Pitt Engineering Alumnus Dedicates Major Gift Toward Undergraduate Tuition Support

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PITTSBURGH (October 21, 2020) …  An eight-figure donation from an anonymous graduate of the Swanson School of Engineering and spouse to the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering in their estate planning to provide financial aid to undergraduate students who are enrolled in the Pitt EXCEL Program. Announced today by Pitt Chancellor Patrick Gallagher and US Steel Dean of Engineering James R. Martin II, the donors beques will provide tuition support for underprivileged or underrepresented engineering students who are residents of the United States of America and in need of financial aid. “I am extremely grateful for this gift, which supports the University of Pittsburgh’s efforts to tackle one of society’s greatest challenges—the inequity of opportunity,” Gallagher said. “Put into action, this commitment will help students from underrepresented groups access a world-class Pitt education and—in doing so—help elevate the entire field of engineering.” “Our dedication as engineers is to create new knowledge that benefits the human condition, and that includes educating the next generation of engineers. Our students’ success informs our mission, and I am honored and humbled that our donors are vested in helping to expand the diversity of engineering students at Pitt,” Martin noted. “Often the most successful engineers are those who have the greatest need or who lack access, and support such as this is critical to expanding our outreach and strengthening the role of engineers in society.” A Gift to Prepare the Workforce of the Future Martin noted that the gift is timely because it was made shortly after Chancellor Gallagher’s call this past summer to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all, especially for the University’s future students. The gift – and the donors’ passion for the Swanson School – show that there is untapped potential as well as significant interest in addressing unmet need for students who represent a demographic shift in the American workforce.  “By 2050, when the U.S. will have a minority-majority population, two-thirds of the American workforce will require a post-secondary education,” Martin explained. “We are already reimagining how we deliver engineering education and research, and generosity such as this will lessen the financial burden that students will face to prepare for that future workforce.” A Half-Century of IMPACT on Engineering Equity In 1969 the late Dr. Karl Lewis (1/15/1936-3/5/2019) founded the IMPACT Program at the University of Pittsburgh to encourage minority and financially and culturally disadvantaged students to enter and graduate from the field of engineering. The six-week program prepared incoming first year students through exposure to university academic life, development of study skills, academic and career counseling, and coursework to reinforce strengths or remedy weaknesses. Many Pitt alumni today still note the role that Lewis and IMPACT had on their personal and professional lives.  Under Lewis’ leadership, IMPACT sparked the creation of two award-winning initiatives within the Swanson School’s Office of Diversity: INVESTING NOW, a college preparatory program created to stimulate, support, and recognize the high academic performance of pre-college students from groups that are historically underrepresented in STEM majors. Pitt EXCEL, a comprehensive undergraduate diversity program committed to the recruitment, retention, and graduation of academically excellent engineering undergraduates, particularly individuals from groups historically underrepresented in the field. “Dr. Lewis, like so many of his generation, started a movement that grew beyond one person’s idea,” said Yvette Wisher, Director of Pitt EXCEL. “Anyone who talks to today’s EXCEL students can hear the passion of Dr. Lewis and see how exceptional these young people will be as engineers and individuals. They and the hundreds of students who preceded them are the reason why Pitt EXCEL is game-changer for so many.”  Since its inception, Pitt EXCEL has helped more than 1,500 students earn their engineering degrees and become leaders and change agents in their communities. Ms. Wisher says the most important concept she teaches students who are enrolled in the program is to give back however they can once they graduate—through mentorship, volunteerism, philanthropy, or advocacy.  Supporting the Change Agents of Tomorrow “Pitt EXCEL is a home - but more importantly, a family. The strong familial bonds within Pitt EXCEL are what attracted me to Swanson as a graduating high school senior, what kept me going throughout my time in undergrad and what keeps me energized to this very day as a PhD student,” explained Isaiah M. Spencer Williams, BSCE ’19 and currently a pre-doctoral student in the Swanson School’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “Pitt EXCEL is a family where iron sharpens iron and where we push each other to be the best that we can be every day. Beyond that, it is a space where you are not only holistically nurtured and supported but are also groomed to pave the way for and invest into those who are coming behind you.  “Pitt EXCEL, and by extension, Dr. Lewis' legacy and movement are the reasons why I am the leader and change agent that I am today. This generous gift will ensure a bright future for underrepresented engineering students in the Pitt EXCEL Program, and will help to continue the outstanding development of the change agents of tomorrow.”  Setting a Foundation for Community Support “Next year marks the 51st anniversary of IMPACT/EXCEL as well as the 175th year of engineering at Pitt and the 50th anniversary of Benedum Hall,” Dean Martin said. “The Swanson School of Engineering represents 28,000 alumni around the world, who in many ways are life-long students of engineering beyond the walls of Benedum, but who share pride in being Pitt Engineers. “The key to our future success is working together as a global community to find within ourselves how we can best support tomorrow’s students,” Martin concluded. “We should all celebrate this as a foundational cornerstone gift for greater engagement.” ###

Powering AI in Sensors with Energy Harvested from Nature

Electrical & Computer

In a city with 446 bridges, how do you effectively monitor the health of the structures that help residents navigate above Pittsburgh’s three rivers? Experts rely on remote sensors fastened beneath a bridge that continuously detect vibrations and produce data for structural health monitoring. These kinds of wireless, battery-operated devices are often placed in hard-to-reach areas, complicating maintenance. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Notre Dame want to apply artificial intelligence to extend the lifetime of sensors and devices deployed in remote areas. They received a $500,000 award from the National Science Foundation to support their work. “One of the major challenges with these sensors is battery replacement. Many times, it is costly, inconvenient, or even infeasible to replace or charge these batteries after deployment,” said Jingtong Hu, lead researcher on the study and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering. Hu and the research team want to develop a way to save power on the remote sensor device by leveraging energy-harvesting technology, which sources power from the environment, such as solar, thermal, or wind. They plan to add a second, small sensor that can trigger a more robust device, thus saving energy and allowing users to change the battery less frequently. The smaller sensor -- powered by energy harvested from the environment -- will run unattended, and with the help of AI, it can be trained to recognize patterns and signal the larger device to turn on during a specific event. “The main device is programmed to do all of the legwork,” explained Hu. “The smaller sensor is the watchdog that can monitor the environment and wake up the larger sensor when necessary.” These devices have many applications, including monitoring and predicting natural disasters. Sensor technology is currently used to observe gases emitted by active volcanoes in some of the most remote parts of the planet. This requires researchers to take long, arduous hikes to reach the location -- all while wearing protective equipment to prevent damage to the skin and lungs from the extreme heat and corrosive gases. With Hu’s improvements, the researchers may be able to make trips such as these – whether to the tops of volcanoes or under bridge trusses –  less frequently. If successful, the project may ultimately allow these devices to be powered by the environment to help protect the environment. He will collaborate with Yiyu Shi, associate professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame. “One of the main challenges of running AI algorithms with energy harvested from the environment is that the energy from the environment is intermittent,” Hu explained. “Much like a laptop, if the sensor loses power, you lose the data, so we want to help AI algorithms reach an accurate decision, even with intermittent power. “By applying AI, we hope to increase the lifespan of unattended sensors and make them more reliable and useful,” he said. # # #