Pittwire

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

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Welcome to the University of Pittsburgh’s official news source, showcasing the most interesting and important stories from Pitt.
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Mallepalli in a spruce turtle neck in front of a big window looking out on Oakland

Budding Researcher Eyes Future With Better Health Care for Women

Abhignya Mallepalli thought she’d become a doctor someday, but a series of inspiring instructors and eye-opening experiences in local hospitals changed her path.

Zuri Kent-Smith in jacket, shirt and bow-tie, in background is a large calendar and a shelf with a sign that reads The Black Wall Street on top of it

Senior Activist Thinks Big

Zuri Kent-Smith: forward-thinking, charismatic, passionate and unapologetic. Through his activism on campus and off, the senior philosophy and Africana studies major leaves his mark on Pitt.

PItt Announces New Chief Information Officer

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher has named Mark D. Henderson chief information officer and vice chancellor. He will start in this position in early June.

Documentary Explores Life of Actor Montgomery Clift

The film by Robert Clift, Montgomery Clift's nephew and a film and media studies professor at Pitt, explores the life of the legendary, Oscar-nominated actor, who starred in such films as "From Here to Eternity" and "A Place in the Sun." A screening of "Making Montgomery Clift" is set for Friday at the Andy Warhol Museum.

Chemistry Major Brings Service Dogs to Pitt

Chemistry, poetry, puppies. As Emma Oaks' undergrad career at Pitt comes to a close, she leaves behind the Perfect Fit Canines Campus Scholars — a club that trains service dogs to help people with disabilities.

Pitt Theatre Arts Graduate Heads to Central California Amid a Sprinkling of Fairy Dust

After founding a theater company and side business called Fairytale Entertainment in her small hometown in the heart of Ohio’s Amish country, Pitt senior Chloe Torrence will head to Santa Maria, California, as an assistant director at the Pacific Conservatory Theatre.

Pitt Alumnae Share the Gift of Life

Tracy Floyd (NURS ’91) and Carla Jackson (CGS ’91) weren’t close friends when they attended Pitt, but a life-changing illness brought them together in 2015. April is National Donate Life Month, and these two alumnae celebrate it in a special way.

Read their story

Howell in a red scarf with the city in the background

Compounding Privileges in White, Affluent Neighborhoods Drive Urban Inequality

In her most recent paper, Pitt sociologist Junia Howell explores an understudied driver of inequity: the hoarding of educational resources and opportunity in middle- and upper-middle class neighborhoods.

Get the details

Budding Researcher Eyes Future With Better Health Care for Women

Abhignya Mallepalli thought she’d become a doctor someday, but a series of inspiring instructors and impactful experiences in local hospitals changed her path.

Senior Activist Thinks Big

Zuri Kent-Smith: forward-thinking, charismatic, passionate and unapologetic. Through his activism on campus and off, the senior philosophy and Africana studies major leaves his mark on Pitt.

Pitt Announces New Chief Information Officer

Chancellor Patrick Gallagher has named Mark D. Henderson chief information officer and vice chancellor. He will start in this position in early June.

Film Studies Professor Sheds New Light on His Uncle, the Late Actor Montgomery Clift

Pitt Professor Robert Clift's documentary explores the life of the legendary, Oscar-nominated actor Montgomery Clift. The actor, who died in 1966, starred in such films as "From Here to Eternity" and "A Place in the Sun." A screening of "Making Montgomery Clift" is set for Friday at the Andy Warhol Museum.

Pitt Again Named Best Public University in Northeast, Best Public Value in State

The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance honored Pitt with top rankings, and 2017 brought important rankings from additional national organizations.

Wrestling Dental Student Visits ‘Parts Unknown’

Britt Baker has won several wrestling championships. But this spring, she expects to claim an even bigger title: doctor of dental medicine. See her interview on "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" as the show explores eclectic corners of Pittsburgh, airing Oct. 22.

'Pitt Tonight' and Tomorrow: Emmy-nominated Student Production Makes a Lasting Mark

Jesse Irwin (A&S '17) wanted to start a late-night talk show at Pitt. With a student crew and film studies Assistant Professor Robert Clift's support, he made it happen in three months — and snagged an Emmy nod.

Innovation & Research

For Those Too Tired to Brush

For people traveling, in the military, without access to water — or just too exhausted to get out of bed — skipping the toothbrush for a day is sometimes inevitable. Pitt undergrads Lauren Yocum and Emily Siegel's winning pitch for a biodegradable chewing gum that kills bacteria and removes and prevents plaque could bridge the gap.
Staff

Librarian Helps Aspiring Entrepreneurs Clear Pathways to Their New Ventures

LaMonica Wiggins, the new entrepreneurship librarian at Pitt’s University Library System, works with people who are exploring new business ventures and assists them with industry, company and market research to support their ideas.
Campus News

New President Named for University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and University of Pittsburgh at Titusville

Catherine Koverola, inaugural provost and senior adviser at the African Leadership University in Mauritius, Africa, will begin her tenure at Pitt–Bradford and Pitt–Titusville on June 1, 2019.