Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh are teaming up to compete in a Department of Defense contest to use robotics and AI to help advance global emergency response efforts.

Why it matters: Winning a federal contest would bring more recognition to Pittsburgh innovators like CMU and Pitt and further place the region on the map as a robotics and tech powerhouse.

Driving the news: The collaboration, named Team Chiron, completed a test last week at Pittsburgh International Airport's training facility, using robots equipped with cameras and sensors to navigate a staged plane crash and triage mannequins and actors with simulated injuries.

Context: The DARPA Triage Challenge is a three-year, $7 million competition to design autonomous and remote robotics systems that can assess injuries and monitor vital signs after disasters or emergencies.

• Team Chiron is competing against 10 other teams and will receive $1.5 million if it wins.

How it works: The team has two ground robots (one named Spot and the other named Spotless) and one drone.

• The drone is deployed first, rising above the simulated crash to assess the damage and instruct the ground robots on how and where to approach.
• The ground robots then use radar, multi-spectral and infrared cameras to check the victims' vitals and send that information to AI.
• AI then analyzes the information and sends reports to doctors, who track the robots' movements through video.

State of play: The goal is to shorten response times so disaster victims can receive medical attention within the "golden hour," the critical time period immediately following a traumatic injury or medical emergency, said Leonard Weiss, an associate professor in the Emergency Medicine Department at Pitt.

Between the lines: Team Chiron leader Kim Elenberg said robots have many advantages over humans, like being able to respond in the dark and not getting tired.

• "I remember when I responded to 9/11, the fatigue," said Eleberg, who served as a nurse in the Army for nearly three decades. "These [robots] don't get fatigued."

The bottom line: Elenberg is confident in Team Chiron's chances, thanks to Pittsburgh's strong tech ecosystem.

What they're saying

Pittsburgh's biggest homegrown app, Duolingo, is always looking to spread its language-learning mission. It's now applying that mantra to early childhood education.

Why it matters: The city's largest tech company has planted deep roots in East Liberty and is looking to strengthen those ties.

Driving the news: Duo's Treehouse launched at the Kingsley Association community center last Friday, less than a mile from Duolingo's headquarters.

• The program provides weekly immersive and English-Spanish bilingual learning for children 5 and under at no cost.

State of play: The Treehouse soft-launched in November, and it has already expanded the space inside Kingsley to accommodate the families using the program, according to Duolingo.

• The company is partnering with La Escuelita Arcoiris, a local Spanish-language immersion preschool.

What they're saying: Kendra Ross, Duolingo's head of social impact, said if it continues to grow, they might have to expand again to meet demand.

If you go: The Treehouse holds learning experiences on Fridays from 9:30am-11:30am and is open to all.

• The Kingsley Association is located at 6435 Frankstown Ave. in Larimer.

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🗳️ A special election in an Allegheny County state House district tomorrow will determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the state House, which has been deadlocked since Rep. Matt Gergely's death in January. (WESA)

🤖 A pilot program with OpenAI saved Pennsylvania government employees an average of 95 minutes per day while using ChatGPT for administrative tasks like drafting emails and summarizing documents. (Report)

🏠 Elected leaders and housing advocates are urging the Trump administration to reconsider rumored cuts to federal housing programs, including a potential HUD field office closure in Pittsburgh. (TribLive)

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President Trump signed an executive order to close down the Department of Education last week — an unprecedented move that presents big questions for student loan borrowers.

Why it matters: The department plays a key role in managing some $1.5 trillion in student debt, and a vast majority of its budget is allocated to the agency that oversees the federal student loan system.

• Nearly 1.8 million Pennsylvania residents owe about $36,000 each on their federal student loans, according to the Federal Student Aid Data Center.

Yes, but: A move to completely abolish the Education Department will likely face legal opposition because eliminating a federal department requires an act of Congress. The administration can cut key funding in the meantime.

State of play: If the department is shuttered, duties — including managing federal student aid — would need to be shifted to another agency.

• Proposals include transferring student loans to agencies like the Treasury, IRS or even to the states.
• There could be slower processing times for loans, applications and payments and the potential for more administrative errors.
• While it's possible there could be a pause in borrowers' payments for a period, they would still eventually be due.

The bottom line: There is a lot of uncertainty about what's going to happen. Go to studentaid.gov and download your repayment history in the meantime.

Go deeper

Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy last week took a page out of President Trump's book and said maybe it was time to change the name of Lake Erie to Lake Ohio.

Context: Lake Erie and Erie, Pennsylvania, are named for the Native American people who lived along the lake's southern coast.

If Ohio wants to change the name of Lake Erie, should we try to change the name of the Ohio River, which starts in Pittsburgh?

What do you think? Should we not take any of this too seriously?

• Hit reply and let us know.