VU BreakThru

Although HPV vaccination in adolescence can successfully prevent six kinds of cancer, rates in Tennessee remain relatively low, while occurrence of these cancers remains relatively high compared to the rest of the country.  Pamela Hull, assistant professor of medicine, and her colleagues are conducting a study funded by the HPV ACTIVE TIPs award, in collaboration with the Cumberland Pediatric Foundation, to test a model for disseminating a web-based quality improvement coaching program to pediatric clinics. Read More

Right under your nose but unseen by the human eye is the microbiome—the totality of microbes in an environment. The Vanderbilt Microbiome Initiative, funded by a TIPs grant, is coordinating basic, translational and clinical scholarship to help unlock the mysteries of these bacteria, viruses and more. Learn about the initiative and its new website in this VU BreakThru blog post. Read more about TIPs grants and other internal faculty funding programs—including University Courses, Research Scholar Grants and Discovery Grants—at the VU BreakThru blog. Read More

What’s the most important thing for people just out of prison? What’s the hardest thing to find for people just out of prison? If you guessed “a job” for both, you’re right. A new University Course on social change and social entrepreneurship looks at how local nonprofit Project Return helps bridge the gap between prison and long-term employment. HOD Professor Paul Speer and Associate Professor of Sociology Richard Pitt write about what they are teaching and learning in this VU BreakThru blog post. Read more about University Courses and other internal faculty funding programs—including TIPs grants,  Research Scholar Grants and Discovery Grants —at the VU BreakThru blog. Read More

Students enrolled in the "Race, Place and Power" University Course recently visited the Hermitage, home of native son Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States. They contrasted what they had learned in class with the picture of Jackson portrayed at the museum. Read more about University Courses and other internal faculty funding programs—including TIPs grants, Discovery Grants and Research Scholar Grants—at the VU BreakThru blog. Read More

Last fall, TIPs funding allowed the VINSE cleanroom to support laboratories for four courses, covering a broad range of topics spanning traditional semiconductor materials processing to cutting-edge synthesis of two-dimensional materials. Cleanroom Immersion Leader Alice Leach writes about the wide range of immersion opportunities for undergraduate students. Read more about TIPs grants and other internal faculty funding programs—including University Courses, Discovery Grants and Research Scholar Grants—at the VU BreakThru blog. Read More

School choice is often touted as way for students in low-income areas to attend better schools. But what benefits does school choice offer for students in affluent areas with access to high-performing schools? As part of Vanderbilt’s Sterling Ranch TIPs program outside of Denver, two Peabody graduate students investigated these high-choice, high-status environments to find out. Read more about TIPs grants and other internal faculty funding programs—including University Courses, Discovery Grants and Research Scholar Grants—at the VU BreakThru blog. Read More

In VU BreakThru, Peabody alumni Kristin Baese and Eve Rifkin discuss school reform in Sterling Ranch – a planned community outside of Denver that won a 2015 Trans-Institutional Programs (TIPs) award and continues to flourish. Read More

Assistant Professor of Health Policy Gilbert Gonzales took several students from his University Course "The Nation’s Health: From Policy to Practice" to the state capitol late last month to watch Gov. Bill Haslam’s final State of the State Address. This VU BreakThru blog post, written by Gonzales, highlights some of the governor's remarks that are pertinent to the course. Read more about University Courses and other internal faculty funding programs—including TIPs, Discovery Grants and Research Scholar Grants—at the VU BreakThru blog. Read More

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Steven Townsend explores the role that human breast milk can play as a source of narrow spectrum antimicrobial agents in this VU BreakThru blog. Townsend brought together members of the Vanderbilt Pre-3 Initiative, a 2015 Trans-Institutional Program, to assist with his research. Read More

Vanderbilt is a recognized leader in the innovation of civil infrastructure, and the Vanderbilt Initiative for Intelligent Resilient Infrastructure Systems builds on that foundation by defining strategies to protect the nation from floods. Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Caglar Oskay explains the group’s work in this VU BreakThru blog post. Read More

With a provost-funded Research Scholar Grant, John Janusek has been able to expand his decades-long research into Tiwanaku, one of the Andes’ earliest cities and an influential religious center. Read More

Writing in the Office of Cross-College Initiatives' BreakThru blog, political science Ph.D. student SangEun Cecilia Kim finds that poverty is the most common factor driving the tax aversion of Malawi citizens. Read More

The new TIPs-supported Vanderbilt LGBT Policy Lab is just five months old and has already launched an Internal Seminar Series and presented at a prestigious national conference. The lab brings together faculty from five schools and 10 departments and is focused on research to understand the causes and consequences of LGBT-targeted public policies. Read more about the lab and other internally funded projects at the VU BreakThru blog. Read More

The recent decriminalization of homosexuality in Mozambique has not made it easier for LGBT advocacy groups to support these populations within the country. Read More

Many incarcerated South Africans find religion in prison, found undergraduate Zoe Psakis. Read More

A new blog site provides Vanderbilt faculty involved with the university’s internal funding programs—Trans-Institutional Programs (TIPs), University Courses, Discovery Grants and Research Scholar Grants—a platform from which they can communicate some of the most relevant aspects of their projects. Read More