Notes from the June 13 Newsletter, OMET Updates and More!

Pitt Changes Mask Mandate

Because the CDC has changed Allegheny County’s COVID-19 Community Level from High to Medium, masks are optional on the Pittsburgh campus.

You can stay up to date with the current on-campus masking policies by visiting the University's COVID Medical Response Office website.

 

OMET Evaluations

You received OMET evaluation emails last week. Your responses are due Monday, June 20 2022.

Remember, if you are experiencing any issues with the OMET, DO NOT CONTACT The Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching. Instead, email us at osher@pitt.edu, and we will direct you to an alternate survey.

We have been in contact with the University of Pittsburgh Office of Measurement and Evaluation of Teaching (OMET) with an issue regarding Osher members not receiving their evaluation surveys. According to our investigation, this technical issue appears to ONLY be affecting members with Gmail accounts. 

OMET is contacting their software vendor to investigate the issue further and will update us when they know more.

 

Upcoming Monday Master Classes

The Blacksmith's Trade: A Vulgar Art or Curious Handy-Craft?
David Scofield
June 27, 2022 at 1:15 p.m.-2:30 p.m.

The necessity of the Blacksmith’s trade in early America is beyond dispute. From weapons to wagons and horseshoes to household items, objects made with iron and steel were crucial to everyday life in the 18th and 19th centuries. David Scofield, Director of Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, will provide a brief glimpse at the ancient trade of blacksmithing with an overview of the smith’s work, his business, and his materials.

David Scofield is the director of Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, part of the Senator John Heinz History Center museum system. He began his 34-year museum career as a demonstrating craftsman at Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he practiced the 18th century trades of blacksmithing, carpentry, joinery, and white oak basket making. After working to develop a turn-of-the-century living history farm as a North Carolina state historic site, he moved to western Pennsylvania to be part of the Heinz History Center’s effort to develop Meadowcroft.

(Register online through the Member Registration website.)

New Novel by OLLI Instructor

Kathleen George is a University of Pittsburgh instructor and former OLLI instructor. Her new novel "Mirth" is coming out on September 27, 2022. 

 

Dementia Prevention Study

The University of Pittsburgh Department of Medicine Center for Research on Health Care is inviting you to participate in a dementia prevention study.

To learn more about this study, please visit the Preventable Trial website.