MORNING TOUR
Monday, April 7, 2025
Departure time will be 8:45 am and you will return by 11:30 am

Human Engineering Research Laboratories

The Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) in Pittsburgh’s Bakery Square has led innovation in medical device design, wheelchair development, and accessible design for over 30 years. Visitors to HERL’s state-of-the-art facility can expect a dynamic tour featuring advanced labs and prototyping shops. Highlights include the high-bay lab with a Computer Aided Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) for immersive virtual reality testing and modular biolabs focusing on robotics, imaging, and wheelchair technology. Featured projects include the Pneuchair, a power wheelchair driven entirely by eco-friendly compressed air, and the Powered Personal Transfer System, an integrated bed and wheelchair solution designed for effortless user transfers. The basement prototyping shop showcases CNC and manual fabrication, exemplifying HERL’s ability to bring ideas from concept to creation entirely in-house.

AFTERNOON TOUR
Monday, April 7, 2025
Departure time will be 12:15 pm and you will return by 4:30 pm

University of Pittsburgh Neurobiology Labs

The University of Pittsburgh, which ranked sixth in NIH funding to universities in 2023, is home to more than 150 neuroscientists involved in basic, translational, and clinical research across multiple academic departments and schools.

During this lab tour, several prominent Pitt neurobiologists and their research teams will discuss their efforts to explore and map neural networks, pioneer animal imaging, and address chronic pain conditions and Alzheimer’s disease. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the sophisticated techniques and technologies of today’s neuroscience as we investigate how the stories of individual cells of the brain have revolutionized the way we think about its function, why we need more and better animal models of human disease, and what makes chronic pain and Alzheimer’s disease so challenging to solve.

All these projects share a similar mission: to discover the fundamental causes of brain-based disorders to accelerate their treatment, cure or prevention.