Pitt Seeks “Close to Normal” Operations During G-20 Summit; Media Tours to Showcase Eds-Meds Economy

Phipps Conservatory with Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning in the background

University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said Pitt will maintain operations that are “as close to normal as possible” during the week of the G-20 Pittsburgh Summit, which will take place Downtown Sept. 24-25, 2009.

“Most official Summit activities will take place in the downtown area, some distance from campus, which should make our practical challenges more manageable,” the chancellor said in his Sept. 2, 2009, University Update.

The one exception, he said, is the heads-of-state dinner set for Sept. 24 at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

“The presence of that signature event at a facility that sits literally on the border of our Oakland campus almost certainly will affect our operations here that day. When it becomes more certain what changes will be required, we will begin the processes of notification and implementation. However, even during that particular period, our approach, as noted, will be to maintain campus operations that are as close to normal as possible,” he said.

While President Barack Obama and other heads of state will be participating in a working dinner at the Phipps, First Lady Michelle Obama and other spouses will attend a private dinner at Rosemont, the Fox Chapel farm estate of the Heinz family and home of Teresa Heinz Kerry, who is married to U.S. Senator John Kerry.

The summit’s plenary sessions will be held Sept. 25 in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. As the national leaders meet, Mrs. Obama and other spouses will visit the Pittsburgh Public Schools’ Creative and Performing Arts high school in the Cultural District and then attend a luncheon at the North Shore’s Warhol Museum.

Nordenberg said the University will monitor the logistics of the G-20 situation on a continual basis and make announcements promptly should there be any changes in its scheduling during the week of Sept. 21-25.

“The staging of the Summit here in Pittsburgh not only is a generally positive development for the broader community but has particular significance for Pitt—with a mission that includes the preparation of students for lives in a rapidly changing world and with our rich traditions in international education and research,” the chancellor said in his Sept. 2 update.

Meanwhile, Pitt has continued its efforts to assist the 3,500 local, national, and international media members expected to cover the summit. The University has created a G-20 Web site and, working with Carnegie Mellon University and UPMC, has created a joint Web site and planned 12 tours to showcase the three institutions and their roles in helping to transform Pittsburgh’s regional economy.

Pitt’s G-20 Web site (www.g20.pitt.edu) offers story ideas as well as a listing of Pitt faculty who are experts on various topics related to the G-20. The Pitt, CMU, and UPMC joint Web site (www.edsmedspittsburgh.org) highlights the academic and research strengths as well as the economic contributions of each of the three institutions and their joint initiatives.

Pitt, CMU, and UPMC will host the 12 science and technology tours Sept. 21. The tours will help explain how and why the “eds and meds” sector of Pittsburgh’s economy has become a powerful driver of the region’s success.

The eds-meds program will begin at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 21 in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium, 4141 Fifth Ave., Oakland, with remarks by Carnegie Mellon President Jared L. Cohon, Nordenberg, and UPMC President and CEO Jeffrey A. Romoff. Tours will take place at noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

Tour sites are: Children’s Hospital of UPMC, Pitt’s Peter M. Winter Institute for Simulation, Education, and Research (WISER), Pitt’s Biomedical Science Tower 3, the Pitt-UPMC McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Pitt’s Center for Global Health, UPMC’s Sports Performance Complex, Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, a Pitt Green Tour, Pitt’s Center for Energy, the Pitt-Carnegie Mellon Quality of Life Technology Center, and the Carnegie Mellon Intelligent Workplace.

Tours are for Summit delegates and members of the media. Media representatives interested in attending must have a photo ID from the media outlet they represent. For more information or to register for a tour, visit www.edsmedspittsburgh.org.