Former Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid to speak at Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats
The origins, realities and effects of the world’s most pressing threats are the focus of the inaugural Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats scheduled for May 4-5. Former President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid will speak at Vanderbilt University’s Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats on Thurs. May 5. The summit will feature a fireside chat with Kersti Kaljulaid, who served as president of the Republic of Estonia from 2016 to 2021, on May 5. As Estonia’s first female president, she made an impact in both her homeland and in the international arena. Prior to her presidency, Kaljulaid served as a member of the European Court of Auditors, advising Prime Minister Mart Laar and holding top-level positions in the energy, investment banking and telecom sectors. She was also the first Estonian to be featured in Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list. For virtual registration and a full schedule of events, please visit vu.edu/summit. MORE
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FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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National Science Foundation—Vanderbilt School of Engineering faculty receive National Science Foundation Early CAREER Awards
Three faculty members from the School of Engineering are recipients of the National Science Foundation Early CAREER Award. The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program offers the most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. David Braun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is conducting foundational research in mechanically adaptive robotics. Justus C. Ndukaife, assistant professor of electrical engineering, was recognized for foundational research in cell-to-cell communication. Ahmad F. Taha, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering, is developing new approaches to network sensors and controllers scheduling. MORE
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National Institutes of Health—NIMH awards $3.4M to Womelsdorf to study how next generation of schizophrenia drugs affects brain networks, cognition
The National Institute of Mental Health has awarded a $3.4 million grant to Thilo Womelsdorf, associate professor of psychology, biomedical engineering and computer science, to study the underlying mechanisms of action for a new generation of potential drugs that may improve cognition and motivation and enhance brain network activity affected in schizophrenia. Womelsdorf’s team is developing augmented reality computer games that test how drugs enhance attention, memory and motivation of subjects. Motivation will be measured as subjects’ willingness to put forth effort to achieve goals and by how subjects overcome frustration from negative feedback. Reduced cognitive and motivational abilities are hallmarks in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. A central aim of the newly funded research is to understand the working mechanisms of a powerful new generation of psychoactive drugs being developed at the Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. MORE
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Vanderbilt Poll: Nashville headed in the wrong direction
For the first time since the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville was established in 2015, more than half of respondents say they believe the city is headed in the wrong direction. Fifty-three percent of those who took the survey, which gauges people’s perception of their local government, said that Nashville is off track—a significant swing from last year, when 59 percent of residents polled said they believed the city was “generally headed in the right direction.” MORE
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Engineering team looks at recycled glass to improve building materials, protect environment
A Vanderbilt University professor and two undergraduate students in the School of Engineering are participating in an innovative research project that aims to use recycled glass to enhance building materials and infrastructure as well as reduce waste. As a possible solution, the project seeks to use waste glass in construction, which researchers say can address the global need for advanced, multifunctional building materials, either as load bearing units or as cladding. Additionally, waste glass could be incorporated into building materials for either new high-performance construction or to repair and enhance the performance of existing structures. The project goal is to develop a versatile building product, known as concrete masonry unit or simply concrete block/brick, which can incorporate waste glass at large weight fractions without significantly impacting its overall strength or performance. MORE
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Vandenbergh named 2022 Carnegie Fellow to tackle polarization and climate change
Vanderbilt University legal scholar Michael P. Vandenbergh has been named a 2022 Andrew Carnegie Fellow and has been awarded $200,000 to support his research into overcoming political polarization to address the causes of climate change and the issues it is creating. Vandenbergh was one of 28 fellows announced on April 26 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, which awarded a total of $5.6 million in support for research in the humanities and social sciences. Vandenbergh is Vanderbilt’s fifth Carnegie Fellow since the program launched in 2015. Vandenbergh, David Daniels Allen Distinguished Professor of Law, is the director of the Climate Change Research Network and co-director of the Energy, Environment and Land Use Program at Vanderbilt. MORE
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WATCH: Diermeier, Balser discuss leading under adversity during pandemic
Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier joined Vanderbilt University Medical Center President and CEO Jeffrey Balser, MD’90, PhD’90, for a candid livestreamed discussion April 27 about their experiences leading during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vanderbilt Trustee Emeritus Michael Ainslie, BA’65, moderated the talk. The event was inspired by a discussion Diermeier and Balser had in the leadership class Ainslie teaches at the Owen Graduate School of Management. MORE
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Milner to assume presidency, scholars to present research at AERA meeting in San Diego
Vanderbilt professor H. Richard Milner IV will become president of the American Educational Research Association this month when the organization meets in San Diego. Milner, Vanderbilt’s first elected president of AERA, is a researcher, scholar and leader of urban education and teacher education. He holds the title Cornelius Vanderbilt Distinguished Professor of Education and was named president-elect of AERA in 2021. Milner, who was the first Black person to earn tenure and promotion at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, also is the founding director of the Initiative for Race Research and Justice at Vanderbilt. He is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association and was elected to the National Academy of Education in March 2021. Currently, funded by the National Science Foundation, Milner is working with Initiative for Race Research and Justice Associate Director Jacob Bennett and doctoral student Bryant Best on a project focused on increasing STEM participation among those in the carceral system. MORE
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Vanderbilt to celebrate APIDA graduates during AAPI Heritage Month in May
Vanderbilt will host its inaugural Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Graduates Recognition Ceremony on May 11. The ceremony, a joint effort of the Student Center for Social Justice and Identity, campus partners and student organizations, coincides with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. AAPI Heritage Month—a time to honor and reflect on the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States—began in 1978 as a weeklong observance. In 1990, Congress expanded the observance to a month and in 1992 designated May for the monthlong commemoration. For more updates on AAPI events in May, visit the AAPI Identity Initiative website and follow @inclusive_vandy on Instagram. MORE
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Celebrated composer and Vanderbilt professor emeritus Michael Kurek named composer laureate of Tennessee
Vanderbilt University emeritus professor Michael Kurek, an internationally acclaimed composer, says his passions for music and teaching go hand in hand. The Tennessee General Assembly has made Kurek’s mission to be an ambassador for classical music official, naming him the new composer laureate of Tennessee. Kurek, who served 14 years a chair of the Department of Music Composition at the Blair School of Music, is only the second person to hold the distinction in Tennessee. David Van Vactor, head of the University of Tennessee–Knoxville’s Fine Arts Department and then the separated Music Department and conductor of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, became the inaugural Composer Laureate of Tennessee in 1975. The state hasn’t had another since Van Vactor’s death in 1994. MORE
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