A warm welcome to our new members, who have joined since our August newsletter:  Brigitte Bouchat, Sharon Feng, Sarah Kohl, Missy Marshall, Inez Miles, Millie Myers, Dawn Rucker, Sharon Semenza and Carole Walcher.  We look forward to seeing them at our programs and events! 
 
Congratulations to our Pittsburgh ARCS Scholar Alums, Victoria Corbit and Tim Bartholomew, who have defended their dissertations and been awarded their doctorates. 

Save the Dates. Our upcoming programs, the 2020 Celebration, and the All Member Meeting are scheduled and the dates are in the newsletter. Please put them on your calendars and details will come later. We hope to see you there.

A reminder that ARCS Pittsburgh is using endowments to provide support for scholars well into the future. Round up some donors, “bundle” your contributions, and jump on board. Your “bundle” does not need to be only ARCS members - it can be anyone who is interested in advancing our cause! Talk to your friends, neighbors, alums, or business partners. Jeanne Berdik is spear-heading this effort at CMU, and also now at Pitt, and she can help you take advantage of this extraordinary giving opportunity. You can email her at jeanne.berdik@verizon.net or call her at 412-443-5495. Thanks for thinking about the possibility of such a legacy for your future and the future of science in Pittsburgh, in America and across the globe!

On Tuesday, October 1st, fourteen ARCS members and guests visited Eurofins TestAmerica and were greeted by Barb Hall, who has worked at the lab for more than thirty years.  Barb and her colleague, Debbie Lowe, conducted our tours, each taking a group through the lab and telling us about the company, its history, and its operations. This lab is one of many facilities analyzing water and soil samples and we learned about the tests, the protocols and how the public benefits from the work.  
 
Twenty-two ARCS members and guests attended the Allegheny Observatory Tour on Friday, October 25th.  While the skies were cloudy and we could not see any stars, we learned a lot about both astronomy and the facility from our energetic guide, Kevin Kepes.  Kevin gave us a capsule history of the observatory and told us about the very interesting people who have worked there.  We saw the Thaw Memorial Refractor and Kevin demonstrated how it works.  We also viewed the Fitz-Clark Refractor.  Kevin also told us about the construction and history of both refractors and their contributions to advancing knowledge about our universe. 

May 5, 2020 marks the celebration of our significant anniversaries of our scholar awards at Carnegie Mellon University (15 years) and the University of Pittsburgh (10 years). Raising over $2,000,000, primarily from our generous member-donors, we have funded 147 PhD science, engineering and medical research scholars. Current and former ARCS members, guests, community and university leaders and current and alumni ARCS scholars are invited to celebrate at the iconic Mellon Institute marble lobby and library. We will enjoy appetizers, wine, scholars’ research posters and an auction of fine art. We also will honor our legacy leaders and recognize our scholar alumni of distinction. Our festivities, presentations and awards will be accompanied by live music. Our formal program, a fireside chat with host Glen de Vries Dean of CMU’s Mellon College of Science Rebecca Doerge, will engage us with top researchers, ethicists and industry thinkers on the topic of “The Future of Scientific Research”. Dr. Doerge is widely recognized for engaging wide audiences in the excitement and necessity of scientific innovation. She’s been called “The Cool Dean”! We especially thank our Diamond Sponsor, UPMC and UPMC Health Plan, for their generous event support and recognition of the impact of ARCS Pittsburgh on advancing science in America. Everyone should make plans to attend this very special event.

July 26, 2019 
Ph.D. Candidate Zoe Wright Wins Kwolek Fellowship in Chemistry 
By Ben Panko Email 

Chemistry Ph.D. candidate Zoe Wright has been named the recipient of the 2019 Kwolek Fellowship in Chemistry. The fellowship is funded by a bequest from Carnegie Mellon University alumna Stephanie Kwolek, best known as the inventor of the synthetic fiber Kevlar. It provides up to $50,000 to women Ph.D. candidates who "have shown significant advances in their research." 

"Zoe was the first graduate student to commit to my lab," Assistant Professor of Chemistry Stefanie A. Sydlik said of Wright. In fact, Sydlik joked, Wright actually joined Sydlik's lab before she had joined her own lab, since Sydlik was still finishing up her postdoctoral fellowship at MIT when Wright began working for her. Though the two had to coordinate their research through chats on Skype and during Sydlik's occasional visits to Pittsburgh, that didn't turn out to be an issue for Wright. 

"From day one she showed a lot of maturity as a researcher," Sydlik noted, pointing to the paper Wright co-authored and the patent she received based on research conducted during that first year. "It's been a pleasure being her mentor." 

My research in the Sydlik lab focuses on synthesizing new methacrylate-based monomers to act as additives to existing medical adhesives," Wright said. These additives can hold small-molecule drugs such as pain and anti-inflammatory medications or substances to stimulate healing, and by changing the covalent bonds used to attach the additives, Wright can manipulate how slowly or quickly those molecules are released—from hours to months. The additives can also change the adhesive's properties to make them soft for healing skin or rigid for supporting bones. 
"Based on the type of drug we select for the adhesive and the release profile we choose via the covalent tether, we can design adhesives to actively guide wound healing," Wright said. 

With the support from her Kwolek Fellowship, Wright plans to work on wrapping up her research projects here at Carnegie Mellon to prepare for postdoctoral research. She especially hopes to be able to expand her therapeutic methacrylic comonomer additives as a platform that could deliver antibiotics from bone cement, and to learn how to do bacterial cell culture.  

"This fellowship provides an excellent opportunity for me to develop a specific relevant skill while working in a familiar and supportive environment," Wright said. 
 

With Sadness: Janice Leckey, ARCS Pittsburgh Founding Member, ARCS Pittsburgh past Board Member, and active community volunteer died on October 19, 2019. Janice was also an active member of the Junior League of Pittsburgh and the Twentieth Century Club. Janice was a member of the founding Steering Committee and later the first Board of ARCS Foundation. She was our first Nominating Chair. Janice also served on the Board of Directors for the Twentieth Century Club for many years. She was a mainstay of the Lecture committee of the club. She left a wonderful legacy with all of her endeavors as well as her close personal friendships. We extend our condolences to her husband, Edward Leckey, and her many friends.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020; 6:00-8:00pm    PROGRAM: Tepper Quad.  Henny Admoni, Assistant Professor in the Robotics Institute at CMU will present a Lecture at CMU, “Understanding Human Needs To Create More Helpful Robots”. 
 
Thursday, February 6, 2020; 3:45 – 7pm    PROGRAM:  Phipps Conservatory; Tour (3:45-5:00pm), Networking and Refreshments (5:30 pm)  Biophilia Presentation and Discussion: (6:00-7:00pm).  Visit “Out of This World” show of orchids and tropical Bonsai.  The Biophilia presentation will take place in the Center for Sustainable Landscapes (CSL) Classroom.  You may attend either or both. 
       
Thursday, March 12, 2020; 8:30-10:30am    ARCS Board Meeting, CMU Mellon Institute Board Room  
 
Tuesday, March 17, 2020; 6:00-8:00pm    PROGRAM:  Tour of Magee-Womens Research Institute  Mix and mingle (light refreshments) with the scientists and leadership; learn what is possible when the country’s largest women’s research institute partners with a world-class women’s hospital; tour the labs.   
 
Tuesday, May 5, 2020;    Time TBD (evening)   PROGRAM: “2020 Vision: The Future of Scientific Research”; AND Scholar Celebration, CMU Mellon Institute  Celebrating 15 Years of Awards at CMU and 10 Years of Awards at Pitt! This is also the night we will view the 3rd Year Scholars’ Posters and learn about their research. 
 
Tuesday, May 19, 2020; 5:30 – 7:30pm    ARCS All Member Meeting - Phipps Garden Center at Mellon Park.   Very Important Meeting for ALL Members; please make plans to attend. 
 
 Thursday, Saturday, June 11-13, 2020    ARCS National Board Meeting in Pittsburgh.  Please think about attending some of the meetings.  You will meet your counterparts from other chapters and learn what they are doing, and they can learn from you.  ARCS National Chapter members will be staying at the Omni William Penn. Mark your calendars!   
 
Thursday, June 18, 2020; 8:30 – 10:30am    ARCS Board Meeting – location TBD