The Pitt News The independent student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh | PIttnews.com | MArch 19, 2018 | Volume 108 | Issue 129
Dhirana dancers employ Pitt visual storytelling in competition engineering
unveils makerspace
Samuel Weber and Noah Manalo
for Indian student dance groups across the country to showcase their skills and compete for trophies since 2013 — first place gets a cash prize of $1,000. The event has raised more than $50,000 for the Birmingham Free Clinic since its creation — this year it brought in more than $10,000. Exhibition teams that performed in the show between the competing teams’ performances included Pitt Avaaz, a South Asian fusion a cappella team, The Songburghs, an a cappella group on campus, First Class Bhangra, an Indian folk dance team, and PantheRaas. Classical
The Pitt News Staff On the outside, 7800 Susquehanna Street looks like an old brick factory, with hazy entrance windows, a cracked walkway and faded paint. But recently, more than 100 people gathered at the Homewood location to celebrate the debut of the newest branch of the Swanson School of Engineering, a place dedicated to creation. The makerspace at the Manufacturing Assistance Center, or MAC, of the Swanson School opened Friday morning. The space is designed to serve as a center for small businesses and companies to develop their products more effectively by providing a base for private businesses. Pitt students and Homestead residents will also have access to new machine presses and software to further skills such as manufacturing and metalworking. Bopaya Bidanda, the chair of Pitt’s department of industrial engineering and the creator and director of the makerspace, first began developing the space last May. Bidanda said he saw an opportunity to promote both academics at Pitt and production in the Homewood neighborhood. “I wanted to help give back to the community and make it accessible, whether someone is in grade school or is a housewife,” Bidanda said. The makerspace is filled with rearrangeable tables and metalworking machines contrasting the laboratory-looking white interior. In the front of the room, a large projection screen is set up for any presentations that may be led. It includes a laser, 3D printing, woodworking and a soft-textiles areas as well. Classes at the center will be taught by faculty from the Swanson School as well as staff
See Dhirana on page 3
See Makerspace on page 4
Pitt’s First Class Bhangra dance group performs at Saturday evening’s Dhirana dance competition. Janine Faust | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR The two men — both former members of Pitt’s folk Indian dance team PantheRaas — joked that it was meant to Anand Mahalingam and Vineet Rakeep them from starving when Mahalinghu hosted a dance competition Saturday gam returned to the working world and night for two reasons — nostalgia and Raghu to grad school. GUMWP is not an hunger. Literal, physical hunger. actual charity, but the Birmingham Free Strutting around the stage of the SolClinic — a University clinic under the diers and Sailors auditorium, the two department of medicine offering mediPitt graduates hosting Dhirana — the cal services for no cost to uninsured peonational Indian classical dance compeple — does exist. It received all proceeds tition held on Pitt’s campus since 2013 from ticket sales and donations from the — begged the audience of approximately event by the end of the night, including 700 people to donate money to their fake the money gathered from the fake charity personal charity. donations. “We call it GUMWP — or, ‘Give Us Dhirana has served as an opportunity Money, We’re Poor,’” Mahalingam said.
Madeline Gavavtorta Staff Writer