News

On December 22, NASA will launch into space the successor to its Hubble telescope, a highly sensitive and astronomically expensive tool capable of seeing objects that are farther and fainter than ever before. It’ll unfold its 21-foot mirror and in a few months will begin beaming down the first of many captivating images, along with data that will keep scientists busy for years to come. Four Dietrich School astronomers are among the researchers who have been granted highly sought-after time using the telescope in its first year in operation.

Words like “nothingness” and “empty space” may seem like simple concepts, referring to the complete absence of content. But in practice, these concepts have been topics of ongoing debate with important implications for our understanding of the universe. This panel discussion and Q&A at this event, involving several leading Pitt experts as well as our distinguished visitor James Owen Weatherall (author of the popular book Void: The Strange Physics of Nothing), will reveal in publicly accessible terms some of the complications and interesting ideas that arise when we try to get a grip on…nothing. What is (or is not) really out there? What are its properties? What shape does it take? Join us to find out a lot about nothing!

The Women of Visions: Celebrating 40 Years exhibit, presented by the Dietrich School's Department of History of Art and Architecture, runs through February 2022 in the University Art Gallery. Founded in 1981, Women of Visions is believed to be the longest-running collective of Black women artists in the United States. The 50 works in the exhibition span a range of media, from painting and sculpture to quilts and ceramics. Together, they attest to the powerful voices of Black women, and the unique identity of the WOV artists.

The first Eradicate Hate Global Summit, scheduled for October 18 - 20, will have a strong Pitt presence, including its co-chair, chancellor emeritus Mark Nordenberg, along with some big-name speakers, like former President George W. Bush. The event’s steering committee also includes Dietrich School and CGS Dean, Kathleen Blee, who serves as co-director of the Pitt-Carnegie Mellon joint Collaboratory Against Hate.

How are water challenges in Pittsburgh neighborhoods connected to the larger global fight for environmental justice? Find out more at "Environmental Justice: Safe Water in Homewood and Throughout Pittsburgh" October 5, 2 p.m. Be a part of this important Dietrich School Science Revealed program featuring Emily Elliott, professor in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science and Director and co-founder of the Pittsburgh Collaboratory for Water Research, Education, and Outreach that bridges efforts in water research, governance, and action at the University of Pittsburgh; Alyssa Lyon (A&S '12), Director of the Black Environmental Collective; Zinna Scott, community activist and Ambassador with ReEnergize Pittsburgh; and, NaTisha Washington, environmental justice organizer at One Pennsylvania. This event is organized in partnership with the Black Environmental Collective.

KJ Gilmer's Say Her Name Memorial Gown, on display in the University Art Gallery through September 24, is one of the four inaugural projects in the University-wide Black Lives in Focus Initiative.