News of Note From Pitt

• Physics Professors Sergey M. Frolov and W. Vincent Liu Win Charles E. Kaufman Foundation Grant

• Pitt Senior Mary Mallampalli Named Fellow of the Pearson Prize for Higher Education

• Engineering Co-op Education Director Maureen A. Barcic Honored by The American Society for Engineering Education

PITTSBURGH—Behind the larger stories about the University of Pittsburgh are other stories of faculty, staff, and student achievement as well as information on Pitt programs reaching new levels of success. The following is a compilation of some of those stories.

Physics Professors Sergey M. Frolov and W. Vincent Liu Win Charles E. Kaufman Foundation Grant

Sergey M. Frolov, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, and W. Vincent Liu, associate professor of physics and astronomy, both within the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, have received a two-year, $242,310 research grant from The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation for their proposal titled “Topological Quantum Wire Emulators.”

Quantum mechanics dictates that for each type of particle an antiparticle (with an opposite charge) should naturally exist. For example, a positively charged positron—an elementary particle—is an antiparticle of a negatively charged electron. Frolov and Liu’s work will examine the Majorana fermion—a long-sought-after particle expected to have properties ideal for quantum computing.

Frolov and Liu are among the first recipients of grants from The Charles E. Kaufman Foundation, which has provided nearly $1.6 million to support cutting-edge, scientific research at institutions across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Pitt Senior Mary Mallampalli Named Fellow of the Pearson Prize for Higher Education

Mary Mallampalli, a senior majoring in Spanish, political science, and philosophy within Pitt’s Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, has been named a Fellow of the Pearson Prize for Higher Education. Mallampalli received $1,000 toward her tuition, recognizing her assistance to the Pittsburgh community. In addition to her triple major, Mallampalli minors in Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian Culture and will graduate with a certificate in Latin American Studies.

As a University Honors College Community Scholar, Mary works with FUSE Pittsburgh based in Wilkinsburg—an organization dedicated to bridging Pittsburgh’s literacy gap faced by urban youth. Mallampalli is also multilingual—proficient in Spanish and Portuguese and studying Italian and Arabic. Additionally, Mallampalli is conducting research this summer in Pittsburgh on economic disparities in Brazil through a Dick Thornburgh Summer Fellowship.

After graduating in May 2014, Mallampalli plans to apply her foreign language skills to a career in education law reform within Latin American countries.

Engineering Co-op Education Director Maureen A. Barcic Honored by The American Society for Engineering Education

Maureen A. Barcic, director of cooperative education within Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, was inducted as a Fellow Member Honoree into The American Society for Engineering Education in June 2013. Barcic was honored for her outstanding qualifications, contributions, and experience in engineering at a special awards ceremony held during the 120th American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta in June.

Barcic has led the Cooperative Education Program since its re-establishment in 1987 and has initiated such awards as the Employer of the Year and Co-Op Student of the Year Awards.

All notes written by Melissa Carlson

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7/25/13/mab