Cutting Edge, and Transformational Technology, Creating Local and Global Influence
Host A Tour of Hazelwood Green and Reception on October 22, 2025
Hazelwood Green is a former steel site now home to research and teaching spaces for the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and other partners. Hazelwood Green connects the historic Hazelwood neighborhood with new opportunities in research, innovation, and community life, creating a model of inclusive and sustainable urban development. Once the home of Jones & Laughlin Steel, the site now features green spaces, trails, and a vibrant plaza open to all, thanks to a redevelopment process led by the Regional Development Industrial Corporation (RIDC). It also reflects the beginning of the second technological transformation of the city of Pittsburgh and surrounding region.
On October 22, The Greater Pittsburgh Chapter Fulbright Association hosted a tour and reception at the Mill 19 Facility at Hazelwood Green. The event began with a tour led by Ian Maclachlan (College of Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University) of Mill 19’s various research and development spaces for advanced manufacturing, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. The tour was followed by presentations from the Regional Industrial Development Corporation and the University of Pittsburgh.
Following the tour and presentations, Fulbright Alumni and friends were provided with a sumptuous reception, where they enjoyed refreshments and further opportunities to converse and connect with presenters. The event was well attended with twenty-three guests who enjoyed the chance to marvel at the demonstrations of innovation and sustainable development at Hazelwood Green. Kathy White noted that it was “Informative and social; our event gave visiting Fulbrighters a great opportunity to interact with past recipients and friends of Fulbright.” While Richelle Bernazzoli lauded it as “the perfect event to showcase the local and global significance of this cutting-edge technology hub to our Pittsburgh Fulbright community.” Cynthia Baldwin commented that, simply put, the “Hazelwood Green event provided food for the mind and the body.”
About the Presenters
Tim White, Sophie Beacom and Dr. Brennan Sellner
Tim White joined the RIDC team in January 2011, and he currently serves as the Senior Vice-President of Business Development and Strategy. Tim has been instrumental in developing many RIDC Projects including Mill 19, the Lawrenceville Tech Center, Westmoreland Innovation Center and several more. Tim has executive experience in management, business development, operations, and sales at high-growth technology firms like Deeplocal Inc, Landslide Technologies, and Freemarkets. Prior to Landslide, Tim worked in the joint office of economic development for Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pittsburgh, becoming the first coordinator for the Greater Oakland Keyston Innovation Zone. He holds a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from West Virginia University and a Master’s in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon’s H.J. Heinz School of Public Policy and Management. As a Stephen Lauble Community Fellow at Heinz College, Tim assisted the Allegheny County’s Department of Economic Development in business development and policy analysis. Tim also studied at Karlsruhe Technical University and Otto-Friedrich-Stadt University-Bamberg and participated in the 16th Congress Bundestag Exchange for Young Professionals. Tim was recently recognized by City& State Magazine as a Pennsylvania Trailblazer in Workforce and Economic Development.
Sophie Beacom is an Economic Development Specialist at RIDC, where she supports regional revitalization through economic research, data analysis, and community engagement. She is currently contributing to the Seedling Initiative, which partners with communities across Southwestern Pennsylvania to identify and advance catalytic redevelopment projects. Sophie earned her Master of Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
Dr. Brennan Sellner is the Vice President of Engineering of BioForge, where he is responsible for the implementation and operations of BioForge’s research and development activities. Previously, Brennan served in a series of leadership roles at Seegrid, a leading manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots focused on logistics and manufacturing domains. Brennan was the co-inventor and lead developer of Seegrid Supervisor (now Fleet Central), a centralized robot control and coordination system that yielded a 24x increase in robot fleet and deal sizes. Brennan earned a Ph.D. in Robotics from the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon, where his thesis focused on proactive replanning to optimize the effectiveness of multi-robot teams. He also contributed to projects involving multi-robot assembly for NASA, distributed robotic architectures, the Roboceptionist (a social robotics project in collaboration with the Drama department), and investigations into sliding autonomy to integrate remote operators into robotics teams, among others.
We would like to extend our gratitude to the presenters and tour guide: Tim White, Sophie Beacom, Dr. Brennan Sellner and Ian Maclachlan. We deeply appreciate all that you do.
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