Swanson School of Engineering

📍 University of Pittsburgh

For over a decade, Pitt chemical engineering students have designed, built, and raced a shoebox-sized Chem-E Car powered and stopped by chemical reactions. This past spring, the team’s car came an eighth of an inch from reaching the national competition in November, and the team hopes that it might get there yet. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/for-every-reaction-theres-an-action/

Our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of our industrial engineering alumnus James Waight (BSIE '85).

James Waight Obituary (1963 - 2026-06-04) - Canton, MI - Tribune Review View James S. Waight's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

This past spring, Swanson School industrial engineering students collaborated with UPMC to solve persistent healthcare challenges. The results of these three senior projects highlight how new perspectives can create real-world solutions that help improve care. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/designing-healthcare-solutions-across-silos/

Congratulations to Jingtong Hu! He received the IEEE TCCPS Mid-Career Award for his work developing life-saving devices that are engineered to act on their own. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/life-saving-devices-engineered-to-act-on-their-own/

Say hello to our 2026 Benedum Red Tail Hawk Fledge! Be mindful around the plaza while it learns to fly - thanks to hawkwatcher Emily Kerr who spied it visiting the 9th floor!

Congratulations to Tatsuya Sakurahara! He has received a 2026 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award to develop a computational risk-assessment tool for nuclear facilities. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/beyond-probabilities/

SCI assistant professor earns NSF grant for interdisciplinary research project | School of Computing and Information Junyu Liu, an assistant professor for the Department of Computer Science, was recently awarded an NSF grant for his research collaboration with the professors from the Pitt Swanson School of Engineering. They are using their awarded NSF grant to support their research project, titled “Simulating f...

Although many sabbaticals involve crossing oceans or traveling out of state, leaving home isn’t the only way to immerse oneself in new research, develop educational plans, form new collaborations, and shore up existing ones. In this final installment of a three-part series, Pitt professors Daniel Cole, Julie Vandenbossche, and Aaron Batista share their experiences taking a sabbatical right here in Pittsburgh. https://news.engineering.pitt.edu/the-many-shapes-of-sabbaticals/

Congratulations to our civil engineering alumnus James Serafin BSCE '95 on his new role at Oak Ridge National Laboratory!

ORNL names Jim Serafin director of facilities and operations | ORNL Published: June 8, 2026 Updated: June 8, 2026 James “Jim” Serafin Jr. the new director of the Facilities and Operations at ORNL. Credit: Alonda Hines/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has named James “Jim” E. Serafin Jr. as director of the ...