Eight Receive Mascaro Faculty Program in Sustainability Awards

Civil & Environmental, Electrical & Computer, MEMS

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 21, 2019) — The University of Pittsburgh’s Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation (MCSI) named eight faculty awardees for the 2020 John C. Mascaro Faculty Program in Sustainability. The one-year awards, created to enhance the University’s mission of interdisciplinary excellence in sustainability research and education, go to faculty members from all disciplines, who may apply as faculty fellows, scholars or lecturers. “From proposing ways to give students more hands-on experience with sustainability to the incorporation of arts- and humanities-based approaches to sustainability discourse, this year’s award recipients demonstrate the interdisciplinary work we strive for,” says Gena Kovalcik, co-director of administration and external relations at MCSI. “We’re excited to see the great work they will do.” John C. Mascaro Faculty Fellow in Sustainability: David Finegold, Graduate School of Public Health John C. Mascaro Faculty Scholars in Sustainability: Tony Kerzmann, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Sara Kuebbing, Department of Biological Sciences John C. Mascaro Faculty Lecturers in Sustainability: Joshua Groffman, Division of Communication and the Arts, Pitt Bradford Katherine Hornbostel, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Robert Kerestes, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Pamela Stewart, Department of Anthropology Andrew Strathern, Department of Anthropology
Maggie Pavlick

Excellence in Electrical Engineering

Electrical & Computer, Student Profiles

PITTSBURGH (Nov. 12, 2019) — The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Power and Energy Society (PES) selected Nathan Carnovale, a senior studying electrical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering, for the John W. Estey Outstanding Scholar Award. Carnovale is one of six Pitt students selected for the IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Award this year. The John W. Estey Outstanding Scholar Award is given to the top PES Scholar in each of the six IEEE U.S. regions. Region 2, Carnovale’s region, covers Delaware, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, northern Virginia, southern New Jersey, West Virginia, and Washington, DC. It serves more than 25,000 of IEEE’s estimated 400,000 members. Carnovale was first awarded the IEEE PES Scholarship Plus Award in the 2017-2018 academic year and again in 2018-2019. “In his four years at Pitt, Nate’s proven to be an outstanding student and role model,” says Robert Kerestes, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt. “We’re proud of this honor and look forward to the amazing things he will achieve beyond the University.” Eli Brock (’22), Sabrina Nguyen (’20), Anthony Popovski (’21), Elizabeth Rager (’20) and Nolan Scanlon (’19) were also among the 135 high-achieving undergraduate students in electrical engineering from the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to be recognized as 2019-2020 PES Scholars. With six awardees, Pitt has the second highest number of recipients out of the 78 universities represented. PES Scholars receive a financial award, one year of IEEE PES student membership, and mentorship from leading professionals in the power and energy industry. The John W. Estey Outstanding Scholar Award is selected by industry and academic representatives in their region based on academic preparation, extra-curricular activities and leadership, interest in power and energy engineering, technical quality and overall assessment of career potential in power and energy engineering. The award includes $5,000 for school expenses, 12 months of IEEE and IEEE PES Student Membership, and up to $1,000 in travel honorarium to attend the IEEE PES General Meeting. The award was named for John W. Estey, one of the three Chief Executive Officers in S&C Electric Company’s 100-year history. About Nathan (Nate) Carnovale: Nate Carnovale is scheduled to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh in December 2019 with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and a concentration in electric power, and plans to pursue an M.S. degree in electric power engineering at Pitt starting in spring 2020. During his undergraduate career, he interned with Eaton for two summers, working at Eaton’s Power Systems Experience Center and in Eaton’s Power Systems Automation services group in Warrendale, PA. There he gained experience in power systems metering and monitoring, as well as experience installing, wiring, and programming Eaton demos at the Experience Center. He will be working in Eaton’s Power Systems Controls group this summer working with microgrids. For four semesters at Pitt, Carnovale has been a teaching assistant for the Art of Making, an introductory engineering course to hands-on systems design. He is currently working to develop an adapted physical education learning tool for students with physical and mental challenges at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children in Pittsburgh, a project he started during his time as a student in the Art of Making course.
Maggie Pavlick

Bringing Attention to Visual Neglect in Stroke

Electrical & Computer

PITTSBURGH (October 23, 2019) … Imagine struggling to see, listen, or make movements in half of your environment. This is typical for individuals who suffer from unilateral spatial neglect, a common post-stroke deficit of attention to objects or events on the side opposite of the brain injury. The condition has a major impact on the everyday lives of stroke survivors and has shown to be a strong predictor of disability. Unilateral spatial neglect affects 29 percent of stroke survivors, yet detection and rehabilitation of this condition are lacking. A team of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and Northeastern University received a combined $1,181,757 from the National Science Foundation to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI) system that will be implemented in augmented reality, allowing for better detection, assessment, and rehabilitation of unilateral spatial neglect. “Current detection methods are limited and do not account for changes in severity over time, and while rehabilitation may help reduce neglect, it less effective at reducing neglect-related disability,” said Murat Akcakaya, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering. “Incorporating everyday tasks with effective rehabilitation strategies may be the best way to improve the quality of life for this population.” Overview of the neglect detection, assessment and rehabilitation system. A Starry Night scheme (green and yellow dots will appear and disappear at random times in random locations of the visual field in order to assess the region and extent of visual neglect) is presented to the patient while the patient's EEG signal is recorded. When visual neglect is detected using EEG-driven features, the multimodal feedback unit triggers the combination of visual, auditory, and haptic feedback to the patient. The research team plans to focus on visual neglect and address the shortcomings of current rehabilitation by reaching beyond the clinical setting and taking activities of daily living into account. They will develop a noninvasive, portable, and cost-effective tool that can be used to help guide rehabilitation programs in real-time. Akcakaya will lead a $787,594 award in collaboration with Pitt colleagues Elizabeth Skidmore, chair and professor of occupational therapy, and George Wittenberg, professor of neurology. Sarah Ostadabbas, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Northeastern University, received a $394,163 award for her contribution to the project. “Our BCI system will monitor brain activity in real-time through electroencephalography (EEG), which will be used to detect when visual extra-personal space is neglected,” said Wittenberg. “The system will be integrated into an augmented reality environment, which allows testing in real-world situations with relevance to everyday tasks. According to the research team, evidence suggests that high-intensity repetition with progression in the task skill level may be the most effective strategy for stimulating attention to the neglected side of the body. “Our system, which includes haptic, auditory, and visual stimulation, will expand on current rehabilitation by using EEG monitoring to automatically detect neglect and apply stimulation repetitively as soon as it is identified,” said Skidmore, who is also associate dean of research in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. “This personalized intervention strategy, incorporated with activities of daily living, will be a more precise and cost-effective tool for clinicians to use with these patients.” Unilateral spatial neglect can be a costly side effect of stroke. It is associated with longer stays in the hospital, extensive therapy, and other disadvantages related to long-term disability. Akcakaya said, “We hope that this system, which uniquely couples augmented reality technology with EEG monitoring, will improve the rehabilitative process, decrease the financial burden, and ultimately, provide more independence to stroke survivors.” ###