Media contact: hsnews@pitt.edu
Photos by Rayni Shiring/University of Pittsburgh
Often, IT is an invisible aspect of education, but Pitt Health Sciences IT has created a new physical space that incorporates digital technology for immersive, interactive lessons.
Health Sciences IT hosted an open house on Feb. 28 for the new Emerging Technology Lab (ETL) and Studio Space, which will provide students and faculty across all health sciences schools access to state-of-the-art digital equipment.
The new facilities, in the Falk Library of the Health Sciences on the mezzanine level of Alan Magee Scaife Hall, were part of the expansion of the West Wing.
“The open house was a great success,” said Gregory Wagner, AV and classroom support manager, Health Sciences IT. “The library counted roughly 135 in attendance, which included representation from all of the different health sciences schools.”
ETL is an open lab space offering the latest technology for supplemental or alternative digital education. Highlights include an Anatomage digital cadaveric dissection table, Microsoft HoloLens AR headsets, Meta Quest series and HTC Vive Pro 2 VR headsets. Software includes gross human anatomy, patient diagnosis and treatment, and in-depth cardiovascular simulation.
Across the hall, the Media Production Studio enables Pitt Health Sciences faculty and students to produce media. It includes three studio spaces: a professional production studio with multiple cameras and lighting and two smaller semiautonomous studios equipped for video capture, livestreaming and podcasting.
In ETL, HoloHuman software provides a 3D customizable gross human anatomy model broken up into 12 organ systems.
It allows for multiuser sessions to be saved with organ highlighting and labels to create immersive slide decks for use in classes and review sessions.
HoloPatient provides prerecorded 3D video and vital signs of a standardized patient presenting with one of 17 pathologies, as well as patient scenarios for students.
HoloScenarios provide a full, customizable, immersive clinical simulation across 10 different scenarios. They allow students to collaboratively triage, diagnose, and treat presenting patients in a hospital room setting.
Facilitators can override the scenario to pace learning or run practical assessments.
Insight Heart provides a 3D immersive educational experience about different pathologies of the heart, including myocardial infarctions, hypertension and atrial fibrillation, and how to treat those disease states.
The Anatomage table is a digital cadaveric dissection table featuring five human models scanned from real donors, with functional anatomy for performing deep dives into specific organ systems and bodily functions, histology, case studies, practice assessments, loading custom DICOM files and more.
“Every human on the table here is a full cadaver that donated their body and their data to science,” said Alexi Zukas, ETL coordinator. “So for example, one of them was a death row inmate. You can see the injection location on his cadaver. Another person died of lymphatic cancer. You can see the enlarged lymph nodes on their body. They reflect actual case studies as compared to a generic 3D human anatomical model, which is like the ideal or perfect human specimen.”
Pitt heath sciences students will be able to enter ETL to use technology on their own time for study or practice during regular business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, except when classes or events are scheduled. Students may also borrow equipment in collaboration with Health Sciences Library System.
For questions or reservations, email ETLSupport@pitt.edu.
In the media production studios, professional-grade equipment, studio space, and expert staff assistance are available.
Staff can consult with clients to develop visual concepts and preproduction logistics and utilize visual storytelling techniques to produce exceptional educational content, said Chad Brown, studio manager, health sciences media production.
Equipment includes multiple 4K cameras and teleprompters in each studio space; advanced studio lighting and green screen; tricaster production switchers for controlling sources, graphics and playback of media packages in livestreams and recordings.
The studios offer broadcast-quality microphones and Rodecaster Pro audio mixers and a complete on-location filmmaking kit.
Postproduction services include the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, including Premiere Pro and AfterEffects; advanced editing, motion graphics, color grading, and captioning services as well as a high-powered guest editing workstation with full Adobe CC access.
The three studio spaces include a Studio B, professional studio suitable for any style of content, including lecture captures, panel discussions, demonstrations, and more. Up to six 4K cameras, Wacom touch display, multiple teleprompters and flatscreen displays, and multiple styles of microphones are available. This space includes a lighting grid and 40-foot wraparound curtains in black, beige, and chroma-key green. Reservations in Studio B always include staff to operate the equipment.
Studio A is a medium semiautonomous studio that can be used independently or with staff assistance. Two 4K cameras, Wacom touch display, flatscreen displays, a lightboard, a complete four-mic podcasting system, and mounted studio lights allow for creating professional content or livestreams.
Studio C has a similar layout and equipment package to Studio A but is designed as a livestreaming/hybrid studio with the addition of a quad-panel flatscreen display. Podcasting and video capture are possible with staff assistance or semiautonomously.
The studio also has a portable “on-location” kit for filming around campus: camera, glidecam, wireless mics, and battery-powered video lights, Brown said.
The first step to using the space is to submit a help ticket to Health Sciences IT, help@hs.pitt.edu, which will be routed to the media team. They can help to develop scripts, storyboards and other preproduction documents.
Recording sessions are typically scheduled in two-hour blocks. The staff will set up the equipment and, depending on the project, operate the cameras or production switchers. All footage is recorded locally and privately to networked storage.
Editing takes a minimum of two weeks. The studio’s staff will clean up audio, trim mistakes and long silences, color correct, cut between multiple cameras, and add music, graphics, or captions if desired.