Preeminent engineering researcher takes part in national summit on biotechnology and biomanufacturing
Cynthia Reinhart-King, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering and professor of biomedical engineering, was among a handful of national experts invited to participate in the White House Summit on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing on Sept. 14 in Washington, D.C. The event, co-led by the National Economic Council, marked the launch of an initiative to develop bio-based solutions to global challenges ranging from food security and climate change to health security and supply chain disruptions. Reinhart-King, a cellular bioengineer who is president-elect of the Biomedical Engineering Society, has contributed to scientific breakthroughs in understanding tumor formation. She was one of the first to show how the matrix, or the noncellular glue in all tissues and organs, can stiffen when a tumor forms, promote tumor growth and interfere with the effectiveness of cancer treatments. MORE
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FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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National Institutes of Health—Vanderbilt brain scientist Kari Hoffman wins $3.8M grant to test assumptions about learning and memory
Kari Hoffman, associate professor of psychology and biomedical engineering, has received a National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative grant to measure how the brain records and manages what we learn from different experiences over time, and to adapt an existing computational model of memory for the primate brain. The five-year grant from the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke totals more than $3.8 million. Hoffman and her collaborators developed an augmented reality environment to study how learning adapts over time and in different situations. They will track and manipulate changes in responses of neural ensembles—groups of neurons firing together—across the brain during learning and sleep in primate subjects. The measured brain behavior will be compared to what a formal computational model of memory predicts. MORE
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National Institutes of Health—Nanoengineering may hold the key to developing more effective, safer treatments for a deadly childhood cancer
Neuroblastoma is one of the most common—and lethal—forms of childhood cancer, accounting for 15 percent of pediatric cancer deaths each year. Currently, children with neuroblastoma are treated with aggressive forms of chemotherapy, radiation and high-risk surgeries. In adults, safer immunotherapy treatments have proven successful in treating solid tumors similar to those that form with neuroblastoma. Yet, for reasons that remains unclear, these more promising treatments are not nearly as effective in children. A new grant [a Vanderbilt chemical and biomolecular engineering researcher] received from the National Institutes of Health will allow him to explore ways to use recently developed nanoparticles to stimulate immunity pathways in children, with the aim of making immunotherapy treatments for neuroblastoma more effective. The goal of the grant, he added, would be to find ways in the lab that could ultimately be used to boost the effectiveness of new immunotherapy treatments currently in clinical trials . . . . MORE
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Department of Defense—Vanderbilt computer science professor leads DARPA project to improve machine learning
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded funding to Soheil Kolouri, assistant professor of computer science, to seek ways to improve statistical modeling of machine learning systems’ outputs. The $875,000 grant, part of DARPA’s Artificial Intelligence Exploration (AIE) Opportunity on Enabling Confidence (EC), focuses on scalable methods to generate accurate statistical models for the outputs of ML systems. [The team's] goal is to advance fundamental research and apply our cutting-edge tools to critical applications, such as surgical operations. MORE
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Peabody College and Mathematica receive $1.42M from Wallace Foundation to study assistant principals and equitable pathways to the principalship
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Vanderbilt University to host Clinton Global Initiative University annual meeting in 2023
At the Clinton Global Initiative 2022 meeting in New York City today, Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton announced that Vanderbilt University will serve as the host campus for the Clinton Global Initiative University annual meeting on March 3–5, 2023. The gathering is an opportunity for students from around the world to collaborate with influential leaders, experts and innovators on solving humanity’s most pressing problems. Each year, thousands of undergraduate and graduate students apply to participate in CGI U’s unique community of learning, leadership and action. At the CGI U annual meeting that kicks off the year-round program, participants develop their Commitment to Action projects, which address important social, economic and environmental challenges. MORE
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REGISTER: Unity Project hosts ‘Ask an Economist’ with Mark Zandi of Moody’s Analytics Sept. 28 at noon
The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy is hosting a virtual Q&A on Wednesday, Sept. 28, at noon with Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics, where he will answer audience questions related to the U.S. economy in the lead-up to this November’s midterm elections. The economy is at the forefront of many voters’ minds as election season approaches, and much media coverage devolves into speculation and political punditry instead of offering a detailed distillation of the economic forces behind the headline numbers. Our Ask an Economist event will aim to equip voters with facts and evidence from an economic expert as we head to the polls in the coming months. You can click here to register to stream the event. MORE
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Lab-to-Table Conversation: ‘Biomedical Research Ethics and the Scientific Method’ virtual event Sept. 29
From vaccine and drug development during the COVID-19 pandemic to “gain of function” research and more, curiosity about biomedical ethics has become part of dinner table conversation. What safeguards are in place to prevent unintentional errors or fraud? How does the scientific community think about these questions? Join Hassane Mchaourab, the Louise B. McGavock Professor and professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, as he explores these topics with leading experts in law, biomedical research and basic sciences. Mchaourab is passionate about scientific integrity and regularly discusses responsible conduct in research among colleagues and trainees. This Lab-to-Table Conversation from the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences will take place on Sept. 29, 11 a.m. to noon CT. The event is free, virtual and open to the public. Registration is required. MORE
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TN Maker Fest: A celebration of innovation, collaboration, creativity and curiosity
This free, family-friendly event, held at the Wond’ry [on Oct. 1 from 10 am - 5pm], Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, will showcase novices and experts of all ages with one major thing in common: a joy for making and creation. Previously known as the Nashville Mini Maker Faire, this beloved event has attracted more than 4,000 curious visitors to its doors. We hope it will continue to inspire and challenge minds young and old to explore the amazing and varied world of “making” by sparking creativity, sharing skills and connecting participants to the people who are helping to shape our amazing state. From tech enthusiasts and scientists, to embroiderers, crafters and everything in between, this event will feature an incredible gathering of makers who will show off their hobbies, projects, experiments and creations. Visitors will enjoy a number of hands-on making opportunities themselves, with many exhibitors allowing a glimpse into their crafts and inventions. MORE
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