Innovation & Research
Friday, June 21, 2019
Pittsburgh as a Human Performance City
Elite athletes and members of the military need to keep trucking in the most challenging of circumstances. Pitt scientists are looking to these super users of the human body in the search for ways to optimize human performance.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Program Supports and Encourages Breastfeeding, One Text at a Time
A text messaging program called MILK developed in the School of Nursing educates and encourages new parents who breastfeed. The lead researcher, Jill Demirci (NURS ’05, ’10G, ’12G), focuses on developing a variety of clinical and community-based interventions to help mothers meet their breastfeeding goals.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Pitt Researchers Perform University’s First In Utero Spina Bifida Surgery
Baby Emery Green Mullen, named after the lead surgeons who corrected a neural tube defect before her birth, is doing well as the first patient in Pitt history to receive in utero surgery for spina bifida.
Friday, May 31, 2019
A Smart Solution for Thermostat Wars
Powered by Pitt innovation pathways, HiberSense is a smart heating and cooling system that collects data on temperature, humidity, occupancy and air-quality and “learns” using predictive analytics to anticipate the desired temperature room by room.
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.