Pitt is Hitting the Road to Showcase Its Knowledge And Talent in Exhibits and Music Beginning Feb. 11 in Harrisburg

Passport to Pitt coincides with annual Pitt

Alumni Legislative Network day in Harrisburg

February 7, 2003

PITTSBURGH—Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg and an illustrious crew of hosts will welcome alumni and friends with a "Passport to Pitt" to the University of Pittsburgh on the Road at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Harrisburg Hilton and Towers, 1 North Second St., Harrisburg.

Sponsored by the Pitt Alumni Association, Pitt on the Road will feature a 6:15 p.m. presentation by the chancellor, entertainment by the Pitt Men's Glee Club, and Knowledge Showcase exhibits displaying the University's most innovative developments. Prior to the evening event, the Pitt Symphonic Band will perform in the Capitol Rotunda at noon.

Pitt's Alumni Legislative Network annually spends a day in Harrisburg informing elected officials about Pitt's accomplishments and advocating the needs of the University and higher education across the state. Alumni and friends of Pitt living in the area will be issued a special "Passport to Pitt" for the day's events.

A description of the Knowledge Showcase exhibits to be on display follows.

• Cancer Treatment, Prevention, and Research: The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) is among the nation's elite cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. UPCI takes a comprehensive approach to cancer care, providing exceptional prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment at all levels. Participants will learn about the institute's pioneering work, which greatly benefits Western Pennsylvanians and others around the world. The exhibit also will provide people with information about what they can do to minimize the risk of developing cancer.

• Biotechnology: Pitt and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center are major players in Western Pennsylvania's efforts to build a new economy based on biotechnology. This exhibit will demonstrate biotechnology innovations that are being developed in Pittsburgh—biomechanical organs and a robotic walker. There also will be information about the Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse, a partnership involving Pitt, Carnegie Mellon University, government, and industry aimed at establishing the region as a biotech leader.

• Student Design Project: Pitt's student chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) participates in the annual Formula SAE competition, which is cosponsored by Ford Motor Co., General Motors, and DaimlerChrysler. Students design and build a Formula 1 style race car to compete against students from 140 other colleges and universities from around the world. To succeed, the team must provide proof of a superior engineering design, an impeccable marketing plan, a flawless business strategy, and a commanding performance on the racetrack.

• Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC): The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) created COPC programs nationwide as a way for universities to support and help rebuild their local communities. Pitt's COPC programs focus on economic development, education, health and wellness, housing, job training, and neighborhood revitalization through applied research and outreach efforts. Pitt is helping to revitalize the Hazelwood community.

• Improving our Schools: Pitt's School of Education and the Learning Research and Development Center's Institute for Learning work with schools locally and nationally to improve educational quality. Their innovative approach to learning, based on research about how children learn best, is now being applied in selected school districts in Pennsylvania and around the country.

• Pitt Alumni Association and Partners: The Pitt Alumni Association will provide information on opportunities for becoming active alumni. Along with detailing the benefits provided to dues-paying members of the association, the group will describe how to help recruit the best students to Pitt, to help students and other alumni in their career searches, and how to best take the case for higher education to Pennsylvania legislators.

The Harrisburg-area host committee includes James Ayre, William Bostic, Rebecca Sheffey Bumsted, Dean Carey, Stephanie Stambaugh Chapman, Brian Deiderick, William Fontana, Gary Hoffman, James Kirkwood, Michael Kistler, Thomas Lupinetti, Elena Exar McCurdy, Seth Mendelsohn, Julianne Evinczik-Pagliaro, Thomas Starke, John Thomas, Richard Utley, Warren Weisel, and Michael Young.

Additional Pitt on the Road trips are scheduled for New York, on March 11; Philadelphia, on April 9; and Washington, D.C., on April 10. For more information, call 1-800-258-PITT (7488) or e-mail alumnievents@ia.pitt.edu.

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