Mohammad Shedeed, a junior in the University of Pittsburgh Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and David C. Frederick Honors College, received a 2025-26 Newman Civic Fellowship. This national honor from Campus Compact recognizes student leaders who are making a difference in their communities.
Pitt’s Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology is only one hundred miles north of the University’s bustling Oakland campus, but for some it seems like a different world. Surrounded by quiet forest on the shore of a fishing lake that straddles the Pennsylvania-Ohio state line, Pitt students and researchers have enjoyed field and laboratory experiences here for generations. Known informally as PLE, the facility has space for large-scale research and ecosystems studies where students and researchers can get their hands on plants and animals in their natural environments.
On a clear night in Pittsburgh, it can be hard to find more than a dozen stars. But Diane Turnshek, adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has dedicated her career to changing that. A longtime advocate for reducing light pollution, Turnshek is working to restore the brilliance of the night sky: one community, one policy, and one story at a time.
Carles Badenes, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, was interviewed for a Science News article about how a dying star imploded twice before becoming a supernova. Badenes was not part of the research team that captured the image, but he discussed the theories surrounding this phenomenon.
Craig Kaplan, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Dietrich School, was featured in a recent article in Quanta Magazine. The article discusses researchers who have discovered that RNA serves as the “alarm system” of our cells.
Annette Vee, associate professor and director of Pitt’s Composition Program in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English, works to develop awareness of the technology we engage. Her 2017 book, “Coding Literacy: How Computer Code Is Changing Writing,” is a basic text in digital humanities and computer science education.
Alaina E. Roberts, an associate professor of History at the Dietrich School, was cited in three recent articles in AP News, NBC News, and The Guardian about Beyoncé's use of Buffalo Soldier imagery.
Lester Lusher, an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the Dietrich School, was noted in a recent Study published on StudyFinds. The research groups involved were looking at the correlation between traffic jams and fast-food consumption.
