FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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Department of Defense—Vanderbilt, 101st Airborne collaborate on development of exoskeleton for soldier use in inaugural Pathfinder ProjectA team of Vanderbilt engineers has completed a collaborative project with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell to design and test a first-of-its-kind exoskeleton that supports U.S. Army soldiers participating in sustainment and logistics operations. The exoskeleton—the Soldier Assistive Bionic Exosuit for Resupply, or SABER—is being prepared for manufacturing and commercialization by HeroWear and for field use by the Army. This work is part of the Pathfinder Project, one avenue for advancing the Army Futures Command’s modernization goals. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, leads the program, which supports the innovation of soldier-inspired, mission-ready and research-based technologies. Last year, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Karl Zelik received a one-year, $1.2 million investment from DEVCOM and the Civil-Military Innovation Institute Inc. The funding supported collaboration with soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division to develop SABER. MORE
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Department of Education—Vanderbilt CLACX awarded $1.7 million to build Latin American curriculum, enhance language trainingA pair of U.S. Department of Education grants totaling $1.7 million awarded to Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies will allow for innovation in curriculum and promotion of public awareness about Latin America. The four-year grants, announced this month, designate CLACX as a comprehensive National Resource Center for Latin America; the NRC designation is the highest recognition an academic center can receive. Vanderbilt researchers Celso Castilho, director of CLACX and an associate professor of history, and Avery Dickins de Girón, executive director of CLACX, will develop four new initiatives designed to enhance curriculum. The researchers will launch the CLACX Southern Consortium, a regional partnership focused on curriculum building and language training related to Latin American studies. Members of the consortium include Tuskegee University (HBCU), Tennessee State University (HBCU), the University of Texas at Arlington (HSI) and Jacksonville State University. MORE
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Department of Veteran Affairs, National Institutes of Health—Leveraging the structure of bacterial host cell receptors to detect cancerBacteria in our bodies bind to various host cell surface receptors, which determines where the bacteria live and how they behave. These receptors, made up of chains of sugar molecules called glycans, are more than meets the eye. Cells existing within progressive disease states like cancer can have an increased number of glycan receptors on their surfaces. The lab of Tina Iverson, Louise B. McGavock Chair and professor of pharmacology, uncovered the structural mechanism by which streptococcus bacteria bind to host cell glycans, opening the door to new ways of using bacterial molecules to potentially detect cancer cells. By developing techniques that alter SLBR glycan selectivity, Iverson is determined to tackle a new long-term goal: developing reagents that can identify highly aggressive cancers. The glycans that cells express may serve as biomarkers to help physicians target diseases for therapeutic intervention. This research was supported by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association. MORE
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Sixteen students selected as newest cohort of Bass Military ScholarsVanderbilt University’s Bass Military Scholars Program welcomed its fourth cohort of scholars to campus this August. Among the 16 U.S. military veterans, who are pursuing graduate and professional degrees across several Vanderbilt schools, are a former Army Special Forces officer with tours in Syria and service in the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, a Navy officer who participated in the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Libya, and an Army officer who completed the Nepal Army’s Jungle Warfare Academy. Established in 2018, the Bass Military Scholars Program supports up to 40 scholarships and programming for honorably discharged military veterans pursuing graduate and professional degrees at Vanderbilt Law School, Owen Graduate School of Management, Peabody College of education and human development, the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. The program will award each scholar $27,500 this year and $30,000 per year in subsequent years toward general education expenses. MORE
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Vanderbilt’s online education doctorate ranked No. 1 by ‘Fortune’Fortune has ranked Vanderbilt University as having the No. 1 online education doctorate in organizational leadership in 2022. It joins a long list of other top-ranked programs at Vanderbilt Peabody College of education and human development, including the No. 1 programs in special education and educational administration, according to U.S. News & World Report. The online doctoral program in leadership and learning in organizations (LLO) is geared toward mid-career professionals and maximizes flexibility to help them complete their degrees within approximately three years. The curriculum of the online program applies to an array of fields beyond K-12 and higher education, preparing graduates to lead learning in a variety of organizations. MORE
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How childhood trauma affects brain development and risk for incarceration: Virtual event Aug. 25 Adverse childhood experiences can be directly correlated to health and well-being challenges in adolescence and adulthood, including addiction and mental health effects, as reflected by one of the largest studies on childhood abuse and neglect conducted by CDC-Kaiser Permanente. These challenges may lead to an increased risk for incarceration. While 64 percent of the general U.S. population weathered at least one ACE, 97 percent of the U.S. prison population reports having one or more. Join Joey Barnett, professor and vice chair of the department of pharmacology, as he explores these topics. Barnett has been volunteering with incarceration- and reentry-based programming since the 1980s. This Lab-to-Table Conversation from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences will be Aug. 25, 2–3 p.m. CT, and will feature panelists . . . . MORE
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