Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy

Over a million cybersecurity jobs sit unfilled across the U.S. right now. Heinz College’s IT Lab Summer Cybersecurity Fellowship is working to change that!

This summer, the program brought 40 undergrads from 28 colleges to campus for seven weeks of graduate-level coursework, hands-on projects, and time with the people shaping cybersecurity research and policy, including a Lunch and Learn with CyLab director Lorrie Cranor on building a career around curiosity.

This program has been running since 2015, with more than 260 students taking part in this incredible opportunity!

Read the full story to see how the fellowship is preparing the next generation of security and privacy leaders. https://www.cylab.cmu.edu/news/2026/07/09-it-lab.html

Rooftop solar is booming, but predicting where it will grow next is one of the toughest challenges facing utilities today.

Prof. Shixiang (Woody) Zhu of CMU's Heinz College, alongside other CMU researchers, developed a new framework for forecasting distributed energy resource adoption that quantifies uncertainty and holds up across circuits, substations, and grids. The approach has already been adopted into an Indiana utility's 2025 integrated resource plan, and won second place at the 2026 INFORMS Analytics+ Conference.

Read more here! https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/media/2026/July/new-framework-for-adoption-of-distributed-energy-resources-quantifies-uncertainty-ensures-validity-across-grid-structures?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=press-release&utm_content=woody-zhu

Samiha Islam (MSPPM-DA '26) has always been driven by serving those around her. Since elementary school, she's volunteered with organizations serving her hometown of Rochester, NY, work that grew from volunteering into writing grants for programs supporting refugees and people transitioning out of incarceration.

"I always knew I wanted to work in a field where I could help people by closing equity gaps in racially segregated communities," she said.

With dual bachelor's degrees in statistics and health and human services, Samiha's path to Heinz wasn't linear. But it's where her passions and skills finally aligned, leading to research that shaped Maryland's tax outreach strategy, a first-place capstone presentation, and this year's student address at Commencement.

Click here to read her full journey! https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/media/2026/July/where-data-meets-purpose-samiha-islam-journey-to-public-impact

Pittsburgh just moved to tax "skill games," those slot-machine-like devices showing up in gas stations and corner stores across PA. But is taxation even the right question?

Professor Jonathan Caulkins argues the real issue isn't revenue. It's whether we're comfortable making gambling ubiquitous, knowing a small share of heavy users, often people with gambling problems, drive a disproportionate share of the losses.

When does protecting the vulnerable justify limiting everyone's freedom to choose? Read more here! https://theconversation.com/pittsburgh-wants-to-tax-skill-games-but-the-real-question-is-whether-to-limit-them-286235

After 7 incredible weeks, our IT Lab Summer Security Fellowship wrapped up this past Friday with the fellows' final presentations, and what a way to close things out!

We are so honored to have hosted such a talented group of students from across the country this summer. Congratulations on all you accomplished in just a few short weeks. We wish you continued success back at your home universities, and we hope to see you again soon in Hamburg Hall!

Carnegie Mellon University welcomed the 21st annual INGRoup conference, bringing researchers back to the very city where the association was founded 20 years ago. Heinz's Anna Mayo and Tepper's Maria Tomprou co-chaired Local Arrangements for this year's event!

INGRoup itself grew out of small seminars and gatherings right here at CMU (some jointly with Pitt) two decades ago. Now that same spirit lives on through CoLab, as CMU keeps building its leadership in this space!

Can AI help students learn by teaching it, instead of just answering their questions?

Prof. Shihong Huang of CMU's Heinz College, alongside other CMU and American Heritage Schools researchers, introduced Teachable AI, a prototype system where students explain coding concepts to an AI agent, catching its mistakes along the way. The result: deeper understanding through a classic "learning-by-teaching" approach, reimagined for the GenAI era.

Curious how it works? Read more
https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/media/2026/July/new-prototype-learning-system-for-software-development-education-uses-a-learning-by-teaching-approach?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=press-release&utm_content=shihong-huang

For the second year in a row, our incredible IT Lab fellows took part in the time-honored Carnegie Mellon tradition of painting the fence! Monday night, they arrived at their canvas and created a masterpiece for the whole CMU community to enjoy.

It's been such a joy hosting them here at CMU these last few weeks, and it’s been great seeing them embrace the traditions and community that make our university special!

Yolanda Martinez, an alumna of Heinz College's Master of Public Policy and Management program, has built her career around improving the lives of people around her. As practice manager for digital development in Latin America and the Caribbean at the World Bank, she oversees projects that help governments across the region strengthen their digital infrastructure, with financing provided by the World Bank.

For Yolanda, the chance to pursue innovative research while experimenting with new technologies was one of the most valuable parts of her time at Heinz. "There are very few schools where you find the intersection between technology and policy, which is what caught my attention about Heinz College."

To read more about Yolanda, click here! https://www.heinz.cmu.edu/media/2026/July/at-the-world-bank-alumna-yolanda-martinez-helps-improve-digital-infrastructure-in-latin-america-caribbean?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=article&utm_content=yolanda

What's really driving the recent spike in prices, and when might it ease up?

CMU's Heinz College professor Robert Strauss spoke with TribLive about the forces behind May's inflation jump to 4.2%, from fighting in the Strait of Hormuz disrupting oil shipments to labor shortages hitting Pennsylvania's agriculture sector, the state's largest industry.

Strauss's take: the uncertainty is widespread, and much of it is out of anyone's direct control. Read the full story! https://triblive.com/local/valley-news-dispatch/consumers-resigned-to-higher-prices-as-cost-of-living-jumps/