Heinz History Center expands Pittsburgh innovations exhibition

It’s been decades since Pittsburgh began transitioning from an industrial-driven economy, based mainly on steel production, to a hub for technology, education and medicine, or “eds and meds.”

The Steel City’s post-industrial era has been well documented in a Senator John Heinz History Center exhibition called “Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation.”

On Monday, the History Center announced the exhibition is expanding to include new immersive sections and artifacts from the Freedom House Ambulance Service and Carnegie Mellon University robotics, as well as an Argo AI car.

“Western Pennsylvanians have changed the world through hard work, ingenuity, and a ‘We Can Do It’ spirit that defines our region,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the History Center.

Highlights of the expanded exhibit include a special section on the Freedom House Ambulance service, a pioneering agency that trained Black men and women as paramedics to deliver emergency care to the Hill District; the “Andy” lunar rover, designed by 50 students at Carnegie Mellon University in 2014 which won Google’s Lunar XPRIZE milestone prize in the mobility and imaging subsystem categories; an Argo AI car made by the Ford Motor Company in 2016 – one of the first self-driving automobiles tested on Pittsburgh’s streets.

Other objects document history happening now including the region’s response to the covid-19 pandemic. Artifacts include personal protection equipment (PPE) worn by doctors and nurses, and covid-19 virus models and research equipment from the University of Pittsburgh.

The exhibit expansion is made possible with support from UPMC and UPMC Health Plan.

In celebration of the exhibit expansion, UPMC Health Plan members will receive $5 off regular admission to the History Center now through Feb. 28. Tickets can be purchased online at www.heinzhistorycenter.org or in person at the museum.