Author Archives: Catherine

About Catherine

Non-native Pittsburgher who fell head-over-heels in love with the city. Loves craft beer, local restaurants, used bookstores and libraries, discovering hidden gems, and, most of all, dogs.

Yuri's Night Pittsburgh

Celebrate space with Yuri’s Night Pittsburgh tomorrow!

Yuri's Night Pittsburgh

Space is pretty awesome. Blockbuster hits like Gravity and Interstellar, privatized space exploration such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, and incentives like Google’s Lunar XPRIZE, which awards $30 million to the first private company to send a robot to the moon, have renewed our interest beyond our atmosphere.

And Pittsburgh has great representation with local NewSpace company Astrobotic leading the race to the moon, having won initial milestones of the Lunar XPRIZE and currently accepting payloads to be sent to space on their first launch.

And lucky you– you can get in on some space-related fun tomorrow evening with Yuri’s Night! From 4-7pm (don’t worry, plenty of time before the Game of Thrones season premiere) the Livermore will be hosting Pittsburgh’s celebration of mankind’s achievements in space, named after Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who was the first human to journey into outer space.

The event is totally free to attend, and there will be space-related drinks, stellar beats, complimentary snacks, and tons of space talk, videos, and fun. The event will also serve as the afterparty for the NASA International Space Apps Challenge, brought to Pittsburgh by SpaceChallenges.org, a local non-profit aiming to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education through charitable competitions using space exploration as inspiration.

What: Yuri’s Night Pittsburgh
When: Sunday, April 12, 2015 from 4-7pm
Where: The Livermore, 124 S Highland Ave
Cost: Free, including light appetizers

TEDxPittsburgh

TEDxPittsburgh is looking for speakers!

Got an idea worth spreading or know someone who does? Then TEDxPittsburgh is looking for you!

TEDxPittsburgh

TEDxPittsburgh Call for Speakers 2015

The 2015 theme is something that should resonate with all Pittsburghers– Bridges: Ideas that Connect the Region. TEDxPittsburgh is looking for speakers to nominate either themselves or someone they know who has big ideas that reflect just this thought.

The theme is purposely left open to interpretation so let your creativity fly! Submissions are open through this Monday, March 30– apply now.

Need help? From the website:

We’re looking for speakers with big ideas. Ideas worth spreading. Ideas that:

– Make either a tangible or intangible connection with people, places, and things within the Pittsburgh region. How does this speaker’s topic affect the city, region, world?

– Are surprising, new, and actionable. Have we heard this before? Is there something the audience can do after learning this idea?

– Evidence-based. Is there new research or findings or anecdotes to support this idea?

– Can change thinking or behavior. Will we think differently about a topic, or ourselves after hearing this speaker?

Don’t be intimidated by the video requirement either: a quick smartphone video will do, but here are some helpful tips to make the most of your video shoot. Just remember that your idea and your delivery are what matter the most!

What is TED and TEDx?

You’ve probably seen a fun, inspirational, or motivational TED talk video before. TED is a nonprofit focused on sharing the “Ideas Worth Spreading” in technology, entertainment, and design, culminating in the hosting of an annual conference of talks (which are probably the source of the TED videos you’ve seen).

TEDx events are a local community’s opportunity to bring the power of TED to their cities and regions. As independently organized, community-focused events, they all tie back to promoting the central TED value: ideas worth spreading.

Background on TEDxPittsburgh

Previously known as TEDxGrandviewAve, the region’s largest TEDx event underwent a rebranding to become TEDxPittsburgh and fully represent the great ideas and innovations that come from the Steel City. The event will be held on May 23 at the historic Byham Theater in Downtown Pittsburgh, with tickets going on sale April 23.

Sign up for the TEDxPGH newsletter to be the first to know of news, updates, and discounts, including ticket sales for the event and the after party.

TEDxPittsburgh
Bridges: Ideas that Connect the Region
May 23, 2015

Byham Theater
101 6th St
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Stay in touch
Website: http://www.tedxpittsburgh.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEDxPittsburgh
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TEDxPittsburgh
Instagram: https://instagram.com/tedxpittsburgh

 

 

2014 Art All Night Lawrenceville

2014 Art All Night is coming to Pittsburgh this weekend

Art All Night, Pittsburgh’s annual free art event, pops up in Lawrenceville this weekend for its 17th year. The completely volunteer-run event is held non-stop from 4pm on Saturday, April 26, 2014 until 2pm on Sunday, April 27, 2014.

2014 Art All Night Lawrenceville

Never heard of Art All Night? The idea behind the censorship-free, non-juried event is to encourage participation from all types of artists. Everyone is welcome to come, share, and experience a variety of local art and activities.

Besides original artwork, Art All Night features a live auction, various participatory and collaborative activities, live entertainment, and on-site artwork. Children’s activities are available on 4-8pm Saturday and 10am-2pm Sunday.

All artists, regardless of age or skill-level, can submit one piece of artwork to the event. Art must be dropped off between 10am and 2pm on Saturday, April 26 and must be ready to hang or otherwise displayed. Photo ID is required for both drop off and pick up, which is on Sunday, April 27 from 2:30-5:30pm. More information and an online registration form can be found here.

Volunteers and donations are what make Art All Night happen each year, so both are encouraged! Each year, a dedicated and talented team of volunteers offers their free time to make the event as incredible and fun as possible. You can sign up for 2-hour shifts before, during, and after the event, for all sorts of tasks, so please do if you have the time!

Check out Art All Night on Facebook (including the official Facebook event), on Twitter at @ArtAllNight, and Instagram at ArtAllNightLawrenceville, and don’t forget to hashtag your posts with #ArtAllNight, #AAN17, and #ImAnArtAllNighter.

The event is held at 97 40th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, which is a warehouse on the corner of 40th and Willow St in Lawrenceville. Parking might be tough so consider taking public transportation, car-pooling, or catching a Lyft (get $25 off your first ride with that link). Hope to see you there!


View Google Map

Yinztern Catherine is applying for the Millennial Trains Project!

When I read

You might remember last July when Lindsay applied for the Millennial Trains Project with her idea The United States of Pittsburgh. She received a tremendous amount of support and I’m hoping you’ll be able to donate to my campaign too!

I’m going to explore local independent bookstores and public libraries at each of the stops along the trip. Libraries and bookstores are such cornerstones of communities and I want to discover what places in other cities are doing to engage their neighborhoods. I also want to tie it all in with the digital age by seeing the extent that libraries and bookstores use modern technology and social media to get people involved.

My ultimate goal is to share lots of stories, ideas, and photos with everyone and bring some amazing possibilities back to Pittsburgh. I really believe the level of community engagement in Pittsburgh is one of the things that makes it special and such a great city.

Southern map

This year the train stops in Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Kansas City, Louisville, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Miami, and takes place March 16-26.

I’m almost halfway to my goal and am really excited about possibly going on this trip! Any donation amount would be helpful and I would be incredibly grateful. Sharing my campaign with as many outlets as possible is also super important to it succeeding. All funds must be raised by February 15th, but if I reach my goal by February 1st, they will pay for my plane tickets!

You can read more about my project, donate, or share via the following link: http://crowdhitch.millennialtrain.co/campaign/detail/2550

They are also still looking for applicants so if you have an idea, you should apply too!

Thank you, wonderful I heart PGH readers!