National Science Foundation—Vanderbilt, VUMC reach 10th among private research universities, 24th overall in NSF Higher Education Research and Development survey
Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center climbed seven spots in the prestigious survey by the National Science Foundation measuring annual research and development expenditures. The combined forces of Vanderbilt University and VUMC, with research and development expenditures exceeding $1 billion in 2021, ranked 10th among private research universities and 24th overall in R&D spending. It was the first time in more than a decade that Vanderbilt landed in the top 25 of the NSF’s annual Higher Education Research and Development Survey—reflecting Vanderbilt’s dedication to continuing excellence and increasing global impact. It was also 80 percent more than 2011’s amount and made up more than 62 percent of all expenditures by reporting institutions, public and private, in Tennessee. MORE
| |
FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
| |
Department of Education—IRIS Center funding renewed with $6 million grant
A five-year, $6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs will continue funding of the IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of education and human development. The center, founded in 2001, bridges the research-to-practice gap through a free, interactive website that translates research about the education of students with disabilities into practice. Created in collaboration with nationally recognized researchers and education experts, IRIS resources address instructional and behavioral issues of critical importance to today’s educators. The grant enables IRIS to provide instructional resources about evidence-based practices in education and to disseminate them through its open-access website. The new center grant will also provide technical assistance and training on how to use these resources effectively in educator-preparation courses and programs, in school and district professional development, and in personalized learning for individual teachers and other school staff. MORE
| |
Department of Energy—Vanderbilt student engineering team’s steel-timber beam machine wins DOE national challenge
An all-women team from Vanderbilt won a U.S. Department of Energy competition that offers the winner an internship at a DOE national laboratory. Engineering science students Arielle Kopp and Alexandra Filipova and civil engineering students Maggie Chudik and Jacqueline Quirke created a composite beam machine that makes steel-timber beams. Steel and cross-laminated timber beams provide strong, sustainable, structural support for buildings. The team says its solution helps reduce the demand for recycled steel, creates jobs, and improves air quality for communities and steel mills. Team leader and DOE challenge applicant Arielle Kopp presented the team’s solution during the 2022–2023 final competition Jan. 26–27 with five other JUMP into STEM finalists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Kopp has been offered a 10-week summer paid internship at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. MORE
| |
Five Vanderbilt faculty elected as 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science fellows
Five Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty members were elected as 2022 fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. They were selected by a group of their AAAS peers. The fellows represent the College of Arts and Science, the School of Medicine and the School of Engineering. The 2022 AAAS fellows class includes 506 scientists, engineers and innovators spanning 24 scientific disciplines. The new AAAS fellows will be honored for their achievements at a celebration in Washington, D.C., this spring. MORE
| |
Vanderbilt School of Nursing approved for a $250,000 engagement award for project on overcoming barriers to patient- and family-centered comparative effectiveness research
A team at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing has been approved for a $250,000 funding award through the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards program, an initiative of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The funds will support identifying and disseminating strategies for overcoming barriers to patient- and family-centered comparative effectiveness research with patients who are critically ill and hospitalized in an intensive care unit setting. The project . . . will use group concept mapping to gather input from patients, family members, health care clinicians, researchers and others to identify ways to overcome barriers to patient-oriented clinical research. It is part of a portfolio of projects that PCORI has funded to help develop a community of patients and other stakeholders equipped to participate as partners in comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and disseminate PCORI-funded study results. MORE
| |
Clintons announce program for CGI U 2023 meeting at Vanderbilt University March 3–5
With a theme of “Homecoming: Strengthening Community, Leadership and Action,” this year’s Clinton Global Initiative University meeting will tackle pressing global challenges, including climate change, reproductive rights for girls and women and protecting human rights and health equity. It will be the first in-person CGI U meeting in five years and will be at Vanderbilt University on March 3–5. Building on the momentum from the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2022 meeting, this spring’s CGI U will bring together aspiring leaders and global experts in business, public service and social impact to develop innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea will all be on hand for the event. MORE
| |
Vanderbilt shows largest presence yet at top global climate change conference
A dynamic group of Vanderbilt scholars—all women—with expertise in engineering, earth sciences, sociology and storytelling took to a global stage by participating in one of the world’s most influential climate conferences. They came out with inspiration, information and connections to advance their work in mending and protecting the Earth. Leah Dundon, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Vanderbilt Climate Change Initiative, led a group of students at the 27th annual United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, better known as COP27, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, in late November 2022. MORE
| |
|