News

Pitt's Vaccination Center Offers More Than Just Shots
Are you aware of the resources available through the Pitt Vaccination Center at Nordenberg Hall? Not only do they have all three options (Pfizer, J&J and Moderna) available, they are also happy to answer questions or help if you’ve lost your card. The center is currently open Wednesdays from 1-4:30 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. The center, located at 4140 Fifth Ave. at the base of Nordenberg Hall, will expand hours as the fall term begins.

Partnership Between Dietrich School and Swanson School Helps High School Students Experience Architecture
When Sara Pettit heard that some of her students in the new “Experiencing Architecture” summer program were still working on their house-design projects at night, at their kitchen tables, she knew the program was having an impact. Pettit, who began in January as the summer program coordinator of Pitt’s Architectural Studies program, headed the first four-week “Experiencing Architecture” program this summer for local high-school students.

Dietrich School Faculty Member Wins Charles Horton Cooley Book Award
Waverly Duck, an associate professor in the Dietrich School's Department of Sociology, has won the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction’s Charles Horton Cooley Book Award for “Tacit Racism.”

Chancellor Gallagher's July 23 Message on Pitt's Virus Control Program
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the University of Pittsburgh’s fundamental strategy has focused on minimizing the risk of infection related to the coronavirus while maximizing our ability to carry out our mission activities of teaching, research and service.

Dietrich School, SCI Partner on Joint Data Science Major
This fall, current and incoming Pitt students can begin pursuing a joint Data Science major between the Dietrich School and the School of Computing and Information. Sixty-one credits in courses across several departments will prepare students to enter the burgeoning field of data science with the necessary competencies drawn from statistics, mathematics, and computer and information science.

Dietrich School Alumnus Donates Rare Book Collection to ULS
Actor, bibliophile, philanthropist and two-time Dietrich School alumnus Richard E. Rauh (A&S ’62, ’64G) has donated his extraordinary collection of rare books and manuscripts valued at more than $1.4 million to the University of Pittsburgh Library System (ULS).

Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research--and Former Dietrich School Dean--Steps Down
N. John Cooper is stepping down as Pitt’s deputy vice chancellor for research, effective Aug. 1, 2021. Cooper has held that post since January 2018. Prior to that, he served as dean of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences for 19 years.

Dietrich School Initiatives Among 20 Projects Receiving Pitt Seed Funding
“Once again this year, proposals for Pitt Seed Grant funding were exceptional,” said Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Ann E. Cudd. “That said, this year’s selected projects—focused on transformative ideas in the social justice, equity and inclusion spaces—are particularly exciting, and I look forward to seeing the results of those efforts.”

Dietrich School Experts Weigh in On Unidentified Flying Objects
In June, a public report about unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs), also known as UFOs, will be delivered to the U.S. Congress’ Intelligence and Armed Services committees. The document is expected to evaluate reported UAP sightings from U.S. military members and include analysis from the Pentagon. This news, recently featured on 60 Minutes, has fueled a flurry of speculation, excitement and conspiracies among the public. But interest in UAPs is certainly not new. Curiosity around unusual objects in the sky spans decades and crosses political aisles. To help unpack the science, politics and psychology of this phenomenon, Dietrich School experts weighed in.

Dietrich School Science Revealed June 2 Event Explores Inequities in Health Care
Two Dietrich School faculty members will discuss how our physical and psychological well-being can compromise our immune systems, make us more susceptible to viruses — and make vaccines less effective — during the next Science Revealed presentation. Science Revealed — an online series of free public conversations from the Dietrich School— continues with faculty members Anna Marsland from the Department of Psychology and Abimbola Fapohunda from the Department of Africana Studies offering “Perspectives on Health: (In)Equity Across Communities” from noon to 1 p.m. June 2.

Help Make Pitt More Accessible for Everyone
The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in four adults in America has a disability, which could include low vision, mobility difficulties, cognitive or age-related issues and hearing loss, among many others. But accessibility isn’t just for addressing disabilities: Features such as curb cuts in sidewalks help people pushing strollers or carts, and alt-text can help anyone understand an image if it isn’t displaying properly.

May 20 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Thursday, May 20 is the 10th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Web sites and web applications are crucial to our academic, administrative, and research work, and the University of Pittsburgh is committed to ensuring equal access by making its web sites and all other electronic and information technology accessible to all users.

Dietrich School, CGS Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony, May 4, 2021
This ceremony, recorded on Tuesday, May 4, 2021, recognizes undergraduate students from the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the College of General Studies.

Dietrich School, CGS Seniors Win the University's Top Leadership Awards
Rhiannon Bonnabell Stangl, a senior in the College of General Studies, is the 2021 recipient of the Emma W. Locke Award and Morgan Ottley, a senior in the Dietrich School, has been named the winner of the 2021 Omicron Delta Kappa Senior of the Year Award.

Dietrich School Professor Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Kirk Savage, professor in the Dietrich School's Department of History of Art and Architecture, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. With this selection, Savage joins an exclusive group of world leaders who promote nonpartisan recommendations that aim to advance the public good. Other 2021 members include media entrepreneur Oprah Winfrey, linguist Deborah Tannen, writer and photographer Teju Cole and theater critic Hilton Als, among other important scholars.