over the last 25 years. The new name honors the physical performance spaces as well as the ongoing exploration and reinvention of the human experience the craft brings about.

For information, visit www.play.pitt.edu.

Readers of the Titusville Herald recently voted Pitt-Titusville “Best University” in the Oil Valley region.

The Department of Physics and Astronomy has modified requirements for its BS degrees in physics and in physics and astronomy, both of which have two possible areas of concentration: graduate school preparation and education.

The department eliminated its BA in physics and astronomy degree and replaced it with a BA in astronomy degree. Its areas of concentration are science communication and science breadth.

These changes aim to provide opportunities for more electives within career tracks.

Among the new courses being offered this fall in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences is Race and Religion in America: Mormonism and the Nation of Islam.

New courses in spring term include Behavioral Economics, Film Noir, Literature and Science, Literature and the Environment, German Language Trailer, Public Art, Europe Since 1945, U.S. in the 1960s, U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa, Modern South African History, Neuroethics, Applied Ethics, Ethics and Practical Reason, Rights and Human Rights, Philosophy of Action, Enjoying Performances, Contemporary Global Stages, Formal Political Analysis, Religious Themes in American Literature, Analyses of ASL Literature, American Political Thought, Theories of Justice, Women and Political Thought, Portuguese Empire, Europe Since 1945, Jesus and Judaism, Aspects of the Chinese Language, Theory and Practice of Translation, Buddhism and Psychology, Civil Wars, Contemporary Global Stages and Introduction to Chinese Civilization and Culture.

As part of the University’s efforts to strengthen town-gown relations, the Office of Community and Governmental Relations has produced a Student Guide to Campus Life (http://goo.gl/ICZzhZ) in cooperation with University and community partners.

The publication features information on the Oakland community and covers issues ranging from parties to housing. It has been distributed to current and incoming students and is being touted as a model for other universities.

“Be A Good Neighbor” block parties, piloted last year in North, Central and South Oakland, were credited with building and improving relationships among students and their neighbors.

In consultation with community groups and residents, the block parties are continuing this fall, with events scheduled on Sept. 11 in South Oakland in partnership with Community Human Services and Oakcliffe Housing Club; Sept. 19 in North Oakland in partnership with Bellefield Area Citizens Association, and Sept. 26 in Central Oakland in partnership with Central Oakland Community Organization.

Representatives of University and student organizations, city government, city and Pitt police and other organizations will attend. The parties include free food and soft drinks for students and Oakland-themed T-shirts.

Based on just-in-time scheduling, the Health Sciences Library System has introduced “flash classes” in which one or two topics are proposed each week for a one-hour class the following week.

If enough people sign up, they are notified and the class is held.  If not, the class is canceled.

The system aims to solve the problem of people signing up for classes far in advance, then failing to attend due to forgetfulness or scheduling conflicts.

HSLS will host a traveling exhibit from the National Library of Medicine titled “Life and Limb:  The Toll of the American Civil War” Sept. 16-Oct. 26.

Events related to the exhibit are listed at www.hsls.pitt.edu/life-and-limb-exhibit.

The Office of University Communications is the new name of the Office of Public Affairs. University Marketing Communications now is known as Communications Services, and University News and Magazines is News Services, names that are said to better describe the support they provide to the University community, while at the same time reflecting an emphasis on customer service.

The Graduate School of Public and International Affairs has introduced a new master’s program major in energy and the environment. The major explores the politics and policies of the worldwide energy industry, examining ways to meet global energy needs in a sustainable, environmentally conscious way.

Students study the economics of the global energy industry, environmental sustainability and regulatory policy in one of the world’s best living laboratories. Graduates are prepared for jobs at environmental protection agencies, energy corporations and government offices that make energy policy.

GSPIA also is offering a new exchange program in South Africa. Students can spend a semester studying in the Graduate School of Public and Development Management at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Coursework is in English.

Information is posted at www.wits.ac.za/Academic/CLM/PDM/.

School of Education faculty have redesigned the PhD and EdD degree offerings and created school-wide curricula for its doctoral programs. Programs tentatively have been approved for fall 2014.

The school-wide EdD program will be a three-year cohort-based degree model with clear timelines and milestones and utilizes both executive and hybrid course delivery structures to accommodate the needs of working professionals.

A redesigned Master of Arts in Teaching program starts this term. Credit requirements for the degree have been reduced to 36 (from 48 or more), cutting the time from four terms to three. Jen Cartier, director of teacher preparation, headed the redesign effort.

The School of Education also is beginning an attentive teaching practices program to help future teachers  learn to cope with the stresses of urban teaching and to help students cope with their own stresses.

Pitt Arts has become part of the Division of Student Affairs. The program, formerly under the Office of the Provost, offers discounted cultural opportunities for staff, faculty and students as well as free outings, art experiences and discounted museum visits for students.

Pitt Arts will host an arts festival noon- 5:30 p.m. Sept. 6 in the William Pitt Union lower lounge. The free event will feature performances at noon by the Pitt gamelan, followed by Cello Fury at 2 p.m., the Boilermaker Jazz Band at 3:30 p.m. and the Pitt Men’s Glee Club at 5 p.m.

The festival also includes an art exhibit in the Connie Kimbo Gallery, tabling by Pitt Arts Cheap Seats and Museum Visits partners and a photo booth with props.

Pitt Arts’ Artful Wednesdays free lunchtime performance program will continue this fall, starting Sept. 18. A new 10-part spring series is being added. It starts Jan. 15. Events are held noon-1 p.m. on Wednesdays at Nordy’s Place in the William Pitt Union.

The English department is launching a writing minor.

The Swanson School of Engineering participated in the first Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Technologies Collaborative (GTC) national conference on June 10 in Arlington, Va. Gregory Reed, associate director of the University’s Center for Energy, is the GTC’s director and technical lead. GTC is an organization of the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory’s Regional University Alliance (NETL-RUA), an integrated industry/university/government research and development group that advances the state-of-the-art in transmission and distribution system power electronics technologies. GTC includes five nationally recognized research universities, a national laboratory and a worldwide engineering and construction firm.

The Swanson school launches its electric power engineering post-baccalaureate/graduate certificate program this fall. The 15-credit program is available either in-classroom or via the Swanson School’s distance-enabled synchronous network. Part of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the certificate is built around the principles of electric power engineering, enhanced reliability of electric power grid infrastructure, renewable energy integration, power electronics and smart grids.

The Engineering Education Research Center will offer a new course this fall, Preparation for the STEM Classroom.

The seminar series is designed for PhD students and post-doctoral fellows interested in pursuing an academic career and gaining didactic knowledge and skills related to STEM.