Innovation & Research
Friday, May 24, 2019
Pleasant Smells Can Help Smokers Reduce Cigarette Craving, New Study Finds
In a study that expands on previous work, a team led by psychology’s Michael Sayette found reduced urges to smoke in response to pleasant smells, as well as a connection to memory.
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
National, County Research Partnerships Use AI to Better Predict Opioid Overdose Risk
Walid Gellad, associate professor of medicine and health policy and director of Pitt’s Center for Pharmaceutical Policy and Prescribing, is using machine-learning algorithms to predict who is at risk of opioid misuse and overdose.
Friday, May 17, 2019
Researchers Teach Adults to Read Using Pictures of Houses
In a recent study, led by chair of psychology Julie Fiez, researchers taught adults “HouseFont” — a hieroglyphic-like language based on photos of homes — then scanned the language-learning areas of participants’ brains. What they found adds to a growing body of knowledge on how adults process written languages.
Monday, May 13, 2019
Lifesaving First in Medicine Boosted By Student Research in Hatfull Lab
Research efforts in Graham Hatfull’s lab involving phages, or viruses that infect bacteria, saved a cystic fibrosis patient from a life-threatening infection. This therapeutic first couldn’t have happened without the help of undergraduate students.
Friday, May 3, 2019
Historian Bridges Gap in Understanding Neglected Tropical Diseases
Mari Webel will continue her work that melds history and public health as Pitt’s first-ever Andrew W. Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellow.
Friday, April 26, 2019
New Pitt Supercomputer to Launch Into Space
A novel supercomputer developed by a University of Pittsburgh team is set to journey to the International Space Station, continuing a NASA partnership meant to improve Earth and space science.
Monday, April 8, 2019
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.
Friday, April 5, 2019
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.
Friday, March 29, 2019
Keeping an Eye on AI: Pitt Engineer Examines the Future of Intelligent Machines
Engineering researcher Ervin Sejdic studies the rapidly evolving technology and potential applications of artificial intelligence in machines, whether in health sciences or self-driving vehicles.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
New Program Combats Opioid Crisis, Promotes Better Back Pain Management
Pitt’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences designed the Primary Spine Practitioner Certification Program to bring together two groups that are often at odds — physical therapists and chiropractors — to help patients with spinal problems.