A message from Chancellor Diermeier regarding the discussion on gun violence
In a letter to the Vanderbilt community, Chancellor Diermeier acknowledged and expressed grief for the horrific series of recent mass shootings across the country. He highlighted the university's responsibility to serve as an open forum for discussion on this problem announcing that the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy would host a live virtual panel discussion, Facts and Evidence: Navigating the Gun Debate in America, on Tuesday, June 7. Watch here. MORE
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FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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Department of Energy—Kidambi, chemical and biomolecular engineer, wins Department of Energy Early Career Research funding for five yearsPiran Kidambi, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been selected to receive funding for research as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program. The program is designed to bolster the nation’s scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during the crucial early career period, when many scientists conduct their most formative work. His proposal . . . aims to answer fundamental scientific questions about how to separate similar variants of the same elements—isotopes—by using nanomaterials. These variants are extremely useful in medical diagnostic and treatment, quantum information science, nuclear power and national security, among other areas. The lab is affiliated with the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, the Interdisciplinary Materials Science Program and the Data Science Institute. MORE
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Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health—The Hunger Games: E.coli Edition demonstrates how mutualism and cooperative behavior shape speciesBacteria, not unlike humans, can take up more resources than necessary. When this happens, synthesized byproducts can leak into the environment, which allows other nearby bacteria to evolve cooperative behaviors—such as using the byproducts as nutrients. Cooperation in bacterial communities has also been observed to facilitate behaviors like altering the environment or forming new structures like biofilms. “Making your own resources costs energy. Bacteria can evolve to rely on each other—and also conserve energy—through mutations that result in the loss of certain metabolic processes that can be supplemented by using these now public goods,” said Megan Behringer, an assistant professor in biological sciences. [Behringer's study, “Complex Ecotype Dynamics Evolve in Response to Fluctuating Resources”] explores the effects of feast and famine cycles within groups of the intestine-dwelling bacteria E. coli. This work is supported by Army Research Office and the National Institutes of Health. MORE
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Engineering doctoral student is Vanderbilt’s first recipient of Rabi Young Investigator AwardVanderbilt engineering graduate student Sai Abitha Srinivas received the I.I. Rabi Young Investigator Award at the 2022 meeting of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, held May 7-12 in London. This award is recognition for her work to improve image quality in portable MRI systems with minimal passive shielding that could reduce the reliance on shielded rooms and allow for truly portable and more accessible MRI. This is the highest award given to a young scientist by the ISMRM and Srinivas [a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering] is the first Vanderbilt recipient. MORE
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Global Vanderbilt: James Muchira: It gave me the leeway to experimentJames Muchira, assistant professor of nursing, shares how he came to the Vanderbilt School of Nursing and how his experience as a researcher in Kenya transferred to Nashville. MORE
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McGee gift to establish center that will leverage data science to study media narrativesA $5 million gift from Suzanne Perot McGee, BS’86, Patrick K. McGee, BS’85, and their family to the College of Arts and Science at Vanderbilt University will establish a center dedicated to analyzing the media through the cutting-edge tools of data science. The McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies will promote media literacy by providing resources to evaluate the objectivity of news coverage, social media, blogs and other narratives. The center will lead conversion of the Vanderbilt Television News Archive’s searchable metadata from summaries to full-text transcriptions. This will restore the archive to its original purpose of providing to the public data-driven insight into the ways the news media shapes opinion. MORE
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WATCH: Diermeier discusses ‘State of the University’ in livestreamed address, Q&AChancellor Daniel Diermeier called on all Vanderbilt alumni and current parents to be ambassadors for the university during a virtual “State of the University” address on May 24. In his address, Diermeier offered an overview of where Vanderbilt is two years after the start of the pandemic and highlighted the university’s distinguished faculty, diverse student body and robust research programs. He also emphasized the importance of principled neutrality on campus and outlined the key components of the Vanderbilt Way —belonging, self-direction, continual growth and radical collaboration. The Q&A that followed the remarks covered a range of topics, including student mental health, Vanderbilt’s international strategy and the future of higher education. MORE
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Unity Project launches summer conversation series, ‘Unity Talks’The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is launching a series of conversations and interviews featuring its co-chairs—Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham, former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Vanderbilt faculty member and entrepreneur Samar Ali—and renowned guests from the media, academia and government. The program . . . will feature experts such as Jonathan Martin, New York Times national political correspondent; Yuval Levin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, a two-term senator from South Carolina; and more over the next several months. These conversations will focus on the important issues facing America today, the relevant work and ongoing research of the guests, and ideas for how people can make sense of the dizzying onslaught of news and events at home and abroad—and how they can help. [The Interviews will be available here.] MORE
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Vanderbilt’s tech boot camps surpass 1,000 graduatesVanderbilt University’s tech boot camps have surpassed 1,000 graduates who are ready to compete for jobs in an information technology industry that is continuing to expand in Tennessee and nationwide. In 2019, the Vanderbilt School of Engineering teamed with the Owen Graduate School of Management and with Trilogy Education Services to create boot camps in coding, data analytics, cybersecurity and digital marketing. Boot camp participants also have access to career-planning assistance like coaching, resume support and technical interview training. Upskilling the workforce or addressing employees’ skill gaps on an accelerated timeline is the focus of Vanderbilt’s part-time, 24-week boot camps. Since they launched, 1,022 adult learners have graduated and earned certificates. MORE
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