STEM

Since the first cohort was enrolled 20 years ago, 190 students have participated in the program, 157 master’s degrees have been awarded, 137 students have bridged to a Ph.D. program, and 70 students have earned a Ph.D. The program has an 88 percent Ph.D. completion rate, more than twice the national average of 43 percent. Read More

A pilot program started by Vanderbilt engineering professor Ghina Absi is helping to spark high school students’ interest in engineering and STEM as well as show them the impact they can have on their communities. The program is a joint venture with the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt, which is a partnership with Vanderbilt and Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Read More

18 Vanderbilt graduate students and postdoctoral researchers traveled to Washington, D.C., in October to participate in Vanderbilt’s Federal STEM Policy and Advocacy Seminar. This two-day event is designed to provide STEM professionals with an inside look at the federal policymaking process, the importance of advocacy in advancing science and research priorities and to explore careers in science policy. Read More

Stassun, who is also a founding co-director the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, was among the 2024 MacArthur fellows announced on Tuesday, Oct. 1. The fellowship, which is awarded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, aims to identify extraordinarily creative individuals with a track record of excellence in a field of scholarship or area of practice. Recipients also demonstrate the ability to affect society in significant and beneficial ways through their pioneering work or the rigor of their contributions, according to the foundation. Read More

Jonathan Gilligan has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award for the 2023–24 academic year from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Read More

The Fall Early Start Transition (FEST) I V A L program for incoming Vanderbilt freshmen is helping them attain success in the School of Engineering, and beyond. The program includes interventions, such as early review of STEM coursework, identifying as an engineer, and professional development skills, like time management, prioritization, and effective study habits. Read More

The National Science Foundation has selected 28 Vanderbilt students for its 2023 Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Read More

Vanderbilt students Rincon Jagarlamudi, Haoli Yin and Madison Albert have been named 2023 Barry A. Goldwater Scholars. The program was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in the fields of the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. Read More

The Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering graduate trainee program builds on the unique strengths of the School of Engineering’s Frist Center for Autism and Innovation and the Graduate School. Read More

Nashville college-preparatory students spent three weeks partaking in a hands-on, interactive class designed by graduate students in the Medical Engineering and Discovery Lab. Sessions included introduction to engineering and STEM, computer aided design, robotics and coding, bioinspired design, and a civil engineering module on structure design. Read More

By Jenna Somers Cynthia Brame, Heather Johnson, Cristina Zepeda Vanderbilt researchers in the College of Arts and Science and Peabody College of education and human development recently received a three-year grant exceeding $280,000 from the National Science Foundation to collaborate on a study aimed at improving equity… Read More

Vanderbilt professor Renã Robinson discusses the state of supporting Black professionals in STEM and how partners are critical to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts in STEM for academic and corporate organizations. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Data Science Institute will give women in data science a chance to connect, network and learn from other women in the field at the Women in Data Science Conference to be held in Alumni Hall on Tuesday, March 7. Read More

The University Counseling Center offers groups and workshops for undergraduate, graduate and professional students that offer support and feedback from other participants, as well as by the facilitators, providing a powerful supportive and affirming space for students to discuss challenges and build connections. Read More

Philippe Fauchet, the Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering at Vanderbilt University, met with members of Congress last week while in Washington, D.C., to emphasize the integral role that engineering research plays in strengthening the United States’ competitiveness and security. Read More

The Office of Experiential Learning and Immersion Vanderbilt invites undergraduate students to attend the fifth annual Explorations in Research on Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Student Life Center Ballroom. The event will convene researchers from all disciplines to network with students and foster possible new collaborations. Read More

Several Vanderbilt STEM departments have launched an innovative new peer educator program. Learning Assistants facilitate fellow students’ learning, increase their sense of belonging and provide them with inspirational role models in the STEM fields. Read More

Renã Robinson, Dorothy Wingfield Phillips Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow and professor of chemistry, received $2.04 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to start a program that will help underrepresented minority faculty further their success in STEM. Read More

Vanderbilt University was awarded a grant by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Inclusive Excellence Community to improve outcomes and persistence in STEM among underrepresented students. Read More

Nineteen Vanderbilt Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scholars traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this month to attend the fifth in-person Federal STEM Policy and Advocacy seminar. While a condensed virtual version of the event was offered in fall 2020 and 2021, this was the first in-person federal STEM seminar since 2018. Read More