Carla Ng, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Swanson School of Engineering, has received a five-year, $500,000 NSF CAREER award to pursue research into the potential impacts of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) — man-made chemicals that are useful in a variety of industries because of their durability, but do not naturally break down in the environment or human body. For more details, go here.
The National Science Foundation has awarded Tevis Jacobs a $500,000 CAREER Award, which supports early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Jacobs, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the Swanson School of Engineering, will utilize electron microscopy to directly study and measure adhesion properties of nanoparticles and their supporting substrates.
John O'Donnell, chair of the Department of Nurse Anesthesia, is the first CRNA in the U.S. to be named a Fellow of the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. The SSH Academy recognizes individuals whose sustained contributions have had an impact on the field of health care simulation.
Valerie Kinloch, dean of the School of Education, has been named a 2019 American Educational Research Association Fellow, along with nine other scholars. They will be inducted on April 6, during the 2019 AERA annual meeting in Toronto, Canada.
HiberSense, Inc., a start-up from the University of Pittsburgh Innovation Institute, has won the $10,000 top prize in AUTM’s Pitch and Play business plan competition at the association’s 2019 annual meeting in Austin, Texas. HiberSense has developed a Connected Climate Control for Every Room solution that empowers homeowners with a smart HVAC control system.
Haitao Liu, associate professor of chemistry, is a recipient of the 2019 Early-Career Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. Haitao received the award for his research “on the intrinsic surface properties of carbon materials and DNA-mediated surface reactions.”
The Graduate Program in Classics, Philosophy, & Ancient Science is the recipient of a anonymous donation of $500,000 to help promote scholarship in Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy.