Pitt Names 12 CASE Media Fellows in Bioengineering

PITTSBURGH—Twelve science, medical, and technology journalists will have a crash course in some of the latest advances in biotechnology at the University of Pittsburgh, as winners of 2004 media fellowships endorsed by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

The fellowship, titled Cellular Body Building and Human Spelunking, is a two-day series of lectures and demonstrations of advances in tissue engineering, artificial organs, and medical devices. It will be held March 4 and 5, 2004, on Pitt's campus and in the laboratories of such supporting research institutions as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative.

Pitt, which has received more National Institutes of Health bioengineering grants than any other institution in the United States since 2001, was one of 20 institutions CASE selected to host a 2004 Media Fellowship.

"We are excited about the opportunity to showcase our bioengineering experts and our cutting-edge research to leading science journalists," said Gerald D. Holder,

U.S. Steel Dean of the School of Engineering.

The journalists come from news organizations representing print, television, and radio media outlets ranging from national entities to local, trade, and professional publications.

The fellows and their associated media outlets are:

• Associated Press, Malcom Ritter, science writer;

• Biotech.TV, Dairong Wang, reporter;

• Business Week, Otis Port, science and technology reporter;

• Chemical & Engineering News, Celia Henry, associate editor;

• Healthcare Writing Services, Joanna Shields, medical writer;

• Pitt Med Magazine, Dottie Horn, associate editor;

• Pittsburgh Business Times, Christopher Davis, reporter;

• Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Byron Spice, science editor;

• ScienceUpdate, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Corinna Wu, producer;

• Scientific American, Wayt Gibbs, senior writer;

• WDUQ radio, Mark Nootbaar, assistant news director; and

• Claudia Caruana, freelance science writer

Fellows will learn about artificial hearts and lungs and a new ventricular-assist device for infants with heart problems, as well as see a demonstration of the Sonic Flashlight, a portable sonography machine. Participants also will learn about the latest in tissue and organ engineering and will tour the Musculoskeltal Research Center, the Human Movement and Balance Laboratory, and the Human Engineering Research Laboratory.

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2/25/04/tmw