Pittsburgh Innovates

The 2013 Data Awards return to the Grand Hall at the Priory, one of the biggest innovation celebrations of the year in honor of the coolest design and tech projects in the region.

Nearly 50 companies are in the running for the region's highest (and only) honor for great art, entertainment and design technology, sponored by The Pittsburgh Technology Council.

New this year, the general public, that's you dear reader, will get a vote on the top projects. 

From now until the polls close on May 1st, readers may vote once for a project in each category. The public vote will be tabulated and weighted along with the decisions made by a industry professionals, says Kim Chestney Harvey of the Tech Council, 

Also new this year, tickets are offered at two price points. The early evening will be dedicated to the awards ceremony and presentations, which will end at 7 p.m. After that, the interactive exhibition party begins. The public, and non-PTC members, will be admitted for $25.

“It’s all about engaging the public and pulling interest from beyond the business community this year,” says Chestney Harvey. "It’s really important to keep the community element, which is what the DATAs are founded on.”

As for the contenders, there are many new names and technologies. While a few favorites from years past are back—Schell Games and Lightwave—many are new. There’s SloGo. An intriguing entry from Slippery Rock called “God Particle.” Walking Thumbs’ Blab Cake.

The student category, also new this year, has eight entries from CMU.

The evening’s presenter will be Bill Stankay,  journalist, author, filmmaker and former CNN Bureau Chief. Pittsburgh’s own Chip Walter will host the Awards Gala, drawing on his own explorations of human creativity and curiosity.

Cast your vote today!  Polls close May 1, 2013.

Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Kim Chestney Harvey, Pittsburgh Technology Council

Each week Pop City reports on the latest in company hiring news.
 
Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD), the region’s new nonprofit coalition of shale companies, nonprofits and environmental organizations, is seeking an executive director.  
 
Based in the EQT building downtown, the CSSD hopes to improve and innovate shale practices through performance standards and third-party certification. The ideal candidate will be responsible for directing all aspects of the Institute’s operations.
 
Pittsburgh-based AllFacilities Energy Group, an energy efficiency analytics company serving businesses, government agencies, municipalities and school districts, is hiring a drupal developer. The candidate should be a junior or intermediate drupal developer able to work on web-based applications for energy efficiency management.
 
The Penn Hills School District is looking for a secondary mathematics teacher.  Appropriate certifications are required, along with a working knowledge of mathematical concepts, common core standards and an ability to design and teach engaging lessons to middle school students.
 
Pine-Richland School District is advertising several openings including an assistant principal of the middle school and a world language and reading teacher for Eden Hall Upper Elementary.
 
The Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania is hiring a development associate. The ideal candidate is a veteran with honorable discharge with an undergraduate degree in communications and marketing experience.Send resume, cover letter (with salary requirements), and writing sample to employment@vlpwpa.org by May 1, 2013.
 
Downtown advertising company Brunner is hiring a copywriter, someone with at least five years experience working in advertising or a similar environment with the ability to write engaging copy and work across several areas, account service, creative and media.
 
North Side Smith Brothers Advertising is looking for a social media copywriter with a portfolio full of digital samples, including provocative, well-drafted copy. Accomplished wordsmiths who appreciate the power of social media need apply.
 
American Eagle Outfitters on the South Side is looking for an assistant buyer, online, with at least two years experience in retail merchandising. The position involves assisting the buyer to develop all aspects on online strategies. 
 
The Frick Art & Historical Center is hiring an executive assistant, someone with five years of experience. Knowledge of the arts is desirable, along with Windows computing experience, word processing, spreadsheets and email skills. The Frick is also looking for a director of finance and administrative services.
 
Pittsburgh startup FutureDerm, an online beauty health products firm, is looking for scientific writing interns to add to the production of daily, high quality content for a website that receives 250,000 views per month.

And lastly, kayak season is upon us and Venture Outdoors is looking for a Kayak program supervisor for the summer. 
 
Have hiring news to report? Contact Pop City and send the link to the posting.
 
Writer: Deb Smit

113 Industries, through the power of big data, is working with Fortune 500 companies to accelerate the pace of R&D in Pittsburgh and beyond.  
 
Founded in 2010 and based on Technology Drive in Oakland, the scientific research firm is capitalizing on the concept of “open innovation,” the cooperative sharing of intellectual property available to improve research activity.
 
Trillions of dollars in intellectual property sit on the shelves of universities, companies and federal labs, just waiting to play a role in the next great breakthrough product or technology, says Razi Imam, CEO, co-founder and adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at CMU. Through its internal platform, the company casts a wide net to tap this available research.
 
"We give Fortune 500 companies the opportunity to rapidly innovate and introduce breakthrough products to give them a competitive advantage," explains Imam. 
 
A chemical company, for example, might need a coating material to prevent the corrosion of the product under certain conditions. A food company, at a loss for the right chemical ingredient, might be in search of an ingredient to improve the health benefit or taste of a product.
 
113 Industries’ goal is to help customers reduce their R&D costs and the time it takes to develop and market new products, giving them an advantage in their marketplace.
 
Seasoned entrepreneurs, Imam and his partner Anupam Singh exited from their last company, Landslide, before the company was sold in 2012. Their new company name comes from the lowest chemical element on the periodic table.
 
The firm's team of multidisciplinary, scientists-in-residence, researchers on staff who work to connect the dots on research, is unique, they say. 
 
Pittsburgh has many great companies. Pushing R&D forward will not only help spur innovation but create jobs in the region, they say. “This is a big part of why open innovation is taking off,” Singh says. “It doesn’t need to be invented within your organization. It's something we're trying to foster and encourage in the region.”
 
“We want to give back to the region,” adds Imam. “We love Pittsburgh. This will give our region a true shot in the arm for revenue growth and an economic boost.”
 
Coming up: 113 Industries will co-host the Open Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh this summer and speak at the INPEX 2002 Open Innovation Conference in June.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Razi Imam, Anupam Singh, 113 Industries

Fourteen of the region’s smartest early-stage tech startups jumped into the 3 Rivers Venture Fair Shark Tank last week to compete for venture capital prizes.
 
Mark Cuban couldn’t make it, but a panel of experts was on hand firing the tough questions: Frank Demmler of Innovation Works, Will Indest of Draper Triangle Ventures and Chris Skarlin of Edison Ventures.
 
All of them were products of years of academic research from  University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. In the end, the audience cast the winning votes. 
 
First prize went to Qeexo, a CMU spinout, for a smartphone that is revolutionizing cellphone touch. Chris Harrison, an MIT Review Top 35 Innovator last year, is the force behind the tech. You might recall him dialing calls on his forearm and tabletops several years back.
 
Qeexo distinguishes between fingers and knuckles with 99% accuracy. A knuckle swipe, for example, executes one command, like a right mouse click. The company is in talks with several major manufacturers and is based in San Jose, Calif., with an R&D office at CMU.   
 
LightSIDE was second, a software platform that is ushering in the age of written papers graded by robots. The software uses machine learning to assess student essays. In addition to giving students instant feedback on their papers based on key concepts, LightSIDE hopes to lighten the load on teachers bogged down by traditional grading methods.
 
CE Agent, third place, developed at University of Pittsburgh, helps licensed professionals to track their continuing education credits.
 
Two other audience favorites deserve mention. The first is Topical Drug Delivery Therapy for Skin Cancer, a long-winded name for a band-aid to treat non-melanoma skin cancers. The tech was developed by a scientific team at the University of Pittsburgh.
 
And finally SolePower, an energy-harvesting startup with a shoe insert that recharges your phone (or other portable electronics) when you’re in the middle-of-nowhere.    
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: 3 Rivers Venture Fair
 

What is the Internet saying about you?
 
An accurate social media profile is critical in today’s job market. But how to manage the wild west of online content and ensure that the information out there is accurate?
 
Social Media Information (SMI) is rising to the challenge, an information solutions company working out of the Riverside Innovation Center. SMI rolled out Social Fingerprint in 2012, a simple online tool that gives anyone a read on potentially incriminating and embarrassing online posts.
 
SMI has more recently released two business to business products: EPLOY, a pre-employment screening tool to help companies find and retain the best employees; and EGLE, software for legal professionals and insurance analysts to investigate suspicious claims, criminal histories and reduces fraudulent insurance claims.   
 
A premium product to help people with profile or reputation management may be next, says Chris Gormley, CEO, formerly of Pittsburgh companies FreeMarkets, Tiversa and Omnyx.
 
“People should have the ability to monitor their own reputation,” he says. “We think there’s a big market for this.”
 
Gormley recently addressed college students at Pitt, prolific users of social media who might want to think twice about what they post on Facebook. Thirty-seven percent of employers today are using social media to research job candidates, he says. Facebook and LinkedIn are the most popular, used 65% of the time.
 
Industries that use social media the most when hiring are IT (52%) and Healthcare (28%). Of the remaining companies, 11% say they plan to start using it soon, he says.
 
So before that happens, one might want to try Social Fingerprint.
 
As a frequent user of social media and an online writer, I signed up, offered a few details and began receiving daily lists of potentially damaging information on myself.
 
Several problems popped up, all of which were false positive, fortunately. Here’s what Social Fingerprint had to say:
 
My name was closely linked with the words guns, riot, police and charges. Turns out it was a Pop City story, written by me, on “Behind the Scenes at the G-20.”
 
My name was found with the words roasted, served and hash. Another Pop City story about readers’ favorite dishes in Pittsburgh.
 
There was a mugshot that wasn’t me, whew, but one Debra Jeanne Smith who was charged with second degree murder for stabbing her boyfriend in Florida.
 
Most interesting was a site called Instant People Finder, which knew all my names, before and after marriage, and listed every place I’ve ever lived, all five, and my correct age.
 
Okay, I’m sleeping at night for now.
 
“You have to know what’s out there,” says Gormley. “You want to control your own online brand and know how to manage that. “
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Chris Gormley, SMI

Each week Pop City reports on the latest company and hiring news.
 
Global transportation company Bombardier is posting eight jobs and two internships at its West Mifflin operation. The positions range from an assortment of engineering jobs to project management. The firm is also looking for project management intern and software engineering intern.
 
Luma Institute is hiring a senior program director, a position that seeks world-class designers, innovators and teachers to run Luma programs around the world. The ideal candidate should have at least seven years experience as a design or innovation professional.

Flying Cork Media, a strategic marketing communications firm, is seeking a full-time creative writer. This position will assist in all client campaign writing, ensuring all initiatives are strategically and creatively aligned to clients’ needs, while being delivered on time and on budget. 

The Pittsburgh’s Mayors Office of Service and Civic Engagement is hiring for four Americorps Vista positions in July. All positions will involve the development, expansion, and streamlining of various servePGH programs.
 
PULSE, the Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Experience, seeks a part-time, high energy person to coordinate the office and help the small non-profit as it grows.  PULSE cultivates a community of young servant leaders who are working to transform Pittsburgh.
 
Metro Family Practice is looking for a triage nurse for its family practice located in Wilkinsburg. The ideal candidate should be flexible and able to work both evenings and weekends.
 
Carnegie Mellon University seeks a senior writer/editor for national media outreach. As part of the public relations team, this position contributes to strategic public relations and internal communications in support of CMU’s Software Engineering Institute.
 
WPXI-TV and Cox Enterprises is looking for an experienced hard news reporter with energy, the skills and a passion for breaking news. Multiple talents are required and being a star on social media is a must.

Have hiring news? Email Pop City and include the link to the job on your company website.

Writer: Deb Smit

Since its inception as a website in 2006, The Motherhood has celebrated the power of women to change the world and make it a better place for children.
 
This week the award-winning mega-blog for mothers, based in Aspinwall, launched a new website that has cemented its position as a for-profit social media marketing company. 
 
With a completely new website, and an assist from Pittsburgh-based Fireman Creative and University of Pittsburgh’s Instutute for Entrepreneurial Excellence (IEE), The Motherhood hopes to achieve what few in the marketing business have done successfully to date: harness the power of social media influencers, in this case mommy bloggers, to promote national brands.
 
The Motherhood was founded by longtime friends Cooper Munroe of Fox Chapel and Emily McKhann of New York City. They created the site in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helping to bring a virtual community of mothers together who were united in their desire to assist families hit hardest by the storm.  
 
“The power of women drove the entire thing,” Munroe told Pop City in 2009. “We saw the power of the web for good and how, by doing our little bit with the website, we were able to make a difference.”
 
Savvy marketing women— they met each other in 1988 working for a public relations firm in Washington, D.C.—they had a long range plan from the start: to nurture a community of woman who would become the social media influencers in their future marketing business.
 
That day has come.
 
“It has been a wonderful journey,” says Munroe. “We work with organizations (and corporations) that really want to reach moms who are social media influencers with a deep and loyal readership. The word of mouth impact is unparalleled, women talking to women about what they care about.”
 
As a marketing company, The Motherhood organizes social campaigns and strategies for companies, promoting everything from the health and welfare of Sub-Saharan mothers to good hygiene, healthy pets and family fun.
 
For example, there’s the Listerine 21-Day Challenge to improve oral health. Merck for Mothers addresses maternal mortality rates in Uganda. The Hershey Camp Bondfire promotes s’mores in the summer.
 
The Motherhood connects the campaigns through thousands of blogger followers who push the stories out on their own blogs. Some of the bloggers, not all, are paid by The Motherhood for their service.
 
Their reach is tantalizing. The Motherhood has more than 14,000 followers--6,000 followers on Facebook alone--a core network of 3000 mommy bloggers and another 10,000 potential bloggers across the country. The company counts many Fortune 500 companies among its clients: Johnson&Johnson, Bayer, Verizon, ConAgra Foods, Frito Lay to name a few.
 
“The most exciting thing is how people in Pittsburgh came together and are reshaping the advertising industry,” says Paul Fireman. “Through the magic of the community they've built, they only need to grab the ticket and take the bus.”
 
“It's not a mommy blog. It’s a whole new marketing channel, a sophisticated business that connects influencers to brands,” adds Bob Stein with Pitt’s IEE. 
 
There may be a question, for some, of corporate accountability. Do social media marketing companies like The Motherhood have a responsibility to ensure that companies are as altruistic as their campaigns claim?
 
Munroe and McKhann believe that is not their role. As a marketing firm, they create, package and deliver information on the campaigns and programs to bloggers who, in turn, spin it into prose on their own websites.

"We believe in the campaigns we work on and the clients projects we bring to bloggers. We take on campaigns that raise all boats," Munroe says.  
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann, The Motherhood; Paul Fireman, Fireman Creative; Bob Stein, University of Pittsburgh
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The 3 Rivers Venture Fair kicks off at PNC Park this week, bringing investors together with emerging new companies in the region.
 
New this year is a comprehensive report of trends and highlights in Pittsburgh during the last five years, 2008-2012. 
“Optimizing Opportunities, Investment in Pittsburgh’s technology sector” is sure to spark the interest of any stakeholder considering an investment in the region, says Rich Lunak, CEO of Innovation Works, the largest seed-stage investor in the region.
 
The report provides fresh content and insights on investment trends in the region’s growing technology sector. The data is culled from both IW and Venture Source and Ernst & Young compiled and validated the figures. It will become a staple offering at the 3RVF beginning this year.
 
Among the most noteworthy highlights was the total scale of the regional impact and the value of the exit transactions, says Lunak.
 
In the last five years, 217 technology companies attracted more than $1.3 billion in investment from venture capital firms, angel investors, strategic investors, accelerators, seed funds and other sources.
 
At the same time, Pittsburgh saw 28 companies make successful exits for a value of $2 billion, remarkable numbers considering the country was in a recession, he adds.  
 
Many of those exits involved deals estimated at more than $95 million, including the acquisitions of Vocollect ($190), M*Modal ($130) and Carnegie Learning ($97 million).
 
“It was also nice to see that Pittsburgh bucked the national trend that saw number of total deals and dollars go down,” Lunak adds. “Pittsburgh deals were up significantly.”
 
“The sheer number of firms making investments was eye opening to me,” adds Lynette Horrell, managing partner, Ernest & Young. “Our firm is focused on trends; looking at this data in a comprehensive manner is very beneficial to us.”
 
The report also identified several challenges. Indigenous venture capital funding decreased steadily from 2006 to 2011, meaning entrepreneurs have had to work harder to raise capital here, Lunak says.
 
Several new funds have been launched, the largest being a $40 million fund in 2012, which has helped to reverse this trend.
 
Lunak and Horrell will introduce the report at the 3 Rivers Venture Capital Fair at 2 p.m. this Thursday, April 11^th.
 
Among the other takeaways:
 
Despite a slowing on a national level of both the number of investment deals and amount of funding, the Pittsburgh region saw a 54% increase in the number of fundraising rounds. The overall amount of funding, however, increased only slightly from 2011.
 
In 2012, there were 190 deals in the region totaling $329.1 million in funding. In 2011, there were 123 deals totaling $326.9 million in funding.
 
Software companies, including consumer and enterprise software, received the largest portion of VC funding in the region in 2012, followed by medical devices, energy technology and health care IT.
 
The diversity of these sectors speaks to the broad base of technical talent in the Pittsburgh region. The breakdown is as follows: enterprise software (24%),  consumer software (22%), medical devices (14%), energy (8%), biotech (7%), healthcare IT (7%) and electronics (5%).
 
Of the funding received by the tech sector during the last five years, three-quarters of the total came from VC firms. The second largest share was provided by angel investors followed by corporate investors and seed funds and accelerators.
 
Nearly two-thirds of all the funding received consisted of smaller rounds featuring angels or seed funds and accelerators as the lead investor.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Rich Lunak, IW; Lynette Horrell, Ernst & Young

South Side-based LunaMetrics knows all about rising to the top when it comes to the web search.
 
As a digital intelligence firm, Lunametrics works with clients to analyze and increase traffic to their websites. It's also the only certified partner of Google Analytics in Western Pennsylvania, although it has plenty of other tools in the box including search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click (PPC) and social media.
 
The combination is drawing hits, as they say. Last year LunaMetrics, founded in 2005, doubled its revenues to $1.5 million and expanded staff by 50 percent, growth that required moving from the Terminal Building to more spacious digs on the South Side with conference rooms and a kitchen.
 
LunaMetrics currently employs 12 and is hiring two.  
 
While many clients come to us because we’re a certified Google Analytics partner, they stay because we’re customer centric, says Robbin Steif, CEO.
 
Lunametrics believes in regular communication with customers. It’s important to understand their experience so we can make the entire online experience better, whether that means the website, apps or social media.
 
The industry is growing for two reasons, she adds. It’s the most measurable marketing you can have today, very show me the numbers. The other reason is the tremendous growth of the Internet.   
 
“Its easy to understand what we do to improve rankings, but that’s only one piece," Steif says. "We try to cover the marketing, digital intelligence space. It’s not all about search engines but making your property do what you want it to do."
 
So how is this working for LunaMetrics? “Our visit pattern looks like a hockey stick,” says Steif. “The visitors to the company’s website are up 161% year over year, 2012-2011. That’s what happens when you work really hard at it and have the right things in the right place.”
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Robbin Steif, Lunametrics
 
 
 

Each week Pop City reports on the latest company and hiring news in the region.

Aquion Energy, developers of greener batteries and energy storage systems, is hiring upward of 10 people for its Pittsburgh office and is seeking another dozen for its Westmoreland County operation.
 
The company recently announced a $35 million financing round from Microsoft founder Bill Gates as well as Microsoft Bright Capital, Gentry Venture Partners and others. The funding will be used to ramp up business, including a high-volume manufacturing plant that will begin shipping product by year end 2013.
 
Pittsburgh jobs include: chemical and electrical engineers, inside sales reps, marketing manager, manufacturing technicians, senior mechanical systems engineers and a product test manager.

Burns White is adding a litigation associate to its growing construction practice area. The construction practice represents design professionals, design-build entities, owners and construction managers. 
 
The Pittsburgh Children’s Museum has three part-time positions that will work to coordinate an 8-week program, Food City Fellows Northside, a teen gardening program that gives teens first-hand experience with healthy meal planning and gardening. The positions include two coordinators for the program and a gardening specialist.
 
The Sprout Fund is looking for a communications assistant to support the work of the team of program officers in managing Sprout’s many programs. This new staff position assists with all communications, documentation, and promotional activities of The Sprout Fund.
 
Seegrid Corp., maker of robotic industrial trucks, is seeking a field service technician to work on robot applications and on-going customer projects by providing advanced technical support. The position is responsible for instructing customers regarding the operation and handling of the trucks and will respond to technical product issues.
 
Seegrid is also looking for an applications engineer who will play a role in the pre-sales engineering of robotic industrial truck systems.

Energy company EQT is posting openings for six positions in Pittsburgh: administrative assistant, land technicians, a landman, senior system analyst, vice president of trading and asset management and an accounting intern.
 
The Sewickley Patch (AOL) is looking for an advertising manager who will work primarily within a group of clustered Patch sites in the Pittsburgh region. Knowledge of the surrounding communities as well as digital and social media is key.

Have hiring news? Email Pop City and include the job links.
 
Writer: Deb Smit

A record crowd attended the annual luncheon held at the Fairmont yesterday to hear highlights of the Allegheny Conference's 2012 annual report with speakers ranging from PNC's Jim Rohr to Acquion Energy's CEO Scott Pearson.
 
David Malone, vice chair of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, reported on wins and current areas of focus. "If the last 30 years were focused on job creation," said Malone, the next 30 years will be focus on education, training and re-training for jobs.

The number of "wins" reported this year "underscore the confidence companies have in this region," and underscored the fundamental strengths of the diverse economy, said Malone in his introduction."I know you will find these numbers exciting," he said then cracked, "along with my presentation."

In the wrap up, Dennis Yablonsky reported on 2013 priorities, which include the dual infrastructure challenges of sewage problems and transportation.

Among the takeaways:
·       The 10-county Pittsburgh region is one of only three U.S. metros to have fully recovered from the recession, according to the Brookings Institution.
 
·       The Pittsburgh Regional Alliance (PRA) reports 269 economic development deals (or wins) in terms of investment and development projects. The deals are expected to create 8,388 new jobs in the region over the next few years and retain 3,422 jobs to a total employment impact of 12,000 jobs.
 
·       A total $3.2 billion in capital investment was reported in 2012, the highest amount since 2007 when the record-keeping began. Investment projects were $1.8 billion, $750 million more than 2011. Development projects totaled $1.4 billion.
 
·       2012 marked a year of record-high employment and Pittsburgh position as a national leader for job growth in high-wage industries.
 
·       Existing regional businesses that are expanding remain the backbone of the economy and account for the majority of announced deals. In 2012, 72 percent of the deals (151) involved the expansion or retention of existing companies. Expansions on average account for two-thirds of investment wins over the past five years.
 
·       Manufacturing was the biggest winner last year. In 2012, there were 59 deals in this sector, an increase from 53 in the previous year, making the industry sector the strongest. 
 
·       In other sectors, energy had 53 wins, 21 of which were in the coal and natural gas sector. 60% of energy wins came from outside the natural resources sector.
 
·       Financial and business services is the largest contributor to the region’s gross regional product.

Writers: Tracy Certo and Deb Smit

The first atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in 1945.
 
Inspired by survivor testimonials and actual photography of the bomb site, CMU Entertainment Technology Center grad students have created an interactive documentary video that recreates the explosion site and depicts the deadly aftermath that killed more than 100,000 people.  
 
Atomic Zone might be the first post nuclear Hiroshima educational tool on the effects of nuclear weaponry, says Rodrigo Cano, one of six students who worked on the project as part of a class with Professor Scott Steven last fall. The other students are Nick, Noreen, Anabelle, Eric, Jason.

The video game was created for the Dept. of Defense to prepare military personnel for the realities of radiation during the aftermath of a nuclear war. It was funded by the Army’s Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC).

Atomic Zone is a 3-D simulation of both the natural and human destruction that occurs after a nuclear blast. Visitors walk through the blast zones and listen to stories told through photographs and haunting music of how so named “Little Boy” nuclear bomb wiped out the inhabitants of the city.  
 
The animation is graphic; the students rendered the landscape using historical materials and maps to tell the story authentically. It is not recommended for anyone under a high school age.
 
“This is something that people are slowly forgetting about,” explains Cano. “Especially the younger generation. Maybe this will help them to remember.
 
“Most of the feedback has been positive,” he adds. “Many people were surprised by the imagery we used. Some were surprised by the different effects of fallout.. We tried very hard to stay a political of the issue.”
 
Many ETC class projects have gone on to become game simulations, such as PeaceMaker, a simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Source: Rodrigo Cano, Atomic Bomb
 

Several events are coming up, whether you’re an entrepreneur looking to start a business or interested in the region’s future in energy, especially as it pertains to gas drilling.
 
Startup Weekend will be held from April 5 to 7, two days that offer a rich opportunity to join passionate entrepreneurs from the region (and around the world) who are learning to launch successful ventures.

This is the third Startup Weekend in Pittsburgh, a packed schedule that culminates in a lively competition. Everyone is invited to pitch a startup idea and receive feedback. Teams form around the top ideas as determined by popular vote.

A 54-hour creative fest of designing, coding and market validation ensues. The weekend finishes off with presentations before a panel of entrepreneurial leaders. This year’s panel includes: John Biggs, east coast editor of TechCrunch and a CMU alum; Don Morrison of BlueTree Allied Angels, Rich Lunak of Innovation Works and Matt Newton of TriStar Investors.

In energy-related events, a free forum “Presenting the Case for Crafting a Regional Energy Strategy and Plan” will be held on April 9^th at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Room 407, from 3:15 - 4:45 p.m.

The forum, hosted by Sustainable Pittsburgh Washington & Jefferson College Center for Energy Policy and Management, offers an opportunity to hear the latest on the region’s energy strategy.

Panelists include Robert Vagt, president of The Heinz Endowments and Greg Babe, CEO of Orbital Engineering. The event is free; registration is NOT necessary.

Carnegie Mellon University will host a symposium about shale gas and its implications for regional manufacturing from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on April 4, at the McConomy Auditorium at CMU's University Center on Forbes Avenue.
 
The symposium will feature panel discussions about the challenges and opportunities shale gas poses for industrial development and about the use of natural gas as fuel.
 
Writer: Deb Smit

Each week Pop City reports on the latest in company hiring news.

Phipps Conservatory in Oakland is hiring for four full-time positions: finance administrative assistant, retail/ guest services management, building maintenance technician and a heavy custodial laborer. In addition, two part-time jobs and two internships are available: event assistant, guest service associate and a studio intern and pest-management intern.

Kelly Strayhorn Theatre is hiring a production assistant, a part-time position (25 hours a week) to assist the production manager in coordinating and executing a number of live events. The theatre provides provocative theatre that attracts local, national and international productions.
 
Expedient Data Centers in Pittsburgh is looking for an application engineer to join Pittsburgh’s team of four developers to work with the latest open-source projects that help companies manage everything from their energy usage to their operating system.
 
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is seeking a foundation & grants coordinator. This full time position involves research and successful funding of foundation and government proposals for both capital and programmatic projects as well as corporate sponsorships for various exhibits and projects throughout the Zoo. 

Monroeville-based Chorus Call, working in the audio and video conferencing space, is hiring a software engineer with relevant IT experience.
 
Bayer Material Science, a leading producer of polymers and high-performance plastics, is hiring a marketing communications manager. A B.S. in a technical or business related field and 7-10 years of experience is required.
 
MarketSpace Communications in Cranberry is hiring a PR & Social Media Intern. The ideal candidate will have 3-5 years of experience and a degree in communications.
 
Attention all those seeking an entry-level job or internship with a computer science or engineering background. Network with area companies at Tech Connect, an informal recruiting event at Pitt’s William Pitt Union in the ballroom on the main floor from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 28^th.

In other job related news, a Neighborhood Employment Center has opened to help Northside residents write and polish resumes and find jobs. The center is open 5 days a week, from 12-4:30 p.m. on Mondays and 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, and offers many free job-seeking services.

Have hiring news? Email Pop City and include a job description and career link.
 
Writer: Deb Smit

A new coalition to bring some of the country’s biggest oil and gas companies to the table with some of the most respected environmental organizations in the state has given rise to hope as well as skepticism.
 
While the press conference, held at the invitation of the Heinz Endowments last Thursday, received widespread and generally favorable media attention, several environmental groups including the Sierra Club denounced the move as an effort to spin the shale industry as “sustainable.”
 
The coalition, called the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD), is comprised of gas producers, nonprofits and several environment groups. CSSD is committed to the creation of a list of voluntary performance standards for the hydraulic fracturing process that are designed to promote environmentally responsible drilling practices.
 
Sitting at the table with Consol Energy, Chevron, EQT and Shell was the Clean Air Task Force, Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), PennFuture, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Pennsylvania Council (PEC), and the William Penn Foundation, in addition to Heinz.
 
CSSD is a work in progress, explained Bobby Vagt, president of Heinz. The initial focus will be on 15 standards to address air, climate and water quality concerns.
 
"Why would two regional philanthropies commit to this?” Vagt asked. “We subscribe to the premise that the only way to resolve any major challenges is to have all points of view at the table.” 
 
GASP’s Joe Osborn believes the initial skepticism will diminish in time as the coalition moves forward and starts making environmental gains.
 
“The decision to support CSSD was not one we made lightly,” says Osborne.  “We knew a lot of people would view CSSD as just another industry greenwash effort. I can’t fault anyone for being skeptical.
 
“Industry efforts to portray themselves as socially or environmental responsible rarely correspond with reality. GASP has no interest in endorsing an industry PR campaign. GASP supports CSSD because we believe it has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impacts and human health risks posed by shale gas development.”
 
CSSD will open an office in the EQT building and hire an executive director and staff.
 
The goal of the group is to establish standards that exemplify best practices in the industry, such as lined retention ponds with impermeable walls, maximized water recycling and rigid groundwater monitoring.

The standards are intended to drive companies to adopt new practices that will reduce their environmental impact and will be regularly updated to account for new innovations and to ensure the standards continue to exceed regulatory requirements.  

Will peer and citizen pressure work in convincing other gas producers in the region, such as Range Resources, to join and adhere to standards that are more rigid than those set by state regulations?
 
That remains to be seen. Bringing people together to do the right thing without being hammered into submission is preferred, Vagt said.  
 
CSSD is the latest among several initiatives to suggest the need for more control over drilling standards. Last year a report was released by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility suggesting some of the same measures.
 
Writer: Deb Smit
Souce: Robert Vagt, The Heinz Endowments; Joe Osborne, GASP