For over the past 10 years I’ve been involved in the STEM Summit coordinated by the Pittsburgh Technology Council. The STEM Summit highlighted through a keynote address and interaction with professionals how an individual student’s strengths, interests, and passions can lead to multiple pathways to jobs in the tech industry! This year the STEM Summit started at the main campus of the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) looking at culinary arts, cybersecurity, robotics and mechatronics and then schools went to one of four corporate partner sites. I had the opportunity to join teams for Baldwin Whitehall and Phase 4 Learning for an interactive tour at Industrial Scientific.
I’m working with a wonderful team – Susan Anderson, Jessica Lee, and Laura Kay Coffey – to produce an Art and Innovation series on the South Side of Pittsburgh. The first event happened on March 12 at Acoustic Music Works on the South Side of Pittsburgh. The next event is tentatively set for 5:30 pm on July 30 at the homemade clothing store, Ms. Kitschy Witchy & Friends. Jessica Lee will perform with Mark Strickland on guitar and Hugo Cruz on percussion. At the break we’ll have an interactive fashion show with clothing from Ms. Kitschy Witchy and hear more about what’s happening on the South Side from Susan Anderson. After the break audience members will have a chance to play percussion instruments that Hugo Cruz will bring to the event.
This spring I attended the Cleveland International Film Festival. At the end of April and the start of May I discovered a host of outstanding films at the JFILM Festival. This year’s Audience Award winners included two films that I gave an Excellent rating: Hold On to the Music and Once Upon My Mother. Put both of these films on your list of films to see. I serve on the Board of Film Pittsburgh, the organization that sponsors JFILM.
Over the Easter break I visited the Frick Museum with a stop at the Clayton, the mansion, and then time at the Greenhouse. I wasn’t allowed to photograph inside the Clayton due to insurance issues, but I assembled a photo montage of an exhibit at the Greenhouse by Atticus Adams called “Catching Sunbeams” using images from my friend, Kayleigh Gaborek, along with some of my photos. According to the Frick exhbit: Adams thinks of the sculptures as viaticum, referring to the physical or spiritual supplies one carries on a journey. For Adams, these creations transport him back to a realm of childhood wonder.
In April I joined a educators from high schools around the region and from the University of Pittsburgh to look at how to implement emerging technologies, including Generative AI, into a K-20 framework using the research behind the Learning Sciences. This spring through the fall I’ll work on a project focusing on Metacognition along with three K-12 educators and two folks from the University of Pittsburgh.
For the past three years I’ve been producing a series of slideshows, collages, photo albums and movies (see : My Gallery.) Here is a link to my Flickr album for this spring.
Below is a short film capturing the 2026 Pittsburgh Marathon Pet Walk featuring my wife, stepson, and the star of the show, Olive, our dog. Enjoy the dogs and sites of Downtown Pittsburgh around Point State Park.