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9 Pittsburgh-area educators receive Build Back Better funding for robotics and manufacturing

Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette

9 Pittsburgh-area educators receive Build Back Better funding for robotics and manufacturing

Nine recipients will share $630,000 in funding for skills-focused training programs in robotics and advanced manufacturing. 

The awards build on the momentum of last week’s Robotics Factory unveiling and the launch of other programs getting their start from the region’s $63 million Build Back Better grant. 

“The nine grants we’re awarding — and the nine projects they support — will position our fellow residents and Southwest Pennsylvania to capture economic opportunities and catalyze inclusive growth that our region can build upon for years to come,” said Farnam Jahanian, president of Carnegie Mellon University and co-chair of the Southwestern Pennsylvania New Economy Collaborative, which is overseeing the BBB grants.

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Selected based on their June 2023 applications, four of the recipients are tied to CMU. The other five come from: Pittsburgh Technology Council/Fortyx80, Pittsburgh Gateways, Community College of Allegheny County, New Century Careers, and Catalyst Connection. 

Estat Actuation shows off an "electric glue" technology that powers significantly lighter clutches that are thinner than a compact disc at the Robotics Factory launch in Lawrenceville on Sept. 29.
Evan Robinson-Johnson
Drones and demos meet dozens of roboticists at Robotics Factory unveiling in Lawrenceville

All will focus their efforts on education, with the goal of helping Southwestern Pennsylvanians secure high paying jobs.

Two educators, CMU’s Dina El Zanfaly and Daragh Byrne, will help youth learn to weld with an assist from machine learning. 

Vu Nguyen, of Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy, will provide “AI tech training.”

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“These projects demonstrate the mission of the Block Center — examining the impact of emerging technologies on the future of work, harnessing technology for social good and ensuring that innovation is more inclusive,” said Steve Wray, executive director of the Block Center, which selected the recipients. 

The awards are the first of three funding rounds that the Center will dole out over the course of the three-year Build Back Better initiative.

Evan Robinson-Johnson: ejohnson@post-gazette.com 

First Published: October 6, 2023, 6:07 p.m.
Updated: October 6, 2023, 7:09 p.m.

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The campus of Carnegie Mellon University  (Darrell Sapp/Post-Gazette)
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