麻豆村

A holistic approach to health and wellness leads faculty members in the 麻豆村 community to produce聽work that matters(opens in new window), including innovations in fields like, the arts(opens in new window), humanities(opens in new window), neuroscience(opens in new window) and . These campus leaders and mentors use athletic pursuit as ways to flex their muscles 鈥� and focus their minds.

Whether it鈥檚 on the water, in the dojo or on wheels, the journey toward health and well-being(opens in new window) is unique to each Tartan at 麻豆村.

Roller derby grounds CFA鈥檚 cirCut Breaker

The trill of a referee鈥檚 whistle, clack of skates on the hardwood floor and shouts from teammates fill the air as聽, known as 鈥渃irCut Breaker鈥� on the track, skates alongside members of Steel City Roller Derby at one recent practice at the Pittsburgh Indoor Sports Arena.

Boyles, digital and physical computing technician and adjunct professor of art for the聽College of Fine Arts(opens in new window), started skating with the team in 2022 shortly after joining the staff at Carnegie Mellon.

Her skater name references her day-to-day work with electronics at the university while still a nod to the sport itself.

鈥淚n my own art practice I do circuit bending, which is when you take apart old electronics and make weird instruments and do sound performances,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e skating derby, you skate a circuit, it鈥檚 a closed loop, and you want to break through the pack.鈥�

Her jersey number, 555, is another reference to electronics, the designation for a popular integrated circuit chip that has a variety of applications.

鈥淚 love analog electronics and it was one of the first chips I used when I first started learning,鈥� she said, wearing a gold 鈥�555鈥� charm on a necklace she came across while visiting New York City.

Starting off with Fisher-Price adjustable skates when she was young, Boyles remembered wanting to skate the fastest at friends鈥� birthday parties. Then, in high school, she became aware of roller derby as a sport.

鈥淚 was excited when I found out it was a sport, I just didn鈥檛 know at the time how to get into it,鈥� she said, later considering getting started while earning her undergraduate degree in Baltimore and graduate degree in Chicago, but waiting until she had more stability with her 麻豆村 position.

鈥淚n this sport, you need good health insurance,鈥� she said, adding that the team welcomes everyone regardless of skill level starting out. 鈥淲hen I came to practice for the first time, I had no idea. I didn鈥檛 know any of the rules or how much of a contact sport it is.鈥�

Boyles began as a jammer, who wears a star on their helmet then skates fast through the pack to try to score points. In the last year, she has focused more on serving as a blocker, who tries to keep the jammer from scoring points, depending on the other skaters鈥� formations (called a 鈥渏am鈥�) on the flat, oval-shaped track.

Each practice and bout (match) help clear her head and ground her, focusing on the present moment, she said.

鈥淲hen you are in your head about anything and you have to do a sport, you have to pay attention to what's going on, and be aware of your body in a way that's helpful in getting you out of your head,鈥� she said.

The life aquatic, and aerial, of a Heinz economics professor

A small octopus slinked up Lee Branstetter鈥檚 arm during a magical encounter under the water off the coast of La Jolla, California.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a privilege and a blessing just to interact with living things like that,鈥� Branstetter said. 鈥淚 find those experiences profound.鈥�

, the聽James M. Walton Professor of Economics and Public Policy at 麻豆村鈥檚聽, grew up watching Jacques Cousteau documentaries on television and dreaming of becoming a marine biologist.听

But he charted a different course. Branstetter joined Heinz College in 2006. He served on the staff of President Barack Obama鈥檚 Council of Economic Advisers, where he acted as the senior economist for international trade and investment.

His wife knew about his underwater aspirations. On a vacation in the Philippines in 2014, she surprised Branstetter and his son, who then was just old enough for a junior certification, with a scuba certification class.

鈥淲e learned in this tropical archipelago, which has some of the best scuba diving in the world,鈥� Branstetter said. 鈥淔rom there, I was hooked.鈥�

Since then, Branstetter has gone on to dive around the world. He鈥檚 received certifications for dry-suit diving and open-water diving. He鈥檚 made dives in east and southeast Asia, Israel, Latin America, Hawaii, Iceland, Florida and more.

鈥淲hen you dive a coral reef, you see more wildlife in five minutes than you could see in five days hiking in a national park. It鈥檚 so dense,鈥� Branstetter said. 鈥淚 find it enjoyable, relaxing. It does not require a huge amount of raw strength. You want to save your air, by using measured movement underwater.鈥�

In San Diego, fitting in a scuba dive, Branstetter became enthralled by paragliders soaring off the cliffs high above the surf.听

鈥淚sn鈥檛 that one of everyone鈥檚 earliest childhood fantasies?鈥� Branstetter mused, 鈥淭o be like a bird and lift up into the air?鈥�

Since then, the economist 鈥� sometimes along with members of his entire family 鈥� has arranged a series of tandem flights with instructors in California, Hawaii and Taiwan.听

He recalled once soaring above a state park near the edge of San Francisco.

鈥淢y pilot and I were riding the breeze, and a hundred yards to our left, a red-tailed hawk was hanging there, riding the same breeze,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n that moment, I felt like that bird.鈥�

Teaching aikido brings Dietrich lecturer a steady calm

In the classroom at Carnegie Mellon, Barbara Litt teaches undergraduate students language and culture as a senior lecturer in Japanese Studies in the聽Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences(opens in new window).听

At Aikido Kokikai Pittsburgh in Regent Square, Litt shares a different side of Japanese culture, donning a hakama 鈥� a traditional Japanese garment 鈥� to guide students in the martial art of Aikido.

In both the classroom and the dojo, her students call her 鈥渟ensei鈥� as a sign of respect, acknowledging her many years of experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not a particularly lofty, exalted title 鈥� that comes more from my level as a sixth-degree black belt, and my service on my national federation鈥檚 board,鈥� she said.

Litt first tried Aikido when friends invited her to see her future teacher, Sensei Shuji Maruyama, who was visiting from Japan. She was not necessarily seeking out a martial art or physical pastime specifically.

鈥淲hen I stepped on the mat, I went, 鈥榳ow, this is really fun,鈥� 鈥� she said. 鈥淚 never thought about doing it for 37 years. I just did it, now I wouldn鈥檛 dream of stopping, because it鈥檚 wonderful. I love that about traditional Japanese arts. It鈥檚 a lifelong practice.鈥�

Aikido emphasizes deflecting attacks, instead of directly opposing an attacker with offensive force like striking or kicking.

鈥淲e evade the attack, we harmonize with it, and then we redirect it, usually into a throw. There鈥檚 a whole range of responses, but we never oppose an attack with force, we鈥檙e always blending and leading to take an attacker鈥檚 balance and move their mind,鈥� Litt said.

In her聽麻豆村 Japanese Studies(opens in new window) courses, she incorporates elements of Aikido when discussing traditional Japanese education and social structures. In one course she explores the role of martial arts.听聽

鈥淢y favorite thing about teaching is the students who inspire me with their fresh thinking, especially the enthusiasm when they enjoy the course material and they bring something of themselves into it,鈥� Litt said.

Aikido Kokikai, the specific style of the martial art that Litt teaches, uses four principles for coordinating mind and body: keep one point of focus, stay relaxed, use correct posture and develop your positive mind.

For example, Litt said she remembers noticing a change toward an optimistic attitude one morning when preparing to bike to Carnegie Mellon.

鈥淚 got on my bike to go to work and my inner talk said, 鈥業聽get to go to work鈥� 鈥� normally, I would say, 鈥業 have to go to work鈥�, or maybe 鈥榠t鈥檚 time to go to work,鈥欌�� she said, taken by surprise that she had shifted toward finding and radiating positivity.

鈥淚 love helping people find how to apply this to their lives,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 apply Aikido all the time in daily life without being attacked,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like jazz, you practice your chords and then you improvise.鈥�

Tepper professor considers strategy on and off the tennis court

A chance mention of tennis started聽 down a path to what he now considers the 鈥渂est sport in the world.鈥�

Major, who serves as associate dean for engagement and international partnerships and teaching professor of strategy for 麻豆村鈥檚聽Tepper School of Business(opens in new window), was aware of famous tennis players like Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Venus Williams, but he didn鈥檛 pick up a racket until his 40s.听

When planning a trip with the help of a travel agent, Major took notice when she mentioned at the end of a conversation that she was headed to a 鈥渃ardio tennis鈥� class.

鈥淚鈥檓 like, 鈥榃hat in the world? What鈥檚 this cardio tennis thing?鈥欌�� he said. 鈥淏asically, you're running and trying to hit the ball as fast as you can, as hard as you can, and run to the next station. But it did get me on the court.鈥�

Now, Major plays multiple times every week and has competed in singles and doubles league matches through the U.S. Tennis Association .

He recently won the regional title for the Midwestern States on his doubles team at the USTA National Championships (鈥淚t鈥檚 a trophy I鈥檒l treasure for a lifetime!鈥�), and placed third with his partner in a USTA doubles tournament in Wheeling. He was also聽 for 2025.

鈥淚 absolutely love it,鈥� he said, explaining that he has pursued other athletic hobbies like training for and running a marathon, playing racquetball and, during college, rowing and biking. 鈥淭ennis still stands out, mostly because it is the one sport that I can do where I am completely focused on that experience on the here and now, that moment.鈥�

Calculating not only where to move, but also how to reach the ball, allows Major to be present.

鈥淚t requires that even in those quiet times, or when you're not in the point, you've got to still be focused,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love that, because I will forget everything else about work, life, you know, and it's this great freeing kind of moment.鈥�

Major doesn鈥檛 go out of his way to incorporate tennis into his teaching or professional life, but said he occasionally mentions it in conversation with 麻豆村 colleagues.

鈥淚'm a strategy professor, and so strategy is hugely important with tennis, not just what you鈥檝e got to do at that moment, but how all that fits the larger picture,鈥� he said.

Previously, Major was a board member of the National Junior Tennis League, and, this summer, he joined the Highland Park Tennis Club, to get more involved with programs like the club鈥檚聽.

鈥淎 big part of my work around engagement here at 麻豆村 is trying to find ways to make sure that as an organization, this is a place available to all, and this program is a key example,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he community connection is huge to me.鈥�

鈥楢hoy!鈥� Engineering professor gets Ph.D. students out of the lab and in to kayaks

, the Arthur Hamerschlag Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering in the聽, led a group of seven students who paddled through Raccoon Creek State Park about an hour鈥檚 drive west of Pittsburgh one late afternoon.

Kayaking since he moved to the Pittsburgh region about eight years ago, Niepa has organized three trips with students.

鈥淲e enjoy spending time together,鈥� he said, adding that he organizes events outside the lab about once every month, including two racquetball tournaments.

Niepa also聽 and recently returned from a diving trip to Belize. He said he believes that no matter how near or far someone travels, faculty members and students聽 should prioritize a聽healthy work-life balance(opens in new window).

鈥淲hen I鈥檓 in Pittsburgh, I鈥檓 on campus every day, including on the weekend,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut I also make time for myself to be able to enjoy the outdoors, like walking on a trail or biking and kayaking, or going far away for scuba diving. It is so important for our mental health that we do that. We have to be much more active and find a way to enjoy ourselves.鈥�

Out on the water, the group paddled toward a marshy spot where a great blue heron waded along tall plants, then caught a fish in its beak.

鈥淚t鈥檚 quiet and peaceful, which we don鈥檛 get a lot of at school,鈥� said Hannah Gedde, a chemical engineering Ph.D student, back on the shore. 鈥淚t helps all of us to connect with each other.鈥�

Sailboat racing tactics serve as game theory for SCS professor

The waves and wind on a pleasant May afternoon were calm enough that聽, and his daughter Annika, 17, could launch their sailboat.听

But that changed once they and other members of the Moraine Sailing Club were about to start their race. Waves and gusts on the water were so great that all of the boats鈥� sails were whipping against their masts. One boat capsized briefly.

鈥淚t was exciting, we had a lot of wind,鈥� Sandholm said after coming back in to shore after the race was called off. 鈥淲e just got a little bit of practicing in.鈥�

Sandholm, the Angel Jordan University Professor in the聽, started sailing with his parents when he was 2 years old, growing up in Finland, where they spent weeks on a sailboat every summer.

Before joining Carnegie Mellon, he was a champion windsurfer, winning the Finnish championship, finishing fifth in European Championships, and achieving 12th in the World Championships. Now, his nautical pastime of choice includes sailing in races an hour north of campus.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a really nice community, a lot of good friends, and it鈥檚 also a fairly competitive fleet, which makes it more fun for racing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been developing it, so it鈥檚 more competitive now than it used to be 15 years ago.鈥�

Sandholm said he enjoys being out on the lake, compared to the ocean waters.

鈥淭here are no sharks in the water here, so that's great if you fall in,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou don't get salt in your stuff, and you don't have to wash it afterwards. It's a very easy place to sail, very safe.鈥�

Sandholm said he doesn鈥檛 often talk about sailing with his colleagues, joking that all the details may not be relatable.

鈥淚f you鈥檙e a sailor, it鈥檚 fun to talk about, but if you鈥檙e not a sailor, it鈥檚 not that fun to listen,鈥� he said, laughing.

However, sailing can serve as an example of his research in artificial intelligence that explores game theory. In 2023, he earned the聽.

鈥淚n game theory, the best way for you to strategize depends on how the others play and vice versa,鈥� Sandholm said. 鈥淪ailing is a very tactical sport, especially this kind of sailing where everybody has the same boats and same sails, so it鈥檚 all about the skill, and a big part of the skill is reading the wind and placing your boat with respect to other boats in a favorable way.鈥�

Sailing requires a certain degree of physical strength, but more so needs mental acuity, including focus on the wind and continuous adaptation to it, he said.

鈥淲hen the wind is light, it really is a patience game, and you have to stay fully focused all the time. That is difficult to do if you haven鈥檛 practiced a lot because you have to stay focused for many hours in a row and it feels like nothing is happening,鈥� Sandholm said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 important not to lose focus in heavy air like today because otherwise bad things can happen quickly.鈥�

Even the best racers get lucky or unlucky sometimes 鈥� what Sandholm called 鈥渟tochasticity,鈥� used to describe uncertainty.

鈥淭hat makes it very interesting because not everybody has to be an equally good racer, and they can still be challenging opponents in some races,鈥� he said.

Sandholm said his philosophy on the water is simple: 鈥淗aving fun and staying calm 鈥� trying to improve all the time, every race, every year.鈥�

MCS dean uses 鈥榙evious鈥� thinking in saber fencing聽

Fencing requires quick-thinking strategy mixed with physicality and bodily awareness, which is why聽Barbara Shinn-Cunningham(opens in new window), the Glen de Vries Dean of the Mellon College of Science and professor of neuroscience, enjoys the sport so much.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the perfect sport for 麻豆村,鈥� she said, one evening practicing alongside members of the聽. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really intellectual, but you can challenge yourself.鈥�

When one of her sons was in high school, Shinn-Cunningham learned saber fencing alongside him in Boston.听

In the 12 years since then, she has competed in national tournaments, including as a member of Team USA for the 2019 Veteran Fencing World Championships in Egypt, where she earned a bronze medal.

Compared to her academic endeavors, Shinn-Cunningham said the improvisational mental agility of the sport appeals to her, much like playing a musical instrument.

鈥淚鈥檓 still getting better as a fencer because it鈥檚 so much about technique,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about reading the other person.鈥�

The three major categories of fencing, all with slightly different technique, target areas and scoring, are divided by the weapon used: foil, 茅p茅e, or saber. A foil is lightweight whereas an 茅p茅e is heavier and larger, but both score hits using only the tip. With saber, the entire edge of the sword awards points.

鈥淪aber, which is so fast-paced, appeals to me,鈥� Shinn-Cunningham said. 鈥淚t forces me to try to be in a moment because most of the time my mind is in seven different places at once simultaneously.鈥�

Shinn-Cunningham said that outside the 麻豆村 club, Pittsburgh fencers are more likely to compete with foils, encouraging her to try it. But she still prefers saber.

鈥淔or a long time, I was the highest-ranked saberist in western Pennsylvania, because there were five of us,鈥� she said.

Fencers often compare the sport to the game rock-paper-scissors, where players have to make offensive and defensive decisions quickly.

鈥淎s long as I am patient and read him correctly, or draw him into going somewhere where I know where he's going to go, so I can get his blade, it鈥檚 my point,鈥� Shinn-Cunningham said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 like this mental game against your opponent constantly.鈥�

Other types of physical fitness end up feeling like a chore, where she said she had to convince herself, for example, that she can binge a Netflix show while she rides an elliptical machine.

鈥淭his is a way for me to exercise that is so much fun I look forward to it,鈥� Shinn-Cunningham said, who practices alongside students in the 麻豆村 Fencing Club, who seem to enjoy her being there as much as she does.

鈥淭hey see that being clever, being smart and being devious is as important as being athletic,鈥� she said.

The club often offers聽 each academic year.

鈥淢ore people should do saber at 麻豆村 because then there would be more people to fence with and more fun,鈥� Shinn-Cunningham said. 鈥淭hey can come beat up on the dean.鈥�