The Pitt School of Education has had a busy summer, which included putting out a uniquely themed PittEd magazine, naming an interim director for the Office of Child Development, and leading a new University effort to expand the region’s life sciences workforce by developing community-oriented job training programs for local workers. 

PittEd Magazine: The summer edition, published in July, looked at the intersection of athletics and education, including: 

• The many student-athletes who go on to become teachers and mentors. 

• Pitt faculty recognized by the University’s student-athletes as “most valuable professors.”  

• The work of the school’s Physical Activity Research Center on exercise science, cardiovascular health, sleep health and more. 

The magazine also looked at the return of a dance minor last fall after a two year pause, along with a research project on understanding structural racism in health care, and much more. 

Office of Child Development: Sharon Ross, associate professor of Health and Human Development, in July became the interim executive director of the School of Education’s Office of Child Development. The office supports more than 7,000 children and families across Western Pennsylvania each year through services in early childhood partnerships, research evaluation and family support. She replaces Shannon Wanless, who after seven years of leading the office was named director of Pitt’s University Center for Social and Urban Leadership. 

Life sciences workforce: School of Education Dean Eboni Zamani-Gallaher is the principal investigator on the project to develop new skills and credentials for the thousands of workers who will soon be needed in the emerging life sciences industry in Western Pennsylvania. 

“Our project aims to create clear career pathways to build a strong, diverse workforce for this growing industry, which is expected to add 24,000 life sciences jobs and 180,000 related jobs in Southwestern Pennsylvania over the next five years,” Zamani-Gallaher said. 

Titled the Life Sciences Career Pathways Initiative, the project is funded by a nearly $498,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. It will bring together Pitt’s School of Education, Office of Engagement and Community Affairs and Center for Excellence in Digital Education (EDGE), along with Pittsburgh Public Schools Career and Technical Education, Community College of Allegheny County, and Pittsburgh Life Sciences Alliance. 

Other core partners are Pitt BioForge at Hazelwood Green and anchor tenant ElevateBio, which has committed to creating 170 jobs at the site.   

Read more about the project on the School of Education website.