In Person – Remake Learning

Trying Together, in partnership with APOST and Allegheny County DHS, will host UnConference: Out-of-School Time on Thursday, June 11 at the Boys & Girls Club of Western PA’s Estelle S. Campbell Clubhouse.

This UnConference is intended to be a collaborative, interactive approach to high-quality summer programming for school-age children. The audience will be educators, staff, and administrators working with children in summer programs; engaged parents and caregivers; and early childhood education and out-of-school-time advocates.

The UnConference will begin with a keynote presentation by Twanda Clark-Edgal, a learning strategist for LIGHT Social Change Agents LLC, and will be followed by morning and afternoon sessions. A light breakfast with coffee and tea and a boxed lunch will be provided as part of the registration fee.

There will also be an add-on option for those interested in taking part in a First Aid/CPR training on June 10 (with an additional fee).

Registration must be completed by June 1. Please have the following information ready before registering you or your group: name/email, dietary needs, accessibility requests, and session preferences.

This course will introduce school leaders to design thinking and, more specifically, Human-Centered Design. Design thinking encompasses five phases of design: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Throughout this course, participants will learn about and apply each phase of the design cycle to a challenge within their school system that will foster student growth and achievement.

HCD is a subset of design thinking that focuses on empathy as a means for collaborative problem solving. When school leaders know their students well, the school systems better meet their needs. When leaders understand the challenges facing their communities, they can adapt to their priorities.

This course includes direct instruction, individual and group activities, independent assignments, as well as job-embedded applications. Resources, including explainer videos and design templates, will be available.

Synchronous Meeting Dates and Times
– September 24, 2026 – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
– October 15, 2026 – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
– November 10, 2026 – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
– December 10, 2026 – 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
– January 14, 2027 – 9:00 am – 12:00 pm

We’re excited to invite you to Mechanism’s National Gathering in Philadelphia from May 12–14.

Titled “Imagining the Future of Local Production,” this Gathering will be like prom for people who love local manufacturing and production.

Mechanism creates a joyous space where makers, manufacturers, policymakers, community educators, artists, faith organizations, community leaders, and more work together to strategize and dream about what’s possible when production is rooted in community, care, and shared stewardship.

With local tours, rapid share presentations by thought leaders in modern production practices, and a Design Jam where participants will identify creative ways to turn underutilized urban spaces into spaces for community-led production, it’s the type of conference that goes far beyond just sitting and listening.
Come hear about the innovative practices of groups like:

-Fab City
-Circular Philadelphia
-Kensington Corridor Trust
-North American Center for Post Growth Research
+ more TBA!

Formerly called the Urban Manufacturing Alliance, Mechanism is one of the only nonprofits in the U.S. working in collaboration with communities and manufacturers to create production ecosystems that increase local resilience, vitality, and well-being. They’re a leading voice in this space, which is why past attendees say there’s no other event quite like a Mechanism Gathering.

Many telescopes and astronomical program publish data online. In this workshop Dr. Carlos Badenes, University of Pittsburgh Physics and Astronomy, will present introductions to several databases. Teachers will then work in small groups to start projects based on the data and report back. Everyone will leave with ready-to-implement projects for middle and high school students.

Lunch, Act 48 credit and a $100 honorarium is provided for teachers. Others are welcome and will receive lunch.

Please contact kerry.handron@pitt.edu with any questions.

Registration at https://tinyurl.com/AOTeacherData

Logistics

The Idealized Science Institute is hosting an in-person professional development workshop on Saturday March 28th, 2026 from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. If you are interested in learning how to engage your students in authentic scientific practices, joining a community of local science teachers, earning Act 48 credits, all while receiving financial support (all teachers will be paid $250 for participation), please complete this form! Note: coffee, lunch, and snacks will be provided during the event.

The workshop is entitled “Integrating longterm projects into science curricula and applications beyond physics”

Why Participate?

Learn to engage students in inquiry, dialogue, and science/engineering practices
Network with motivated local teachers
Prepare to engage your students in authentic scientific research
Earn Act 48 credits
Receive a $250 stipend for participation

Come together with Dreams of Hope and Cutting Root Farm for this TEAtastic workshop! Michelle Soto will guide us in making personal tea blends and share herbal medicine wisdom.

NOTE: Spaces are limited, so registration is required. We ask that you treat registration as a commitment. If you need to cancel your ticket, please email us at info[at]dreamsofhope[dot]org so we can give it to someone else. Visit dreamsofhope.eventbrite.com to register.

Meet us Sat, March 14th 2 pm @ Kingsley Association 6435 Frankstown Ave, PGH, PA 15206
Accessible via the 74, 75, 77, 82, 86, and P17 bus lines. Also 71C, 88, and 89 (5-10m walk from Penn Ave)
Parking lot and nearby street parking.

Join Pittsburgh authors Gregg Behr and Ryan Rydzewski for an inspiring look at the legacy of Fred Rogers. Drawing from their acclaimed book, “When You Wonder, You’re Learning,” they use stories and songs to bring today’s adults back to the Neighborhood. Discover a proven blueprint for raising healthier children and building a more just world.

While AI is common in visual media today, the world of Live Events can benefit from these tools in many ways, ranging from maximizing accessibility with affordable & accurate automated captioning and text translations to reach larger audiences, to the creation of synthetic and human-modeled voices to create content ranging from the very creative, to the mundane but necessary (such as PA announcing). Introducing Generative AI into the equation further opens up opportunities to create content on the fly, from data sources as disparate as time of day, building automation data, weather service data, and much more.

This presentation will firstly show how AI is used to generate live on-site captions and translations from the spoken word and how they can be displayed. Then fun begins when we use Generative GPT AI to take limited presentation or content information and have it embellish it to build rich bodies of text to inform or entertain audiences, especially when we convert that in real-time to synthetic AI-generated human voices of different genders and accents, including human-like AI-generated characters, which can creatively open up vast new areas of creative expression with just a few keystrokes, or even from fully automated routines.

About Bill Bennett:
A media & entertainment technology veteran, Bill currently manages new product innovations at ENCO Systems (including R&D, POC’s, design, marketing, documentation, etc.), where he created award-winning products such as enTranslate Mobile for live captions & translations to handhelds, the AIM platform for blending automated STT, TTS & Generative AI voicing for messaging, and ENCO’s Live Stage Captioning product and rental category. He also manages ENCO’s offering of Qimera, an Unreal Engine-based Virtual Production system.

He has managed venue technical deployments & operations for seven Olympics for worldwide host Olympic Broadcasting Services. His prior freelance engineering experience spans many professional sports leagues and worldwide events, and he’s owned his own profitable laser show production company. Currently a Board Member of the Association of Public Radio Engineers (APRE), he’s immediate past chair of the SMPTE Pittsburgh Section, former SBE Pittsburgh secretary, and served on the Technical and Ethics Committee of the International Laser Display Association (ILDA). Previously he led the premier creation of interactive TV, OTT and VOD services at QVC, Inc. and worked for German audio leader Lawo AG.

Experience the forefront of innovation in Pittsburgh at the 2026 STEM Summit! This event highlights the wide range of dynamic and evolving STEM careers shaping the future workforce in the Pittsburgh Region.

WHEN: Friday, April 10, 2026 From 9:00 AM – 1:30 PM

WHERE: Energy Innovation Center, 1435 Bedford Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 + Multiple Tour Stops

We welcome students in grades 8-12 to connect with leaders from the innovation sector. Participants will have the opportunity to embark on industry tours to delve deeper into the STEM sector.

The STEM Summit will include a keynote address, exhibit booths, and industry site tours.

The interactive experience of the STEM Summit will highlight how an individual’s strengths, interests, and passions can lead to multiple pathways to jobs in the tech industry! More information provided upon registration.

Educator Bus Experience
Educators, take a front-row seat to the world of technology! Join our Educator Bus to tour four local companies, explore their workplace culture, and hear directly from industry leaders about open positions, in-demand skills, and workforce trends. This is a unique opportunity to gain insights that can inspire your students and connect classroom learning to real-world careers.

Educator Agenda:

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Registration
9:00 AM – 1:30 PM | Industry Tours
1:30 PM | Return to Energy Innovation Center
Cost:

Students (Grades 8–12): $30
Adult Chaperones (with student groups): Free
Individual Adult Attendees: $30
*10% discount available for Tech Council Members

Chaperone Policy: we require one teacher or adult for every 10 students.

TEACHERS: If you are registering multiple students and wish to be billed via invoice, please email Marie Pelloni at mpelloni@pghtech.org to get a group form.

Agenda:

Questions?

For Programming Questions: Marie Pelloni, Senior Director of Talent, STEM, and Workforce Innovation Initiatives, mpelloni@pghtech.org.
For Registration Questions: Autumn Ashbaugh, Event Assistant, aashbaugh@pghtech.org.
For Membership Questions: Brooke Wozniak, bwozniak@pghtech.org.
Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Please contact Ashley Steckel, VP of Business Development, asteckel@pghtech.org.

National Biomechanics Day is a free event for high-school students held annually at CMU. Biomechanics is the study of how living things move and interact with their environment, and combines the disciplines of biology, mathematics, physics, and engineering. Students learn about biomechanics through fun, hands-on activities which include simulating spinal surgery, simulating the heart, and observing a real robotic exosuit in action. These sessions are led by CMU graduate researchers and students who are actively working in a biomechanics related field.

Where: CMU campus
When: 12 – 5 pm, 21st March, 2026
Cost: FREE
Website: https://sites.google.com/andrew.cmu.edu/cmu-nbd-2024

We have plenty of spots available, so please click or share our pre-registration link if you are interested!