cityLIVE!

20 October 2011

November 17 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6.30p.m.

Can algebra be an organizing principal for a civil rights movement?  Robert Parris Moses thinks so!   As the founder of the Alegbra Project, a revolutionary educational tool, Dr. Moses will show how mathematics can be used as an organizing tool to guarantee quality public school education for all students. As a result of his efforts, Dr. Moses received the Heinz Award from the Heinz Family Foundation for making math instruction available to children of all backgrounds.

Carey Harris, Executive Director of A+ Schools, an independent advocate for improvement in public education, will highlight local efforts and trends to provide opportunities to public school students and will also moderate the discussion, which we’ll kick off with some questions from Pittsburgh Public School students.

Be there or be square.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here or the short version here.

10 October 2011

October 18 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6.30p.m.

Pittsburgh is less diverse than 98 out of 100 of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, according to the 2010 census …”whiter even than the Amish country around Lancaster, the Mormon population center of Salt Lake City, Midwest agrarian capitals such as Des Moines, Iowa, and far more isolated places like Boise, Idaho,” says Gary Rotstein of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “How does a region built on immigration, albeit from previous centuries, come to have in 2011 such a small share of people of color?”

On October 18, cityLIVE! and Vibrant Pittsburgh will host a conversation between candidates D. Raja, Rich Fitzgerald and you, the audience, on the status of foreign born talent and diversity in the region. Economic development is at the heart of this discussion.  For instance, 25% of U.S. business owners in the technology and engineering sector are foreign born, as are the owners of 24% of patent applications filed.  Moderated by Melanie Harrington, CEO of Vibrant Pittsburgh, we will hear how our future leaders plan to tackle these issues in their future role as Allegheny County Executive.

This is an important conversation.  Be there, or be really square.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here or the short version here.

21 May 2011

June 13 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6.30p.m.

Have you ever thought you’d like to ride your bike to work, but it seems too dangerous?   Do you wonder what life would be like if your children could walk to school, and you wouldn’t have to drive them?  Do you admire cities like New York, with its miles of city bike lanes, or Paris, with its 20,000 bikes to rent?  Do you hate the fact that you need to drive your bike to a good trail?  Would you like to live in a city that is built for people, not cars?

On June 13, Gil Peñalosa will show us how!  Mr. Peñalosa is the executive director of 8-80 Cities, and a founder of the famous Bogotá, Colombia Ciclovia event.  He is an internationally renowned livable city expert dedicated to the transformation of cities into places where people can walk, bike, access public transit and visit vibrant parks and public places.   What does 8-80 Cities stand for?  Cities which are accessible to everyone, from 8 to 80 years old.

We’ll have some local experts on hand to answer any questions you have that are particular to Pittsburgh. They include Scott Bricker, executive director of Bike Pittsurgh; Robert Hampshire, assistant professor of Operations Research and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University;Lynn Heckman, assistant director of Transportation Initiatives, Allegheny County Economic Development; Patrick Roberts, principal transportation planner for the City of Pittsburgh, and Darija Wiswell with Allegheny County’s Health Department.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here or the short version here.

26 April 2011

May 25 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6.30p.m.

Pittsburgh’s public school system is changing rapidly.  Over the past few years the system has downsized and collaborations have emerged.  Reform efforts are underway that focus on the challenges in providing an equitable education for all students. Discussions are heated and sometimes polarized and problems persist.  Do all students have equal access to educational opportunities?  Is the Pittsburgh Promise reaching the students who need it most?  Are efforts to reduce the achievement gap working?

At our May 25 cityLIVE!, our panelists will address these issues and other goals for equitable education in the Pittsburgh Public School system.   Our panelists will include Robert Parris Moses who founded the Algebra Project, which uses mathematics as an organizing tool to guarantee quality public school education for all students.  In 2000, Dr. Moses received the Heinz Award from the Heinz Family Foundation for his efforts to make math instruction available to children of all backgrounds.   Carey Harris is the Executive Director of A+ Schools, an independent advocate for improvement in public education, and Ralph Bangs is Associate Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems in the School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh.   The event will be moderated by Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the POISE Foundation, which funds organisations that provide services to Pittsburgh’s African American community.

24 March 2011

26 April 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

Pittsburgh researchers have long attracted the national and international spotlight. We know the stories of Dr. Jonas Salk who created a polio vaccine and Dr. Thomas Starzl who performed the world’s first successful liver transplant in 1967. Our April 26 cityLIVE! is telling the stories of other medical innovators.

Our panelists include Hugh Herr, who heads the Biomechatronics research group at the MIT Media Lab, is a Heinz Award recipient who turned his passion for mountain climbing into a drive to create the world’s most advanced walking devices for people who, like himself, have lost limbs; Alan J. Russell focuses on developing therapies at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh that reestablish tissue and organ function impaired by disease, trauma or genetics; and orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Vonda Wright who is the founding director of the Performance and Research Initiative for Masters Athletes (PRIMA) at UPMC, a program dedicated to maximizing performance and minimizing injury in elite athletes and recreational exercisers over 40.

Our moderator, Dr. Maria Simbra, is an Emmy award-winning medical journalist for KDKA-TV.

Want a preview?  Read about Hugh here, or see Alan here.  But really, show your love and show up!

Missed this event? Catch the full video here or the short version here.

9 February 2011

16 March 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

In addition to the myriad of great things Pittsburgh has to offer, we also have some of the brightest minds and best ideas. cityLIVE! has a history of featuring some of the most established of these brilliant minds and ideas, but now it’s time to hear from the up-and-comers!

This event features some of our region’s best and brightest college students. We’ll hear about their passions, their creative innovations and current projects.

Derrick Lopez, Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Schools, Pittsburgh Public Schools, will moderate our bright young minds, who include Mary Beatrice Dias, a Ph.D. student at CMU, who is conducting research in the field of Information Communication Technology for Development in collaboration with TechBridgeWorld; Alise Kuwahara, a fifth year Architecture student at CMU, interested in the relationship between architecture and social issues; Mackenzie Smith, a creative writing major in the English Department at CMU who hiked the Appalachian trail and traveled in the Middle East before beginning her studies; Micah Toll, a senior at Pitt, who is a serial inventor and entrepreneur, submitted his first patent application at 15 and started his first company at 17; and Chas Wagner, a second year MBA student at Pitt, who has launched Fanattix Media, a mobile applications company building iPhone and Android apps that will make it more fun and competitive for sports fans to root for their favorite college or professional team.

Does Pittsburgh’s future look bright or what? Break out your shades and join us …

Missed this event? Catch the full video here or the short version here.

14 January 2011
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24 January 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

Heads up Pittsburgh. It’s year three! of 10 opinionated souls giving us outstanding ideas for change.

Give us 30 minutes and we’ll change the way you see the city. As always, each person gets a mere three minutes to offer up an idea without any restrictions. And all we ask for is ‘thought-provoking’ and ‘outside the box’ concepts that examine change in Pittsburgh and how we approach it.

Chris Potter, editor of the City Paper, joins us once again as moderator for this idea-fest where we will be hearing from the panelists including:

Adrienne Wehr, local actress, producer and filmmaker; Babs Carryer, adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at CMU; Bill Cagney, of the International Union of Operating Engineers, and active in green jobs locally; Chris Ivey, award-winning local filmmaker; Dutch MacDonald, COO at Maya Design; Evan Frazier, senior vice president for Highmark Inc., overseeing community affairs; Jean-Jacques Sène, assistant professor of History, Cultural and Conflict Studies as well as the coordinator for the Global Focus program at Chatham University; Jessica Trybus, CEO and founder of Etcetera Edutainment; Nina Maria Barbuto, multi-media artist, entrepreneur and co-founder of the I Made It! Market, and Vanessa German, award-winning multi-disciplinary artist.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here or the short version here.

19 October 2010
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09 November 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

In Spring 2010, Huffington Post listed Pittsburgh as their #2 pick on their Best Cities for the Newly Graduated list.  “Pittsburgh seems an unlikely place for a renaissance but the city escaped the recession relatively unscathed and is moving forward in many areas”, Huffington Post noted.  “Besides having bustling education and health care sectors, the city is also generous with arts initiatives.”

What is it that motivates young people to choose a city?  Is it employment opportunity, cultural diversity, cost of living or quality of life? What is it that Pittsburgh does well, and what could we be doing better?  How do we become everyone’s #1 pick?

Join cityLIVE! as a panel of experts discuss why we need to be picked, what criteria young (or old) people use when selecting a city to live in, and how Pittsburgh might become more competitive in attracting and retaining young and talented professionals in our region.

Our panelists include Jim Russell, co-founder and chief strategist of the Pittsburgh Expatriate Network (PEN), Regina Koetters, an urban redevelopment consultant who chose to relocate to Pittsburgh, and Luis von Ahn, a professor in the Computer Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University.  Jesse Schell, CEO and founder of Schell Games will moderate the anticipated lively discussion.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here or the short version here.

6 September 2010
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21 September 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

Once upon a time our children looked up to star athletes.  Then, those athletes were untarnished, vital heroes who parents could point to as role models.   Now, those same parents must shield their children from a long parade of fallen sports heroes and their questionable behavior.

Is ethics in sports dead?  Has the business of sports lost its way?   Is no one holding our sports stars accountable for their behavior?   Are we asking too much of them? Pittsburgh has long been known for its legendary loyalty to their sports starts.  How do the antics of hometown players affect our community?

Each of our star panelists will tackle this difficult subject from a different point of view. You will hear from Franco Harris, our enduring local sports hero; Ayanah Moor, an associate professor in the School of Art at CMU , and a former football player with the Independent Women’s Football League, the Pittsburgh Passions; and Jack Marshall, president of ProEthics and the primary writer of Ethics Alarms, moderated by Priya Narasimhan, Director of Intel Labs Pittsburgh, the founder of Yinzcam and a huge Steelers’ fan.

Want another sports hit? Check out WHATEVER IT TAKES: Steelers Fan Collections, curated by Jon Rubin + Astria Suparak, at the Miller Gallery, Carnegie Mellon University, Purnell Center for the Arts.   The show runs through January 30, 2011.

Missed this event? Catch the full video here, or the short one here.

25 July 2010
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26 August 2010 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.

Nerves of Steel:  Stories of Moxie & Might.

Called “New York’s hottest and hippest literary ticket” by the Wall Street Journal, The Moth is an acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of storytelling. Each Moth Mainstage program features two acts of original stories told by a variety of artists and personalities live, without notes. Past storytellers include celebrated writers and actors, as well as folks with true stories to tell—a car salesman, a business executive, a former pickpocket, an astronaut. Of course, when The Moth goes on the road, they pick up local storytellers along the way.

On August 26th, the evening of storytelling will relate back to a theme relevant to Pittsburgh’s local culture, “Nerves of Steel: Stories of Moxie & Might.”  The host is talented stand-up comic and Saturday Night Live writer Jessi Klein.  Jessi will be joined by Jimmy Krenn, another storyteller from Pittsburgh and a musician, as well as three visiting storytellers from New York, including George Dawes Green, American novelist and founder of The Moth.

This special event is a cityLIVE!, American Shorts @ WYEP, and New Hazlett Theater collaboration.

 

 

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