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Message regarding Derek Chauvin verdict
The trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd has ended and the verdict released. We grieve for the family of Mr. Floyd, whose death marked yet another tragic milestone in a series of violent acts suffered by Black people in this country. We grieve for the many other families for whom this tragedy, and the others before it and since, serves as a reminder of their experiences and what they have lost. The trial’s outcome highlights how for decades, if not centuries, people of color have often been singled out, unfairly harassed or arrested, attacked and, in the most extreme cases, killed by police. In our position as a leading research university focused on learning and discovery, the Vanderbilt community cannot look away from heinous acts such as the murder of George Floyd. We must harness our expertise, our pursuit of truth and evidence and our respect for humanity to foster greater understanding of how to work toward a more just future and to support actions that bring about positive change in society. MORE
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Message from university leaders on standing united with the AAAPI community
In the midst of the ongoing public health crisis, we are witnessing an abhorrent wave of racism and violence in this country. Since the murder of six women of Asian descent in Atlanta last month, as well as ongoing attacks against community members of Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander heritage, we have been in close communication with Vanderbilt’s AAAPI community and are writing to update you about those discussions. Attacks against community members of Asian descent are growing in number and intensity across the United States. Racist acts and harassment toward the AAAPI community stand in stark contrast to Vanderbilt’s core values of equity, diversity and inclusion and will not be tolerated. As one community, we must stand united with our AAAPI community members against racism and discrimination. MORE
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Health Care Heroes: Dean Linda Norman on how COVID-19 has reshaped the nursing profession and patient care
The United States recently passed the grim milestone of 550,000 people who have died as the result of COVID-19—a tragedy hardly imaginable just a year ago. Amid the incomprehensible suffering that families and patients have gone through, health care workers at Vanderbilt and medical centers across the country have truly done the work of heroes to fight this pernicious disease. Yet, even after COVID-19 fades, it will have transformed health care and the way we deliver services for many years ahead. Where I think we will see the most lasting change is in the field of nursing. Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, nurses have been the ones to stay with a patient throughout their care, whether they’re in the ICU or whether they’re in a regular hospital unit. The result is that the value of nursing, and its contribution to patient care, has gone up exponentially. MORE
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Research Snapshot: New Vanderbilt-led research explores human migration changes during the COVID-19 pandemic
The choice of where to live is a major economic and social decision and includes factors such as labor markets, schools, housing costs and access to amenities. In 2020, new research shows, a new factor made a prominent appearance: the COVID-19 pandemic. But the way it showed up might not be what you’d expect. The researchers, Peter Haslag from Vanderbilt University and Daniel Weagley from Georgia Institute of Technology, examined four years of proprietary move-level data on more than 300,000 inter-state moves within the United States to determine how and why the nature of relocation decisions have changed since the onset of the pandemic. The researchers found that a significant percentage of respondents were moving from larger cities to smaller cities with lower costs of living and less stringent COVID regulations. The research provides insight into the impetus for inter-state moves and the ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic impacted migration decision making. MORE
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| Addiction, Sobriety and Art in the Time of COVID-19
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FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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Engineers’ groundbreaking discovery points to a new route to create thermal superconductors
The relentless increase in heat loads imposed on devices in modern technologies is driving renewed interest among engineers and materials scientists in the area of heat transfer. A key challenge is finding approaches to enhance the materials’ capability of conducting heat. A team of engineers led by Vanderbilt mechanical engineering Professor Deyu Li . . . have shown experimentally that the thermal conductivity of a special kind of ultra-thin nanowires becomes divergent with the wire length. The results provide experimental evidence to a legendary numerical modeling work carried out on the first-generation electronic computer more than 65 years ago . . . known as the FPUT paradox . . . that sparked a chaos theory revolution in modern science. The subject of heat conduction was believed to be a key motivation for FPUT’s study. Thermal transport is critical for the proper functioning of various electronic and energy conversion devices. [This research was supported by the National Science Foundation.] MORE
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Vanderbilt scientists use fossil records to understand the present, predict future ecosystems
Due to a multitude of human-driven impacts, the Earth is experiencing a biodiversity crisis. It has been referred to as the Sixth Mass Extinction, and scientists are examining similar events in the planet’s geological past looking for clues in ancient ecosystems to help us solve present-day issues. Current events have produced dramatic changes in the distribution of species, altering a region’s time-specific ecosystem known as a biota, says Simon Darroch, assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences. Darroch hopes there will be evidence of previous biota changes in the fossil record, such as undisturbed rock sequences that can place notable events and species to appropriate time periods. [The] research suggests the preservation potential of biogeographic patterns is surprisingly high. This means that fossil records are not only an invaluable archive for identifying species and events of the past, but they also present a vast library of ancient biogeography. MORE
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Vanderbilt researcher explains Pizzly bear hybrid species
Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Larisa DeSantis discusses pizzly bears (grizzly + polar bear hybrid species). MORE
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Latest ‘This Moment in America’ discussion features candid conversation on the rise of anti-Asian sentiment
A virtual panel of students, faculty and staff from Vanderbilt’s Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities shared painful personal reflections as well as suggestions for change as they discussed the rise of violence, racism, xenophobia and anti-Asian sentiment. The event, which took place on April 19, was the second in the “This Moment in America” series hosted by the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. MORE
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VUbrief summarizes Vanderbilt news items to inform our Congressional community of developments at the university. Visit our website for past issues of VUbrief. Vanderbilt University Office of Federal Relations (202) 216-4361
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