Stay ConnectedMetro21: Smart Cities Institute is a campus-wide initiative at Carnegie Mellon University dedicated to the research, development, and deployment of projects aimed at improving the quality of life in metropolitan areas.
The mission of this podcast is to introduce a wider audience to our work. There are so many innovative projects being developed and deployed here at Carnegie Mellon, and we want to give the public a chance to be a part of our journey.
Metro21 Executive Director, Karen Lightman, sat down with Santiago Garces, Pittsburgh's Director of Innovation and Performance to discuss innovation within 21st century cities.
"I'm a big fan of the podcast! I was thrilled to hear Santi Garces talk about RoadBotics and the work we did together under his leadership." -Ryan Gayman, VP of Growth, RoadBotics
This episode of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute podcast welcomes Samantha "Sam" Stedford from the Pittsburgh International Airport. She has been a leading advocate for the technological and social advancement of the airport, and has served as the liaison between PIT International Airport and Metro21.
Karen Lightman, Executive Director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute talks community programs, technology use, and overall benefits to the partnership between research institutions like Carnegie Mellon and community stakeholders.
Metro21: Smart Cities Institute https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html
This episode of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute podcast features an insightful discussion with a team of researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The team is part of a special research, design and implementation partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
Karen Lightman, Executive Director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute gets the scoop on how this team maintains beneficial public-private partnerships as well as the challenges and opportunities of working is a live production environment.
Metro21: Smart Cities Institute https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html
This episode of the Metro21: Smart Cities Institute podcast features a talk with Anna Siefken, Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon’s Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation and adjunct faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College.
Listen in, as Anna discusses her goals for the future of the Scott Institute, what she is most looking forward to at CMU’s upcoming Energy Week and what we can all do to get more involved in sustainability at a local level.
Key Links:
Metro21: Smart Cities Institute https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html
Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation https://www.cmu.edu/energy/
Daniel O’Brien, Professor of Urban Affairs at Northeastern and Director of Boston Area Research Initiatives (BARI), talks about his research in the Boston area. O’Brien also discusses the state of smart cities, the Boston Smart City Playbook, and guidance to cities that do not have the budget for urban informatics projects.
Karen Lightman is Executive Director of Metro21: Smart Cities Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
Tweet: @Metro21CMU and @khlightman
Read more about Metro21 here
Today on the podcast we talk to Alexandre Jacquillat, Assistant Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College. He also holds a minority appointment at the Tepper School of Business and a courtesy appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Alex’s work focuses on using operations research and data analytics to solve complex societal challenges in the fields of air transportation and on-demand urban mobility. On the podcast, we talk about how he got into this field and some of his ongoing projects, including working with Metro21: Smart Cities Institute on their partnership with the Pittsburgh International Airport.
We also talk about how uncertainty affects his work, and the challenges of communicating complex decisions under uncertainty to everyday stakeholders. We wrap up with Alex’s predictions about the future of urban transportation over the next 10 years.
Links: https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/faculty-research/profiles/jacquillat-alexandre/
This episode we look at how light pollution affects our daily lives and what Metro21 in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh are doing to curb this form of pollution. We bring on one of the foremost experts in the field of light pollution, Diane Turnshek.
Diane has spent her career studying astronomy. Currently, she is a lecturer in Carnegie Mellon’s Physics Department. Also, Diane is an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh teaching several astronomy classes. In 2015 she was awarded the prestigious Dark Sky Defender Award. Diane has been working with Metro21 on a project called “Artificial Light Survey of Nighttime Pittsburgh.” This project will allow the city to gain a better understanding of the light pollution in this area. https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/index.html
Pittsburgh Constellation- http://pghconstellation.com/
Pittsburgh Chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association-https://www.idapgh.org/
In this episode, Karen sat down with colleague, Erin Dalton. Erin is Allegheny County’s Deputy Director in the Office of Data Analysis, Research and Evaluation. Before that, she has held various positions in Allegheny County Executive’s Office, Department of Justice, and the RAND Corporation. On top of all that, she is on the board of Neighborhood Allies and the Pittsburgh Civilian Police Review Board. Karen and Erin chat about her experiences working for the Justice Department, Rand Corporation, and how she has brought innovation to Allegheny County government. They also talk about where Allegheny County is at in becoming a "Smart City".
In this episode, Karen sat down with her friend and colleague, Karina Ricks. Karina is the Director of Pittsburgh's Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) and brings a wealth of experience to the role. Karen and Karina chat about her time in international development, consulting, and in DC city government. They also work on a slightly different definition of a smart city, talk about the problem of urban landslides, and Karina's fascination with a certain genre of reality tv shows.
In this episode, Karen sits down with Distinguished Fellow Rick Stafford. Rick talks about his commitment to place, his winding path from paper boy to policymaker, and his approach to understanding smart cities.
For more updates about the Metro21 Institute, follow us on Twitter @Metro21CMU, and visit us at https://www.cmu.edu/metro21/.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
