Every month, the Teaching Center features individual staff members so you can get to learn a bit about who we are and what we do. Today, we’re featuring Ed Gyurisin, manager of learning space design, who retired Oct. 31 after more than 40 years at the University of Pittsburgh.

Q: What work experiences led you to this position with the University Center for Teaching and Learning?
A: Prior to working for the University, I was the video production engineer at Western Psychiatric Institute & Clinic.

Q: What’s the most exciting or memorable project you’ve worked on at Pitt?
A: This is easy. My work with with former associate professor and director of Jazz Studies, Geri Allen, on the tribute to legendary jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams was the most memorable project I’ve worked on at Pitt. It was a live interactive jazz production between Pitt, UC Berkley, the University of Michigan and MIT.

Q: What do you love most about your job and why?
A: The challenges, of all types, are what I loved most about my job. I loved working in cross-functional teams, designing and engineering innovative solutions.