Personal Mention

Rahul Panat and Eric Yttri have received a $1.95 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to use a low-cost, rapid additive manufacturing method to create a new class of high-density neural probes to record neurological data. The grant, which is part of the federal Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, supports research that will create an entirely new manufacturing method for the fabrication of neural probes based on 3D nanoparticle printing. This new technology will dramatically increase accessibility to brain tissue, as well as the number of electrodes that can fit in a small area, and will give researchers the ability to prototype new electrode configurations at the click of a button, on-demand, within a few hours. Panat and Yttri's new 3D nanoparticle printing technology promises to overcome the field's current limitations in terms of sampling, structure, reliability and cost. By producing customizable, 3D printed neural probes, they believe their research has the potential to profoundly change the course of neuroscience research. Panat and Yttri are both members of the Carnegie Mellon Neuroscience Institute. Panat is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and a member of Carnegie Mellon's Next Manufacturing Center. Yttri is an assistant professor of biological sciences. Find out more.

Lori Holt and Seth Wiener have received a two-year, $151,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health for their project “Examining the impact of non-linguistic incidental auditory category training on adult language acquisition.” The grant will be used to explore a novel method of foreign language instruction and will position Carnegie Mellon as a leader in technology-enhanced language learning. Wiener is an associate professor of second language acquisition and Chinese Studies in the Department of Modern Languages. Holt is a professor of psychology in the Department of Psychology.

Assistant Professor of Actor Kyle Haden is playing prosecutor Captain Jack Ross in the Pittsburgh Public Theater’s presentation of “A Few Good Men.” Ross was played by Kevin Bacon in the motion picture. The show runs through Oct. 13 at the O’Reilly Theater in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. "A Few Good Men" is set in 1986 in Washington, D.C., and Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The story concerns two young Marines accused of killing one of their fellow platoon members while serving at Guantanamo Bay. Haden has performed at regional theaters nationwide, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Arizona Theater Company, Colorado Shakespeare Festival and Cleveland Play House, as well as various theaters in New York and Chicago. Haden has taught at various theater companies, and was program manager at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Summer Seminar for High School Juniors. He previously held tenure-track appointments at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts and Southern Oregon University. As a director, he was named a 2018 Drama League Directing Fellow, and has directed various productions across the country, including "A Brief History of America" (Hangar Theatre Company), "Hamlet" (Island Shakespeare Festival) and "The Monologue Project" (Pittsburgh/NYC).