Swanson School of Engineering

08/31/2026

Our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of our electrical engineering and Katz alumnus, and Air Force veteran Richard "Dick" DeNezza BSEE '60 MBA '61.

Richard “Dick” DeNezza passed away on August 13th at 88 years young.

08/26/2026

Pitt’s IDEA Lab has partnered with Pittsburgh startup Silly Surfacing and Innovation Works' Robotics Factory to answer the question: can robots fill potholes? On Friday, they demonstrated the technology, and the answer is yes! Check out the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s story. https://www.pghtech.org/news-and-publications/Pothole

08/25/2026

Pitt’s Tatsuya Sakurahara recently served as the technical program chair for the International Association for Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management’s PSAM 18 Conference, helping bring over 200 researchers to Pittsburgh. For Pitt students Emelia Stouffer and Krzysztof Radziszewski, this conference and research opportunities in Sakurahara’s RARE Lab have illuminated pathways to research and changed their trajectory. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/a-rare-opportunity/

08/25/2026

Congratulations to MEMS Associate Professor Mostafa Bedewy and his collaborators for winning top honors at this year's National Science Foundation (NSF) Manufacturing Blue Sky Competition!

Silk gets its combination of strength and flexibility from the amino acid sequence in the protein, which directs how the fiber folds and assembles. Protein-Based Manufacturing would let engineers design that sequence themselves.

https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/programming-matter-a-winning-vision-for-proteinbased-manufacturing/

08/24/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Susan K. Fullerton on her promotion to full professor and appointment as Interim Chair of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering! Also, join us in thanking Dr. Steven Little, who is returning to faculty after serving 14 years as chair. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/susan-fullerton-shirey-named-interim-chair-of-chemical-and-petroleum-engineering-at-pitt/

08/24/2026

On September 8, the Swanson School is excited to launch Leadership Conversations, a speaker series exploring the experiences, decisions, partnerships, and challenges that shape leadership in research and academia. To kick off the series, Pitt’s Rory A. Cooper, PhD, PLY will share the story of developing the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), along with lessons he learned while building a collaborative research enterprise with lasting impact. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/swanson-school-of-engineering-launches-leadership-conversations/

08/19/2026

The newest Pitt Engineers are here! 💙💛

Today, we welcomed our 2026 graduate student cohort to Benedum Hall. New faces became familiar, connections began to form and the Swanson community grew a little larger – all as we celebrate 180 years of engineering at Pitt.

08/14/2026

It's always exciting to add new academic programs to our curriculum. In addition to the new Bachelor's in Natural Gas, Renewables, and Oil Engineering (GRO) this fall, we're also launching a space-engineering minor for undergraduates, and a space-engineering certificate for graduate students!

Above: Members of the SHREC mission team building its next space system, STP-H12-VANTAGE, due for delivery to NASA/DOD this fall and launch to ISS in fall 2027.

08/12/2026

What happens to all this rain falling on Pittsburgh? Instead of being reused, too often it overwhelms an aging sewer system. Pitt researchers Vikas Khanna, Sarah Haig, Ahteshamul Haq, and SriGanesh V. Pennathur have developed a framework that identifies cost-effective, energy-efficient, and low-emission treatment systems for captured stormwater based on how it will be used. Their research is published in npj Clean Water. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/wholl-stop-the-rain-and-reuse-it/

08/11/2026

For their work developing stronger sensing technology and smarter energy systems, Paul Ohodnicki, Kevin Chen, and their collaborators have received three 2026 R&D World 100 Awards! The awards recognize 100 of the most significant new products, processes, and materials worldwide. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/stronger-sensing-smarter-energy-systems/