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UVM Impact
Graduate Education and Research News September 2021
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| Welcome
Welcome to the Fall 2021 issue of IMPACT, an e-newsletter highlighting research, scholarship, and graduate education at the University of Vermont. On behalf of Dean Cindy Forehand and Vice President for Research, Kirk Dombrowski, we'd like to welcome you to read on in order to see what exciting initiatives have been unfolding at UVM since the last IMPACT issue. While the past 18 months have been challenging, as you'll see, news and events have kept pace—even during the pandemic. In fact, 2020 proved an exceptional year for UVM's research community, as our faculty attracted $227 million in total extramural support—a new all-time high that for the first time in the university's history surpasses the $200 million mark, and the Graduate College was busier than ever, transitioning numerous in-person events to remote, including the April 2021 induction of three outstanding academics as the 2021-2022 University Scholars.
Please enjoy this newsletter and watch for additional issues to arrive in your inbox.
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Featured Grad Student: Thayer Alshaabi, Ph.D.
Thayer Alshaabi, Ph.D., who was conferred his degree in August, focused his research at UVM primarily on natural language processing for social media data streams, object tracking and glocalization for autonomous driving. His research resulted in a number of publications. He was first author on 5 papers and co-authored more than 15 others.
While at UVM, Thayer co-led the research efforts (with Professors Chris Danforth and Peter Dodds) that led to the development of "Storywrangler," an innovative tool that can be used to explore billions of social media messages —uncovering trends that can be used in a variety of ways, including to predict major societal events. Alshaabi compares Storywrangler to a "…telescope to look—in real time—at all this data that people share on social media" with the hope that "people will use it themselves, in the same way you might look up at the stars and ask your own questions." Read more about his work here, and delve into the key findings in Science Advances. Thayer has now joined the the Advanced Bioimaging Center at UC Berkeley as a postdoctoral researcher, working with Gokul Upadhyayula and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Eric Betzig.
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| Graduate Student Senate With increasing vaccination rates in Vermont and Governor Scott's easing of COVID-19 restrictions earlier this summer, the new executive board of UVM's Graduate Student Senate (GSS) was eager to fill their calendar with social and informative events for UVM's graduate students. So far, GSS has seen graduate students spanning almost every UVM department at their events, which have included axe throwing at Burlington's Burly Axe, pick-up soccer games, a BBQ at North Beach Park, and, most recently, the annual Graduate Student Resource Fair at UVM's Davis Center. We asked the five-member GSS executive board (pictured above) what they are most looking forward to in this Fall 2021 semester. See more >>
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University Scholar Lecture: Gregory L. Holmes, M.D.
Dr. Holmes is an internationally renowned pediatric neurologist with an expertise in pediatric epilepsy. His research in the laboratory and clinic has resulted in an understanding of the pathophysiological basis of cognitive impairment and other co-morbidities in children with epilepsy. Developing therapy to prevent epilepsy has been a lifelong goal.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy Dr. Holmes' lecture: Construction and Disruption of Spatial Memory Networks During Development.
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| UVM Postdoctoral Association
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Postdoctoral Association While society continues to wrestle with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UVM Postdoctoral Association (PDA) heads into the 2021-2022 academic year with a strong sense of purpose and optimism, starting with a new executive committee (pictured): Brandon Bensel, Co-chair; Kirsten Tracy, Secretary; Mikaela Fudolig, Webmaster; Michelle Kloc, Treasurer; and John Meluso, Public Relations Officer. The UVM PDA will also continue to have representation on the Research, Scholarship, and Creative Arts committees of the Faculty Senate.
Much like the rest of the UVM community and academia as a whole, the Postdoctoral Association has spent the past months finding ways to be innovative in these challenging and changing times. One strategy has been to take events outdoors, enjoying Vermont's natural beauty. See more >>
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| Graduate Program Spotlight
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| Research SpotlightProfessor Meredith Niles (left photo) and colleagues in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences are doing important research about the high rates of food insecurity that Vermonters are experiencing. Postdoc Ashley McCarthy, Ph.D. (right photo) notes that, "…[the fact] that food insecurity rates remain above pre-pandemic levels suggests that some people may be going without help.” Read the full article and the policy brief. The University of Vermont's efforts to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on food systems and food security extend nation-wide too as Niles and her colleagues collaborate with researchers at the Center for a Livable Future at Johns Hopkins University. See more >>
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| Alumni NewsAkirah Bradley (left photo) (G'07 Master of Education in Higher Education and Student Affairs Adminstration), who is now Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at the University of Colorado, Boulder and Ian Pond (right photo) (G'15 Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering), currently a senior mechanical engineer with Lockheed Martin, are among the UVM alumni profiled in a recent article, Catamount Nation: Denver Edition, which spotlights UVM alumni living and working in the mile-high city. Bradley and Pond gained a lot from their UVM graduate experience. Bradley credits a large part of her development to “a brilliant, diverse cohort of fellow learners” and to Professor Emerita Kathy Manning's guiding presence that led her to gain professional confidence and become "a continuous learner and educator.” For his part, Pond was motivated by the cutting-edge work of his advisor, Yves Dubief, and appreciated his advising style, which was purposeful yet provided Pond space to strengthen his own problem-solving skills. See more >>
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