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Articles by Mark Nootbaar
Pitt will expand its musculoskeletal care and research with a strategic investment from the Orland Bethel family
The Orland Bethel Family Foundation, a powerful supporter of the health sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, has committed an additional $53.5 million to expand the Orland Bethel Family Musculoskeletal Research Center (BMRC). The gift, which brings giving from the Bethel family to nearly $100 million in the last five years, will grow the center’s research, innovation and training efforts.
Pitt honored the Tansky family’s dedication to the University with a space in Hillman Library
For more than five decades, the Tansky name has been a fixture on the University’s Pittsburgh campus, and in honor of the family’s most recent $750,000 gift to the University Library System, it will forever be part of the Hillman Library. Pitt will celebrate the naming of the Tansky Family Commons on the main floor of the newly renovated library. It echoes the space on the first floor of the William Pitt Union that also carries the Tansky name. The University officially dedicated the space on Sept.
Hard work and a little fortune fuels Tracey Travis’ career
Imagine a woman sipping a Pepsi as she drives her Cadillac to the Victoria’s Secret Angels fashion show, sporting Ralph Lauren clothes and perfect Estée Lauder makeup. That woman just might be the personification of Tracey Travis’ career. “I’ve enjoyed every place that I’ve worked, and they’ve all been very different experiences,” says Travis.
Alumna Pamela Michaels' persistence fueled a career of firsts
Pamela Michaels sits before a recruiter for Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. She is one year into a mathematics doctoral program, and though she still loves numbers, she no longer has the passion to finish her degree. Instead, she’s hoping to jumpstart her career by getting hired as a sales representative. The recruiter looks at her resume, then up at her and asks, “Are you sure you’re not too smart for this job?” Michaels is stunned, but she doesn’t miss a beat.
Blue and gold on Broadway
The Pitt Alumni Association (PAA) hosted Chancellor Joan Gabel and more than 200 alumni and friends at a New York City event that highlighted the power of the University of Pittsburgh. Addressing a crowd of alumni that spanned generations, Gabel touted Pitt’s strengths in research, growing enrollment and innovative programs that are reducing student debt. She also called on those alumni to help spread the word that Pitt’s performance far outpaces its reputation.
$27.15 B Budget Sent to Corbett
$27.15 B Budget Sent to Corbett The Pennsylvania state House approved the 2011-2012 budget with a little more than 24 hours to spare. Republicans are praising the spending plan for holding the line on taxes but democrats say the GOP decision to not tax shale gas extraction or use more of the budget surplus made the budget more painful than it needed to be. “We’ve been saying, we don’t want to take money from other line items, there’s enough pain in the budget you’ve introduced.
PA AFL-CIO: Budget Hurts Workers and Business
PA AFL-CIO: Budget Hurts Workers and Business Pennsylvania AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale calls the state’s soon-to-be-signed 2011-2012 budget short sighted and balanced on the backs of working families. The group is decrying cuts in basic education, higher education, and job training.
Fireworks Cap Regatta
Fireworks Cap Regatta Pittsburghers love their fireworks and the folks at the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta know it. A 25-minute fireworks display will cap off the Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta tonight at 9:00. The show will launch from four barges moored in the Ohio River just off the Point.
State System Tuition up $436
The Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education voted today to increase in-state full-time tuition rates for new students by 7.5%. The moves come less than 24 hours after the PA House approved a $27.15 Billion budget for 2011-2012 that cut spending for the State System by $90 million or about 18%.
Being There
When Tony Novosel graduated from high school in 1970, he figured he would follow in his father’s footsteps and make his living as a steel worker. Sure enough, within three years, the one-day Pitt history lecturer was working in a Pittsburgh-area scrapyard, cutting and melting down pieces of steel to be recycled in the mills. The work wasn’t easy, and the pay wasn’t very good, but he felt he had few other options.
Peduto Could Shift Millions in Taxes to Schools
Every year, the city of Pittsburgh collects about $10 million in taxes that many members of the Pittsburgh Public School Board feel is rightfully the district’s. Now, Pittsburgh Mayor-elect Bill Peduto says he might be willing to send the cash back to the district, but only if the city’s nonprofit sector steps up with a few dollars of its own.
Visionary
Even in his mid-50s, Louis Fox showed no signs of slowing down. He worked hard as a successful precious metals trader and merchant banker, and he played hard as an avid pilot and competitive sailor. One day, though, he noticed his vision wasn’t as sharp as it had been. Maybe it’s time to get glasses, he thought. So he met with an ophthalmologist, who gave him some unexpected news. “The doctor said I had basically experienced a stroke in my right eye,” Fox remembers today, almost 20 years later.
Can Homewood Rebound From Decades Of Neglect?
Pittsburgh has seen an economic turnaround in recent years, but not every neighborhood has been part of the renaissance. Homewood has seen more population loss than any neighborhood and economic development for decades has been nearly nonexistent. Its reputation has become one of crime and poverty, which plays out regularly on the nightly news, with reports of murders in the 1-square-mile neighborhood on the northeastern corner of the city.
Millions Are Affected By Cooking Fire Smoke Each Year. Researchers Hope A Small, Cheap Fan Will Help
In many developing countries, families routinely cook on open fires, often in poorly ventilated homes. According to the World Health Organization, the smoke from those fires lead to the premature death of more than 4 million people each year. "Which doesn’t combust very well, so it’s very inefficient so it makes a lot of smoke,” said Josh Shapiro, an engineer with Carnegie Mellon University’s CREATE Lab. He and his team have come up with a solution that works without the need for electricity.
Meet The Head Of The World's Oldest Academic Bagpipe Program
Andrew Carnegie had a personal bagpipe player on his payroll and the university that bears his name shows its Scottish roots through its signature green and red tartan plaid and mascot, Scotty. Those are not the only ways Carnegie Mellon University upholds its Scottish heritage. Tucked deep in the halls of CMU’s University Center is a small room packed with bagpipes and drums. It’s where Andrew Carlisle has had his office for the last seven years.
Newly Passed Bill Will Give Pennsylvania Inspector General More Power
After vetoing a similar measure last year, Gov. Tom Wolf says he will sign recently passed legislation that substantially changes the Office of State Inspector General. The office was created in 1987 by Gov. Robert Casey through an executive order. Since then, it has grown to more than 300 employees and bill sponsor Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster County) said it needs to be codified to make sure a future governor does not eliminate the office.
Pittsburgh Officials Tell Feds To Fix Property Transfer Program So City Can Take Over Former VA Site
The Peduto administration is hoping a recently passed program aimed at reducing the number of unused properties held by the federal government will help the city take control of the former VA site on Washington Boulevard.
Clarion University Offers Certificate Program To Help People Fight Opioid Epidemic
Data from 2016 is still being calculated, but according to Gov. Tom Wolf, the number of drug overdose deaths is continuing to rise in the commonwealth. In an effort to combat the opioid epidemic, he is encouraging anyone connected with the fight to take a newly created certificate program. Clarion University of Pennsylvania launched its Opioid Treatment Specialist Certificate program Wednesday.
PA County Commissioners Get White House Invitation, But Don’t Know Why Or Who They’ll Meet
Somerset County Commission Chair Gerald Walker said when he got a call from the White House saying he and all the other county commissioners in the state would be invited to a July 13 meeting at the White House, he thought it might be a joke. “You have to wonder if that’s the real deal when you just get a phone call like that out of the blue,” Walker said. When the printed invitation arrived in the mail a few days later, he knew it was real.
Pitt Researchers Think A Wearable Artificial Lung Could Be In The Near Future
Artificial lungs have been around for decades, but they’re usually large devices that force the patient to remain in a hospital bed until their lungs improve or they’re able to undergo a lung transplant. “It’s pretty well established in the literature that if you can get these patients up and moving around, they do better,” Federspiel said.
Use Of Opioids Among Workers' Comp Patients Falls In PA, But Slower Than In Most States
The use of prescribed opioid painkillers among workers' compensation claimants is falling in Pennsylvania at a rate slower than most other states. The Workers Compensation Research Institute, or WCRI, looked at the number of prescriptions and the strength of the drugs given to injured workers who were off work for at least seven days but did not have to have surgery. Using data from 2009 to 2015, the institute found the use of opioids decreased by 10 percent in Pennsylvania.
Climate Change Forces Local Birds To Breed Sooner
Several species of birds that call southwestern Pennsylvania home are breeding as much as three weeks sooner than they did 50 years ago. If the shift continues, bird populations could begin to decline, according to Powdermill Nature Reserve Avian Research Coordinator Luke DeGroote. Researchers at the facility in Westmoreland County, run by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, have been capturing and banding birds since 1961 and have seen a shift, which DeGroote links to climate change.
Lead Task Force Members Comb Through Reports In Hope Of Making Recommendations By November
A task force formed in May to make recommendations on policies and programs to protect Allegheny County residents from lead is hoping to provide its suggestions by November. The nine-member task force will hold its third meeting Friday. Allegheny County Health Department Director Karen Hacker is leading the task force.
Rural Hospitals Could Take Major Hit From New Health Care Plan
The Congressional Budget Office predicts 14 million Americans who currently have insurance would be without it next year if the Senate Republican version of the health care overhaul bill is adopted. That's leaving officials behind some rural health systems worried. The Health system has a 260-bed facility in Washington, Pa. and a 49-bed hospital in Waynesburg. Waynesburg is in Greene County, which ranks 60th out of 67 Pennsylvania counties in per capita income.
Getting Oxygen To Babies In Developing Countries Is Difficult. A Bicycle Could Soon Change That
Oxygen is something that many of us take for granted. But many people with breathing disorders can't take it in on their own -- and it's especially difficult for people living in poor and remote parts of the world. Scientist Wendy Zhang recalled the difficult decisions a physician in Gabon, Africa had to make as the result of limited resources.
Licensed Marijuana Growers In PA Might Have Weed, But They Still Can't Get A Bank Account
Pennsylvania handed out licenses to 12 companies to grow marijuana for medicinal uses last week, and is expected to license producers and dispensaries soon. However, it could be tough for those businesses to get bank accounts. Although Pennsylvania has legalized medical marijuana, it's still illegal at the federal level. That means all of the proceeds from growing, producing or selling it are illegal as far as the federal government is concerned.
Why Sort Your Trash If A Robot Can Do It For You?
Increasingly, when you find a trash can in a public place it has at least two openings—one for trash and one for recyclables. But according to Charles Yhap, humans don’t do a very good job of sorting what they throw in those cans. “Americans typically achieve, when they have a 50-50 chance between two bins, it’s usually 30 percent,” said Yhap. With that in mind, Yhap launched a company called CleanRobotics with a flagship product called Trashbot.
Pittsburgh Vehicle Fleet Gets Grant For Solar Power
Pittsburgh is using a quarter-million dollars in state grants to launch its effort to have a fossil-free vehicle fleet but 2030. The funds from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Alternative Fuels Grant program must be matched dollar-for-dollar by the city. The first grant is worth $80,000 and will be used to purchase as many as 10 electric vehicles. “We get a 50 percent reimbursement for incremental costs,” said Pittsburgh Fixed Assets manager Slim Forsythe.
With 60 Miles Of Asphalt For 1,000 Miles Of Roads, Deciding What Gets Paved Is Not Easy
On a recent Tuesday morning, trucks filled with asphalt fed the black steaming material into a paving machine as it crept along Saline Street in The Run. Klaus Libertus has lived there for two years and said, before the paving crew arrived, driving down the street was "vibrating." But it had its benefits. “If you had kids in the back you wanted to get to sleep, it would help," he said.
CMU Kicks Off New Quarterly Report To Track Carbon Emissions From Power Plants
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are hoping a new quarterly report will help policymakers and the public keep track of the carbon dioxide impact of the nation’s electricity industry. Along with reporting the total amount of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere by all electricity plants, the quarterly Power Sector Carbon Index will break down the data by the type of generating plant.
Need A Robot For That? CMU-Developed Software Helps You Design & 3D Print Them
CMU Robotics Institute assistant professor Stelian Coros was working to find ways to make animated characters navigate their simulated environments, such as in a video game or a movie, when he realized his work could be used to design and virtually test robots. “And what I’m really excited about is moving towards a new paradigm where robots will be able to approach the complexity of biological structures in both form and in function,” Coros said.
After 30 Years In Heavy Construction, Allegheny County Animal Keeper Tries Farming
Allegheny County has thousands of employees, but one of them has a rather unusual title. George Ursta is an animal keeper at Round Hill Park in Elizabeth Township. The park features a working farm complete with livestock. Ursta is one of two employees charged with their care. 90.5 WESA’s Mark Nootbaar spoke with him not long after several of the animals had given birth. Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Pittsburgh Biotech Firms Partner To Create Incubator, Bolster The Industry
A deal that is expected to grow the region’s biotech sector has been inked by established biotech firm Helomics and the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse. “We did a survey… and one of the things we recognized is the scientific community [in Pittsburgh] is missing an incubator where diagnostic people, pharmaceutical people and biotech people can get together,” Pittsburgh Life Science Greenhouse President and CEO James Jordan said.
Deadline For Amnesty Nearing For Pennsylvanians Who Owe Back Taxes
Time is running out for the millions of Pennsylvania eligible for a delinquent tax amnesty program being offered by the state. The state legislature created the program as part of the 2016-17 budget with the expectation of collecting an additional $100 million in back taxes. That’s on top of the roughly $600 million in back taxes collected each year by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Under the program, the state will waive the 5 percent penalty and half of the interest.
Bill To Increase Penalties For Some Heroin Sellers Passes Senate Committee
When police are called to the scene of a drug overdose they can treat it as a crime scene or an accident scene. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala wants it to be treated as a crime scene. “Over the last year in Allegheny County, we’ve trained about 50 different police departments what they should do when they come on the scene,” Zappala said.
CNG Fueling Stations Grow In Pittsburgh Region, But Access Still Hard To Find
Until this week, the Mid Mon Transit Authority in Donora had eight Compressed Natural Gas, or CNG, fueled buses but no permanent place to fill them. That's changed thanks to a public-private partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Trillium CNG. The state’s deal with Trillium includes the construction of 29 CNG fueling station across the state by 2021. The facility at the Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority is the third to come on line.
Defusing A Bomb With A Joystick Isn’t Easy, So Pittsburgh Company Creates Scale Robotic Arm
RE2 Robotics first spun out of Carnegie Mellon University in 2001 to build off-road vehicles for the U.S. Department of Defense, but now its researchers are working to develop the next generation of robotic arms. The 40 people who work at the Lawrenceville-based company now focus on building arms for robots used to defuse improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. “These are robotic arms that are placed on things that move through the world,” said the company’s president, Jorgen Pedersen.
Pittsburghers Rally Downtown To Say Yes To Paris Agreement
Despite a bomb threat for Market Square called in to Pittsburgh Police Saturday morning, a few hundred protestors marched from the City County Building on Grant Street to show their disdain for President Donald Trump. The anti-Trump march was planned weeks ago, but took on a more focused message of “Pittsburgh says yes to Paris” following Thursday’s announcement that the U.S. would pull out of the Paris Climate Accord.
Mayor Rejects Trump's Use Of Pittsburgh In Announcement Of Climate Accord Withdrawal
In a strongly worded statement, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto rejected President Donald Trump’s use of Pittsburgh in his announcement of the withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord. In his speech at the White House Thursday Trump said “It is time to put Youngstown, Ohio, Detroit, Michigan, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, along with many, many other locations within our great country, before Paris, France.
School Superintendents Call For More State Funding, Lower Pension Costs
Pennsylvania law mandates school districts submit preliminary budgets by the last day of May, and several Superintendents across the state used Wednesday’s milestone to call for more financial support from the state. “Without increased state funding we will, at some point, loose the ability to provide the same level of education that we have,” Gary Peiffer, Carlynton School District Superintendent, said. The 2017-18 state budget proposed by Pennsylvania Gov.
Can This Green Method Of Disposing Leftover Drilling Water Beat A Hole In The Ground?
Every day, about 200 barrels of something called produced water bubbles out of each of the roughly 9,600 shale gas wells in Pennsylvania. The water is laced with chemicals and minerals, and since energy companies have been fracking gas wells, they have tried to figure out the best way to deal with it. Several companies ship the water to sites in Ohio where it is injected thousands of feet into the ground.
Even With New Legislation, A Pennsylvania Drivers License Is Still Not A REAL ID
Legislation to allow PennDOT to issue REAL ID-compliant drivers licenses is about to be signed by Gov. Tom Wolf, but that doesn't mean the ID in your pocket will truly be compliant with the federal standards. As of June 7, non-compliant IDs will no longer be accepted for admittance into federal and nuclear facilities. TSA officials will stop accepting them for air travel as of Jan. 22, 2018. Under current state law, PennDOT is prohibited from issuing federally complaint driver’s licenses.
Hunt Begins For 12th Juror In Bill Cosby's Sexual Assault Trial
The hunt is on for a 12th juror for Bill Cosby's sex assault trial as a new pool of local residents is questioned Wednesday in a Pittsburgh courtroom. Cosby's lawyers accused prosecutors this week of trying to keep blacks off the jury after they struck two black women from the panel. However, the judge found their reasons weren't racially motivated. The 11 jurors chosen so far include one black person -- more than half men and less than a quarter identify as a racial minority.
CMU Researchers Find If You Can Paint It, You Can Make It A Touch Screen
Touch screens have become part of our everyday lives, but the technology has its limits. They are always relatively flat and are fixed to another product, like a cell phone or a computer. But researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have figured out a way to make just about any object into a touch sensitive device. “We extracted sensing techniques from medical fields and things like that,” CMU Human-Computer Interaction Institute Ph.D. student Gierad Laput said.
Pittsburgh's 'Godfather' Of Tech Startups On Working With The Region's Great Minds
Bill Newlin has had a hand in so many successful technology companies in Pittsburgh, that some people call him the "godfather" of tech startups. It’s a title he doesn't boast about himself, but his record of investing and supporting early-stage companies speaks loudly. 90.5 WESA’s Mark Nootbaar spoke with him about how he got into the venture capital game and why he has been so successful. Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Jury To Hear Cosby Trial Will Be Selected In Allegheny County
A judge and several lawyers from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania will be in Pittsburgh Monday to pick a jury to take back to suburban Philadelphia. The 12 jurors and six alternates will be tasked with hearing the sexual assault trial of comedian Bill Cosby. The crime allegedly took place in Cosby’s suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Jury To Hear Cosby Trial Will Be Selected In Allegheny County On Monday
A judge and several lawyers from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania will be in Pittsburgh Monday to pick a jury to take back to suburban Philadelphia. The 12 jurors and six alternates will be tasked with hearing the sexual assault trial of comedian Bill Cosby. The crime allegedly took place in Cosby’s suburban Philadelphia home in 2004. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Paul Mango Kicks Off Gubernatorial Campaign With Military-Heavy Event
Leaning heavily on his military credentials, Pine Township resident Paul Mango last night announced his intention to run for Pennsylvania governor in 2018. The West Point graduate and principal at the business management consulting firm McKinsey & Company became the second Republican to declare his candidacy, joining State Senator Scott Wagner of York County in the race. After announcing that he is “ready to serve,” Mango spoke of the need to reform Harrisburg.
Just Because You Care About Politics Doesn’t Mean You’ll Vote In A Local Election
Tuesday’s voter turn out of 17.2 percent in Allegheny County was slightly down from four years ago and about 6 percentage points down from eight years ago. But in a climate of heightened political awareness, that has some scratching their heads. “Clearly nonprofits and community organizations have our work cut out for us in terms of helping to make clear the importance of local elections,” Just Harvest spokeswoman Emily Cleath said.
Scanning Feet Could Be Just The Start For This Pittsburgh Tech Firm
In 2007, Mike Formica had just sold his tech start up and was looking for something to do when he was approached by a group of scientists from The University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. They wanted a device that would detect joint swelling in the hands of people who suffer arthritis. Formica jumped on board and started to look for a solution, but wasn’t happy with what he found.
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