NIST Gives Pitt $15 Million Grant to Expand Nanoscience, Experimental Physics Facilities by Morgan Kelly

INSIDE Study links hypertension, dementia in women...... 5

PITT ARTS Cheap Seats program...... 6

PittNewspaper of the University of PittsburghChronicle Volume XI • Number 3 • January 25, 2010 NIST Gives Pitt $15 Million Grant to Expand Nanoscience, Experimental Physics Facilities By Morgan Kelly

A $15 million grant Pitt recently electronic devices and technologies; better square feet in new laboratories in received from the National Institute of understanding of large-scale storms and “The project focuses on Allen Hall, the Nuclear Physics Standards and Technology (NIST) is the hurricanes; improved telecommunication strengthening Pitt’s research Laboratory, and Old Engineering keystone of a four-year, $27.8 million devices; and the ability to provide first-class Hall, as well as an open-floor, inter- expansion of the University’s nanoscience graduate education and training for addi- in applying advanced phys- disciplinary physics machine shop. and experimental physics facilities. The tional graduate students and postdoctoral It also includes 27,000 square renovation—to which Pitt will contribute researchers.” ics—including nanosci- feet of laboratory space for $12.8 million—encompasses four build- N. John Cooper, the Bettye J. and Ralph which Pitt will pursue U.S. ings and will provide the School of Arts E. Bailey Dean of Arts and Sciences, stated, ence, semiconductors, Green Building Council and Sciences’ Department of Physics and “The science of the smallest objects requires LEED™ (Leadership in Astronomy with 13 new or significantly large facilities, and the generous support and quantum phys- Energy and Environmen- enhanced laboratories, including space for from NIST will lay the foundation for next- ics—to areas ranging tal Design) certification. three new faculty members. generation facilities for our experimental The University has “The project focuses on strengthen- physicists.” from energy and significantly expanded ing Pitt’s research in applying advanced The renovation is one of only 12 major its infrastructure to sup- physics—including nanoscience, semicon- “shovel-ready” construction projects nation- information technol- port experimental phys- ductors, and quantum physics—to areas wide that NIST—which supplies and over- ics in recent years by ranging from energy and information tech- sees the nation’s standards of measurement, ogy to health care establishing the Petersen nology to health care and climate change including the official time—funded with Institute of NanoScience study,” said George Klinzing, Pitt’s vice $123 million available through the 2009 and climate change and Engineering housed provost for research. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. study.“ in the Swanson School of “The Department of Physics and Pitt is the only institution in Pennsylvania Engineering with the associ- Astronomy is home to the nanoscience to receive an award and joins such other —George Klinzing ated NanoScale Fabrication and experimental physics research that is institutions as Columbia, Georgetown, and and Characterization Facility. critical to the University’s 2005 NanoSci- Purdue universities. The projects NIST stream faculty working in Pitt has also established the ence and Technology Initiative,” Klinzing funded were chosen from 167 proposals. these areas will be expanded Center for Oxide-Semiconductor added. “We project that these new facilities Pitt’s renovation will provide state-of- from eight to 11 with a new Materials for Quantum Computa- and associated faculty recruitments will the-art labs, research support areas, and chaired professorship, a junior tion in the physics and astronomy lead to a significant increase in sponsored offices for current and prospective faculty hire in nanoscience, and a department. research funding; the creation of new tech- members specializing in condensed matter junior hire in biological phys- nologies in scientific measurements; novel and nanoscience. The number of tenure- ics. The plan calls for 75,000 George Klinzing Video Gamers: Volume of Brain Structures Predicts Success

strategies, and adapt to a quickly changing accumbens (ah-COME-bins) in the ventral environment. striatum. “This is the first time that we’ve been “Our animal work has shown that the able to take a real-world task like a video striatum is a kind of learning machine— game and show that the size of specific it becomes active during habit formation brain regions is predictive of performance and skill acquisition,” Graybiel said. “So it and learning rates on this video game,” made a lot of sense to explore whether the said Erickson, the study’s lead author. striatum might also be related to the ability Ann Graybiel, an Institute Professor at the to learn in humans.” Massachusetts Institute of Technology and The caudate nucleus and putamen are Investigator in the McGovern Institute for involved in motor learning, but research has Brain Research, and Arthur Kramer, a pro- shown they are also important to the cog- fessor of psychology at the Beckman Institute nitive flexibility that allows one to quickly for Advanced Science and Technology at shift between tasks. The nucleus accum- the University of Illinois, were coprincipal bens is known to process emotions associ- investigators on the study. Walter Boot of ated with reward and punishment. Florida State University also The researchers began contributed to the research, with a basic question about which was conducted at the these structures: Is bigger University of Illinois. better? Research has shown that They used high- expert video gamers outper- resolution Magnetic form novices on many basic Resonance Imaging (MRI) measures of attention and per- to analyze the size of these ception, but other studies have brain regions in 39 healthy found that training novices on adults ages 18-28, 10 of video games for 20 or more them male, who had spent hours often yields no mea- less than three hours a By Diana Yates surable cognitive benefits. week playing video games These contradictory findings in the previous two years. Researchers can predict a person’s per- among men and women trained on a new suggest that pre-existing indi- The volume of each brain vidual differences in the brain structure was compared formance on a video game simply by mea- video game could be predicted by measur- Kirk Erickson suring the volume of specific structures in ing the volume of three structures in their might predict variability in to that of the brain as a that person’s brain, according to a study by brains. The study adds to the evidence that learning rates, the authors wrote. whole. a multi-institutional team led by Pitt psy- specific parts of the striatum, a collection Animal studies conducted by Graybiel Participants were then trained on one chology professor Kirk Erickson. of distinctive tissues tucked deep inside and others led the researchers to focus on of two versions of Space Fortress, a video The new study, published in the journal the cerebral cortex, profoundly influence three brain structures: the caudate (CAW- game developed at the University of Illinois Cerebral Cortex, found that nearly a quar- a person’s ability to refine his or her motor date) nucleus and the putamen (pew-TAY- ter of the variability in achievement seen skills, learn new procedures, develop useful min) in the dorsal striatum and the nucleus Continued on page 3 2 • Pitt Chronicle • January 25, 2010 Technique to Study Galaxies Earns Pitt Researcher U.S. Department of BrieflyNoted Energy Grant for Young Scientists

Astronomy and a former vice provost for graduate studies, honors outstanding teaching by graduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 12. Nominations can be submitted by Pitt faculty, teaching assistants, teaching fellows, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. To be eligible for the $250 award, an instructor must have been enrolled as a graduate student and teaching a class in any semester of the previous calendar year, 2009. More information is available at www.pitt. Stephen Rapp edu/~asgso/teachingawardnomination.html.

U.S. Ambassador-at-Large For War Crimes Issues to Speak at Pitt Jan. 28

The University of Pittsburgh School of Law’s Center for International Legal Education will feature Stephen Rapp, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, in a lecture titled “The Role of the United States in International Criminal Justice,” at noon Jan. 28 in the Barco Law Building’s Teplitz Memorial Courtroom. Appointed by President Barack Obama, Rapp, an Iowa native, assumed his duties on By Morgan Kelly Sept. 8, 2009. Previously, Rapp served as prosecu- Staff Association Council tor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, beginning Goes Green A Pitt researcher developing a better pull on the universe than dark matter. New- in January 2007, where he led the prosecutions of technique to gauge the distance from Earth man’s work on the LSST is essential in The University of Pittsburgh’s Staff Association to some of the most distant galaxies in the former Liberian President Charles Taylor and those studying these cosmic components and for Council (SAC) is eliminating the paper newsletters visible universe recently received a five- determining how far back in the universe’s allegedly responsible for the atrocities committed that have been sent to Pitt staff for more than 20 year, $750,000 grant under a newly estab- history the telescope is looking for each during Sierra Leone’s civil war. lished federal program intended to support galaxy observed. years. Beginning this month, SAC will e-mail electronic During his tenure as prosecutor, Rapp and young scientists. He also is on the execu- newsletters to staffers’ in-boxes on a monthly basis. his colleagues achieved the first-ever convictions Jeffrey Newman, a pro- tive committee of the All- Staff members who would like to receive the fessor of physics and astron- for sexual slavery and forced marriage as crimes wavelength Extended Groth newsletter should visit SAC’s Web site, www.sac.pitt. omy in Pitt’s School of Arts Strip International Survey, against humanity. He also achieved convictions for edu, to sign up. and Sciences, was among 69 or AEGIS, a massive proj- attacks on peacekeepers and for the recruitment researchers nationwide— ect involving nearly 100 “With announcements of upcoming staff and use of child soldiers as violations of interna- out of 1,750 applicants— researchers worldwide to initiatives, exciting features, and the broadcast of key tional humanitarian law. selected for the U.S. Depart- map a distant region of the events, SAC’s e-Newsletter promises to energize its ment of Energy’s Early Career In addition, Rapp was a senior trial attorney universe—the Extended readership,” said Gwen Watkins, SAC’s president. Research program, an $85 mil- Groth Strip—and document and chief of prosecutions at the International —Annabelle Clippinger lion initiative funded under the the past 10 billion years of Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 2001 to 2007. 2009 American Recovery and galactic evolution with tele- Rapp received his BA degree from Harvard Reinvestment Act. Awardees scopes around the world and University in 1971 and attended Columbia and were chosen by peer review Jeffrey Newman in space. Newman will use and include researchers from Drake Law Schools, receiving his JD data from the AEGIS project Cornell University, Harvard University, to test and perfect his algorithm. degree from Drake in 1974. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, This lecture has been the University of Michigan, and Princeton approved by the Pennsylvania University. Continuing Legal Education Newman—a nationally recognized expert on large astronomical datasets Board for one hour of studying the distant universe—will refine a PittChronicle substantive Continuing method he created to tap the full potential of Newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh Legal Education (CLE) observations by the world’s most powerful PUBLISHER Robert Hill telescopes. The distance to a faraway galaxy credits. There is a $25 fee ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER John Harvith is determined by measuring its redshift, or for credit. For CLE details, EXECUTIVE EDITOR Linda K. Schmitmeyer how its emitted light is stretched out by the EDITOR Jane-Ellen Robinet call 412-648-7023 or e-mail cile@law. universe’s expansion. These distances are ART DIRECTOR Gary Cravener pitt.edu. vital in determining the nature of the as-yet STAFF WRITERS Sharon S. Blake —Patricia Lomando White undetected dark energy that appears to make John Fedele up most of the universe’s mass and is causing Morgan Kelly Pitt Graduate Student it to expand faster over time. But the redshift Amanda Leff of the farthest, faintest visible galaxies can Organization Calls for Anthony M. Moore only be gauged with indirect calculations. Patricia Lomando White Teaching Award Estimations off by a mere 0.5 percent would Nominations CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Annabelle Clippinger result in an incorrect answer to what dark Clare Collins energy may be. Newman devised an algo- Anita Srikameswaran The University of Pittsburgh’s Arts and Sci- rithm to improve these measurements that in Diana Yates tests with simulated data kept errors below HAPPENINGS EDITOR Baindu Saidu ences Graduate Student Organization is accepting this threshold. nominations for the Elizabeth Baranger Excellence The Pitt Chronicle is published throughout the year by Newman’s technique will be critical for University News and Magazines, University of Pittsburgh, in Teaching Award. future projects such as the Large Synoptic 400 Craig Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, The award, named after Baranger, a profes- Survey Telescope (LSST), a 14-year effort Phone: 412-624-1033, Fax: 412-624-4895, sor emeritus in Pitt’s Department of Physics and involving 23 universities including Pitt. The E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.chronicle.pitt.edu powerful telescope will record how the sky The University of Pittsburgh is an affirmative action, equal changes from night to night in a multicolor, opportunity institution that does not discriminate upon any movie-like format. The footage will allow basis prohibited by law. for unprecedented study of elusive dark matter and dark energy, which has greater January 25, 2010 • University of Pittsburgh • 3 Pitt Research Explores Effect of Display Formats on Consumers

The study, “Smart Subcategories: How Assortment Formats Influence Consumer Learning and Satisfaction,” will be published in the June issue of The Journal of Consumer Research.

knowledge (low vs. high) of a particular type of object, determined by a written survey. They were then asked to make selections based upon information presented to them in various formats. Researchers analyzed the students’ choices based upon an algorithm that assessed product learning and satisfaction. “Results may explain why expert cooks love the chaos of farmers’ markets, whereas novice cooks find them overwhelming,” the authors explain. “Or, for retail food stores, a gourmet grocery that caters to a more knowledgeable ‘foodie’ may build a happier, better- informed consumer base by presenting items in more novel and exotic formats (by season, optimal wine pairings, or country of origin, for example), whereas retailers at the edge of a college campus may help their novice college-age shoppers most by grouping items in the most traditional formats—all fruits together, all coffee together, all bread together, etc.” The study also found that highly knowl- By Amanda Leff Ritchie edgeable consumers were “notoriously com- placent” when it came to paying attention to Expert consumers like to be surprised ask authors Cait Poynor, Pitt assistant profes- liked being surprised by product formats; product information. People who consider by unusual product presentation, while sor of business administration in the Joseph on the other hand, novice consumers had themselves experts in a domain generally novices crave familiarity, according to a M. Katz Graduate School of Business, and an easier time when familiar with product breeze past potentially new and important new study done by researchers from the Stacy Wood, University of South Carolina groupings. information, while novices employ all of University of Pittsburgh and the University professor of marketing. The answer seems The data was collected from 123 under- their cognitive capacity when making a of South Carolina. to be in organizing products tailored to graduate students who completed a two-part purchase decision. The study, “Smart Subcategories: How customers’ knowledge levels. Their research study as part of their course work. Both parts According to the research, the way Assortment Formats Influence Consumer indicates that simply organizing a store’s were carried out online, where the presenta- to establish the most satisfied and well- Learning and Satisfaction,” will be pub- existing stock in different ways can improve tion of information could be manipulated. informed consumer can only be determined lished in the June issue of The Journal of consumers’ learning and their degree of The benefit of an online environment is the by considering consumer familiarity with Consumer Research. satisfaction. infinite number of ways Web sites can be product categories and their expectations “How can retailers help consumers What works for one consumer may organized, says Poynor. about the retail environment. become more informed about the products not work for another, however. The authors Students were first placed in two dif- A preprint of this article can be found they use while also making them happy?” found that highly knowledgeable consumers ferent groups based on their level of prior at http://journals.uchicago.edu/jcr. Video Gamers: Volume of Brain Structures Predicts Success

Continued from page 1 that requires players to try monly required in daily life, Kramer said. learning new skills, and those nuclei pre- to destroy a fortress with- Studies have shown that variable-priority dicted learning throughout the 20-hour out losing their own ship to training is more likely than other training period,” Kramer said. The players in which one of several potential haz- methods to improve those skills people use those structures were largest “learned more ards. every day. quickly and learned Half of the study partici- The researchers found more over the training pants were asked to focus on that players who had a larger “This study tells us a period,” he said. maximizing their overall score nucleus accumbens did “This study tells in the game while also paying better than their counter- lot about how the brain us a lot about how the attention to the various components parts in the early stages of brain works when it is of the game. the training period, regard- works when it is trying trying to learn a com- The other participants less of their training group. to learn a complex task. plex task,” Erickson had to periodically shift This made sense, Erickson said. “We can use priorities, improv- said, because the nucleus We can use information information about the ing their skills accumbens is part of the brain to predict who is in one area for brain’s reward center, and about the brain to predict going to learn certain a period of a person’s motivation for tasks at a more rapid time while excelling at a video game who is going to learn rate.” Such information also maxi- includes the pleasure that might be useful in edu- mizing their results from achieving a certain tasks at a more cation, where longer success at specific goal. This sense of rapid rate.” training periods may the other achievement and the emo- be required for some tasks. tional reward that accompa- —Kirk Erickson students, or in treating The latter nies it are likely highest in disability or demen- approach, the earliest stages of learn- tia, where information called variable- ing, he said. about the brain regions affected by injury or priority training, Players with a larger caudate nucleus disease could lead to a better understanding encourages the and putamen did best on the variable-prior- of the skills that might also need attention, kind of flexibility ity training. he said. in decision-mak- “The putamen and the caudate have The study was funded by the U.S. Office ing that is com- been implicated in learning procedures, of Naval Research. 4 • Pitt Chronicle • January 25, 2010 Newsmakers OPENING DOORS

PITT VOLUNTEERS /PC morgan kelly Velma Scantlebury-White (center), the nation’s first African American female transplant surgeon and associate director of the Kidney Transplant Program in Delaware at Christiana Care Health System, headlined a Jan. 15 panel

JOE KAPELEWSKI/CIDDE on African American academic surgeons. Sponsored by the Pitt School of Medicine’s Department of Surgery, the More than 50 volunteers from the University of Pittsburgh’s Faculty and Staff in Service to Community helped panel addressed tips for success in medical school and how to balance family with the rigors of medical training, distribute food on Dec. 22 during the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s monthly food distribution in among other topics. From left, the panelists were P. Dafé Ogagan, a medical resident in Pitt’s Department of the Food Bank’s Duquesne Warehouse. An estimated 800 families were served by the volunteers. Urological Surgery; Tracy Short, a surgical resident at UPMC Mercy; Scantlebury-White; William Simmons, a clinical professor in Pitt’s Department of Anesthesiology; and Pitt medical student Bradley Stephens.

Panel of Women Foreign Correspondents Installation & Reception To Speak at University Club Jan. 27 By Patricia Lomando White

The University of Pittsburgh Honors Davies, a journalist for more than 20 College will host a panel presentation years, started her career covering civil wars titled “Foreign Correspondents: Women in and humanitarian emergencies in Africa for Danger,” featuring an international panel of Visnews, now owned by Reuters. Since 2000, seasoned foreign correspondents who have Davies has worked for the BBC, reporting been stationed in some of the for domestic and world service world’s hot spots, at 7:30 p.m. radio and domestic and world Jan. 27 in the University Club, television while also producing Ballroom A. online and current affairs docu- Panelists are Nadia Trini- mentaries. She has worked in dad, ABS-CBN senior political Zaire/Democratic Republic of correspondent; Firle Davies, Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, BBC reporter and producer; Somalia, and Sudan. She is the and Tara Mahtafar, PBS Front- International Women’s Media line managing editor. Christine Foundation’s current Elizabeth Spolar, senior editor at the Neuffer Fellow. Huffington Post Investigative Christine Spolar Mahtafar is the managing Fund in Washington, editor of the Tehran D.C., will moderate Bureau for PBS’ Front- the discussion. Panelists are Nadia Trinidad, line and a contributor Those interested to The Century Foun- in attending this free ABS-CBN senior political cor- dation’s Inside Iran public event must respondent; Firle Davies, BBC program. Now based RSVP by e-mail to in Washington, D.C., [email protected] reporter and producer; and Mahtafar worked as a (preferred) or call 412- journalist in Tehran for 624-2654, providing Tara Mahtafar, PBS Frontline several years, covering name, phone number, last summer’s Iranian and requested number managing editor. Christine elections and post- of tickets, which will election events. She be available at the Spolar, senior editor at the has written on Iran for door. Huffington Post Investigative the Christian Science Trinidad began her Monitor, Aljazeera journalism career as a Fund in Washington, D.C., will International, and The reporter for the Asso- Independent. ciated Broadcasting moderate the discussion. Spolar has been a

Co. and moved to the chronicler of world MARY JANE BENT/CIDDE Philippines’ largest network, ABS-CBN events in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa Stephen B. Manuck delivered a Jan. 12 lecture in Posvar Hall to mark his installation as Distinguished University Broadcasting Corp., in 1988. Since then, for the past two decades. As a correspondent Professor of Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine in Pitt’s School of Arts and Sciences. Manuck’s lecture, for The Washington Post and the Chicago Tri- Trinidad, who is based in Manila, has cov- “Honor, Guile, and the New Genetics of Pugnacious Behavior,” was followed by a reception hosted by Pitt Provost ered bombings, the rise and fall of presidents, bune and a producer at CBS, Spolar has cov- impeachment attempts, and the corruption ered long-running conflicts in Bosnia, Iraq, and Senior Vice Chancellor James V. Maher. scandals hounding that nation’s current Lebanon, and Israel. She has been assigned administration. She is a Knight Fellow at to posts in Warsaw, London, Ljubljana, Stanford University. Cairo, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Rome. January 25, 2010 • University of Pittsburgh • 5 Science&Technology

Umbilical Cord Could Be New Source of Plentiful Stem Cells, Pitt Research Says

Dementia in Older Women Linked To High Blood Pressure Years Earlier By Clare Collins By Anita Srikameswaran High blood pressure may put women The study, part of the multi- at greater risk for dementia later in life by Stem cells that could one day birth of a baby,” Deasy noted. “So, the increasing white matter abnormalities in the site and long-term Women’s provide therapeutic options for muscle cord could become an accessible source of brain, report researchers from the University and bone disorders can be easily har- a multitude of stem cells overcoming many of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Initiative Memory vested from the tissue of the umbilical of the restrictions, such as limited quantity Health (GSPH) in a study published online cord, just as the blood as well as donor age and in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension. Study (WHIMS), included that goes through the donor sex issues, that come “Hypertension is very common in the cord provides precur- “Our experiments also with other adult stem cell U.S. and many other countries and can lead 1,424 women 65 or older sor cells to treat some populations.” to serious health problems,” said Lewis blood disorders, said indicate that at least Deasy and her team Kuller, a professor of epidemiology in the who had their blood pres- University of Pitts- analyzed sections of two- GSPH. “Proper blood pressure control, sure assessed annually and burgh School of Medi- 21 million stem cells, foot-long human umbilical which remains generally poor, may be very cine researchers in the and possibly as many cords that were donated important to prevent dementia as women underwent magnetic reso- online version of the for research, looking for age.” Journal of Biomedi- as 500 million, could cells in Wharton’s jelly The study, part of the multisite, long- nance imaging (MRI) of the cine and Biotechnol- and blood vessel walls term Women’s Health Initiative Memory ogy. be banked from a that displayed the char- Study (WHIMS), included 1,424 women brain. Researchers assessed Umbilical cord acteristic protein markers 65 or older who had their blood pressure tissue cells can be single umbilical cord found in stem cells derived assessed annually and underwent magnetic white-matter lesions, which expanded to a greater from other sources. The resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. are associated with increased number, are remark- after the birth of a researchers then sought Researchers assessed white matter lesions, ably stable, and might baby.” to find the best way to which are associated with increased risks for risks for dementia and stroke. not trigger strong isolate the stem cells from dementia and stroke. White-matter makes up immune responses, —Bridget M. Deasy 60 percent of the brain and contains nerve the cords and tested them fibers responsible for commu- said senior investiga- in the lab to confirm their nication between the brain’s control high blood pressure tor Bridget M. Deasy, ability to produce special- regions. when they are young or in an assistant profes- ized cells, such as bone Women who, at the start middleage in order to pre- sor in the Department of and cartilage, while retaining of the study, were hyperten- vent serious problems later Orthopaedic Surgery, Pitt their invaluable ability to renew sive, meaning a blood pressure on,” Kuller said. “Prevention School of Medicine. The themselves. of 140/90 or higher, had sig- and control of elevated blood cells are obtained from the To build on these findings, nificantly more white-matter pressure and subsequent gelatinous material in the the team will test the umbilical lesions on their MRI scans eight vascular disease in the brain cord known as Wharton’s cord stem cells in animal models years later than participants may represent the best cur- jelly and from blood vessel of cartilage and bone repair, as with normal blood pressure. rent preventive therapy for walls. dementia.” well as in muscle regeneration. Lesions were more common Lewis Kuller “Our experiments The research was supported in the frontal lobe, the brain’s The research was funded also indicate that at least 21 Bridget M. Deasy by grants from the National emotional control center and home to per- by grants from the National Institutes million stem cells, and possibly Institute of Arthritis and Musculo- sonality, than in the occipital, parietal, or of Health’s National Heart, Lung, and as many as 500 million, could be banked skeletal Research and Children’s Hospital temporal lobes. Blood Institute and the U.S. Department from a single umbilical cord after the of Pittsburgh of UPMC. “Women should be encouraged to of Health and Human Services.

6 • Pitt Chronicle • January 25, 2010 PITT ARTS Cheap Seats Program Pitt’s Asian Studies Offers Wide-ranging Spring Lineup Center Sets Spring 2010 Asia Over African American Culture. Baroque Society of Pittsburgh. Video Games Live: Lunch Lecture Series Bonus Round With the Pitts- Tribute to Phyllis Hyman, music of burgh Symphony Orches- the late Pittsburgh-bred chanteuse, 8 p.m. tra, Jack Wall, conductor, Feb. 19, August Wilson Center Theater, 980 and The Mendelssohn Choir Liberty Ave., Downtown, August Wilson of Pittsburgh, 8 p.m., Feb.11- Center for African American Culture. 12, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, Pittsburgh An American Voyage, Leonard Symphony Orchestra, BNY Slatkin, conductor; works by Bernstein, Mellon Grand Classics. Bates, and Danielpour, Feb. 19 and 21, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, The Love Spe ll – Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, BNY L’Incantesimo, opera by Mellon Grand Classics. Italo Montemezzi, 8 p.m. Feb. 12-14, Ca r neg ie Xanadu, musical by Douglas Muscum of Art’s Hall of Carter Beane, Feb. 23-25, 27-28, Sculpture, 4400 Forbes Benedum Center, 719 Liberty Ave., Ave., Oakland, Opera The- Downtown, PNC Broadway Across ater of Pittsburgh. America. Bob James & Keiko Broadway Rocks With Marvin! The University of Pittsburgh’s PITT Matsui, a jazz collaboration with The Musi- Marvin Hamlisch, conductor, 7:30 p.m., Feb. ARTS program is offering a wide range of cal Instrument Museum, Feb. 12-14, Man- 25-28, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Down- arts and cultural events this spring through chester Craftmen’s Guild, 1815 Metropolitan town, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, BNY its Cheap Seats program, which is open to all St., Manchester, MCG Jazz. Mellon Grand Classics. Pitt students, faculty, and staff. Discounted tickets to performances offered by 11 major Company B & In the Upper Room, Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet, 8 p.m. Feb. 26, By Amanda Leff Ritchie arts organizations are available by visiting dance performance, Feb. 12-14, Benedum Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown, the Pitt Arts office at 929 William Pitt Center, 719 Liberty Ave., Downtown, Pitts- Pittsburgh Dance Council. The University of Pittsburgh’s Asian Union. In addition, nearly all Cheap Seats burgh Ballet Theatre. Studies Center will present the Spring are available online at the PITT ARTS site, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, musi- 2010 Asia Over Lunch lecture series on www.pittarts.pitt.edu. Events below marked Ben Folds With the Pittsburgh Sym- cal performance, 7 p.m. Feb. 28, special Thursdays at noon, beginning Feb. 4, in PITT NIGHT offer Pitt students, faculty, phony Orchestra, featuring solo pianist and PITT NIGHT, Byham Theater, 101 Sixth 4130 Posvar Hall. and staff not only discounted tickets, but vocalist Folds, 8 p.m. Feb. 13, Heinz Hall, St., Downtown, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust also optional free transportation and dessert 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, BNY Mellon Presents Series. The dates, presenters, and titles of receptions to meet artists from the shows. Grand Classics. the lectures follow. For information about PITT ARTS Joshua Bell, violinist, and Jeremy Cheap Seats program, call 412-624-4498 The Fugue in Haydn, Mozart, and Denk, pianist, 7:30 p.m. March 2, Heinz Feb. 4 or visit www.pittarts.pitt.edu. Cheap Seats Beethoven, musical performance by The Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, Pittsburgh Shih-Hsiang Sung, Pitt PhD student events for January and February follow. Axelrod Quartet, 8 p.m. Feb. 13, Synod Hall, Symphony Orchestra, BNY Mellon Grand in anthropology, “Fate, Fortune, and 125 N. Craig St., Oakland, Renaissance and Classics. Risk Control: A New Interpretation to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, theatri- the High Rate of Cesarean Section in cal performance, Jan. 21-Feb. 21, special Taiwan”; PITT NIGHT Jan. 22, O’Reilly Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown, Pittsburgh Public Scapin Feb. 11 Theater. Pitt Repertory Theatre to Present Feb. 3-14 Armen Mihran Bakalian, Pitt grad- With an updated text by Bill uate student in East Asian studies, Tribute Concert: A Symphonic Cel- Irwin and Mark O’Donnell and “‘Number-One’ Lord: The Unlikely Life ebration of African American Culture, directed by Holly Thuma, Scapin of Hayashi Tadataka, 1848-1941”; featuring local jazz trumpeter Sean Jones, has the look and spirit of slapstick 8 p.m. Jan. 26, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., movie comedies from the silent Feb. 18 Downtown, Pittsburgh Symphony Orches- era. The result is a madcap romp Karen Gerhart, Pitt professor of tra, BNY Mellon Grand Classics. complete with Keystone Cops and the history of art and architecture, “The plenty of physical comedy. The Material Culture of Death in Medieval Rent, musical theater, Jan. 28- Feb. 7, production tells the story of four Japan”; Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Downtown, star-crossed lovers. Since the path of Pittsburgh Musical Theater. true love rarely runs smoothly, it is Feb. 25 up to the faithful servant Scapin to Yexia Zhang, 2009-10 Heinz Fellow, Cats, musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, use disguises and tricks to untangle Pitt’s University Center for International Jan. 28, 29 and 31, Benedum Center, 719 the web of confusion that surrounds Studies, “Children’s Birth Registration Liberty Ave., Downtown, PNC Broadway the lovers. in China: Practice, Problems, and Poli- Across America. Gale McNeeley, an internation- cies”; ally renowned star of commedia Mahler’s Chamber Symphony, Gil dell’arte, plays the title role. Once March 4 Shaham, violin; works by Mozart, Haydn, a Richard Rauh Teaching Artist in Jesook Song, a professor of East and Mahler, 8 p.m., Jan. 29 and 31, Heinz Pitt’s Department of Theatre Arts, Asian Studies, University of Toronto, Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, Pittsburgh McNeeley has a repertoire of work “South Koreans in the Debt Crisis: Symphony Orchestra, BNY Mellon Grand that includes performances at the The Creation of a Neoliberal Welfare Classics. Brooklyn Academy Theatre, New Society”; York Shakespeare Festival, and San In the Heights, musical theater, Feb. Diego Rep. McNeeley also has had March 18 2-5 and 7, Benedum Center, 719 Liberty extensive training in clowning, pan- Eun-Kyung Lee, Pitt PhD student in Ave., Downtown, PNC Broadway Across tomime, and juggling—all of which education, “Effect of Higher Education America. come into play in Scapin. on the Economic Growth in East Asian Commedia dell’arte is a form Countries”; Honeck & Mutter, Manfred Honeck, of improvisational theater that dates conductor, Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin, back to 16th-century Italy. Perfor- March 25 featuring works by Brahms and Mahler, 8 By Sharon S. Blake mances were largely unscripted, held Usha Iyer, Pitt PhD student in Eng- p.m. Feb. 5 and 6, special PITT NIGHT Feb. outdoors, used few props, and relied lish, “Finding the Past in Pastiche: The 5, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Ave., Downtown, A classic play gets a Hollywood twist heavily on physical comedy. This theatrical Politics of Intertextuality in Bollywood Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, BNY in the University of Pittsburgh Repertory form influenced a number of playwrights, Cinema”; and Mellon Grand Classics. Theatre’s production of Moliere’s comedy including Shakespeare and Moliere. Scapin, Feb. 3 through 14 at the Studio The cast of Scapin also features Mark April 1 Daniel Bernard Roumain: Etudes Theatre in the basement of Pitt’s Cathedral Epstein, a faculty member in Pitt’s theatre Xiuying Zou, public services librar- 4violin&electronix, Hatian violinist of Learning. arts department, and a number of Pitt stu- ian, Pitt East Asian Library, “Introduc- and bandleader, 8 p.m. Feb. 6, August Because of limited seating, reservations dents. For more information, contact depart- tion to Library Resources and Services Wilson Center Theater, 980 Liberty Ave., are strongly recommended. Tickets can be ment marketing coordinator F. J. Hartland at on Chinese Studies at the University of Downtown, August Wilson Center for reserved by calling 412-624-PLAY (7529). [email protected], or visit www.play.pitt.edu. Pittsburgh.” January 25, 2010 • University of Pittsburgh • 7

“Similarity and Induction,” Susan Sterrett, visiting fellow from Duke University, 12:05 p.m. Jan. 26, 817R Cathedral of Learning, Lunchtime Talk Happenings Series, Pitt Center for Philosophy of Sci- ence, 412-624-1052, [email protected].

Comprehensive Immigration Reform Roundtable Discussion, featuring speakers Judy Berkowitz, refugee service coordinator, Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Pittsburgh; Howie Harris, staff director, SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania; and Robert Whitehill, attorney, Fox Rothschild, LLP, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26, Levenson Hall, Jewish Commu- nity Center of Greater Pittsburgh, 5738 Forbes Ave., Squirrel Hill, Pitt Center for Latin American Studies, 412-605-0816, [email protected]. “Children’s Safety Program in Rural China,” Yexia Zhang, Heinz Fellow, 8 p.m. Jan. 26, First-floor Lounge, Sutherland Hall, Pitt Asian Studies Center, Global Studies Program, Interna- tional Studies Living Learning Commu- nity, 412-648-5085, [email protected]. “Prussian Classicism as Postcolonial Lieu de Memoire: A Transnational Perspective on the Korean Metropo- lis Seoul,” Jin-Sung Chun, professor, Busan National University of Education, South Korea, and University of Chicago, 4:30 p.m. Jan. 27, 204 Frick Fine Arts Building, Pitt Asian Studies Center, European Colloquium Series, World History Center, Architectural Studies, 412-648-7426, [email protected]. “The Role of the United States in International Criminal Justice,” Stephen Rapp, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, noon Jan. 28, Teplitz Memorial Courtroom, Barco Law Build- ing, Pitt Center for International Legal Education, 412-648-7023. The Exquisite Expedition of the Orchid, “Immigration Integration and Anti- Phipps Conservatory, discrimination Policy in Europe,” through February 28 Terri Givens, associate professor in government department, University of Texas at Austin, noon Jan. 28, 4217 Posvar Hall, Pitt European Union Center Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3 p.m. Room Service, theatrical performance, of Excellence, European Studies Center, Jan. 29, 4130 Posvar Hall, Pitt Depart- through Jan. 31, Pittsburgh Playhouse, [email protected]. ment of Music, Center for Russian and 222 Craft Ave., Oakland, Point Park East European Studies, European Studies University, 412-621-4445, www.pitts- “Picturing the Healing Arts: Center, European Union Center of Excel- burghplayhouse.com. lence, www.ucis.pitt.edu. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Luncheon, with works performed by Illustrating a Medieval Book of Remedies,” Jean Givens, art history Raisin, musical based on Lorraine Pitt Department of Music String Quartet, William Pitt Union Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, through January 27 professor, University of Connecticut, 4:30 p.m. Miscellaneous Feb. 6, Pitt’s Kuntu Repertory Theater, Jan. 28, 202 Frick Fine Arts, Pitt Medi- Seventh-floor Auditorium, Alumni Hall, eval and Renaissance Studies Program, “Immigration Options After Your 412-624-7298, www.kuntu.org. Concerts European Union Center of Excellence, Postdoctoral Training,” workshop for www.pitt.edu/~medren/events.html. postdoctoral students, 3 p.m. Jan. 27, The Clockmaker, theatrical performance, Tribute Concert: A Symphonic Celebra- S100 Starzl Biomedical Science Tower, through Feb. 14, City Theatre, 1300 tion of African American Culture, fea- Phipps Conservatory, Orchid Fever: “African Musical Practices: Jour- Postdoctoral Professionalism Series, Pitt Bingham St., South Side, 412-431-2489, turing local jazz trumpeter Sean Jones, The Exquisite Expedition of the Orchid, Office of Academic Career Development, www.citytheatrecompany.org. 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn neying From the Traditional to the exhibition, through Feb. 28, 1 Schenley Global,” 412-648-8486, [email protected]. Ave., Downtown, BNY Mellon Grand Park Dr., Oakland, 412-622-6914, www. E. Kwadwo O. Beeko, professor, Pitt Department of Music, 5 p.m. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, theatrical Classics, 412-392-4900, www.pittsburgh- phipps.conservatory.org. performance, through Feb. 21, O’Reilly symphony.org. Jan. 28, 4130 Posvar Hall, Pitt African Studies Program, 412-624-8143. Opera/Theater/ Theater, 621 Penn Ave., Downtown, Pittsburgh Filmmakers Gallery, The Pittsburgh Public Theater, 412-316-1600, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra City Within, exhibition, through Feb. 28, “Method and Science in the Essais,” www.ppt.org. Luncheon, with works performed by 477 Melwood Ave., Oakland, 412-682- Dance Pitt Department of Music String Quartet, 4111, www.pghfilmmakers.org. Mariafranca Spallanzani, visiting fellow from the University of Bologna, Rent, musical theater, Jan. 28- Feb. 7, noon Jan. 27, Lower Lounge William Byham Theater, 101 Sixth St., Down- Pitt Union, PITT ARTS, 412-624-4462, Mattress Factory, Likeness, art exhibi- 12:05 p.m. Jan. 29, 817R Cathedral of Pitt PhD Dissertation Learning, Lunchtime Talk Series, Pitt town, Pittsburgh Musical Theater, 412- www.pittarts.pitt.edu. tion, through March 21, 500 Sampsonia 539-0999, www.pittsburghmusicals.com. Way, North Side, 412-231-3169, www. Center for Philosophy of Science, 412- Defenses 624-1052, [email protected]. Mahler’s Chamber Symphony, Manfred mattress.org. The Rape of Lucretia, by Benjamin Brit- Nicole Hill, School of Arts and Sciences’ Honeck, conductor; Gil Shaham, violin; “Beyond Nation? A Thrice-told ten, opera performance, Jan. 30 and Department of Psychology, “The Role works by Mozart, Haydn, and Mahler, Frick Art & Historical Center, 1934: A Feb. 2, 5, 7, CAPA Theater, 111 Ninth of Spatial Consistency in Dual-task 8 p.m. Jan. 29, 31, Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Tale From Bulgaria’s Post-socialist New Deal for Artists, art exhibition cele- Soundstage,” St., Downtown, Pittsburgh Opera, 412- Detection: Implications for Automatic Ave. Downtown, BNY Mellon Grand brating the 75th anniversary of the Public Donna Buchanan, professor, Department of Music, University of 281-0912, www.pittsburghopera.org. and Controlled Search,” 4:30 p.m. Jan. Classics, 412-392-4900, www.pittsburgh- Works of Art Program, through April 26, Second-floor auditorium, Learning symphony.org. 25, 7227 Reynolds St., Point Breeze, 412- Research and Development Center. 371-0600, www.frickart.org. Exhibitions Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Whales/Tohora, exhibition, University Art Gallery, Studio Arts through May 2, 4400 Forbes Ave., Field Study in Wyoming, exhibition from Oakland, 412-622-3131, www.carnegi- University Honors College’s summer emnh.org. 2009 program, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Jan. 29, Frick Fine Arts Building, Uni- versity Honors College, Pitt Department Lectures/Seminars/ of Studio Arts, www.studioarts.pitt.edu. Readings Andy Warhol Museum, Shepard Fairey: Supply & Demand; Supertrash; “Hezbollah’s Unfettered Righteous- and Unnatural Rubber, art exhibitions, ness: The Pursuit of a Millennial through Jan. 31, 117 Sandusky St., Creed,” Hilal Khashan, professor of North Side, 412-237-8300, www.warhol. political science, American University of org. Beirut, 4 p.m. Jan. 25, 4130 Posvar Hall, Pitt Global Studies Program, 412-648- Carnegie Museum of Art, Palm 5085, [email protected]. Springs Modern: Photographs by Julius Shulman, Digital to Daguerreotype: Pho- “Issues in Global Health: Cases in tographs of People, exhibitions, through China, Lesotho, and Uganda,” speak- Jan. 31; Forum 64: Cecil Balmond, ers include Heinz Fellows Yexia Zhang exhibition, through May 30; Gods, and Moses Katende and Malmberg Love, and War: Tapestries at Carnegie Fellow Mpho Letima, 6 p.m. Jan. 25, Museum of Art, exhibition, through June 4130 Posvar Hall, Pitt Global Studies 13; Past Meets Present: Decorative Arts Program, Global Solutions Education and Design, exhibition, ongoing, 4400 Fund, 412-648-5085, [email protected]. Forbes Ave., Oakland, 412-622-3131, Rehearsal for The Rape of Lucretia, CAPA Theater, www.cmoa.org. January 30 and February 2, 5, and 7 Pitt Chronicle University News and Magazines University of Pittsburgh 400 Craig Hall 200 South Craig Street Pittsburgh, PA 15260

8 • Pitt Chronicle • January 25, 2010 Pitt-produced Exhibition—Free at Last? Slavery in Pittsburgh In the18th and 19th Centuries—Now Accessible Online

include: • Five sections that organize the story— Free at Last? writes a new Middle Passage to Early America, The Free- dom Papers, Fugitive Slave Laws and chapter in the early history of Escapes, Abolition, and Civil War and Aftermath; race relations in this region by • Video segments narrated by Lau- rence A. Glasco, Pitt professor of history exploring the little-known fact and the exhibition’s historical director, that that slavery persisted in Western explain the significance of the documents and the gripping tales of some fugitive slaves’ Pennsylvania through the years escapes to freedom; • A zoom and navigation tool to closely immediately preceding the inspect the original 55 handwritten documents; Civil War. • A typed transcript of the handwritten text; and • A photo gallery of 81 thumbnail images tized documents in the ULS archives. Pitt’s with a slideshow or the option to click for a Office of Public Affairs createdFree at Last? full photo and explanation. from conception to execution. The exhibition Pitt Web services librarian Jeff Wis- won six 2009 Golden Triangle Awards from niewski and designer Kari Johnston were the International Association of Business provided with a CD of audio files, pdf files, Communicators (IABC), including the award and the hard copy of the exhibition catalogue. for Best of Show. It also received the CASE They reassembled the pieces online in a way District II Gold Award in the Individual Spe- By Sharon S. Blake that mimics the experience of viewing it at cial Public Relations Projects category and the History Center, but with more options. Ed the PRSA Pittsburgh Renaissance Award. The University of Pittsburgh-produced ten records of legal transactions in Pittsburgh Galloway, director of Pitt’s Archives Service exhibition Free at Last? Slavery in Pittsburgh between 1792 and 1857 that were discovered Center, digitized the slave documents. To in the 18th and 19th Centuries, which was on in 2007 by staff in the Allegheny County show the information in context, a portion display during the 2008-09 academic year at Recorder of Deeds Office. Those faded of each slave document is shaded in grey. PUBLICATION NOTICE The next edition of Pitt the Senator John Heinz History Center, lives records, now property of the Heinz History The unshaded portion is a record of human Chronicle will be published Feb. 1. Items for on in a compelling Web version. Center, document this area’s decades-long sales, slaves freed by their owners, evidence publication in the newspaper’s Happenings By visiting www.library.pitt.edu/free- involvement with Black slavery and inden- of a former slave’s free status, or requests for calendar (see page 7) should be received at atlast/, a site built by a team from Pitt’s tured servitude. freedom papers. The shaded portion is a sales least two weeks before the event date. Hap- University Library System (ULS), viewers “I believe that this effort captures the record of other property, like plots of land. penings items should include the following are guided through a virtual tour of the essence and feel of the original, physical Even though it’s not the oldest mate- information: title of the event, name and title rial he’s worked with, Galloway says it’s of speaker(s), date, time, location, sponsor(s), award-winning exhibition seen by thousands exhibition,” said Rush Miller, director of and a phone number and Web site for addi- between October 2008 and April 2009. ULS. “The ULS Web design team did an among the most significant. “These records tional information. Items may be e-mailed Free at Last? writes a new chapter in the outstanding job of converting exhibition touch upon the lives of men, women, and to [email protected], faxed to 412-624-4895, early history of race relations in this region content into a first-rate online presentation, children,” he said, “and that’s what makes or sent by campus mail to 422 Craig Hall. by exploring the little-known fact that slavery and the video commentary by Dr. [Laurence] them remarkable.” For more information, call 412-624-1033 or persisted in Western Pennsylvania through Glasco is an added feature that enriches the Galloway says he envisions additional e-mail [email protected]. the years immediately preceding the Civil experience of the documents and artifacts.” links that could be placed throughout the site, War. The exhibition centers on 55 handwrit- Highlights of the Web exhibition leading to other resources and related digi-