Pitt Magazine, Winter 2018 by University of Pittsburgh

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

WINTER 2018

CHANGE AGENTS

PANTHER PRIDE FOR ALL

A. Yeti 30 oz. tumbler with script Pitt, $52 B. Carolina Sewn Bag & Leather Co. messenger bag in Cambridge Leather, $275 C. One-fourth zip Cutter & Buck blue pullover, $87 D. University Girl Apparel flannel blue and yellow plaid shirt, $49 E. Woolrich 56” x 70” plaid wool blanket, originally $149 (on special for $99) F. College Kids MVP football bodysuit for infant, $26 G. Blue and gold SKICKS Pitt sneakers, $59.97

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C O N TENTS

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

WINTER 2018

F E ATU R E S

12 The Writing Life

of Rebecca Skloot

She was determined to unearth the human story behind a medical breakthrough. The pursuit led her into the spotlight of national literary success. —By Cristina Rouvalis

26 Change Agents

An ambitious young man left his native South Korea to attend Pitt, where he found a wealth of knowledge and new ideas. What he later brought home helped him transform his country. He wasn’t the only one.

The Writing Life of Rebecca Skloot

—Cover story by Ervin Dyer

16 Smart Spaces

Pitt is full of classrooms, lecture halls, and other spaces that are specially designed and equipped to help students and faculty approach education in fresh and imaginative ways. —By Susan Wiedel

D E PA R T M E NT S

Commons Room

EDITOR’S NOTE

FEEDBACK

FRONT PAGE

COMMONS ROOM

Smart Spaces

PITT CHAT

SKETCHBOOK

EXTRA CREDIT

BOOKSHELF

INSPIRE

ALUMNI HALL

44 ENGAGE

ON THE COVER: Change Agents. Photo by Jeong Yi. Story on page 26. W I N T E R

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E D I TOR’S

NOTE

From the Heart

UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

WINTER 2018

s we cross the threshold into a new year, I find myself reflecting on the past and imagining the contours of the future. In that spirit, I took a look at the stories that were part of my first issue when I joined Pitt Magazine’s staff in 2002. The content included computer biomodeling to spur medical breakthroughs; the lifelong impact that terrific University teachers have on their students; the essential role of ethics and leadership in the study of business and law; and an exploration of the origins of the universe. Wow, that’s quite a diverse and impressive list of endeavors taking place in a single institution. This current issue, the first of 2018, continues to abound with stories, large and small, about the University of Pittsburgh’s positive impact around the world. Pitt Magazine, of course, is simply a vehicle for sharing the pluck and hustle of those who work here, who study here, and who leave here as alumni to help create better futures. It is the University of Pittsburgh community that generates the raw material for the magazine’s uplifting coverage, year after year, decade after decade. And there are never enough pages to cover all of the inspiring work and successful outcomes that originate here (for instance, visit report.pitt.edu). For the past 15 years, it has been a joy and a privilege for me to find and share these stories with all of you in my role with the Pitt Magazine team. Now, with the arrival of a new year and a new issue, I am moving into other responsibilities and away from the magazine’s day-to-day life. I’m pleased that my talented and dedicated colleagues—Laura Clark Rohrer, Ervin Dyer, and Susan Wiedel on the editorial staff; and creative director Gary Kohr-Cravener and production manager Chuck Dinsmore—will carry on the Pitt Magazine mission and will continue to share with all of you the dynamic, evolving story of Pitt. It promises to be a worthwhile read, year after year, decade after decade— straight from the heart of the University of Pittsburgh.

University of Pittsburgh

Recent Awards 2017-18

Patrick Gallagher (A&S ’87G, ’91G)

International MarCom Awards Magazine/Educ. Institution Writing/Magazine Design/Magazine Graphic Journalism

Chancellor

Cindy Gill (A&S ’74)

Executive Director Marketing and Magazines (Interim)

Platinum Platinum Gold Gold

Pitt Magazine

Robert L. Vann Media Awards Pittsburgh Black Media Federation Magazine Feature Feature Photography

First Place First Place

Laura Clark Rohrer (A&S ’14G) Editor in Chief (Interim)

Press Club of Western Pennsylvania Health/Science Magazine Feature

Finalist

Gary Kohr-Cravener Creative Director

Ervin Dyer (A&S ’11G, ’16G) Senior Editor

Susan Wiedel (A&S ’15) Assistant Editor

Emma Creighton (Class of 2018)

Student Intern

Sherry Shrum

Editorial Assistant

Chuck Dinsmore

Production Manager

Contact Us Send all correspondence to: Pitt Magazine University of Pittsburgh 200 S. Craig St., 400 Craig Hall Pittsburgh, PA 15260 E-mail: pittmag@pitt.edu Visit us on the web: www.pittmag.pitt.edu Telephone: 412-624-4147 Fax: 412-624-1021

Cindy Gill

Pitt Magazine is published by the University of Pittsburgh, Office of University Communications, 400 Craig Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, pittmag@pitt.edu, 412-624-4147. © 2018 by the University of Pittsburgh. Please send change-of-address correspondence to the above address. Pitt Magazine accepts no responsibility for unsolicited contributions of artwork, photography, or articles. The University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity institution.

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COMMENTS and congratulate them on a job beautifully done. I would also like to encourage the magazine to solicit more work by these talented writers and artists, as well as that by other folks working in this vein. This is the kind of writing that makes the magazine informative, readable, and exciting. Thank you for a great story about one of Pitt’s many great assets.

Feedback Welcome

Pitt Magazine 200 S. Craig St., 400 Craig Hall University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 E-mail: pittmag@pitt.edu Fax: 412-624-1021 Comments are subject to editing for length and clarity. Although we don’t have space to include all correspondence, we always appreciate hearing from you.

Drawn In I was so struck by the artistry of the “Lives of a Poet” feature about Yona Harvey, especially the graphics and story-telling. Ervin Dyer and Em DeMarco are truly talented folks and their hard work and skill are on prominent display in this issue. I am writing to thank them

Kristopher Geda Arts and Sciences ’13 Stanford, Calif.

New Chapter I am so impressed with Pitt. My son Cole just began his collegiate journey as a freshman. We have joined him in many orientation activities and met several administrators. We are uplifted by the small campus warmth and caring that continue to permeate this large, urban campus. I am confident that his years at Pitt will be as nurturing, edifying, and lifechanging as mine were. H2P! Jaymi Myers-Newman Law ’89 Pittsburgh, Pa.

Family Pride We returned recently from a family trip to England and Scotland, and we took our Pitt magazines along for the ride! My family, left to right: my sister, Michelle (Loar) Zini (ENGR ’90); her kids, Caroline (wearing her Sweet Caroline Pitt shirt) and Nathan (who loves watching Pitt

basketball); me; and my husband, Tracy Biondi (A&S ’87). Lisa Biondi Engineering ’87, ’92G Pittsburgh, Pa.

INSIGHTFUL

INSPIRING

INFORMATIVE

SUMMER 2017

Please consider a voluntary subscription, which helps to support Pitt Magazine and other communications programs. Send voluntary subscriptions to: Pitt Magazine, 400 Craig Hall, 200 S. Craig St., Pittsburgh, PA 15260

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U N I VERSITY

NEWS

F R O N T PA G E HIV Breakthrough As treatments for HIV become increasingly effective, researchers have been troubled by a critical question: How do doctors identify the virus that remains in a patient once it has been suppressed to nearly imperceptible levels? Notoriously stealthy, HIV can lie dormant in the body’s immune cells, undetectable to all but the most time- and labor-intensive tests. But Pitt Public Health scientists Phalguni Gupta and Anwesha Sanyal have developed a solution: a test sensitive enough to detect “hidden” HIV more efficiently and inexpensively than current methods. The test works by detecting a gene that is turned on only when replicating HIV is present. Their findings, published in Nature Medicine, may help researchers on the quest for a cure.

Front Page is written by Susan Wiedel, unless otherwise noted.

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Accessibly Awesome A Pitt-created technology is presenting new possibilities to people who depend on power wheelchairs. PneuChair, a pneumatic wheelchair designed and developed at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), uses high-pressurized air as an energy source instead of batteries and electronics. That means it can be used to access water parks, beaches, therapy pools, and other places where traditional electric wheelchairs risk damage from moisture. Ten PneuChairs were made available last summer to patrons of Morgan’s Inspiration Island, a splash park in San Antonio, Tex., built for people with and without disabilities.

“These waterproof chairs have given our guests a passport to fun that they never thought possible,” said Bob McCullough, the park’s communications director. HERL, a collaboration among Pitt, UPMC, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is still conducting research and development for additional markets for PneuChair, said director Rory Cooper, who also holds an endowed professorship at Pitt. “Our goal is to help people as much as we can through creating and implementing new technologies.”

Remembering Acclaimed Musician, Composer, and Educator

eri Allen, an influential jazz pianist and professor of music, brought the same passion for playing to her role as a jazz educator. She died June 27, 2017, at age 60. As director of Pitt’s Jazz Studies program, Allen was instrumental in revamping the program and coordinating the acclaimed Pitt Jazz Seminar and Concert, the first and longest-running academic celebration of jazz in the country. A celebrated musician and recipient of many prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008 and a Grammy nomination in 2016, Allen (A&S ’83G) was also a dedicated teacher and preserver of Pittsburgh jazz history. “When you look back at women in jazz, she’s going to be among the greatest ever,” said Kenneth Powell, a Pitt saxophone instructor and former classmate of Allen’s. “The synergy of her creativity and technical proficiency made her a powerful force that will be acknowledged for years to come.”

—Sharon S. Blake

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For the second consecutive year, the Wall Street Journal/ Times Higher Education College Rankings named Pitt the top public university in the Northeast.

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Innovative Partnership Pitt has formed a collaborative partnership with Philips, a global leader in health care technology. The wide-ranging partnership provides Pitt faculty with development and commercialization opportunities, as well as internship opportunities for students who have participated in the University’s innovation and entrepreneurship programs and competitions. “Like Pitt, Philips is committed to improving lives through innovation,” said Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “I am thrilled to pair our University’s expertise in biomedical research with Philips’s remarkable capacity to develop groundbreaking technologies. Together, we’ll work side by side to advance health care solutions that will improve—and even transform—people’s lives.”

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Pitt was awarded the 2017 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, which recognizes higher education institutions for their commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Library Leader As Hillman Library celebrates 50 years of serving the campus community, the University Library System continues to advance toward the future under its new director. Kornelia Tancheva, who was also named Pitt’s Hillman University Librarian, arrived last spring from Cornell University, where she most recently served as associate university librarian for research and learning services. “With demonstrated leadership experience in overseeing a large and complex organization Tancheva as it navigates the rapidly changing information landscape, she is committed to guiding the ULS to new levels of excellence,” said Pitt Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor Patricia E. Beeson.

Building Legacy Pennsylvania Hall has been renamed the K. Leroy Irvis Hall to honor the late Pitt alumnus, Irvis emeritus trustee, and legislative leader. As Pennsylvania’s Speaker of the House, Irvis (LAW ’54) was the first African American to preside over a statewide legislative body since the Reconstruction era. He also sponsored or cosponsored more than 1,600 pieces of legislation, including the bill that created Pennsylvania’s state-related system of universities, of which Pitt is one. “He always said that education was the ‘bridge to success,’” his widow, Cathryn Irvis, said. Through his efforts as a public servant and community activist, Irvis enabled thousands of students to cross their own bridges to success.

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Pitt innovators were issued an amazing in fiscal year 2017.

102 U.S. patents 6

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A Decade of Difference An estimated 120,000 hours—or 5,000 full days—of volunteer service: that’s what 10 years of Pitt Make a Difference Day (PMADD) has provided to the Pittsburgh region and beyond. Taking place every October, the University’s largest single day of service invites students, faculty, staff, and alumni to give back to their com-

Leading the Way

munities. This fall, PMADD drew more

Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and Pitt alumna Frances Hesselbein has collaborated with the University to establish the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. Since 1990, Hesselbein has been at the helm of a leadership institute founded as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management. In 2012, the organization was renamed to honor Hesselbein and her ongoing contributions. The institute has now chosen to transfer many of its assets to the University of Pittsburgh to establish the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum. “Frances has perfected the art of building global leaders,” said Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “I am honored that she has chosen Pitt as the Hesselbein Forum’s permanent home, and I look forward to watching generations of Pitt students use this opportunity to make a powerful, positive difference in this world.” The Hesselbein Forum plans to foster and grow leadership with three primary areas of focus: developing leaders of character and competence; providing dynamic global mentorship, training, and service opportunities; and engaging, informing, and enhancing the leadership journey of incoming generations of leaders from around the world.

than 4,000 participants who helped out at 96 sites nationwide.

More than

4,000

Pitt people volunteered at 96 sites.

Hesselbein

—Katie Fike

G O O D G O O D

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The University earned the “Premier Campus” designation from the Campus Pride Index, an organization that identifies LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities.

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Pitt is among the 2 percent of America’s four-year colleges that are profiled in the Princeton Review’s Colleges that Create Futures: 50 Schools that Launch Careers by Going Beyond the Classroom.

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I D E A S

Modeling the World’s Systems for Answers Chancellor Pat Gallagher connects with Paul Cohen, the founding dean of the School of Computing and Information, which is the first school established at Pitt in more than two decades. A leading authority on artificial intelligence and education informatics, Cohen previously developed the World Modelers Program for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

Gallagher: It’s not too often that a new dean is also leading a new school. What’s your vision for the School of Computing and Information? Cohen: We intend to change education in a big way. I want to create a generation of polymathic students—students who can walk into any lab, dance studio, factory floor, or hospital and immediately understand what’s going on in computational terms. We create polymaths by teaching the concepts that different fields have in common. It’s a return to the liberal arts ideal of the generally educated person, updated for the Information Age. I also want to emphasize systems-oriented research. The world’s big systems are being stressed by population growth and climate change, while the body’s biological systems are being mapped, giving rise to new therapies. Computing is indispensable to modeling and managing these systems, and we want to do our part.

Gallagher: Your field is known for changing quickly. How do you approach teaching such dynamic subjects and not run the risk of being immediately out of date? Cohen: Technology is ephemeral, so we teach the lasting principles behind the technologies. For example, many machine learning techniques are tuned to a single problem: classifying input into one of several categories. Are these cells healthy or cancerous? The particular technologies will come and go, but the principles—the underlying mathematics of classification—persist.

Gallagher: The information and data areas represent one of the hottest job markets. How should Pitt students expect to be prepared for these opportunities? Cohen: They should expect a technically demanding education where they learn about programming and security and data science, among other things. But they should also learn, or relearn, curiosity. As data science becomes increasingly algorithmic, the skills of preparing and interpreting data are being lost. Regaining them begins with curiosity, with asking “Why?”

Gallagher: Where would you like to see the School of Computing and Information in five years? Cohen: World leadership in systems-oriented research and polymathic education, with deep research connections across campus and the broader community, without compromising the essential warmth and humanness of the place. ■

Gallagher (left) and Cohen

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S L ICE

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LIFE

COMMONS ROOM Student Sleuths

ate on a Wednesday night, about 30 undergrads are in a classroom in David Lawrence Hall, traveling back in time to a July day in 1993. They journey through old crime scene photos projected onto a screen at the front of the room: down a garden pathway, up a set of wooden stairs onto a second-floor porch, and into a small apartment where a grim sight awaits. As they closely examine each image, the students’ faces betray no discomfort. It’s simply business as usual for members of Pitt’s Students Conquering Cold Cases (SCCC), a club dedicated to the hunt for new clues to unsolved crimes. Tonight’s focus is on the tragic, decades-old homicide of 74-year-old Stephanie Coyle from Arnold, Pa. The SCCC was founded in 2015 by Nicole Coons, then a Pitt student studying political science with a growing interest in law. After learning about an unsolved missing persons case in her central Pennsylvania hometown, she became immersed in a search for answers. Soon, she had the idea for a club that would turn the analysis of unsolved cases into an educational experience to help Pitt students learn about crime investigations, law enforcement, and the legal system. In search of a faculty advisor, Coons approached Ron Freeman, a former commander of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and an instructor in Pitt’s Administration of Justice program. He agreed, and quickly found that members of the SCCC aren’t merely crime drama junkies; they are serious about solving mysteries in the pursuit of justice.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARK BENDER

BY SUSAN WIEDEL

“These cases are unsolved for a reason,” says Alex Morgan, a legal studies and philosophy major and the club’s current president. But despite the difficulties posed by a 24-year-old case, the student detectives are undeterred. Whether conducting Google searches or, as Morgan says, “taking a stab in the dark and reaching out to people,” they try to be as creative as possible in their investigations. Coons values this approach. “We’re not

trying to go back and do what law enforcement did. We’re trying to think of a new direction.” The club works on three different cold cases, coming together weekly to compare notes and pursue leads. The meetings often involve special guests, and tonight’s speaker is Willie Weber, a retired police chief from Arnold and the former lead detective for the Coyle case. He shares what he knows with Pitt’s amateur investigators,

including the original crime scene photos and autopsy report. A freshman with dark, inquisitive eyes admits that she sees something different in a crime scene photo than what Weber has deduced. The former detective encourages her skepticism. “You try to change my mind,” he says. “I want to hear it.” Using a shared online document and message thread on their laptops, the group members for-

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C O M MONS

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mulate questions for Weber as he talks. Their list continues to grow as he helps them dissect the case. “I don’t need to be anywhere tonight so if we want to stick around until the janitor throws us out,” says Weber, “I’m good to go.” It’s well after 10 p.m., but no one moves to leave. Morgan isn’t surprised. “We want to solve this case so badly.” ■

Pages Ago

BY NICK KEPPLER

he book’s open pages reveal a cacophony of color. Vibrant greens depict the thick foliage of a jungle where a grinning cartoon bear lies on his back, a little boy in a red loincloth seated atop his belly. The students in the room are most familiar with this version of The Jungle Book—the cheery 1967 Disney version, captured here in storybook form. Most were only recently familiarized with Rudyard Kipling’s original story collection from 1894, which is also spread out across the table in Hillman Library. This version is illustrated, too, but in black and white, with realistic drawings of sharp-toothed tigers and wolves. Instructor Sreemoyee Dasgupta holds up the whimsical Disney version for her students to see. This book is for a mid-century culture of fun, entertainment, and socialization. In contrast, the austere, late-19th-century version is for a more agricultural, colonial society. Dasgupta, who teaches a literature course called Childhood’s Books, has brought her students to Hillman today for a special class created with the help of the University Library System’s Archives and Special Collections department. Librarians readied six different tables for the visit, each one dedicated to a classic tale and adorned with related books from a variety of eras. Throughout the room, students bend over copies of The Wizard of Oz, Alice in

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Wonderland, Peter Pan, Jack the Giant Killer, and children’s adaptations of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. “Feel free to take pictures, but this is a pen-free zone,” says Children’s Literature Librarian Clare Withers, who helped coordinate today’s selections with her colleagues from Special Collections. The undergrads use pencils to scratch out their impressions of the artifacts on a class assignment sheet. The Special Collections department holds an 84,000-item inventory of rare books, maps, magazines, playbills, comic books, and other historic items under Pitt’s guardianship. Some are kept at Hillman Library, others in offsite storage, and nearly all can be accessed by researchers at Pitt. The Special Collections librarians welcome class visits, inviting students to tap into the insights offered in the collection’s titles. Earlier in the semester, Special Collections hosted a sciencefiction writing class, which came to check out pulp magazines of space-age tales. Today’s volumes are a sampling from the Elizabeth Nesbitt Collection of children’s literature, a trove of more than 12,000 kids’ books dating back to the 1600s. “There’s a lot you can learn about the culture of childhood from seeing these items that you couldn’t from just reading the stories,” Dasgupta says. “To actually touch the materials, touch the book, and see the colors is a different experience,” says junior Kendra Bree. By the end of a visit spent leafing through history, Bree and her classmates leave with new perspectives on old stories. ■

Reading Music

BY ERVIN DYER

ll eyes are on the award-winning writer seated behind a table in the Humanities Center on the sixth floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Tall, lean, and graceful, Ta-Nehisi Coates speaks confidently, punctuating his words with his hands. They flutter like batons, helping him command the music of his thoughts. Coates is headlining a colloquium about race and politics in his new work. He is a national correspondent for The Atlantic, a 2015 MacArthur “genius” Fellow, and a winner of the National Book Award for his best-selling memoir, Between the World and Me. Within the diverse crowd are students, local authors, nurses, librarians, editors, English professors, and chemists. They fill every chair in the room. Coates has come to Pitt on the invitation of the University’s Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series (PCWS). Later tonight, he

will give a free reading and talk in the William Pitt Union to an enthusiastic audience so large that the appointed overflow room will, well, overflow. But he’s spending this morning engaged in a smaller discussion, hosted in partnership with Pitt’s Humanities Center and the PCWS. Now in its 17th year, the PCWS is connected to the Department of English, and draws notable fiction, nonfiction, and poetry authors to Pitt each year. Through the program, writers not only share their work, but also intellectually engage with students and the Pittsburgh community on complicated social, political, and professional issues. The interactions help the series to highlight and examine the connection between art and critical thinking. Coates is a prime example of this connection, says Sten Carlson, a PCWS director and lecturer in Pitt’s Department of English. The author uses the power of words to touch on everything from fatherhood and fame to democracy and race in America.

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As the conversation takes off in the Humanities Center, Coates gets a familiar question from an audience member. As a Black man whose journalism and creative work often reflect on the spectrum of Black experiences, including topics like slavery, segregation, and violence, does he feel burdened by the responsibility to represent race? No, says Coates. Despite the weight of these issues, he doesn’t feel confined by writing about race. That’s not to say that he isn’t open to other stories, but he prefers to focus on the subjects he finds most important. “I feel as if I’m playing my music and my music is as good as anybody else’s music,” he says. For Coates, his “music” helps him explore the rhythm and blues of Black lives. He relishes the task, he says, because he believes that the Black experience is a credible lens through which to explore the complexities of power and how people shape democracy. “At this political moment, we thought about the benefit and necessity of having a conversation about race,” says Carlson after the colloquium, reflecting on what inspired PCWS to invite the author to campus. “We thought about Coates, and the way he situates his work in history in such a vivid way. His ideas are accessible.” The colloquium participants appear to agree. Some linger in the room, talking between themselves, the melodies of Coates’s ideas echoing in their ears. ■

Eclipsing Expectations

BY ADAM REGER

he students huddled around a cardboard canister packed with cords, cables, and computer components. An unexpected problem had arisen—a wire soldered to a tiny, single circuit-board computer had somehow detached. Grace Chu, a Pitt sophomore majoring in physics

and astronomy, leaned closer to troubleshoot. “Nine minutes to launch,” announced David Turnshek, professor of physics and astronomy. The tension inside the Allegheny Observatory mounted. Chu and her teammates were racing to launch a high-altitude balloon carrying a cache of technology to a height of 85,000 to 105,000 feet. From there, the gear—cameras, computers, and light sensors—would gather data and return video to the young scientists on the ground. This was the final test launch before the team members’ trip to Springfield, Tenn., where they would be perfectly positioned to capture the total solar eclipse from more than 16 miles above the Earth. The six-person Pitt team was part of NASA’s Eclipse Ballooning Project. On Aug. 21, their balloon obtained a live video of the eclipse from near-space. The group, aptly dubbed the Pitt Shadow Bandits, also gathered information to study “shadow bands,” mysterious ripples of light observed during previous solar eclipses. Back at the test launch in Pittsburgh, Chu worked quickly but carefully as the seconds ticked away. Soon, Marshall Hartman came in from the Observatory lawn on Pittsburgh’s North Side, where he was helping to fill an enormous white balloon with helium. As he offered his teammate a hand, Turnshek and physics and astronomy faculty member Russell Clark hung back. This project was an opportunity for students to learn by doing—on their own. That’s part of what made the experience so valuable, said Hartman. He graduated from Pitt in the spring but chose to remain a member of the Shadow Bandits before heading to Wisconsin to start work as an engineer. “These are the kinds of problems engineers face every day,” he said. He and Chu reattached the wire with minutes to spare. “Alright, folks,” said Turnshek, glancing at his watch. It was time to go.

The group carried the canisters outside, where the balloon hovered 30 feet above the ground. Once everything was attached, the signal was given. Released, the balloon shot straight up, trailing its payload behind it like the long tail of a kite. Within minutes, the balloon was invisible behind a thick bank of clouds. The test launch was a success, but the day wasn’t over. After 30 minutes in the air, the balloon parachuted to the ground as planned. The team followed GPS coordinates to track where it landed and recovered it two hours later near Saltsburg, Pa.

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A couple weeks later, the Pitt group made another successful launch, this time in Tennessee, where members gained valuable data for their NASA-funded project and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But as their final test launch came to an end, the Shadow Bandits already had something to celebrate: they were another step closer to capturing a truly heavenly sight. To see what the Shadow Bandits’s balloon captured during the eclipse, check out pi.tt/pitteclipse. ■

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F E AT URE

She was determined to unearth the human story behind a medical breakthrough. The pursuit led her to the spotlight of national literary success.

The Writing Life of

Rebecca Skloot W R I T T E N

B Y

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ebecca Skloot walked the red carpet, shoulder to shoulder with Oprah Winfrey, linking arms with actress Rose Byrne. She smiled radiantly in a silvery jumpsuit, easily blending into the Hollywood royalty flanking her as the cameras flashed. “Look right!” “Look left!” shouted the photographers inside the SVA Theatre in New York City. It was a surreal celebrity moment for Skloot, who is a best-selling author, not a movie star. But the real drama would come an hour later, when the Pitt alumna settled into her seat to watch 11 years of her life Background: At the HBO condensed into a 90-minute, starpremiere of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, studded film. from left: director It was another extraordinary chap- George C. Wolfe, actress Renée Elise Goldsberry, ter in a personal and professional Oprah Winfrey, Skloot, and Rose Byrne. journey decades in the making. 12

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Skloot came to the University of Pittsburgh for graduate school in creative nonfiction writing. Pitt’s program emphasizes a blend of the storytelling techniques of fiction with a journalistic adherence to truth and accuracy. This appealed to Skloot, who had quickly decided on the subject of her book-length thesis: women forgotten by science. The first essay in the collection was to be about Henrietta Lacks. kloot was sitting in a community college science class when she first heard the name of the woman whose story would transform her life. She was a 16-year-old fascinated by medical science and taking the course for high school credit. The instructor chalked the name across the blackboard: Henrietta Lacks. In 1951, he explained, this woman’s cancer cells became the first immortal human cells grown in a laboratory. Long after her death, her cells—coined HeLa—lived on, replicating again and again. Most cell lines are unable to reproduce indefinitely, so the growth of HeLa cells proved uniquely valuable to medical research. They became a vital tool, playing a role in many of modern medicine’s most important feats, including the development of vaccines and medicines, gene mapping, cloning, and in vitro fertilization. The teenager was enthralled. Who was this woman and why wasn’t her story well-known? Skloot’s teacher didn’t have answers, and neither did the textbook or her parents’ encyclopedia. Even so, the name stuck with her. She wanted to know more about the woman behind HeLa. “I have always been a very hard-headed, determined person,” Skloot says. It took time to hone that headstrong quality. As a child growing up in Portland, Ore., she was rebellious, frustrated by the confines of traditional schooling, recalls her mother, Betsy McCarthy. She was first suspended from school in second grade. (“That’s not counting day care and preschool,” her father, Floyd Skloot, once pointed out.) By the time she reached high school, Skloot was skipping classes and ignoring homework. Her freshman year GPA was a failing 0.5. “She was difficult,” her mother says. “But your strength is your weakness. The qualities that made her difficult as a teenager were the same qualities that made her write a successful book. She wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Everything changed when she transferred to an alternative high school where she could 14

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study what most fascinated her. Able to learn on her own terms, Skloot excelled. She packed her schedule with classes she could enjoy, and finished high school before turning 17. Graduating gave her the opportunity to pursue an aspiration she had had since childhood: becoming a veterinarian. She went to work as a vet technician, mixing her interest in science with her love of animals. Then, with her eye on an eventual doctorate in veterinary medicine, she enrolled at Colorado State University. Skloot majored in biology, but the need to fulfill a general education requirement led her to sign up for a creative writing course. The teacher began the class with a prompt: “Write for 15 minutes about something someone forgot.” Henrietta Lacks, she scrawled across her notebook paper before diving into the things she knew and didn’t know about the woman she couldn’t forget, even if most of the world had seemed to. The course was a revelation. She found a love for writing, taking after her father, who is an acclaimed author of poetry, memoir, essays, and fiction. “I grew up in a house where writing was everywhere,” she says. “That shaped me. I was totally a closeted writer.” The science-minded student, outfitted with what she now calls “Veterinary Tunnel Vision,” still had no plans to become a writer. But as she prepared to submit her applications to doctorate programs, a conversation with her writing instructor changed her trajectory. He encouraged her creative talent and introduced her to the idea of sharing her understanding of science with the world by becoming a science writer. Skloot didn’t even know such a job existed. She recalls telling him that she couldn’t let go of her lifelong dream of becoming a vet, but the teacher reassured her: “Letting go of a goal doesn’t mean you’ve failed, as long as you have a new goal in its place.” She began to research graduate writing programs the very next day. That’s how, in 1994, with her undergraduate degree complete, Skloot came to the University of Pittsburgh for graduate school in creative nonfiction writing. Pitt’s program emphasizes a blend of the storytelling techniques of fiction with a journalistic adherence to truth and accu-

racy. This appealed to Skloot, who had quickly decided on the subject of her book-length thesis: women forgotten by science. The first essay in the collection was to be about Henrietta Lacks. It wasn’t long, however, before she realized that the HeLa story demanded more than a single chapter in a book.

kloot enjoyed deepening her understanding of creative nonfiction and working with her classmates at Pitt, but she took a break from school to write for the University’s medical alumni magazine, Pitt Med. She worked at the magazine all day, and spent evenings writing and researching HeLa. Her fascination with the person behind the cells kept growing. There was so much the writer wanted to discover. What she already knew was this: Henrietta Lacks, who was Black, had been a former tobacco farmer in Virginia, a wife, and a mother. She died of cervical cancer at the age of 31, not long after a piece of her tumor was sampled by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her surviving children were reportedly upset about the use of their mother’s cells. To get the whole story, Skloot would need to talk to the Lacks family. One evening, in the quiet of her Pitt Med office, she called Henrietta’s last living daughter, Deborah Lacks, and explained that she wanted to write a book about her mother. To Skloot’s delight, Deborah said she would love to work with her. The writer was so excited by the call that she screamed out loud after hanging up the phone. But after a few days, that elation turned to disappointment when Skloot called back and heard from an anxious Deborah that she had changed her mind. Family members had talked her out of helping with the book. This was Skloot’s first confrontation with what would become a key component in her book: the Lacks family’s painful relationship with the medical community and the HeLa cell line. No one in the family was told about the cells until the 1970s, when doctors contacted them to participate in genetic research. By the

time Skloot spoke to Deborah, many members of her family were angry and mistrustful, their perspectives shadowed by a long history of medical science exploiting and abusing the bodies of Black people. There was confusion, too, about how Henrietta’s cells were being used. These early interactions with the Lacks family signaled another directional change for Skloot. The fear she heard in Deborah’s voice helped her realize that the story wasn’t just about Henrietta. It was also about the Lacks children and their experiences in the years since their mother’s cells were taken. “It was so clear that something had happened to make her not trust someone like me: Another White person calling, wanting something having to do with the cells,” Skloot says. She wanted to understand Deborah’s fear and pivoted her focus to explore the distrust the Lacks children had of the White medical establishment. It took the writer more than a year of phone calls and shared research to gain Deborah’s trust, to convince her that she wasn’t trying to exploit her, and that she wanted to tell her mother’s complete story. By then, Skloot had left her job at Pitt Med to work on the book full time. She would disappear for weeks, traveling to interview scientists, and immersing herself in the world of Lacks family members in Baltimore and rural Virginia, hunting down details about Henrietta. Michael Rosenwald, a fellow Pitt creative nonfiction student now working as a staff writer for the Washington Post, was impressed by Skloot’s drive. “Henrietta Lacks was going to get her due,” he remembers. “No one was going to stop her.” Skloot was determined to get the story right. With the research complete, she began to write, working through dozens of different drafts. At first, she resisted the idea of including herself in the book; she wanted the focus to remain on the story of Henrietta, her family, and HeLa. But her editors and colleagues—and Deborah herself—convinced the writer that her efforts to earn the Lacks’s trust and confidence were key to the narrative. Still, after typing the last words, she wasn’t done. She printed out every page of her manuscript, highlighted each statement of fact in yellow, and fact-checked every detail. “It was a crazy, totally Becka thing,” Rosenwald says. As she worked, Skloot leaned heavily on the friends she made at the University of Pittsburgh, who had become some of her biggest supporters and most trusted readers. In the midst of her writing and research, she finished her Pitt master of fine arts. She had already earned all of the credits necessary to graduate before leaving school—the only thing she needed to do was submit her thesis, a book-length manuscript. In

The book skyrocketed to the New York Times nonfiction Best Seller list, where it stayed for more than seven years.

2007, a completed chunk of the HeLa book cinched her degree. After years of labor, the book was picked up by Crown Publishing and, in 2010, was released as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Days before it hit stores, Skloot received two glowing reviews from Publishers Weekly and the New York Times. The story “floods over you like a narrative dam break, as if someone had managed to distill and purify the more addictive qualities of Erin Brockovich, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and The Andromeda Strain,” gushed reviewer Dwight Garner. “More than 10 years in the making, it feels like the book Ms. Skloot was born to write.” The book skyrocketed to the New York Times nonfiction Best Seller list, where it stayed for more than seven years.

ast spring, Rebecca Skloot walked a New York City red carpet at the premiere of the HBO film adaptation of her book—her baby, her obsession, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Taking in the movie in a darkened theater later that evening, the author watched herself being played by actress Rose Byrne, and was struck by Oprah Winfrey’s performance in the role of Deborah Lacks, whose inner turmoil propels the movie as it does the book.

It was bittersweet. Deborah had died months before the book’s release. “She always said she wanted Oprah to play her,” says Skloot, who established the Henrietta Lacks Foundation to assist the Lacks family and others who have made important contributions to science without consent. The movie’s release was just the latest act in nearly two decades of nonstop researching, writing, and publicity for the writer and her book. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks made—and continues to make—a monumental impact, and not just in Skloot’s own life. It has been translated into 25 languages, is required reading in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and medical schools, and helped spark vital conversations about the ethics of medical research and consent. Thanks in part to the information unearthed in the book, Henrietta Lacks has been recognized for her contributions to science by organizations including the Smithsonian Institution and the National Foundation for Cancer Research. Skloot’s work also earned her a number of awards, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Award for Excellence in Science Writing, and she continues to travel the world speaking about the book. Now, Skloot has a problem most authors would envy. How do you follow up on a megahit, a debut book that made it onto the New York Times nonfiction Best Seller list, a book that was included in more than 60 critics’ best of the year lists, one that people still bring to her to sign? “There’s pressure,” Skloot says. “Of course, it’s a great problem to have.” She’s facing this challenge like others she encounters: by getting to work. From her home in California’s Bay Area, Skloot is absorbed in the writing of her next book, one that taps her early veterinary interests and again examines a nuanced subject related to ethics—the connections between animals, humans, and science. To tackle the project, she’s employing the same careful eye and journalistic vigor she applied to the HeLa story. In many ways, it’s a work even longer in the making than her first book—another investigative quest seeded long ago and driven by a persistent, gnawing interest. She’s going wherever the story takes her, even if it means writing and rewriting until the story’s full life emerges. She knows that it’s a journey worth taking again and again. ■

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F E AT URE

Students get a better grip on advanced mathematics by using 3D printing to translate fractals and other mathematical representations into tangible models.

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SMART SPACES WRITTEN BY SUSAN WIEDEL

PHOTOGR APHY BY TOM ALTANY PITT VISUAL SERVICES

UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING’S OPEN LAB,

Virtual reality headsets and controllers can help chemistry students work beyond their microscopes, enlarging, manipulating, and studying the details of complex molecular structures.

OPEN LAB

ALUMNI HALL The Open Lab is where scholars and instructors can find the tools to explore a subject from a new angle. Part of Pitt’s Center for Teaching and Learning, the lab’s specialists work with students and faculty to find productive ways to incorporate advanced technology into everyday learning in the classroom and beyond. For example, a writing course recently borrowed 360-degree cameras to gain a different perspective on storytelling by creating immersive, multimedia works of journalism. “It’s not about the technology itself,” says Cynthia Golden, the center’s director. “It’s about how you apply it, and where, that’s going to make a difference.”

When it comes to innovative learning spaces, the remarkable Nationality and Heritage Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning get most of the glory. But Pitt is full of classrooms, lecture halls, and other spaces that are specially designed and equipped to help students and faculty approach education in fresh and imaginative ways. “At Pitt,” says Provost Patricia E. Beeson, “we believe that the environments we create to support learning can have a significant impact on helping our students achieve their goals. That includes both the physical spaces and the educational technologies students and faculty use to support their teaching and learning.” Peek inside some of the campus spaces promoting academic excellence and discovery at the University of Pittsburgh. Whether it’s a revamped lecture hall that better connects pupils to professors, or a repository of tech tools capable of turning a tricky math problem into an aha moment, these are places that combine the traditional with the cutting edge to make room for students to learn, grow, and excel.

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“Science and Mankind,” a porcelain enamel mural by late Pitt professor and artist Virgil Cantini (A&S ’48G), serves as a colorful reminder of the humanity in science and the science in humanity.

STUDY SPACE

DROP-IN STUDY SPACES,

CHEVRON SCIENCE CENTER Nestled along the first- and secondfloor hallways of the building housing Pitt’s Department of Chemistry, these areas provide places to dig in to coursework and exchange ideas outside of a quiet classroom or library environment.

Nearby, Pitt-run coffee shop, Bunsen Brewer, is poised to help fuel the next scientific discovery.

Chalkboards, periodic tables, and other study tools make these nooks hubs for peer-topeer tutoring.

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CLASSROOMS Using an application called Solstice, instructors can give students permission to wirelessly share content with the class through their own devices and the roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projector.

This re-envisioned lecture hall helps make large classes feel smaller with a design that reduces the distance between students and the podium and allows professors to easily move around the room during presentations.

Long tables and swiveling chairs encourage student collaboration.

LECTURE HALL AND CLASSROOMS,

DAVID LAWRENCE HALL Recent renovations to this Forbes Avenue fixture, which hosts classes from across the University, increased usability and modernized learning environments without straying too far from tradition.

The second floor hosts active-learning classrooms designed to accommodate nearly any educational style. They are equipped with mobile desks and chairs, wall-to-wall whiteboards, and ample space for movement.

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CREATIVITY

Instruments are one of the workshop’s most popular resources. In addition to a piano and an electric guitar, visitors can play with ukuleles, a drum machine, an audio mixer, and a theremin.

MusiCanvas, a tool created by a group of Pitt undergraduate students for a course called The Art of Making, was recently loaned to the workshop. It uses pressure sensors, circuit boards, and a speaker to turn visual art into music.

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CENTER FOR CREATIVITY: THE WORKSHOP,

UNIVERSITY STORE ON FIFTH Filled with artistic gadgets and gear, the sprawling workshop invites students, faculty, and staff to explore their creativity within and beyond the boundaries of their academic discipline. The emphasis is on making things— using sculpting clay, 3D pens, paint, fabric, and much more—to encourage innovation, creative problem-solving, and thinking outside the box. It’s a place where engineering majors can work on poetry beside literature students designing an app.

C A SUAL

CONVERSATION

P I T T C H AT INTERVIEW BY LIBERTY FERDA

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PHOTOGR A PH Y BY TOM A LTA N Y/PI T T V ISUA L SER V ICE S

fter finishing her sophomore year of college in Florida, Alana DeLoge still didn’t know which direction to take her studies. So, the young woman who always had an interest in languages acted on impulse and decided to spend the summer studying Quechua, an indigenous South American language, at a small school in Cochabamba, Bolivia. There, she found a new passion and a way forward. DeLoge is now at Pitt, where she teaches Quechua through the Less-Commonly-Taught Languages Center while pursuing a PhD in linguistics. (She’s already earned master’s degrees in anthropology and public health—both with emphases on issues related to Quechua speakers.) She also leads Pitt in Bolivia, a study abroad program that brings Pitt undergrads to Cochabamba for a summer of cultural immersion, language learning, service, and adventure—a transformative experience DeLoge (A&S ’07G, GSPH ’12) knows well.

How long did it take you to learn Quechua? I started 15 years ago and I am still learning. Quechua is very different from English and other Indo-European languages, so you have to be intentional about practice. For example, Quechua has an evidential system, which means speakers mark how they know information. You say “she walked” one way if you saw it happen, and another if someone told you it happened.

Why should someone learn a language that’s rarely encountered in the United States? Languages hold the key to all kinds of knowledge, including how people think of health, the environment, and what it means to be human. Many of my students study anthropology, law, public health, linguistics, or political science with interest in the Andean region—and language and politics are very connected. Others are primarily interested in learning about a culture and a worldview very different from their own.

Do Quechua words ever appear in English? Yes! There are several, but two of my favorites are “jerky,” from ch’arki, and “llama,” from llama. English speakers are always so surprised because people think that indigenous languages like Quechua are not connected to our modern, global world, but there are about 10 million Quechua speakers currently living in South America.

What’s Pitt in Bolivia all about? On a day-to-day basis, it’s about learning just how culturally specific almost all of our behavior is, whether trying to buy food in a market or navigating what to do at a table. Students are humbled; they learn compassion, to take things with a sense of humor. They learn just how many different ways there are to view and understand the world.

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S K E TCHBOOK

WRITTEN BY JENNIE DORRIS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOSH REYNOLDS

t’s 2012, and a cluster of music lovers assembles in front of the Blue Bird Inn, a now-defunct but once iconic Detroit jazz club. If it were 1957, the doors would be open for live bebop almost every night. Audiences would have come to hear legendary musicians like Miles Davis and John Coltrane. But now, decades later, the building is vacant and crumbling. This small gathering is the first official meeting of Detroit Sound Conservancy (detroitsound.org). The members are on a mission to preserve and advocate for Detroit’s musical heritage, and they are determined to save the Blue Bird’s famous stage, which influenced generations of musicians. Recognizing such legacies highlights “sonic ecology,” says Sound Conservancy founder and Pitt alumnus Carleton Gholz. Music is linked to larger social and political factors, so the history of a performance venue like the Blue Bird is also the history of Detroit and its people. “We have to be concerned about this interconnectedness,” says Gholz, because the loss of one piece of the past can lead to the erosion of a much bigger story. It took years of hard work, but Gholz and his team have saved and collected hundreds of relics—records, reel-to-reel tapes, signage, and, with help from local archaeologists, even the Blue Bird’s stage. After a careful rebuilding, the stage now travels as an ambassador for the city’s musical past. It was displayed last March at an international design exhibit in France before returning to Michigan to appear at the Detroit Public Library and the College for Creative Studies. More recently, Gholz and his colleagues helped acquire a historic designation for United Sound Systems. The legendary recording studio produced tracks from artists including John Lee Hooker, Jackie Wilson, and Dizzy Gillespie. A plaque detailing the site’s history, written by Gholz, now stands outside the building. Meanwhile, the nonprofit continues its work, recording oral histories, archiving artifacts, and celebrating Detroit’s jazz, blues, Motown, rock, and techno legacies. Gholz’s passion for the Motor City music scene is rooted in his childhood growing up near Detroit and later working in the city as a high school social studies teacher and a curious journalist for the alt-weekly, Metro Times. He found that embedded in the city’s musical environments were tales of community, creation, rebellion, and change. Gholz wanted to discover more, and learn how to best tell and preserve the area’s stories. So, he left Michigan to earn a PhD in communication at the University of Pittsburgh. In between writing his dissertation on the rise of Detroit’s DJ culture, he hosted a show called Rust Belt Soul on WPTS, the campus radio station. He even repaired some of the station’s old vinyl and recataloged its seven-inch record collection. It was good practice for Gholz (A&S ’11G), who is now collecting, preserving, and cataloging recordings from across Detroit’s history. He hopes to establish a permanent home for the collection so that it can be shared with the public. The nonprofit leader knows the value of saving history, even if it’s one song—or story—at a time. ■

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David de la Cruz (GSPH â&#x20AC;&#x2122;91) was among the volunteers in Liberia fighting the largest Ebola outbreak in history.

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I N N OVATION

EXTRA CREDIT

Cosmic Computing

Building computers that survive and thrive in space

o work in outer space, astronauts must be resilient, efficient, and versatile; the same is true for the computers that aid in their missions. Most computers, however, cannot reliably and efficiently function in the harsh conditions beyond Earth’s atmosphere, or even endure the journey to get there. At the National Science Foundation (NSF) Center for Space, HighPerformance, and Resilient Computing (SHREC) at Pitt, researchers are at the forefront of investigations into smart technology equipped for use in extraterrestrial environments. “Computers are the future astronauts and at the heart and soul of anything you do in space,” including scientific study, satellite communications, and defense surveillance, says SHREC director Alan D. George. “We develop and test ways to increase performance, reduce power consumption, and meet the demands of space computing.” But how do researchers build a computer that fulfills all of those requirements? The answer lies in reconfigurable computing, one of the SHREC lab’s primary focuses and an approach that allows a computer’s hardware (the physical machine) to be manipulated and changed using software (pro-

COURTESY OF NASA

BY SUSAN WIEDEL

gramming). Using reconfigurable computing, George and his team have developed a specialized space processor, a hybrid computer that meets a variety of needs. “Like switches on a railroad track,” says George, “you can basically create connections in whatever way you want.” In other words, scientists on Earth can use software to command the processor in space to run a variety of applications without needing extra parts. The innovation has already been put to work. In March 2017, George’s team sent a payload of two space processors to the International Space Station via the

SpaceX Dragon mission. From SHREC’s new, NASA-quality lab in Oakland, researchers including undergraduate and graduate students can run experiments on the processors while the machines orbit over 250 miles above Earth. “Our research never needs to be some intangible, theoretical project that will never have any practical use, because we have the opportunities to put our research to use in space,” says doctoral student Christopher Wilson. “I can wake up in the morning and send commands to space computers on the International Space George

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Station that we developed in our lab.” In January 2017, SHREC (formerly the NSF Center for High-Performance Reconfigurable Computing) found a new home at the University of Pittsburgh, accompanied by George, now the Swanson School’s R & H Mickle Endowed Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He founded the lab in 2007 at the University of Florida, growing it into a collaboration of more than 30 industrial, governmental, and academic partners. Pitt is now the lead institution

I N N O V AT I O N

BREAKTHROUGHS IN THE MAKING

“I can wake up in the morning and send commands to space computers on the International Space Station that we developed in our lab,” says doctoral student Christopher Wilson.

of four SHREC sites. It’s a good home base, says George, for forging new partnerships with rising researchers and local and national organizations that have Earthbound applications for the center’s cutting-edge research. In the meantime, the SHREC team is already developing a second payload of processors to send to the International Space Station. Scheduled to launch in early 2019, it will be the first supercomputing payload completely designed and produced by an academic institution for space—which is quite the stellar achievement. ■

Cause Corrected

What caused the 2007-09 housing crisis? Research conducted by Pitt economist Stefania Albanesi and two colleagues has identified a new explanation. Their analysis of credit data from 19992013 found that most of the rise in mortgage credit during the housing boom went to borrowers with mid- to highcredit scores, and that most of the rise in mortgage defaults that initiated the crisis also came from these borrowers—not subprime borrowers, as some have argued. The study was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Back, Pain

Viral Clue

A common virus may trigger celiac disease, according to a study by researchers including Pitt pediatrics chair Terence Dermody. Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disorder that causes severe intolerance to gluten. The study found evidence that exposure to reovirus, which is otherwise benign, may prompt the emergence of the condition in a genetically predisposed person. Published in Science, the findings advance the possibility of a vaccine that could stop autoimmune disorders like celiac disease before they start.

More than 40 percent of patients with low back pain are prescribed opioids at some point. Pitt researchers are working to lower that number by participating in an NIHfunded, multi-institution study investigating non-drug approaches to treating and preventing chronic low back pain. Pitt’s role will focus on physical therapies and involve a number of researchers including Mike Schneider of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, who is co-principal investigator of the clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of spinal manipulation and supported self-care strategies.

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Change Agents

WRIT TEN BY ERVIN DYER

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEONG YI

he phone call came like it always did: without any warning. It interrupted the diplomat’s reading, and when he put the phone down, he didn’t have a lot of time. Government officials were telling him it was time to go. He scurried to pack clothes, shoes, and his hairbrush. He grabbed his attaché case, the one already stuffed full of confidential documents, and rushed off to the airport in the purple glow of the evening. It was not uncommon in the early ’90s for Byong Hyon Kwon to quickly jet into Beijing or Hong Kong under the blanket of darkness. The South Korean ambassador’s diplomatic missions were of such a sensitive nature that they had to be conducted in secret. Even his wife did not know where he was going. There were times he did not know either. “I felt like 007,” he recalls of the years of classified discussions and meetings. Kwon was trying to do what had not been possible for a thousand years—reset and cool down a highly contentious political and trade relationship between the Republic of Korea (commonly known as South Korea) and its neighbor, the People’s Republic of China.

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Ultimately, Kwon and his team were successful. When relations were formally established in 1992, people and commerce began to flow more freely between the two countries, fueling growth in Kwon’s homeland and throughout Asia. South Korea’s annual trade volume grew from $4.4 billion to more than $300 billion, with China now its number one trading partner. Before normalization, there were few flights into China; today, there are more than 1,000 each week. Kwon is one of the many architects of modern South Korea, visionaries who sought paths to a better future. The University of Pittsburgh played an essential role in his way forward. “Today, I do work for Korea, for China. Because of Pitt, I’ve transcended national interests,” says Kwon. “I’m working for the good of the world’s citizens.”

reen pastures blurred by as the Greyhound bus rumbled west over miles of highway. Kwon watched from his seat as Pennsylvania spread out beyond the windows. He envisioned the opportunity and adventure that awaited in the industrial city and the leafy urban campus that would be his new home for the next year. In his preparations to leave South Korea in the spring of 1967, he had purchased new clothing. A necktie and white button-down shirt would replace his traditional shirt, a loose, wide-sleeved top. He wanted “to look Western” as he attended classes at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). In the United States, Kwon was thousands of miles from his home country, and even farther from the world of close-knit rice and cow farmers that he grew up in. He was born in 1938 in the village of Jinkyo. A precocious little boy, he rose with the dawn and waded through cow dung to feed the family’s herd before he headed to school. He excelled in language and math, and when classes were over, he came home to help his parents in the paddy fields and vegetable garden before studying into the night. When Kwon was growing up, “Korea was beginning to emerge from a rigid caste system that offered little advancement for rural people,” says Pitt Professor Seung-hwan Shin, a native of South Korea who teaches Korean film and culture. “It was a time when farmers’ sons and grandsons were expected to stay in the local community: to be rice farmers, local teachers, or local administrators in their village societies.” But Kwon’s father, who was educated during the Japanese rule of Korea, had other plans for 28

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Kwon in the Future Forest office in Seoul, South Korea.

his eldest son. Before the boy started school, his father hand-wrote textbooks to teach his son the basics of astrology, geology, history, and humanity. The early home-schooling provided the scaffolding to Kwon’s highest aspirations. To get there, he had to survive the Korean War, a bloody conflict that raged from 1950 to 1953. It killed more than 3 million people, including an estimated 1 million South Korean civilians, and battered the livelihoods of Kwon, his family, and thousands of others. Waged between North Korea (aided by the Soviet Union and China) and South Korea (aided by United Nations forces led by the United States), the war transformed the region, scorching the agrarian way of life in the South. In its aftermath, millions headed to the cities. “The push into the cities laid the framework that transformed not only individual lives but the broader society, too,” explains Shin. “Those who came were strivers, in search of economic opportunities and better days ahead.”

Kwon was one of those who pushed toward a new way of life. In 1958, the war had been over for five years, and the 20-year-old left his village to attend the prestigious law school at Seoul National University in the country’s capital. Every year, Kwon’s father sold a cow to cover his son’s tuition, opening for him a new and exciting world. The lectures, the huge library, the conversations with scholars. The law student soaked it in. By the end of Kwon’s four years of study, he chose a career path that would allow him to aid the public and expand his horizons. He took the exam to serve in his government’s public administration and, after scoring the highest grade, went to work in the foreign service. To better prepare him for the high-level international work to come, the South Korean government sent him to the United States to study. He took his first international flight to New York and set off on the next improbable leg of his life’s journey.

ittsburgh was foreign to the farmer’s son, but he grew to love it. Kwon was impressed by the tall, stately Cathedral of Learning, and enthralled by his course work at GSPIA. American culture held its appeal, too. Every Sunday he went to Pittsburgh Pirates games at Forbes Field. His 45-cent tickets got him close to his heroes, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. Every Thursday evening, he would go downtown to the symphony. Kwon came to the University of Pittsburgh with one other South Korean foreign service officer. At the time, in the 1960s, a politically and economically battered South Korea was still recovering from war. A collaboration was forged with the United States to help educate some of its government workforce at top American institutions like Pitt. Nonprofit organizations like the Asia Foundation and Overseas Development Assistance, Kwon says that his time at Pitt inspired him to be a “global citizen.” focused on advancing countries issues that would later play important roles in like South Korea, helped fund these scholhis 50-year diplomatic career: foreign aid and ars, including Kwon. What began as a trickle foreign relations. of Korean students arriving at Pitt would grow over the decades, thanks, in part, to the University’s reputation and sustained assistance oaded with knowledge, inspiration, from industry and philanthropy. and a Pitt master’s degree, Kwon began By the time Kwon and his fellow offihis diplomacy service with the Korean cer reached Pitt’s Oakland campus, they had Consulate General in Los Angeles. already been in the United States for three After returning to South Korea in months, studying at the United Nations in 1972, he rose through a succession of New York City and taking English classes at important diplomatic positions that Columbia University. But at Pitt, they found fostered better relations with Japan, a fount of resources. It was a place where they Thailand, and Myanmar. could openly debate the temper of the times: But the diplomat had always been fascinated the death of Martin Luther King Jr., the with China. It was a nation that had deeply Vietnam War. “The consciousness of these influenced South Korea, but hostilities from movements,” says Kwon, “and the ideas disthe Korean War had virtually shut down any cussed in class taught me to be a global leader.” Furthermore, GSPIA, close to celebrating dialogue. Yet Kwon believed that the relations its first decade, already had a reputation for could be warmed. In South Korea, his studies of China were excellence in teaching public service. Kwon limited, but at Pitt, nestled in an environment valued his relationships with his professors of academic curiosity, worlds of literature and and immersed himself in his studies, acquirresearch on China were open to him. The ing critical skills in negotiation and conflict young foreign-service worker “devoted” himresolution. He pursued a master’s degree in international affairs, and, Kwon says, GSPIA self to this scholarship, and it allowed him to provided him “with top-notch professional engage in one of the most important diplomacy diplomacy preparation” and the inspiration to shifts in his nation. By the early 1990s, he was be a “global citizen.” He focused on two key head of the South Korean delegation that led the highly clandestine meetings to begin

dialogue for normalization of relations with China. As the country strengthened economically, Kwon made the policy recommendation to create the Korean Overseas International Cooperation Agency, which provided aid to countries in need. With help from Kwon’s innovative vision, South Korea became one of the first former aid-receiving nations to become an aid-giving nation. After decades of high-level work, Kwon stepped away from diplomacy, his once coalblack hair turned white. What had not changed was his passion to make a positive difference. His office, once filled with scores of honors for his governmental service, is now filling up with recognitions for his work with Future Forest, an environmental effort he began to help China green up. The goal is to plant a billion trees, or nearly 30,000 acres of forests. Most everything in his life centers around green now—even his computer screen is emerald. Above his desk is a sign: Land is Life. Kwon has helped plant more than 22 million trees in six desert areas of China, and his Future Forest has planted more than 8 million trees at the Great Green Wall, a project designed to windbreak the advancing sands of China’s desertification. Now, when he’s out in W I N T E R

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the desert planting trees, or reflecting on his diplomatic breakthroughs, Kwon sometimes thinks back on his days in the cow fields and his time at Pitt. Few had imagined the farmer’s son would take such a journey. “I was nobody,” he says. “I am now somebody.”

won was part of the first wave of South Korean students at Pitt. Today, South Korea has a large and organized Pitt alumni base. Its members include leaders in education, technology, government, the private sector, nursing, and public health. They are part of the colossal effort that turned the world’s second-poorest nation into the 11th largest economy—in just three decades. These individuals were not only influenced by the University but also helped—and continue to help—shape Pitt. Decades of collaboration have led to valuable exchanges of ideas and resources. At Pitt, there’s the recently established Korean Heritage Classroom and the forging of partnerships with some of South Korea’s most prominent institutions of higher learning, including Seoul National, Yonsei, and Korea universities. “Global partnerships with innovative countries like South Korea have played a central role in the University of Pittsburgh’s transformation into a world leader in education and research,” says Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. “We look forward to continued collaborations with Korean students, scholars, and institutions that will help advance our University’s mission of leveraging new knowledge for all of society’s gain.” Byong Hyon Kwon is just one University of Pittsburgh alumnus who channeled his new knowledge to build a more hopeful future for South Korea. Raised in the shadow of war and sweeping social transformations, these students sought further advancement at esteemed U.S. universities like Pitt. What Kwon and those who soon came after him researched, learned, and observed at the University would help reshape the educational, social, economic, diplomatic, and cultural contours of their lives and their home country. Cow herders became cutting-edge diplomats. Elementary school tutors became leaders of elite national universities. Sons of peasants became counselors to presidents. Their migrations, to Pitt and back to South Korea, highlight their journey of moving from ordinary to extraordinary.

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eet nine other architects of modern South Korea who came to Pitt between the 1960s and early ’90s and harnessed their educations for lives of impact. To read more, visit www.pittmag.pitt.edu/change-agents. Sang-joo Lee (EDUC ’71G) Captain of culture and education

At Pitt: He embraced interdisciplin-

ary study and earned a PhD at the School of Education.

In South Korea: Lee served as deputy

prime minister of education; held the position of president at four different universities; chaired high-level negotiations that led to the founding of South Korea’s professional baseball league; helped lift the Korea Orchestra to international acclaim; and was awarded South Korea’s first-class Medal of Honor.

“I saw people and studied ideas at Pitt very different than what I was oriented to. I became a more open person.” Keun Namkoong (GSPIA ’89) Public service groundbreaker At Pitt: Namkoong earned a

PhD in public and international affairs from GSPIA.

In South Korea: He advocated for and instituted changes to how government administrators use research to build better policy; wrote two widely used books on research methods and public policy; and helped transform Seoul National University of Science and Technology into a globally respected research institution as the school’s president.

“My father always said to move forward. I did not hesitate to go to Pittsburgh, because it meant I could go to a ‘rising place.’”

Seung Wook Lee (GSPH ’79, ’82) Biostatistics pioneer

At Pitt: He earned a public health doctorate in biostatistics from the Graduate School of Public Health.

In South Korea: Lee served as dean of the public health

department at Seoul National University; shaped national health policy by amassing pioneering vital statistics on health, education, and public welfare; was awarded a National Medal, one of the Korean government’s highest honors; and, in 2017, was named an “outstanding figure in public health” by the Korea Public Health Association.

“The University of Pittsburgh helped to open the doors to my career.” Hyun Kyung Moon (GSPH ’86) Trailblazing researcher

At Pitt: Moon earned a PhD in public health with a focus on nutrition from the Graduate School of Public Health.

In South Korea: She forged a trailblazing career as a researcher, professor, author, and women’s leadership advocate; served as president of the Korean Dietetic Association; wrote one of Korea’s first nutritional policy papers, helping to drive government policies about food and nutrition; and was awarded a National Medal, one of the Korean government’s highest honors.

“Pitt gave me the credentials to have a voice.” Gio-bin Lim (ENGR ’89G)

Engineer and industry influencer

At Pitt: He earned a PhD in chemical engineering from the Swanson School of Engineering.

In South Korea: Lim is a professor of engineering at University of Suwon and a collaborator with government and private industry, particularly in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors. His work advances research, economic development, and commercialization, helping to marshal billions in research and tech funding to support innovation and advancement.

“I am Pitt proud. The ideas I learned about engineering and applying research and building synergy to do something for human life came to me at Pitt.” W I N T E R

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Shin-Bok Kim (GSPIA ’72,

EDUC ’73G)

University leader

At Pitt: Kim earned both a

master’s in public and international affairs and a PhD in education—in just two and a half years.

In South Korea: He championed educational reform and excellence, becoming the first at Seoul National University to hold the positions of provost and executive vice president; and, as the government’s vice minister of education, he reorganized vocational colleges and collaborated to hire more teachers and build more classrooms.

“My time at Pitt made me a leader.” Namgi Park (EDUC ’93G) Educator of educators

At Pitt: Park earned a PhD in

education policy with a focus on comparative education.

In South Korea: He built a

dynamic career in teaching, researching, and writing; became the youngest president of Gwangju National University of Education; chaired one of the nation’s largest collaboratives of educators; and is an author credited with influencing progressive teacher reform and a change to the culture of education in Korea.

“At Pitt, I studied education systems around the world. The work empowered me to generate theories to change the quality of education in Korea.” 32

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Kyungbae Chung (A&S ’86G)

Social welfare innovator At Pitt: He earned a PhD in economics from the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences.

In South Korea: Chung revolutionized the social welfare network by developing a national pension plan using long-term projection modeling learned at Pitt; introduced productive welfare, an innovation that included housing, education, and self-help programs for the poor; and instituted health insurance and a national pension to cover all citizens.

“Pitt’s intellectual community supported my imagination, my theories, my new ideas.” Ohjoon Kwon (ENGR ’85G) Global steel industry giant At Pitt: He studied the thermo-mechanical processing of steel and earned a PhD in materials science and engineering at the Swanson School of Engineering. In South Korea: Kwon is CEO of POSCO, the world’s fifth-largest steel-making company. He steadily rose through the ranks of research, technology, and executive governance, guiding POSCO into a role as a major contributor to South Korea’s automotive, shipbuilding, and construction sectors; led the company’s research and development center and its European Union office in Germany; and, in 2016, was named one of the nation’s top scientists by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies.

“At Pitt, I began to imbue myself with pride as a research and development expert and formed my philosophy about steel through diverse experiences.” W I N T E R

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BOOKSHELF Art’s Work

Borzutzky

n a complex world, poet Daniel Borzutzky finds hope in acts of creativity— particularly writing. “It’s extremely valuable to channel one’s anger, rage, and complicated relationship to community into works of art,” he says. “It starts conversations that provide readers with ways of understanding their own place in the world.” Borzutzky’s sixth collection of poetry, The Performance of Becoming Human (Brooklyn Arts Press), is borne of this impulse to put feelings to work on the page. Within the book’s 17 poems, the Pitt alumnus grapples with concepts of exploitation, violence, authority, and personhood. The tone ranges from darkly humorous to starkly serious as individuals are shown struggling against each other and structures of power. The conversation his work started has taken off. The book received the 2016 National Book Award for poetry, one of the country’s highest literary honors. In their award citation, the judges wrote, “These poems ask how we (or maybe how dare we) experience the tragedies of oppression and cruelty as if they were as mundane as making the bed.” The son of Chilean immigrants, Borzutzky grew up in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. At Pitt, he was a philosophy major with writerly ambitions and a predilection for history classes. One professor stands out in his memory: historian Marcus Rediker, whose research includes investigations of slavery and social justice. “He was a model for how to be a committed activist, as well as a teacher, thinker, and role model for students,” recalls Borzutzky (A&S ’97). Today, the poet is a positive model for his own students. He teaches creative writing and Latin American literature at Wilbur Wright College in Chicago. He’s also an acclaimed translator of Chilean poetry and fiction. With a National Book Award on his shelf, Borzutzky recently finished a new collection of prose poems, Lake Michigan, to be published in 2018 by University of Pittsburgh Press. It takes place in an imagined prison camp on the beach in Chicago, an image that first appeared in The Performance of Becoming Human. As before, he’s using creativity to search for understanding. “Poetry doesn’t have to follow the rules of a particular reality,” he says. “Something art can do is evoke reality and take it to its most extreme conclusions without having to accurately document what occurred.” ■

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ANGEL DEAN LOPEZ

BY ELIZABETH HOOVER

Square One: A Simple Guide to a Balanced Life

Though excelling professionally, Pitt neurological surgery professor Joseph Maroon was struggling with depression when he found inspiration in entrepreneur William Danforth’s philosophy of a “four square” life that balances work, relationships, spirituality, and health. The concept transformed Maroon’s priorities and led him to share his own experiences in Square One: A Simple Guide to a Balanced Life (Pythia Publishing). With coauthor Carrie Kennedy, he weaves together science, advice, and personal anecdotes to create a roadmap to finding fulfillment. —Christiana Dillard

The Life Group

Thirteen days after her sister’s suspicious disappearance, 17-year-old Rachel goes hunting for clues that police can’t seem to find. Her search leads her to a dubious church and one of its members, Tim, who agrees to help her find answers. What the two learn in just a day changes everything. Psychological thrills abound in The Life Group (Lakewater Press), the debut young adult novel by Maura Jortner (A&S ’05G), a senior lecturer of English at Baylor University. —CD

Under the Kaufmann’s Clock

In Under the Kaufmann’s Clock (Six Gallery Press), writer and community activist Angele Ellis (A&S ’79) takes readers to some of Pittsburgh’s most iconic locales as she explores their metaphors and associations to the city’s people. The hybrid collection of poems and flash fiction is divided into seasons and accompanied by the black and white photography of Rebecca Clever. It’s a lyrical, nostalgic tour of Pittsburgh’s past and present culture, and of Ellis’s personal loss, pain, and intimacies. —CD

Voice of Business

Richard Lesher (BUS ’58) overcame the hardships of Depression-era Pennsylvania to ascend to a 22-year tenure as the president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There, he used the media, bipartisanship, and international advocacy to expand the organization’s national and global influence. Part memoir, part economic treatise, Voice of Business: The Man Who Transformed the United States Chamber of Commerce (Indiana University Press), cowritten with Dave Scheiber, chronicles Lesher’s journey and belief that “hard work and perseverance” powers free enterprise. —Emma Creighton

PITT GIVING

INSPIRE

Past and Present Good BY LIBERT Y FERDA

n 1812, a young entrepreneur from New York arrived in Pittsburgh to make his fortune. He founded a pharmaceutical firm and a cotton mill, and quickly became one of the city’s most well-heeled men. Eventually, he traveled to the South on business, where he was confronted with the horrors of slavery, a reality that transformed his worldview. Returning North, Charles Avery resolved to use his business acumen to invest not just in industry Avery but also in change. He joined the abolitionist movement in Pittsburgh and began channeling money to fight slavery. In the 1840s, Avery, who was also a Methodist minister, built the Allegheny Institute and Mission Church,

later known as Avery College, which served as one of the nation’s first vocational schools for African Americans. According to legend, trap doors in the school’s basement led to an area used to hide escaped slaves traveling the Underground Railroad toward safety. Avery died in 1858, but his legacy lives on, particularly at the University of Pittsburgh, which was still known as the Western University of Pennsylvania when he bequeathed it $25,000. The Rev. Charles Avery Scholarship is the University’s oldest known endowed scholarship. More than a century and a half later, the scholarship continues to support Pitt students. As an endowment,

giveto.pitt.edu

the principal donation was invested, with scholarship funding issued from interest income. Last year, more than 100 people gathered at Pitt’s Alumni Hall for a dinner celebrating Avery’s vision and the transformative power of investments in education. Donors of various endowed Pitt scholarships and their beneficiaries met and shared their experiences. Benefactors spoke about what motivated them to give, and students explained how endowed scholar-

ships—which now number more than 500—allowed them to pursue their passions as they build their futures. Avery Scholarship recipient Lalit Molleti was in attendance and had the opportunity to meet Joan Davi, a relative of Charles Avery. A neuroscience major, Molleti received the scholarship based on his stellar academic record. He plans to become a doctor and is motivated by the selfless principles

From left, Joan Davi (a relative of Charles Avery), scholarship recipient Lalit Molleti, Chancellor Gallagher, and Theodore Davi W I N T E R

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PITT GIVING

modeled by Avery. He has served as an emergency medical technician in his New Jersey hometown and has volunteered as a bereavement support specialist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “Charles Avery is a role model whose values very much align with Pitt’s mission 160 years later,” says O’Neil Outar, former interim vice chancellor for institutional advancement, who was instrumental in organizing the event. “We felt the dinner was a fitting way to honor his remarkable foresight and leadership, and to inspire others to follow in his footsteps.” The Avery dinner is now expected to become an annual event at the University where the humanitarian’s legacy, epitomized by his richness of heart and vision for advancing education, thrives. ■

Centennial Celebration

Pitt’s top-ranked School of Social Work is celebrating 100 years of educating future social workers, conducting life-changing research, and supporting communities in Pittsburgh and beyond. To make a gift in celebration of the school’s centennial, visit pi.tt/100years.

100

BY EMILY B. KING

he ceremony’s hushed aura. The lantern’s warmth in her hands. The flicker of candlelight across the shadowed faces of her fellow students. What Carrie Collins remembers of her freshman Lantern Night experience two decades ago remains with her to this day. Most of all, she says, she can still feel the significance of participating in the University’s oldest tradition, joining the many thousands of Pitt women who have received the symbolic light of learning from alumnae “flame bearers.” For Collins, that evening marked the beginning of a gratifying life-long relationship with Pitt. She went on to earn undergraduate degrees in political science and French with a certificate in women’s studies before returning for a law degree. Today, she serves as the chief advancement officer at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she leads fundraising and alumni relations programs. Even from her home on the opposite end of Pennsylvania, her Pitt connection endures. She sits on the School of Law’s Board of Visitors and meets in Philadelphia with prospective students and recent grads who are building their careers. Now, Collins (A&S ’96, LAW ’99) is helping to ensure that the ceremony endures. With a pledge of $10,000, she established the Carrie M. Collins Lantern Night Endowed Fund, which will help cover the cost of the illuminating tradition. “Though I have moved away from Pittsburgh, I feel more connected to Pitt now than ever,” she says. Her gift is lighting the way for future classes of bright Pitt women. ■

YEARS

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Bright Future

Collins

Researching Excellence BY ADAM REGER

itt undergraduates do amazing things—and that includes conducting their own innovative research. A prestigious and competitive institutional grant awarded to Pitt through the national Beckman Scholars Program is helping some of these students on their way to discovery. Pitt’s 2017 Beckman Scholars are two senior bioengineering majors: Le Huang and David Denberg. Each was awarded $26,000 to support 15 months of research. Huang is developing a sophisticated virtual simulation of the human cardiovascular system aimed at improving hospital training. Denberg is using advanced modeling techniques to investigate the development of epithelial tissue in frog embryos to better understand how congenital malformations occur. Partnered with mentors, both students will finish their projects, accruing substantial lab experience in the process. The awards are made possible through the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, which promotes scientific discoverHuang

Denberg

INSPIRE THE ART OF GIVING

BY ADAM REGER

Pitt’s 2017 Beckman Scholars are two senior bioengineering majors: Le Huang and David Denberg. Each was awarded $26,000 to support 15 months of research. ies by researchers and nonprofit research institutions. In 2015, the foundation granted Pitt a threeyear, $156,000 award to support undergraduate research—the fifth time the University received the award. Institutions must be invited to apply, and demonstrate a commitment to high-quality undergraduate research in chemistry and the biological sciences. Each year of the grant, a panel of Pitt faculty members selects two undergraduate Beckman Scholars to support. “The program enables students to experience the full end-to-end process of developing and carrying out a research project,” said Anne Hultgren, executive director of the Beckman Foundation, noting the award’s educational impact. For student investigators like Huang and Denberg, the award is also a vote of confidence as they begin to cultivate careers of impact and exploration. ■

G’Day, Pitt!

Donors across the globe gave to the University on Pitt’s first Day of Giving, and one alum’s donation took the title of “Farthest Gift from Pitt.” Richard Lugg’s (GSPH ’66) donation traveled

11,374 miles

from his home in Wilson, Australia.

law student walking his dog along the streets of Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown neighborhood pauses before the windows of an antique English furniture store. He never thought much about furniture or art as a boy growing up in Charleroi, Pa., but his regular strolls past shops like this one have piqued his interest. He’s inspired to learn more about the interesting pieces he sees behind the window. Over the years, as he built a successful career in real estate development and, later, art storage, Steven Guttman’s creative interests expanded to paintings, sculptures, photography, and design. Today, he and his wife, Kathy, have acquired more than 500 works of art in what has been recognized as one of the most remarkable collections of contemporary art and design in the United States. The couple says that part of what drives them in their pursuit is a commitment to supporting the arts and the joy of identifying new or underappreciated talent. Guttman’s passion for art recently earned him the French government’s highest honor. In 2016, he was named Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in recognition of his promotion of cultural exchange and service as chairman of the board of the Centre Pompidou Foundation, an America-based not-for-profit supporting the Parisian museum and cultural center. In bestowing the award, the ambassador of France, Gérard Araud, lauded the Pitt alum’s “artistic expertise and eye for young talent.” The Guttmans’ work to support others isn’t confined to the art world. The couple is a longtime supporter of Pitt, and recently made a historic donation of $2 million to the University of Pittsburgh’s Football Championship Fund. It is the largest gift received by the fund, which is dedicated to building a top-tier football program both on the field and in the classroom. “The football program has made substantial progress under Coach Narduzzi, and I think they’re on the verge of reaching greater heights,” said Guttman (A&S ’68). Thanks in part to the Guttmans’s generosity, budding talent will continue to ascend at Pitt and beyond. ■ The Guttmans

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PITT GIVING

INSPIRE A Case for Caring

BY ELIZABETH HOOVER

n Honduras, an intellectually disabled youngster faced abuse that spiraled into assault and intimidation by a law enforcement officer. The state couldn’t protect him, so his family sent the unaccompanied minor to the United States in search of refuge. Resettlement efforts joined the youth with family in western Pennsylvania where he was connected to the University of Pittsburgh’s Immigration Law Clinic. The clinic’s law students were equipped to build a case for asylum, but it was painful for the traumatized youth to share his story. A successful asylum case, however, often requires that a Vélez Martínez refugee relay his or her experiences. The students connected the boy to needed social services. He was able to see a counselor and break his silence. Eventually, with the clinic’s help, he was granted asylum and allowed to stay in the United States. Experiences like these are what the clinic’s director, Sheila I. Vélez Martínez, calls “critical pedagogy.” “I want the students to engage with the profound ethical components of law and think about the role of law in society,” she says. “To protect the client, it’s important to look at everything that impacts their life. A lawyer’s work is holistic.” Pitt’s Immigration Law Clinic was established by Vélez Martínez in 2010 as a training ground for law students and a free resource for immigrants seeking asylum, facing removal from the United States, or seeking protection under the Violence Against Women Act. It’s work that Washington, D.C., attorney and Pitt alumnus Jack Olender believes to be vital. He recently made a gift in support of the clinic’s mission in memory of his late wife, creating the Jack and Lovell Olender Professorship of Asylum, Refugee, and Immigration Law. Olender (A&S ’57, LAW ’60) is dedicated to promoting opportunity and equal justice—a mission that started in Pittsburgh. “At Pitt, I had excellent professors who led me into good directions. Naturally, I wanted to do what I could for my alma mater,” he says. The gift is advancing the clinic’s work, allowing it to serve more clients, particularly those with complex cases like the boy from Honduras. “It gives greater stature and greater visibility to the kind of work we do,” says Vélez Martínez, who was named the inaugural Olender Professor. The clinic, she adds, has already successfully obtained asylum and immigration relief for people from more than 50 countries. ■ Olender

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Going to the Chapel The Heinz Memorial Chapel has launched a campaign for a building endowment to ensure that it continues serving the University and Pittsburgh communities for years to come. Donors have the opportunity to associate their names with elements of the historic building, including stained glass windows and chapel pews. Learn more about the Heinz Memorial Chapel Campaign at pi.tt/campustreasure.

Gifts: Boxed As part of the significant pledge he made to the Department of Economics, Harvey Steven Cohen (A&S ’68) recently endowed a fund that will support the department’s Experimental Economics Lab. George D. Brightbill (SIS ’69) made a $400,000 bequest to Pitt’s new School of Computing and Information and a $175,000 commitment to establish a scholarship for students pursuing a Master of Library and Information Science degree. Former Pitt swimmer Kate Mathison (SHRS ’73, EDUC ’80) committed $10,000 in support of the Trees Pool renovation campaign. “Swimming, coaching, and working in athletic administration at Pitt had a significant impact on my life and career,” says Mathison, who hopes her gift enriches the lives of future Pitt athletes.

A L U M NI

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CLASS NOTES 1958

Frank J. Karfes DEN ’58, A&S ’60 has completed 52 years as an active oral surgeon. His dental practice is in Cleveland, Ohio.

Institute for Learning in Retirement at the University of Florida. The topic was “Along the Monongahela … Growing Up in the Pittsburgh Area.”

which explores attentive listening through storytelling. Stein serves as a facilitator at the American Indian Diabetes Prevention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.

1960

1967

1969

presented a lecture as part of Adventures in Living, a summer course for the

the second edition of his book, Listening Deeply (University of Missouri Press),

Captaining the Corps d’Afrique: The Civil War Diaries and Letters of John Newton Chamberlin (McFarland Publishers), which offers an insider’s view of the wartime efforts of Black troops and their relationship with the Union Army. Bisbee, a retired college professor, resides in Fort Collins, Colo.

Joseph Gilkey A&S ’60, EDUC ’70

Sports Stories

Howard F. Stein A&S ’67, ’72G published

SPOTLIGHT

BY ADAM REGER

he students filed out of Posvar Hall and across Roberto Clemente Drive. They stopped before an ivy-laced redbrick wall, one of the last vestiges of Forbes Field, the historic ballpark that was once the setting of some of Pittsburgh sports’ most famous moments. Members of Jim O’Brien’s class, Pittsburgh’s Rich Sports History (offered last spring through Pitt’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) leaned in to get a better look at the relic. “Reach out and touch the wall!” the instructor encouraged. O'Brien's excitement was infectious. The students smiled as they ran their fingers over the white painted numbers marking the wall’s distance from home plate. This was hands-on history. For O’Brien, an award-winning sportswriter, columnist, and author of 27 books on Pittsburgh sports (including Hail to Pitt, the first history of sports at Pitt), athletic history is hardly a thing of the past. That’s because he spends his days bringing it to life, whether in the classroom or on the page. “I’m gifted at knowing what’s a story,” he says. Pitt has been part of O’Brien’s own story for decades. A lifelong fan, he credits the University with his education as a journalist and a person—and for introducing him to Kathie (SOC WK ’67), his wife of 50 years. He was the sports editor for the Pitt News as a student and, as an alumnus, he even served as the school’s assistant athletic director for public relations in the 1980s. Recently, O’Brien (A&S ’64) released Looking Up: From the ABA to the NBA, the WNBA to the NCAA, chronicling his 35 years reporting on basketball around the country—work that landed him in the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame. It’s the latest chapter in a sporting life filled with good stories.

John W. Bisbee A&S ’69G edited

1971

Louis Grumet GSPIA ’71 published The Curious Case of Kiryas Joel: The Rise of a Village Theocracy and the Battle to Defend the Separation of Church and State (Chicago Review Press), the true story behind a U.S. Supreme Court case in which Grumet was the plaintiff. He is the former executive director of the New York State School Boards Association.

1975

A.J. Kreimer A&S ’75 received

the Boy Scouts of America’s Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in recognition of his notable career and voluntary service to his community. He is an assistant professor of practice in accounting at Temple University’s Fox School of Business.

1976

Mark Huberman LAW ’76 retired from his position as chief magistrate of

the Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court after a 30-year judicial career. He is now administrator of the Ohio Association of Magistrates and the executive director of the National Health Association. He resides in Boardman, Ohio.

1977

Richard H. Pfau EDUC ’77G published Your Behavior: Understanding and Changing the Things You Do (Paragon House), which aims to help readers better analyze and change personal behaviors. He is a human behavior researcher and consultant and has taught in seven countries. He lives in Mansfield Center, Conn.

1978

Therese Rocco CGS ’78 wrote a memoir, Therese Rocco: Pittsburgh’s First Female Assistant Police Chief (Word Association Publishers), which describes her groundbreaking career and work to solve missing child cases.

1980

Judith R. Robinson CGS ’80 published Carousel (Lummox Press), a collection of her fiction and poetry. She teaches poetry in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

1981

Larry A. Sellitto CGS ’81, EDUC ’84G, ’87G was recognized as a 2016 Top Doctor in the Eastern Region by The Leading Physicians of the World. He is a specialist in the treatment of addictive disorders and has a general practice in Monroeville, Pa.

Legend O’Brien

G = Graduate Degree H = Honorary Degree

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1983

Diane Redington NURS ’83G established the GYN Carcinosarcoma Project, a nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for the rare uterine/ovarian cancer. A nursepractitioner in Park City, Utah, she has raised more than $230,000 in research funds since being diagnosed in 2015. Norman A. Stahl EDUC ’83G was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame at the annual

conference of the International Literacy Association. He is a professor emeritus of literacy education at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill., and serves on the board of the Wirtz Foundation and on the leadership team for the Council of Learning Assistance and Developmental Education Associations.

SPOTLIGHT

Book Smarts

BY ELIZABETH HOOVER

nne Keenan’s living room in Ambler, Pa., is brimming with books. They spill from shelves and tower in stacks on the floor—perhaps 4,000 volumes in all. The Pitt alumna is an avid reader, but these titles don’t belong to her. She will deliver them to young readers in schools, homeless shelters, churches, police stations, and food pantries. Meanwhile, her home will fill again with donated books collected through her nonprofit, Reading Recycled. Keenan was inspired to start the charity in 2009, after hearing the story of a teenager who had grown up without books. It troubled the former teacher, who still remembers the freedom she felt as a child reading favorites like Harold and the Purple Crayon. She wondered, “What if you could give a child growing up in less than ideal conditions the opportunity to escape through literature?” Access to books means more than a getaway for the imagination; it can also be a strong predictor of academic success. Yet, many children grow up without age-appropriate books in their home, says Keenan, who pursued literacy education after studying sociology and psychology at Pitt. In some low-income areas of Philadelphia, researchers counted one book per every 300 children. In more affluent areas, the ratio is 13 books per child. Reading Recycled addresses that imbalance, and has already donated more than 18,000 books across eastern Pennsylvania. Keenan (A&S ’81) even hand-sews “birthday bags,” filled with new books and a toy, for children living in emergency shelters. “It’s just a charity based on heart,” she says. “You see a need, you know how to fill it, and you get it done.”

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1987

1988

Preceptor of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association (PPA). She is the chair of the PPA Editorial Review Board and a professor in Pitt’s School of Pharmacy. Rose Hoover CGS ’87 was named one of Pittsburgh Business Times’ Outstanding CEOs and Top Executives. She is the president and chief administrative officer of Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp. Brian Lynch LAW ’87 is the chief financial officer, senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary of Callaway Golf Company, a sporting goods company headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif. Steven Markenson A&S ’87 oversees research at the Food Marketing Institute in Arlington, Va. He is a market research executive with expertise in quantitative and qualitative market research across a range of industries.

chief executive officer and president of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in Pittsburgh.

Kim Coley PHARM ’87 received the 2017

Janis Burley Wilson A&S ’88 is the new

1989

Sheila Alexander NURS ’89, ’04G was selected as a winner in the Nursing Research category of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. The recognition honors exceptional nurses practicing in the Commonwealth. She is an associate professor of acute and tertiary care in Pitt’s School of Nursing.

1990

Constance Sayers UPG ’90 cofounded Thoughtful Dog, an online literary and lifestyle magazine, with her sister Loie Sayers. She serves as the publisher as well as the editor of the magazine’s lifestyle pieces.

SCENE IN ROME

Pitt Magazine tags along with J.P. Blake Casher A&S ’70 on a visit to the Colosseum in Rome, Italy.

CLASS NOTES 1991

Loie Sayers UPG ’91, A&S ’02G cofounded Thoughtful Dog, an online literary and lifestyle magazine, with her sister Constance Sayers. She serves as the magazine’s editor in chief.

1994

Erin Claypoole A&S ’94, a trial attorney, was recently promoted to the Violent Crimes Bureau of the Montgomery County, Ohio, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division.

1995

Barbara Edelman A&S ’95G published her debut collection of poetry, Dream of the Gone-From City (Carnegie Mellon University Press). She is a lecturer in Pitt’s Department of English.

1998

Sean-Michael Green A&S ’98 was elected president of the board of directors for Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Jennifer Lingler NURS ’98G was selected as a finalist in the Nursing Research category of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. The recognition honors exceptional nurses

SCENE IN BRAZIL

Christine Palamidessi A&S ’73 and Patricia Borneman DiNardo NURS ’78 pause for a moment on the Selaron Steps in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to show their favorite traveling companion, Pitt Magazine.

practicing in the Commonwealth. She is an associate professor of health and community systems in Pitt’s School of Nursing.

1999

Margaret Lehman Blake A&S ’99G published The Right Hemisphere and Disorders of Cognition and Communication: Theory and Clinical Practice (Plural Publishing, Inc.). She is an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Houston. James Butler GSPH ’99 was promoted to the tenured position of associate professor of behavioral and community health at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also the associate director of the Maryland Center for Health Equity. Nilanjana (Roy) Chakraborty A&S ’99 launched ShopBollyWear.com last year. The Plymouth, Minn.-based Web site sells Bollywoodinspired fashion. Bill Viola Jr. UPJ ’99 produced Tough Guys, a Showtime movie inspired by Godfathers of MMA, a book he coauthored with Fred Adams. Both the book and the film depict Pittsburgh as the

birthplace of the sport of mixed martial arts. Viola lives in Norwin, Pa.

2003

Matt Hudson A&S ’03 released the contemporary jazz CD Nothing for Granted with his four-man band, Scientific Map. The group hails from the southside of Chicago, where Hudson, a guitarist, also works as a jazz educator. Randal M. Whitlatch A&S ’03, LAW ’06 has joined Duane Morris LLP’s Pittsburgh, Pa., office as a partner in the firm’s Trial

Presidential Personalities

Melissa Somma McGivney PHARM ’98G received the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association’s NASPA Excellence in Innovation Award for creating the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network. She is associate dean for community partnerships and associate professor in Pitt’s School of Pharmacy.

SPOTLIGHT

BY CHRISTIANA DILLARD

he researcher watches in amusement as former Ecuadorian president Abdalá Bucaram puts on a show. During their interview in Bucaram’s home in Panama, the exiled politician expounds on his personal philosophies, cracks outlandish jokes, and strums a guitar while singing about himself. Intrigued, the researcher notes it all. The strange afternoon is all in a day’s work for Ignacio Arana Araya, a political scientist examining the personality traits of presidents in the Americas. As part of his research, he has interviewed 23 former presidents from eight different Latin American countries, and plans to meet more. “We know very little about presidential behavior,” he says. “It will take me years to become an expert in presidents, but that’s essentially what I want to be.” He’s well suited to the line of study. In Chile and Spain, Arana worked as a journalist focusing on international affairs before relocating to the United States to pursue a PhD in political science at Pitt. Arana’s scholarship zeroed in on the psychological traits of presidents who make constitutional changes to expand their power. He grounded his work in data, leading a research team that created the Presidential Database of the Americas, which quantifies the personality traits and background characteristics of 315 presidents. And, whenever possible, he met former leaders in person. Now a postdoctoral fellow and instructor of comparative politics at Carnegie Mellon, Arana (A&S ’15G) is writing a book that explores the relationship between institutional change and presidents’ personality traits—such as assertive, even eccentric characteristics, like Bucaram exhibited. He hopes his work offers new insight on the people behind politics.

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Practice Group. He specializes in complex commercial litigation.

2004

Jessica Devido NURS ’04, ’08G, ’14G was selected as a finalist in the Nursing Education category of the Nightingale Awards of Pennsylvania. The recognition honors exceptional nurses practicing in the Commonwealth. She is an assistant professor in Duquesne University’s School of Nursing. Rebecca J. Morris SIS ’04G, ’11G published School Libraries and Student Learning (Harvard Education Press), which offers strategies for collaboration among school leaders, teachers, and librarians. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

2007

Stephanie McGrath PHARM ’07G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists

SCENE IN TANZANIA

Chris Meilinger PHARM ’90 took Pitt Magazine to new heights when he brought it along on a climb to the top of Tanzania’s famed Mount Kilimanjaro.

Courting Victory

2008

BY CHRISTIANA DILLARD

Keith Gavin A&S ’08, a former Pitt wrestler, is now Pitt wrestling’s head coach. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic wrestling team for more than six years. Dorina Pena A&S ’08 published Black History Month (Finishing Line Press), a poetry anthology about racism and race relations. She lives in Philadelphia, Pa.

2009

Melinda Kozminski PHARM ’09G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years. Linda Strachan SOC WK ’09G was named the executive director of the Victim Outreach Intervention Center, a provider of comprehensive services for victims of violent crimes in Butler County, Pa.

2010

Nikos Giannopoulos A&S ’10 was named Rhode Island’s 2017 Teacher of the Year. He is a special education teacher at Beacon Charter High School for the Arts in Woonsocket, R.I.

2011

Kate Lasky A&S ’11, GSPIA ’13 is founder, co-owner, and manager of Apteka, a Pittsburgh restaurant that serves Europeaninspired vegan food. The restaurant was named 2017 Best New

Hoang “Henry” L. Nguyen ENGR ’08 passed Pennsylvania’s state professional engineering exam and is now a licensed professional engineer at Buchart Horn’s Pittsburgh office.

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SPOTLIGHT

Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

he televised tennis matches captivate the young girl. She’s drawn to the athletic finesse of players like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Watching the U.S. Open in her family’s living room in Georgia, Lisa Maddox gets so excited that she pretends to be one of the ball girls tasked with retrieving errant tennis balls. Back and forth across the living room she runs, imagining one day hitting the court as a player. Today, Maddox is living her childhood dream—after overcoming significant hurdles to do so. In 2006, treatment for a chronic pain condition led to the amputation of her left leg. As she adapted to using a wheelchair, the lifelong athlete was determined to return to the sports she loved. She tried wheelchair basketball, but found more joy on the tennis court. Fueled by passion and regular training, Maddox has won 17 tennis titles, and finished 2017 as No. 1 in the nation in the United States Tennis Association's Wheelchair Tennis Women's A division. The Pitt alumna is no stranger to facing challenges. She attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as part of the school’s ninth-ever class of women. After serving in military intelligence, she changed course and earned a Pitt medical degree to become an Army physician. Now, as a civilian, Maddox (MED ’95) directs the Polytrauma Amputee Network at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Ga., where she blends medical expertise with firsthand experience to help others undergoing physical rehabilitation. Maddox’s next challenge: reaching the 2020 Paralympics. Getting there will take a lot of hard work, but the athlete is unfazed. “Go big or go home!” she says.

Mark Geiser ENGR ’93 was promoted to associate in the Carlisle, Pa., office of Dewberry, an engineering consulting firm. He has extensive experience in the preliminary and final design of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission highway projects.

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY NEWS-TIMES

A L U M NI

CLASS NOTES I N

Restaurant by Pittsburgh Magazine and was highlighted in GQ. Roshni Patel PHARM ’11G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

2012

Sarah Dombrowski PHARM ’12G, Kyle McCormick PHARM ’12, ’14G, and Nicole Pezzino PHARM ’12 were each recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years.

M E M O R I A M

Patrick C. Dargan ENGR ’66, December 2016, age 74, of Ft. Myers, Fla. He was an officer in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps, Special Troops, and a recipient of the Bronze Star. His career in project management and engineering with the Aluminum Company of America spanned more than 32 years. After retirement, he enjoyed photography, high-performance vehicles, hiking, camping, canoeing, crosscountry skiing, theater, and travel. Douglas Octavius Fisher A&S ’57, ’58G,

a patent attorney at Brinks, Gilson, & Lione in Chicago, Ill. Her areas of practice include patent prosecution and litigation of applications for various technology fields.

May 2017, age 82, of Raleigh, N.C. An esteemed economist, he taught at 11 universities in England, Canada, Pennsylvania, California, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, and North Carolina during his career. He published 12 books, including one that was translated into Spanish, Japanese, and Turkish, and served as president of the North American Economics and Finance Association.

2014

Edward Frese A&S ’73, September 2017,

2013

Andrea L. Shoffstall ENGR ’13 is

Brandon Antinopoulos PHARM ’14G was recognized by the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association as one of 2017’s top 10 pharmacists practicing for less than 10 years. Michael Magliocca A&S ’14 is pursuing professional fight choreography and acting in New York City. He is an active member of the Society of American Fight Directors.

2015

Colin Huwyler ENGR ’15 is the founder of Optimus Technologies, which won a 2017 Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence for its “City of Pittsburgh 100 Percent Biodiesel Project.”

age 66, of Richmond, Va. He worked for Duquesne Light Company as a chemist at the Beaver Valley Power Station, and then for VEPCO and Dominion Generation. Recognized as an industry expert in nuclear power chemistry, he served on several industry water chemistry standards committees developing new technologies and standards for operation.

Seymour Alexander Herron BUS ’38, DEN ’40, October 2017, age 101, of Denton, Tex. A graduate of the first six-year dental program at Pitt, he practiced dentistry for 43 years in McKeesport, Pa. He was also a skilled clock enthusiast and talented musician who took great pride in his time playing trumpet in the Pitt Marching Band. He wore his Pitt class ring until the very end.

Walter S. Kaminski ENGR ’51, September 2016, age 92, of Penn Hills, Pa. His career included 25 years as an electrical engineer at U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock, Pa., and at the research center in Monroeville, Pa. He later designed subway cars and airport people-movers at Westinghouse Transportation Division in West Mifflin, Pa.

Michael James Lewandowski A&S ’02, May 2017, age 37, of Gilroy, Calif. He served in the U.S. Army, through which he was awarded the Bronze Star and Combat Infantryman Badge. In 2012, he and his wife, Dani, moved from Michigan to California, where he joined the San Jose Police Department. He was extremely proud of his work as a police officer and enjoyed serving his community.

Gary W. Litwinowicz A&S ’68, September

Theodore John Ondocsin ENGR ’41, September 2017, age 96, of Plano, Tex. He served in the Pacific as an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He worked for the Mackintosh-Hemphill Company for most of his career, retiring as vice president of sales. An active member of the American Iron and Steel Institute, he also served on the Board of Directors for Polymer Enterprises, Inc.

Rachel Poole NURS ’47, June 2017, age 92, of Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1943, she was one of the first three Black students admitted into Pitt’s nursing program. She was then the first African American director of nursing in Western Pennsylvania, and eventually the first African American associate professor and associate chairperson in the Department of Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing at Pitt’s School of Nursing.

2017, age 71, of Brant Beach, N.J. After majoring in economics at Pitt, he worked for General Motors, Touche Ross, and, for more than 30 years, as an efficiency expert for the U.S. Postal Service. He traveled the world enhancing postal operations at U.S. government-run facilities and ended his career as Postmaster of Long Beach Island, N.J., where he and his wife, Judy, resided for many years.

Kenneth Schwartz A&S ’71, December 2016, age 67, of Los Angeles, Calif. He was a respected travel professional for more than 40 years as well as an enthusiastic traveler, visiting more than 50 countries in Asia, Europe, South America, Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. He was passionate about history and politics, well read, and an exceptionally gifted conversationalist.

Gudrun Anna-Thea Mower A&S ’86G,

Anderson James Williams Jr. A&S ’48G, September 2017, age 92, of Norfolk, Va. He served with the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. The chief of pathology at Norfolk Community Hospital from 1965 until 1998, he was a life member of the Virginia Pathology Association, the National Medical Association, and the Norfolk Medical Association. His passions included working, reading medical research journals, classical music, and watching the Pittsburgh Steelers.

October 2017, age 81, of Jordanville, N.Y. A native of Germany, Mower moved to the United States after marrying George Mower, with whom she lived, worked, and studied in Utica, N.Y., Hamburg, Germany, and State College, Pa. She taught art history at Slippery Rock University—a job she loved— until 1995.

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ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

ENGAGE Clean Start BY ERVIN DYER

ECO-SOAP BANK

otor-biking into rural Cambodia during the summer of 2014, Samir Lakhani sought to make a difference. The University of Pittsburgh junior from Allentown, Pa., was visiting as a volunteer with a nongovernmental organization, constructing commercial fish farms in Southeast Asia. The goal of the work was to help provide Cambodians with sustainable sources of nourishment. But one day, as Lakhani rode across the flat, green landscape of the Kralanh district, the environmental studies major found himself pulled in a different direction. He spied a mother washing her child with abrasive laundry powder. Nearby, he could see other women cleaning their babies in the same toxic chemicals used to scrub their dirty pots. In that instant, Lakhani knew how he could help people in a different but important way. Trouble was he only had six days left in Cambodia before returning to Pitt. “I dropped everything,” Lakhani says. He left his volunteer position and consulted with professionals at one of the country’s four hospitals to learn about local public health needs. Cholera and diarrhea, he discovered, were two of the most common ailments in Cambodia, though many cases could be prevented if rural communities had access to hand soap and were taught how to use it. Still without a firm plan, Lakhani traveled to Siem Reap, a city bustling with 4 million tourists. As he walked past dozens of hotels, an idea came to him. He could collect and recycle discarded

He says he got on a bike and, like a “crazy Westerner,” showed up at hotels and guesthouses asking, “Can I have your dirty soap?” soap from hotels and get it to those in need. He says he got on a bike and, like a “crazy Westerner,” showed up at hotels and guesthouses asking, “Can I have your dirty soap?” Now, Lakhani is the CEO of Eco-Soap Bank, an organization that gathers used soap, which it sanitizes, melts down, repackages, and distributes to villages, schools, and local clinics in Cambodia. Eco-Soap Bank now has branches in four

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different cities throughout the country, 400 hotels contributing to the cause, and 36 local women employed to do the recycling. With the repurposed soap, the gift of better hygiene is now in the hands of more than 650,000 Cambodians. This global enterprise was borne from a desire for the extraordinary—a desire nourished at Pitt. As a student, Lakhani told Mark Collins, an environmental studies coordinator and lecturer, that he

wanted a field placement that reached beyond the “regular.” Collins suggested the international work in Cambodia and, later, encouraged Lakhani to fundraise and connect with media, eventually drawing global, visionary partners to help support Eco-Soap Bank. The young alumnus has garnered international praise for his work, including recognition as one of 2017’s top 10 “CNN Heroes.” The accolade salutes

What the symbol means: To see more photos, visit alumni.pitt.edu

Alumni: Spotlights

SHARON RADISCH

The young alumnus has garnered international praise for his work, including recognition as one of 2017’s top 10 “CNN Heroes.” The accolade salutes “everyday people changing the world.”

Lakhani

“everyday people changing the world.” Still, Lakhani (A&S ’15) is dreaming bigger. Eco-Soap Bank now has similar projects budding in Rwanda and Nepal. “No nation will ever prosper if public health is not on sound footing,” he says. Through a chance encounter and a charge to make a difference, Lakhani has cleared a clean path for global good works. ■

Supreme Achievement BY LIBERT Y FERDA

arly in her law career, Shawndya Luisa Simpson tried the case of a chilling murder witnessed by a college student named Dionne. Distressed, the young woman told Simpson she planned to quit school, but the lawyer urged her not to give up. “Stay in school. I’ll be here for you,” she promised. Simpson knows how support can infuse hope into trying circumstances. Money was tight in her family’s Brooklyn, N.Y., home, but Simpson was determined to go to college. Her mother and her grandmothers, Panamanian immigrants who worked long hours tailoring clothes and cleaning hotels, urged her to get as much education as possible. She attended Pitt, majoring in information sciences with a plan to break into the burgeoning computer industry. Instead, she found herself increasingly interested in law. After earning a bachelor’s degree, she enrolled at Pitt’s School of Law, where the attorney-inthe-making found a network of people invested in her success. She recalls how one professor, Kevin Deasy, now the associate dean of students, always offered words of encouragement and helped her secure funding for bar exam preparation courses. After Pitt, Simpson returned to New York, where her career blossomed. She rose from assistant New York attorney general to bureau chief to civil court judge. In 2016, she was elected to the Supreme Court of New York State, becoming the first Panamanian American to serve in the role. Outside of the courtroom, Simpson (SIS ’87, LAW ’90) mentors dozens of prospective Pitt Law school students and serves on Pitt’s Board of Trustees as a newly elected member. And, after nearly 25 years, she still connects with her first mentee, Dionne, who went on to earn a PhD, bolstered by Simpson’s guidance. “I didn’t accomplish all these great things by myself,” the justice says, “and I’ll never forget that.” ■ Simpson

Partial to Pitt

Pitt’s alumni affinity councils are a great way to connect with fellow Panthers over shared heritage, identities, or former student activities. There are currently 14 affinity councils—including the African American Alumni Council, the LGBTQIA+ Alumni Council, and the Pitt Band Alumni Council—and the formation of new councils is welcome. Visit pi.tt/affinitycouncils to learn more.

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Alumni: Spotlight

Alumni: Feedback

Got News? Send us your good news, and keep us up

to date on your latest interests.

Name________________________ Address_______________________ City__________________________ State ______________ Zip________ Preferred E-mail___________________ Preferred Telephone________________ Occupation_____________________ Title_________________________ Employer_______________________ City_________________State______

Your interests (check as many as apply): ❍ Pitt Clubs ❍ ❍ Alumni Councils ❍ ❍ Advocacy for Pitt ❍ ❍ Networking Events ❍ ❍ Athletic Events ❍

Pitt Send-Offs Homecoming Online Alumni Services Travel Program Other__________

Got news?_________ ___________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ ____________________________ Please return to: Jeff Gleim Pitt Alumni Association 140 Alumni Hall, 4227 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260

50 There are now

Pitt Alumni Clubs

in cities and regions across the United States and even more globally. Find one near you by visiting pi.tt/alumniclubs.

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Living Memory BY ELIZABETH HOOVER

In 1968, Keith Sachs was strolling through New York City’s Central Park when he first saw the woman who would become his wife. The graduate of Pitt’s business school introduced himself to the kind and lovely Renée Lyszka Lisse. Over time, they fell in love, and he learned of her tragic early life. Renée was 4 years old in 1944 and living in Nazi-occupied Paris when her Jewish mother was arrested and sent to a detention camp. Unable to stay in Paris, she became a “hidden child” of the Holocaust and was sent alone by train to southern France where an aunt safely concealed her. Years after the war, she came alone to the United States, where she eventually met and married Sachs. The couple settled in East Windsor, N.J., and had two children. Renée taught foreign languages and Sachs (BUS ’65) joined CBS/Sony, later serving as vice president of Information Technology and Strategic Sourcing Lyszka Lisse at Sony Corporation of America. Throughout her life, Renée struggled to understand why she survived World War II while 1.5 million other children perished. She decided it was so she could share her story and encourage others to prevent hate and suffering. For decades, she spoke to groups of children and adults about the Holocaust. When she died in 2015, Sachs vowed to continue her mission. Using her video memoir and presentation materials, he shares her story with schools, universities, and religious organizations. He’s been named an Authorized Volunteer Holocaust Speaker by the State of New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education and established the Renée Lisse Sachs Charitable Trust for the Benefit of Humanity. “Renée was not only my wife, she was my teacher,” he says. “She taught me to speak out against tyranny before there is another Holocaust, and that’s what I plan to do for the rest of my life.” ■

Alumni Scrapbook: Alumni Awards During homecoming, the University lauded Pitt graduates for their community service and spirit. (Top) Four alumni were honored as Distinguished Alumni Fellows. From left, Carol McGrevin (EDUC ’64), Eugene McGrevin (A&S ’66), Gordon Vanscoy (PHARM ’84, BUS ’91G), Marna Whittington (A&S ’70G, ’74G), pictured with Chancellor Patrick Gallagher. (Bottom) Five Alumni Association Awards were presented. From left, PAA President Gary Brownlee; recipients Bruce Mountjoy (CGS ’91), Darryl Floyd (A&S ’89, MED ’94), Tracy Floyd (NURS ’91), John Gismondi (A&S ’75, LAW ’78), and Gordon Louderback (ENGR ’13); and Jeff Gleim.

ENGAGE

Alumni: Spotlight

Your Pitt Connection

Q&A: Write Stuff BY JOHANNA R. MURPHY

hile pursuing a Pitt master’s degree in writing, Julie Albright (A&S ’95G) treasured being part of a community of writers. The confidence it provided helped empower and fuel her work. Since the early ’90s, she has helped hundreds of Pittsburgharea children find that same sense of support through Almost Authors, a creative writing summer camp serving third through 12th graders. The popular program is part of her business, The Writing Studio, through which she coaches kids and adults in the creative pursuits of writing and editing. The summer of 2017 marked the 25th year of Almost Authors helping young people embrace the potential of the written word. Held in cities across the country, “Pitt Is It” events give alumni the opportunity to reconnect—and help to spread the word about the University’s national reputation for excellence. Pitt was “It” this fall in Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C., where special event programming included receptions, presentations by administration, and a game-watch. To learn about upcoming events near you, visit pi.tt/pittisit.

What inspired you to start Almost Authors Summer Camp? After college, I wanted a summer job that would let me use my creative writing degree, so I decided to create one. The first camp was small but tons of fun. The following year, I started grad school at Pitt and took part in the Western Pennsylvania Young Writers Institute, a professional development program for writing teachers hosted by Pitt’s School of Education. The expeAlbright rience dovetailed perfectly with my camps, and gave me invaluable ideas and inspiration.

The “Pitt experience” means something different to each graduate. Thanks to those who responded to recent alumni surveys, we are learning more about what Pitt means to you, how you want to stay connected to your alma mater, and the many ways you are making a meaningful impact in your communities. If you’re a Pitt graduate and would like to participate in future surveys and alumni activities, please follow us on social media, join the Alumni Online community at alumnionline.pitt.edu or visit our Web site at alumni.pitt.edu. As we endeavor to respond to the needs and interests of our alumni, we do so with one objective in mind: to keep you engaged with Pitt…for life! —Jeff Gleim

Associate Vice Chancellor for Alumni Relations and Executive Director, Pitt Alumni Association

What’s the biggest benefit youngsters gain from creative writing? I think a sense of power. We spend a lot of time talking about how writing can affect another human being. Whether a poem makes your mother or father laugh, or makes a politician change a vote, or impresses a committee—we talk about how what they write can change somebody’s mind. After 25 years of Almost Authors, what’s the most rewarding aspect of the work? Being an ear for the kids. Every single kid has something to say, something to write about, even those who don’t consider themselves writers. It’s rewarding to see them have the opportunity to express themselves and be heard. ■

Gleim with Rebecca Jules (A&S ’99, SHRS ’02G) in Raleigh, N.C.

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NOW AND THEN

1968

2017 Laptops, whiteboards, and open space may have replaced card catalogs on the ground floor of Hillman Library, but 50 years after its opening, the building remains a vital—and dynamic—campus resource. Learn about Hillman Library’s anniversary celebration and submit your favorite Hillman story at pi.tt/hillman50. PHOTO ABOVE: UNIVERSITY ARCHIVE SERVICES. PHOTO BELOW: DON HENDERSON/PITT VISUAL SERVICES

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PITT ALUMNI, JOIN US ... ON CAMPUS Pitt Alumni Network of Western Pennsylvania Alumni events and programs, including academic showcases, student performances, and community service opportunities.

Pitt Stops New series of monthly networking events held in distinctive Western Pennsylvania venues featuring presentations about a broad range of timely and popular topics. And, Homecoming,

Lantern Night, Legacy Luncheon, too.

... AND ON THE ROAD Pitt Clubs More than 50 geographic-based alumni clubs keep our alumni engaged and connected to Pitt.

Pitt is It Events University on-the-road events held in major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles Jan. 30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Feb. 1, 2018 And, Pregame, Game Watch, Networking Day, and Sendoff Events, too.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

VISIT ALUMNI.PITT.EDU TO LEARN MORE

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UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH 4200 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260

GIVE TODAY. TRANSFORM TOMORROW.

Pitt Day of Giving is a 24-hour celebration, a time when you can be one with the entire Pitt community! Last year nearly 3,400 people made gifts to support scholarships, research, academic programs, and everything that makes the University so extraordinary. Mark your calendar and plan to join the many proud alumni, students, parents, faculty, staff, and friends who will support Pitt on February 28, 2018. Make your gift on Pitt Day of Giving and share your pride by encouraging your own network of family and friends to participate, too. Together, we will make Pitt even stronger!

PLEASE GIVE ON FEBRUARY 28, 2018 VISIT PITTDAYOFGIVING.COM #PITTDAYOFGIVING