In the News

Pitt's CyberCamp program is engaging high school students by providing insights into cyberthreats and preparing them for potential future careers in cybersecurity. With over 1,000 participants in the past nine years, many students return for advanced sessions and some enroll at Pitt for undergraduate studies. The program offers a free educational pathway in cybersecurity, addressing the global shortage of cyber workers.

Pitt Information Technology has rebranded as Pitt Digital to better reflect its role in the University's digital transformation efforts. This shift includes embracing AI, virtual realities, and establishing innovation hubs like the Pitt-AWS Cloud Innovation Center. Pitt Digital remains committed to providing seamless tech support and aligning services with departmental goals, while continuing to focus on enhancing the digital campus experience for students, faculty, and staff.

Pitt Digital debuted PittGPT, the University of Pittsburgh's proprietary AI, as a secure tool for faculty and staff. Designed to enhance work efficiency, PittGPT provides similar capabilities to popular AI models like ChatGPT but ensures data security by keeping user information within the University's environment. The initiative reflects Pitt Digital's commitment to safeguarding sensitive information while encouraging users to leverage AI's potential while being mindful of accuracy and reliability.

Pitt Digital and Hillman Library have partnered to create a Technology Lab as part of the library's renovation. This lab includes Windows and Mac PCs, Drop-In Support, Tech Ambassador programming, and classroom space dedicated to teaching programming languages, AI, and other technology-related topics. The collaboration enhances educational opportunities by combining resources and expertise from both the library and Pitt Digital.

Pitt Digital provides students with free access to essential software tools, including Microsoft Suite and Adobe Creative Cloud. These resources support academic work by offering programs like Word, Excel, and Photoshop for project creation and collaboration.

CIO Mark Henderson outlined a transformative year for Pitt IT, focusing on evolving from a traditional IT model to a more agile and responsive organization. Key initiatives include addressing changing student expectations and enhancing data privacy amid rising cyber risks. Pitt IT is prioritizing automation and the integration of AI tools to improve educational and research processes. Efforts also include leveraging partnerships, such as with NVIDIA and Google, to create innovative solutions and enhance AI literacy across the University community.

Pitt Digital partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch a Cloud Innovation Center. This collaboration aims to leverage data, analytics, and AI to enhance health sciences programs and athletic performance, while providing students with valuable real-world experience through internships. The Center will use AWS's machine learning tools to drive innovative solutions in healthcare and sports, offering students access to AWS training and opportunities to develop technical prototypes that can be adopted by the industry.

Pitt Digital launched a "IT 10-Year Horizon" initiative, seeking feedback from the University community to shape its strategic roadmap. The plan focuses on revolutionizing the student experience, increasing support for transformative research, accelerating health science innovations, and championing regional development. By inviting input from diverse stakeholders, Pitt Digital aims to ensure agility and effectiveness in meeting future challenges, leveraging technology to advance the University's goals and enhance the digital campus environment.

Pitt Digital and Amazon Web Services opened the Health Sciences and Sports Analytics Cloud Innovation Center, powered by AWS, to drive advancements in AI and data analytics. Students play a central role in this initiative, gaining real-world experience by working on innovative projects that benefit both the University and broader communities. The Center aims to provide students with opportunities to develop technical skills and contribute to cutting-edge solutions in these fields.

The University of Pittsburgh and Amazon Web Services have launched a Health Sciences and Sports Analytics Cloud Innovation Center, where paid student interns will begin developing applications to tackle real-world challenges in healthcare and sports starting this summer.

Pitt Digital and AWS partnered to launch a pioneering initiative aimed at revolutionizing sports science and athlete performance through artificial intelligence. This Center, unique in the region and one of only four in North America, will provide students with internships and AI training. The initiative reflects a broader trend where educational and health institutions increasingly adopt AI technologies to advance disease prevention and health care.

The ribbon was cut Wednesday on the first Amazon Web Service-powered Cloud Innovation Center on the East Coast at the University of Pittsburgh. The new Health Science and Sports Analytics Cloud Innovation Center will provide students with internship opportunities to pursue data driven research in the two namesake fields.

In a landmark partnership that promises to transform both health sciences research and athletics, Pitt and Amazon Web Services have announced the establishment of the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences and Sports Analytics Cloud Innovation Center, powered by AWS. As the first CIC on the East Coast and the first to have a specialized focus on health sciences and sports analytics, this initiative represents a significant milestone in the application of cloud computing and artificial intelligence to these innovative fields.

The University approved two new policies aimed at enhancing identity theft prevention and information security. The Identity Theft "Red Flags" policy aligns with federal requirements to detect and address warning signs of identity theft, particularly concerning student accounts linked to federal aid. Additionally, the Information Security Policy establishes a comprehensive framework to protect the University's data, including student records, research data, and health information, by consolidating existing practices and establishing operational standards.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato, an alumna of Pitt’s College of Business Administration, will be on the Oakland campus March 19 for an exclusive conversation about how tech influenced her professional journey and how she's using her tech experience in her current position. The event, sponsored by Pitt IT, is from 10 to 11:30 a.m. in the William Pitt Union, Kurtzman Room.

The Computing and Information Committee discussed ongoing initiatives to address the University's technology needs and anticipate future market changes. Led by CIO Mark Henderson, the initiative involves public feedback and planning to align with emerging technologies and trends over the next five to 10 years. The discussions included updates on AI standards for University data use and partnerships with Dell and UPMC to advance health sciences and computational pathology through AI-driven projects.

A real voice — that’s what callers to Pitt want to hear most, says Maureen Ryczaj, the University’s lone full-time operator. Ryczaj and her team of two part-time staffers and several student employees answer up to 250 calls a week from all over the world — but mostly from Pitt students and their parents.

Since its rollout in November 2022, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has sparked widespread discussions about its potential impact on education and learning. Recognizing its growing use in academic settings, Pitt IT developed PittGPT, a version tailored specifically for the Pitt community.

Joseph Yun, a research professor of electrical engineering and an architect of PittGPT, said that the university did this because tech companies, like OpenAI, charge a large amount for their enterprise-designed versions.

At its monthly meeting on Oct. 28, the Senate Computing and Information Technology committee was briefed on a transition from one business intelligence report-writing tool to another as well as a pilot artificial-intelligence service being tailored for the Pitt community.

Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel and Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian celebrated Pittsburgh’s role as an AI Tech Community by signing a ceremonial memorandum of understanding with NVIDIA at AI Horizons Pittsburgh on Oct. 14. The summit included keynote remarks from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, discussing Pittsburgh’s global role in human-first AI innovation.

NVIDIA’s Joint Center with the University of Pittsburgh for AI and Intelligent Systems will focus on computational opportunities across the health sciences, including applications of AI in clinical medicine and biomanufacturing.

John Duska, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the University of Pittsburgh, has been recognized as a Top 100 Accelerated CISO Award Winner, a prestigious honor that highlights emerging security leaders with less than five years in the role. The merit-based program celebrates those who have demonstrated exceptional skill, innovation, and a commitment to advancing the cybersecurity industry.

Pitt has been affected by recent sextortion scams targeting students through their University email accounts.

Pitt has partnered with KeystoneREN to enhance its connectivity with a new 100 Gigabit Internet2 connection. This upgrade supports the University's growing network demands, improves redundancy, and strengthens cloud service connectivity. The initiative aligns with Pitt Digital's commitment to innovation and fiscal responsibility, achieving annual cost savings of $75,000 while advancing research and educational capabilities through a robust and scalable infrastructure.