Chancellor Daniel Diermeier honored for contributions to democracy as ‘Great Immigrant’Vanderbilt University Chancellor Daniel Diermeier was named one of Carnegie Corporation of New York’s “Great Immigrants, Great Americans,” an annual list honoring naturalized citizens’ contributions to democracy and to America. Born in Berlin, Germany, Diermeier is a first-generation college graduate.“I am honored to be recognized by the Carnegie Corporation,” Diermeier said. “My experiences and scholarship have been profoundly shaped by American values, and I am deeply grateful for all the opportunities this great country has offered immigrants like me.” An internationally renowned political scientist and management scholar, Diermeier was named Vanderbilt’s ninth chancellor in 2020. Before joining Vanderbilt he served as provost of the University of Chicago and dean of that university’s Harris School of Public Policy. MORE
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| FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH
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National Science Foundation—Showcase launches TEAM TN, a collaboration of Vanderbilt, UT and Tennessee partners to advance next-generation transportation Vanderbilt University, in collaboration with the University of Tennessee–Knoxville and more than 100 partner organizations across the state, celebrated the launch of the TEAM TN initiative to advance next-generation transportation and mobility solutions during an event at UT Knoxville. The June 26 showcase for Advancing Technology-Enabled Mobility Solutions (TEAM TN) was attended by notable guests, including U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett (TN-02) and the director of the National Science Foundation, Sethuraman Panchanathan. The NSF funding solidifies Tennessee’s role as a key player in the $2 trillion global mobility economy. Earlier this year, TEAM TN secured a $1 million NSF Regional Innovation Engines Development award to support the creation of a road map for a statewide transportation mobility strategy. This positions the team to assist Tennessee in competing for up to $160 million in federal implementation funding in 2025. MORE
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Department of Agriculture—Regional consortium secures $18M grant to foster equity in agriculture workforce developmentJaney Camp, research professor of civil and environmental engineering and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Transportation and Operational Resiliency, is part of a regional consortium that has won an $18 million grant to enable minority-serving institutions to build and sustain the next generation of the food, agriculture, natural resources and human sciences workforce. The project, NEXTGENeration Inclusion Consortium for Building the Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Human Sciences Pipeline (FANHP), is led by John C. Ricketts, professor of agricultural sciences at Tennessee State University, and is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The NEXTGEN grant program is a part of USDA NIFA’s $262.5 million investment in institutions of higher education to develop diverse agricultural professionals. MORE
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National Institutes of Health—DeVane-Johnson receives NIH grant to address breastfeeding disparities Vanderbilt University School of Nursing Associate Professor of Nursing Stephanie DeVane-Johnson, PhD, MSN’97, CNM, FACNM, has been awarded a two-year Diversity Supplement grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The National Institute of Health (NIH) supplement supports early career researchers of color by providing mentorship, training and career development opportunities to those seeking independent research careers. DeVane-Johnson, who studies breastfeeding and health disparities in the Black community, will work in collaboration with investigators from RUSH University Medical Center and with VUSN Independence Foundation Professor of Nursing Education Ruth Kleinpell, PhD, FAAN, FAANP, MCCM. MORE
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Department of Energy—Powe Award supports Vanderbilt researcher’s computational simulations of light, sound and bubbles
A Vanderbilt computer science professor studying sonoluminescence—a process by which light is emitted by small bubbles in liquid when bombarded by blasts of high-pitched sound—has received a competitive research grant from Oak Ridge Associated Universities. David Hyde, assistant professor of computer science, is one of 35 junior faculty nationwide to win a 2023 ORAU Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award, which provides funds to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty at ORAU member institutions. Hyde plans to use the award to develop large-scale computational simulations of sonoluminescence, a phenomenon where sound waves can create highly energetic bursts of light. Over the next year, Hyde plans to collaborate with exascale code developers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and to visit experimentalists at UCLA. [ORAU partners with the U.S. Department of Energy.] MORE
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National Institutes of Health—Persistent inflammatory state found in half of pediatric sepsis deaths: study
About half of pediatric patients who died of sepsis over the past 20 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center had evidence of an inflammatory state called PICS (persistent inflammation, immunosuppression and catabolism syndrome), according to a study reported in the journal CHEST. Children with PICS were more likely to have undergone heart surgery and had a higher incidence of fungal infections. “These associations have never been explicitly linked before, especially in the context of children, and can inform further research into these uniquely vulnerable populations,” said Ryan Stark, MD, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and senior author of the study. The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health . . . . The datasets used for the analyses were obtained from VUMC’s BioVU, which is supported by institutional funding, private agencies and federal grants. MORE
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“Any Size, Same Price” strategies on soft drink consumption with Vanderbilt Business Consumer Behavior Expert, Kelly HawsOverconsumption of sugary drinks, especially soft drinks, has been linked to health issues such as obesity. As a result, many recent health policies have targeted the sale of soft drinks, leading some retailers to adjust pricing strategies. One increasingly popular pricing approach is what Professor Kelly L. Haws calls the “any size, same price” strategy, where all sizes of soft drinks are listed for the same price, often $1. [The researchers] found that when multiple sizes of beverages are listed for the same price, consumers were more likely to choose the larger-sized beverages. This held true even when calorie information was listed beside the beverage sizes . . . . This suggests consumers are more sensitive to price than health information and will be motivated to choose the better monetary deal even if it means more calories. MORE
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Vanderbilt strengthens partnership with Posse Foundation, expands program on campusChancellor Daniel Diermeier announced today that Vanderbilt University is expanding its nearly 35-year partnership with The Posse Foundation, a national nonprofit organization that teams up with selective colleges and universities in the United States to provide student scholarships and leadership training. Vanderbilt will add two additional cohorts of Posse Scholars to its campus—a second cohort from New York City, and one from Houston. Students in the new cohorts will receive full tuition scholarships up to the cost of attendance from Opportunity Vanderbilt. They will be part of the university’s incoming first-year class in 2024. Posse is also granting Vanderbilt $1 million over five years to help with programming costs associated with the new cohorts. MORE
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Lee reappointed vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director
Candice Storey Lee has been reappointed as Vanderbilt University’s vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier announced today. The reappointment is for a five-year term beginning July 1, 2023. A former standout student-athlete at Vanderbilt and three-time graduate of the university, Lee was named to the vice chancellor and athletic director role in May 2020. She is Vanderbilt’s first female athletic director and the first Black woman to head an athletics program in the Southeastern Conference. During Lee’s tenure as vice chancellor and athletic director, Vanderbilt student-athletes have earned two national championships (including bowling’s third national title in April, and Gordon Sargent’s individual national title in men’s golf in 2022) and six conference championships. She also led efforts to restore volleyball as Vanderbilt’s 17th varsity sport, announced in April 2022 during the 50th anniversary of Title IX. MORE
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Summer bridge program helps first-year engineering students find successA summer transition program for incoming Vanderbilt freshmen is helping them attain success in the School of Engineering, and beyond. This is the second year of the Fall Early Start Transition (FEST) I V A L program that will take place July 6-August 3. Thirty students were invited to participate in the all-expense paid program that will provide each of them with a $1,500 stipend at the end of the four weeks. Many of the students are the first to attend college in their families and have a high or medium level of financial need. The program includes interventions, such as early review of STEM coursework (introductory chemistry and calculus), identifying as an engineer, and professional development skills . . . But most importantly, the program seeks to build a network of social and community support, so students know where to turn in moments of stress, says Julianne Vernon, associate dean for academic success. MORE
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