Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core

Named one of America’s Best Leaders of 2009 by U.S. News & World Report, Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core, will give a talk, “Acts of Faith: Interfaith Leadership in a Time of Global Religious Crisis,” Tuesday, Feb. 21, at 7 p.m. at Vanderbilt University’s Langford Auditorium.

The event is free and open to the public and is part of the university’s Project Dialogue series, which is dedicated to creating opportunities for students, staff and faculty to engage in public discourse and dialogue in an effort to foster a transformative experience. By connecting classroom learning with larger societal issues, Project Dialogue seeks to generate reasonable debate in the hopes of finding common ground.

The university’s Office of Religious Life and Office of the Dean of Students is sponsoring Patel’s talk.  Additional sponsors include Vine Street Christian Church’s Roger T. Nooe Lectureship for World Peace and Family of Abraham.

Interfaith Youth Core is a Chicago-based organization building the global interfaith youth movement. Patel is the author of the award-winning book Acts of Faith and is a regular contributor to the Washington Post, USA Today and CNN. He served on President Obama’s inaugural Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Patel holds a doctorate in the sociology of religion from Oxford University, where he studied on a Rhodes scholarship.

Ken Galloway (John Russell/Vanderbilt)

Vanderbilt University Engineering Dean Kenneth F. Galloway attended a White House event Feb. 8 to celebrate the efforts of engineering deans for their commitment to retain and graduate more students in the field of engineering.

Finalists in the Dogs, Cats, and Group or Duo categories are published below, and be sure to click in the blue bars to vote in the 2012 pet poll, which allows readers to vote for their favorites, one vote per category – Dogs, Cats, and Groups or Duos.

Voting begins at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 3, and concludes at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 16.

Ron Zimmer (Vanderbilt University)

“The states that receive waivers will still need to have academic targets and hold lowest-performing schools accountable,” said Zimmer, associate professor of public policy and education at Vanderbilt’s Peabody College.

Zimmer also noted that the schools least likely to feel pressure from the waiver are schools currently near NCLB sanctions.

“While the details of the waiver are still unclear, the waiver should relieve [schools near NCLB sanctions] of this threat.”

Zimmer’s work includes evaluations of charter schools, turning over low-performing schools to private management organizations, the use of school choice and supplemental educational service options under NCLB, and the closure of low-performing schools.

Peabody was named the No. 1 graduate school of education in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for the third consecutive year in 2011.

Harvey Murff (Vanderbilt University)

Women who eat at least three servings of fish per week have a reduced risk of developing some types of colon polyps according to a new study by Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators.

The research, led by first author Harvey Murff, associate professor of medicine, was published online in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The VICC researchers believe that omega-3 fats in fish may reduce inflammation in the body and help protect against the development of colon polyps. Polyps are small growths on the lining of the intestinal tract that may develop into cancer.

Earlier research in animals has suggested a link between inflammation and colon polyp formation but studies in humans have not been conclusive.

Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.

More than 5,300 participants were enrolled in the Tennessee Colorectal Polyp Study and received colonoscopies at Vanderbilt or the Veterans’ Affairs Tennessee Valley Health System in Nashville. Study participants completed food frequency questionnaires to determine how often they ate fish and investigators obtained urine samples from some of the patients to measure biomarkers for a hormone related to inflammation.

Women who ate the equivalent of three servings of fish per week had about a 33 percent reduction in the risk for colon polyps. They also had a lower level of a hormone called prostaglandin E2, which is linked to inflammation.

“That was the aspect of the study we were particularly excited about because prostaglandin E2 is known to be associated with adenomas or polyps in colorectal cancers,” said Murff.

Murff said fish oil appears to have the same beneficial effect as aspirin in reducing inflammation and this may protect against the formation of polyps.

“Women who ate more fish had lower numbers of polyps and they had lower levels of prostaglandin E2 which reassured us that these results may be real findings and not just a statistical fluke,” Murff explained.

While women who ate the most fish saw some protective effect, men who ate more fish did not have a reduced risk of developing colon polyps.

The VICC investigators were surprised by this difference.

“The difference between men and women may be linked to their background diet. Even though men are eating more omega-3 fatty acids they may also be eating more omega-6 fatty acids and that may be blunting the effect,” said Murff.

Omega-6 fatty acids which are found in meats, grains and seed oils, including corn, safflower and sunflower oil, may counteract the protective effect of omega-3 fatty acids.

While eating more fish appeared to be beneficial, not all types of fish contain high levels of the protective omega-3 fatty acids. Tuna, salmon and sardines are high in omega-3 acids, while tilapia and catfish have low levels.

To validate the findings from their study, the authors are currently conducting a clinical trial to determine the effect of fish oil supplementation and prostaglandin E2 production.

The National Cancer Institute funded the study through a series of research grants.

Manish Sethi (Vanderbilt University)

Defensive medicine is the practice of ordering additional but unnecessary tests and diagnostic procedures that may later help exonerate physicians from accusations of malpractice. However, these additional costs result in no significant benefit to patients’ care.

Published in the February issue of the American Journal of Orthopedics, the study suggests unnecessary costs associated with the practice of defensive medicine play a substantial role in the nation’s rising cost of health care.

The findings are from a national survey of 2,000 orthopaedic surgeons selected randomly through a list provided by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Respondents were located in all 50 states and practice in a variety of settings. Of respondents, 96 percent report practicing defensive medicine, which accounts for 24 percent of all imaging studies, laboratory tests, consultations and hospital admissions among the survey’s cohort.

“Currently, our nation’s expenditure on health care is 20 percent of GDP [gross domestic product]. This figure really bothers us and served as motivation to conduct this survey,” said Manish Sethi, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation, and lead author of the study. “If defensive medicine can be curbed, we will see a dramatic reduction in health care costs, and our research makes this case.”

With a 61 percent response rate, the survey gathered data on how many medical tests, such as x-rays or ultrasounds, a physician ordered in a month and how many of those were ordered in a defensive manner.

Using the American Medical Association’s CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) billing codes as a reference point for costs, researchers calculated the average cost of each imaging test then tabulated an average cost per month.

On average, orthopaedic surgeons spent $8,485 per month on the practice of defensive medicine, a figure which equals nearly a quarter of their total practice costs.

Per year, the cost for defensive medicine averages $101,820 per respondent. When this figure is multiplied by the 20,400 orthopaedic surgeons practicing in the U.S., the average cost per year for defensive medicine procedures among this group totals $2,077,128,000.

Ordering excess tests or procedures is known as positive defensive medicine. Researchers also examined the practice of negative defensive medicine, or the practice by physicians of avoiding high-risk patients or procedures in order to limit liability.

In the past five years, 70 percent of respondents reported reducing the number of high-risk patients they treat, while 84 percent reduced or eliminated performing high-risk services and procedures.

Write-in examples of defensive medicine included closing a practice to become a consultant, no longer seeing patients in an emergency room, and not operating on patients with diabetes or heart problems.

Alex Jahangir (Vanderbilt University)

“It becomes an access of care issue,” said Alex Jahangir, assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation, and a study author. “Patients are now losing access to physicians if they happen to be a diabetic, obese, or a smoker with heart problems. Their care will be delayed; the costs will increase because they have to be flown to a tertiary center. Negative defensive medicine is a big part of the problem.”

Sethi was previously involved in a similar study of orthopaedic surgeons in Massachusetts that found comparable results, but this is the first to demonstrate defensive medicine practices are common nationwide.

Sethi and Jahangir propose that reforms should focus more on evidence-based medicine than liability policies.

“We believe an evidence-based approach is the best approach,” Sethi said. “If we can develop standards of practice that are accepted across the nation, physicians won’t need to order these additional x-rays and MRIs to protect themselves, and we know costs will go down.”

Media contact: Craig Boerner, (615) 322-4747

(Image courtesy of the Museum of the African Diaspora, San Francisco)

A range of issues relative to the challenges, possibilities and tensions that have emerged from the migration and settlement of black people in North America, the Caribbean and Europe will be discussed at a symposium co-hosted by Vanderbilt and Fisk universities Feb. 10-11.

Sessions will be held Friday, Feb. 10, at Vanderbilt’s Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. Sessions on Saturday, Feb. 11, will take place at Fisk University’s Jubilee Hall. The symposium is free and open to the public.

“In general, there has been a growing frustration over the lack of critical discussion on how the movement and settlement of people identified as ‘black’ in the United States are insufficiently analyzed or even discussed,” said Trica Keaton, associate professor of African American and Diaspora Studies at Vanderbilt and one of the conference organizers. Keaton noted that until relatively recently, black populations have not traditionally figured in the grand narratives of migration and immigration to the United States, nor have they been central to migration and immigration studies beyond slavery or the Great Migrations between the North and the South.

“New flows of people from Africa, the Caribbean and other sites in the African Diaspora represent a critical and growing force in the United States, one whose presence and impact has not been fully appreciated,” she said.

Activities during the symposium include a screening of The Neo-African Americans at 4 p.m. Feb. 10 at Sarratt Cinema. Director Kobina Aidoo will lead a discussion afterward on how recent immigration from Africa and the Caribbean is transforming the African American narrative.

Roundtable discussions during the conference will focus on immigration and the U.S. South, politics of black immigration, and immigrants and natives, among other topics.

The other conference organizers are Ifeoma Nwankwo, associate professor of English; Jemima Pierre, assistant professor of African American and Diaspora Studies; Michelle Shepherd, Mellon Assistant Professor of Spanish; and Hubert Cook, a research assistant and graduate student.

For a schedule of speakers and session topics, visit the symposium’s website.

(Vanderbilt University)

ESPN’s College GameDay will be on campus this Saturday, Feb. 11, prior to the Vanderbilt men’s home basketball game against Kentucky at 8 p.m. CT.

The national broadcast will air from 9 to 11 a.m. CT on Saturday from inside Memorial Gym. The first hour will air on ESPNU and the second hour will be carried on ESPN.

More than 100 people took part in learning the basics of English country dancing Feb. 2 in Alumni Hall. (Steve Green/Vanderbilt)

Novelist Jane Austen loved to dance, and so does the Vanderbilt community, judging by the large turnout for “An Evening of Jane Austen Dances” taught by Susan Kevra, senior lecturer in French and American Studies.

More than 100 people took part in learning the basics and some more complicated steps of English country dancing Feb. 2 in the historic Alumni Hall Ballroom.

“The idea was to allow students in my American Social History through Dance course and the Jane Austen seminar taught by Andrea Hearn to experience these dances with live music in the beautiful setting of Alumni Hall,” Kevra said. “We chose a space not unlike dance halls found in England and New England meant for these longways dances. It ended up being a great way to bring the community together, allowing students, faculty, staff and community members of all ages to participate in a historic dance form that is still relevant today, perhaps even more so than in Austen’s day.”

Live music on fiddle and piano was provided by Al and Emily Cantrell. Members of the Nashville Country Dancers participated in the workshop and demonstrated this graceful form of dance.

“Given how much time we spend in our virtual, closed-off worlds, there’s something wonderful about a group of people connected to each other in basic and satisfying ways – holding hands and circling around the floor to the music of the fiddle, piano and clarinet,” said Kevra, who has taught traditional dance for more than 20 years.

The event was co-sponsored by the English Department, American Studies and The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons at Vanderbilt.

"Maz" by John Chamberlain, 1960. (Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery)

A sculpture from the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery collection will be included in upcoming Guggenheim exhibitions in New York and Spain.

John Chamberlain’s 1960 work “Maz” will be featured as part of John Chamberlain: Choices, a comprehensive examination of the late artist’s work and his first U.S retrospective since 1986. The sculpture will travel to New York Feb. 9, with Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery director Joseph Mella following on Feb. 10 to oversee its installation.

John Chamberlain: Choices is scheduled for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York from Feb. 24 to May 13, 2012, before traveling on to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, where it will be on view from March through September 2013.

Born in Rochester, Indiana, Chamberlain (1927–2011) rose to prominence in the late 1950s with energetic, vibrant sculptures hewn from disused car parts, achieving a three-dimensional form of Abstract Expressionism that astounded critics and captured the imagination of fellow artists. Chamberlain frequently violated the formalist prohibition deriding the use of color in sculpture. He chose to adapt uncommon, recycled materials in his work, such as the slick, industrial palette of defunct auto bodies.

His balanced sculptures stressed the deep volumes and eccentric folds that he managed to achieve by squeezing or compressing the metal and then welding the disparate elements into highly developed, collage-like compositions.

Chamberlain died in December 2011.

Read more about the Guggenheim retrospective.

Contact: Joseph Mella, (615) 343-1704
joseph.mella@vanderbilt.edu

In a collaborative project for institutions in the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) consortium, Paul Harris, Ph.D., and colleagues designed ResearchMatch, a web-based national recruitment registry to help match individuals who wish to participate in clinical research studies with researchers actively searching for volunteers (www.researchmatch.org). In the January issue of Academic Medicine, the investigators describe ResearchMatch’s design, technical infrastructure, workflow model and utilization metrics. As of June 2011, ResearchMatch had registered 15,871 volunteer participants from all 50 states and 751 researchers from 61 CTSA institutions (current numbers on the website show 20,192 volunteers, 1010 researchers and 67 institutions).

ResearchMatch has proven successful in connecting volunteers with researchers, and the developers are currently evaluating regulatory and workflow options to open access to researchers at non-CTSA institutions.

This research was supported by the National Center for Research Resources.

(iStock)

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of genetic variants that increase a person’s susceptibility for complex diseases. Although these variants have added to our understanding of disease pathology, they usually account for only a small proportion of disease risk.

Zhongming Zhao, Ph.D., and colleagues have developed an approach to identify gene variants that act together – for example in a biological pathway – and have a joint effect on disease risk. Their method builds on the generalized additive model (gamGWAS). It eliminates a previously identified problem in the analysis of gene sets (the long gene bias) and does not require genotyping data from the original GWAS, which reduces computational burden.

The investigators used gamGWAS to analyze two existing schizophrenia GWAS datasets from the International Schizophrenia Consortium and the Genetic Association Information Network. They report in the February Journal of Medical Genetics that gamGWAS confirmed previous findings in these datasets and also pointed to new immune-related pathways that may have roles in schizophrenia.

This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, a NARSAD Maltz Investigator Award and a NARSAD Young Investigator Award.

Zack Terrill (image courtesy of Jeopardy!)

College of Arts and Science senior Zack Terrill will return Friday to the semifinals of the Jeopardy! College Championship. The episode will air at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, on WUXP-TV, Comcast/Xfinity Channel 14.

Terrill placed second in last Friday’s broadcast. He is one of 15 players in the game show’s college tournament, which has a grand prize of $100,000.

Terrill, 21, of Winter Springs, Fla., is a double major in chemistry and philosophy. He will graduate in the spring and has a job lined up to teach math in Nashville.

Vanderbilt University Theatre's production of The Children's Hour premieres Feb. 17 at Neely Auditorium (Department of Theatre)

The Children’s Hour, Lillian Hellman’s scathing indictment of a community that blindly accepts the lies and accusations of a young school girl, premieres at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 at Vanderbilt University’s Neely Auditorium.

“Although written in the 1930s, Hellman’s play still resonates today,” said Jon W. Hallquist, associate professor of theatre, who will direct the production.

“We have chosen to place our production in the early-’50s to highlight the striking similarities of the McCarthy era in our country. Interestingly enough, Hellman herself was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee at this time in history. After refusing to incriminate fellow artists as Communists, she chose to direct herself the 1952 revival of The Children’s Hour.”

Written in 1934, The Children’s Hour enjoyed a successful two-year run on Broadway. The then-highly controversial inclusion of homosexual content resulted in the play being banned in Boston and Chicago. Two film adaptations directed by William Wyler followed in 1936 and 1961. The first version altered the play to reflect a love triangle, while the later adaptation held truer to the play’s original storyline.

There will be several opportunities to see the play that launched Hellman’s illustrious career. Performances are scheduled for Feb. 17, 18, 22, 23 and 24 at 8 p.m. and a matinee performance is scheduled Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. Admission is $10 for the general public, $7 for graduate students and free for undergraduates with Vanderbilt identification.

Built in 1925, Neely Auditorium, the Gothic-style building that now houses the Vanderbilt Theatre’s productions, was once the central meeting place on campus. An extensive renovation in 1976 resulted in one of the most innovative experimental theatre facilities on any U.S. campus.

The next performance in the 2011-12 series will be William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night on Feb. 25. Call (615) 322-2404 for more information or visit www.vanderbilt.edu/theatre.

For more information about the 2011-12 Vanderbilt Theatre season, visit http://vanderbilt.edu/theatre/currentseason.

Chris Mann, a Blair School of Music alumnus (Class of ’04), is a contestant on the new season of The Voice on NBC. On Feb. 5′s special post-Superbowl premiere, he performed a blind audition of “Because We Believe” in Italian and was invited to compete on judge Christina Aguilera’s team.

Originally from Wichita, Kan., the 29-year-old received a degree in vocal performance from Blair. Although classically trained, Mann is versatile in a variety of contemporary music styles. He has been lauded by music industry greats such as David Foster and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and appeared on the hit Fox show Glee.

Last season, Vanderbilt student Patrick Thomas was a finalist on the show.

For more information or to follow Mann’s progress, visit his Facebook page. The Voice airs Monday evenings on NBC (check local listings).

Contact: Kristin Whittlesey, (615) 322-7656
kristin.whittlesey@vanderbilt.edu

Recycled "tin man" (image courtesy of SustainVU/Vanderbilt University)

With recycling bins in most hallways and break rooms throughout Vanderbilt’s campus, it’s easier than ever to “pitch in.” RecycleMania, an intercollegiate competition that encourages participation in recycling, provides extra incentive to recycle during the months of February and March.

RecycleMania began in 2001 as a friendly competition between two universities to encourage recycling. It has since grown into an international competition among more than 600 colleges and universities.

Vanderbilt accepts numerous materials for recycling, including cardboard, paper, aluminum and steel cans, all plastic containers, electronics, ink and toner cartridges, batteries, light bulbs, glass, pens and mechanical pencils. For more information, visit “Recycling Guidance” on the SustainVU website.

RecycleMania points are tallied not only for a university’s recycling efforts, but also for its efforts to REDUCE waste.  Follow these tips for reducing waste in your area:

• Set up computers and printers to print double-sided as a default.
• Keep scrap paper next to your printer to use for printing or notes whenever appropriate.
• Bring meals in reusable containers, or eat in at Rand or The Commons to reduce packaging waste.
• Reuse file folders.
• Keep a reusable bag in your kitchen or break room to share when shopping or buying lunch.
• Communicate by email or voicemail instead of paper whenever possible.
• Use and reuse interdepartmental mail envelopes.
• Keep a reusable mug, water bottle, plate and silverware at your desk to use instead of disposables.
• Select products that use minimal packaging.
• Recycle everything else.

Learn more about RecycleMania and recycling on campus at the SustainVU website, or by contacting recycle@vanderbilt.edu or (615) 343-2784 (E-ARTH on campus).

Nashville (1975)

Outstanding dramatic and documentary works are free and open to the public through the acclaimed International Lens film series, which has announced its spring line-up of films. Listen to InterVU with Marci Angevine, International Lens co-chair.

NFL Hall of Famer Raymond Berry (center) wore a Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular necktie in honor of his friend Andre Churchwell, associate professor of medicine (cardiology), radiology and biomedical engineering, at Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. Image courtesy of Super Bowl XLVI broadcast.

Raymond Berry, a former wide receiver for the Baltimore Colts, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and former coach of the New England Patriots, wore a little bit of Vanderbilt at Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVI when he presented the Vince Lombardi trophy to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell following the game between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots.

The 78-year-old Berry wore a tie designed for the Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute by his friend Andre Churchwell, associate professor of medicine (cardiology), radiology and biomedical engineering, and associate dean for diversity for Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The tie has a black background with tiny gold V’s and a small red heart within each V.

Image courtesy of Super Bowl XLVI broadcast.

Berry and Johnny Unitas, the Colts’ quarterback, gave the Colts one of the “greatest pass-catch teams of all time,” according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Three straight times Berry led the league in receptions and caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns in his 13-year career.

Berry’s story is one off “determination, dedication and desire,” according to the Hall of Fame. He wore special shoes because one leg was shorter than the other and didn’t become a starter on his high school football team until his senior year – even though his father was the coach.

“He was a hero of mine as a child growing up in East Nashville,” Churchwell said. “I related to him on a number of levels. He had to wear glasses and he wasn’t the most physically gifted player, but he worked hard. I studied him intensely, like I was studying for an exam. I wrote No. 82 on the back of my t-shirt with a magic marker.”

About two years ago Churchwell found out through a mutual acquaintance that Berry was living in Murfreesboro and asked to meet his childhood hero. The two spent more than two hours together. “I went in with about 50 to 100 questions that I had written down that I wanted to ask him,” Churchwell said.

While playing for the Colts Berry led the league in receptions and caught a then-record 631 passes for 9,275 yards and 68 touchdowns in his 13-year career.

Berry carried the 22-inch, sterling silver trophy to the winner’s stage at midfield, walking through a line of Giants players who reached out to touch the trophy, to kiss it, and to pat him on the back. Berry handed the seven-pound trophy to Goodell on the stage, who presented it to the Giants.

H. Richard Milner IV (Wolf Hoffman)

The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) will present its 2012 Outstanding Book Award to H. Richard Milner IV for Start Where You Are, But Don’t Stay There: Understanding Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Teaching in Today’s Classrooms Feb. 19 at its 64^th annual meeting in Chicago.

Milner is an associate professor of education and a founding director of the Learning, Diversity and Urban Studies graduate program in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College.

“Rich Milner is an outstanding scholar whose latest work demands that we think differently about longstanding educational inequities,” said Camilla P. Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Peabody. “We at Vanderbilt are proud that AACTE has recognized his provocative and inspiring book with this well-deserved award.”

Milner’s latest book, published by Harvard Education Press in 2010, addresses a critical issue in educator preparation: the need to prepare pre-service and in-service teachers adequately for the racially diverse student populations in their classrooms.

“The text offers well-constructed, closely analyzed case studies that introduce us to diverse teacher candidates and illuminate their development as culturally responsive teachers,” said Jennie Whitcomb, associate dean for teacher education at the University of Colorado at Boulder and chair of the AACTE Committee on Research and Dissemination. “The book addresses real-life issues and dilemmas and is relevant for both teachers and teacher educators, and the vivid case studies illustrate how teacher educators can challenge candidates to move forward in their respective journeys.”

Rogers Hall, professor and chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning, said, “Milner’s approach is to challenge mindsets as an educator working with pre-service teachers, and through his research, to show how effective teachers take practical and positive steps towards a caring, contextually sensitive practice of teaching that provides rich opportunities for learning. Milner’s case studies and larger framework provide a much-needed set of resources for moving forward.”

The AACTE Outstanding Book Award recognizes exemplary books that make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of teacher education or of teaching and learning with implications for teacher education.

The AACTE Committee on Research and Dissemination, which oversees the Outstanding Book Award, chose Milner’s work for meeting a variety of selection criteria, including: originality of thought in critical analyses of particular assumptions or practices and outlining of proposals that reorient thinking in teacher education; demonstration of high-quality scholarship through synthesis and effective use of research and critical thinking in an area relevant to teacher education; and potential for significant impact on policy or practice in teacher education.