The University of Pittsburgh is making preparations to resume research activities on campus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, Chancellor Patrick Gallagher issued a statement outlining the goals of re-opening the university by saying, “we are seeking to adapt to a new reality: performing our vital mission and protecting our community in the midst of a pandemic.” In his message, he commented on the time-critical elements of Pitt’s mission and that “students can’t put their education and lives on hold, and our researchers and scholars can’t sit on the sidelines until the threat dissipates.” However, he also emphasized the importance of moving forward responsibly through infection prevention and control measures such as modifying building use, acquiring the technology needed to conduct remote and on-campus work, developing approaches for recognizing risks (e.g., testing, symptom tracking, temperature monitoring, etc.), and performing contact tracing. Gallagher concluded his message saying that the road ahead will be a complicated one, but one that he believes we can traverse safely while still performing Pitt’s mission–“It’s a strange new world. But I remain extremely proud to be your colleague and incredibly optimistic as we set out to tackle this next transition together.”

Biomedical Science Tower 3, where some of the Department of Computational & Systems Biology’s facilities are located, will be among one of the first research buildings to be adapted to the new rules and guidelines for resuming research.