Vanderbilt Establishes the Connected Computing Task Force

There is little in the modern world that is more influential in our lives than the computers we interact with every day. Vanderbilt has long recognized this and has valued being on the cutting edge of study and innovation in this field. To continue that goal, Vanderbilt has created the College of Connected Computing to help facilitate communication and connection across the university with the solemn goal of preparing Vanderbilt’s students to be leaders fields and advance research across the university.

EBRL’s own Dr. Laurie Cutting has been recruited as part of the task force to help develop this new college and help guide it towards the university’s goal of remaining a global leader in computation.

Find out more about the task force and the new college here.

EBRL at Brain Blast 2024

It goes without saying, but EBRL had a blast at Brain Blast this year! Every year the Vanderbilt Brain institute organizes a free event at the Nashville Public Library for children and parents to learn about brains and the science behind studying them! This year we taught people about the reading brain, neuroimaging, giving out bookmarks, the importance of reading, and even what real brains look like! We had a wonderful time meeting you all and we can’t wait to see you again next year!

Brain Blast happens every year in March so we hope to see you next time!

If you’d like to learn more about the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and Brain Blast, click here!

Enjoy some photos from this year’s brain blast:

Dr. Laurie Cutting Appointed Associate Provost

Effective August 1st, Dr. Laurie Cutting received an appointment of Associate Provost in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. No stranger to appointments and accolades, Dr. Cutting is happy to be given the chance to drive innovative research forward and strengthen ties with Vanderbilt’s many research partners.

“Laurie is a recognized leader in her field with a strong track record of collaborating with VUMC researchers through her work with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center,” said Padma Raghavan, vice provost for research and innovation. “As associate provost, she will leverage her areas of expertise and broad network of colleagues to spearhead the development of interdisciplinary translational research and innovation proposals to ARPA-H.” 

Although we at EBRL aren’t losing Dr. Cutting in any sense, we are ecstatic to see what may lie in store for the future of research at Vanderbilt.

Read more about her new appointment at Vanderbilt’s press release on the appointment.

 

EBRL Goes Down Under!

A scientific conference on reading hosted in Australia? Sign us up! Each year the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading hosts a scientific conference to gather minds from across the globe that each have one thing in common: the study of reading. This year, members of EBRL were lucky enough to go and even present! EBRL’s own Emily Harriott and Caden Carter were able to present posters and Andrea Burgess gave a talk. We always enjoy chances to meet other scientists in research and expand our knowledge. (And being able to do it in such a beautiful location isn’t bad either!)

If you would like to find out more about the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, please visit their website here.

EBRL Says Goodbye (for now) to Julie and Laura

Long-time lab members say their goodbyes this month as they continue on their separate journeys in life. We’ve spent many a time reminiscing over the past month and can’t tell you just how much a pleasure they’ve been in the lab over these years. Although we hate to see them go, they both know we’ll never be more than a phone call or text away.

Words are seldom enough to describe what they’ve meant to us, but we all know they’ll always be with us even as the lab continues on without them. Farewell (for now) Julie and Laura, we’ll see you again soon!

If you’ve used Julie in the past to contact and communicate with the lab, please reach out via the lab email at educationbrain@vanderbilt.edu. It’ll be a period of transition in the oncoming weeks, but someone will always be at the helm of that email to help facilitate contact with the lab.

Dr. Andrew Lynn Joins the Faculty of University of Louisville

EBRL post-doctoral fellow Dr. Andrew Lynn has accepted an offer to join the University of Louisville! Our loss is their gain when he becomes an Assistant Professor in cognitive neuroscience this fall. Post-doctoral fellowships help people who have just earned a doctorate gain the necessary skills and publications to begin their careers as Principal Investigators in academia. He leaves the lab with our blessing and our continued support as he begins his academic career. Good luck in Louisville Andrew!

Congratulations to Doctors Tin and Sage!

A BIG congrats to EBRL’s own Dr. Sage Pickren and Dr. Tin Nguyen on the successful completion of their PhD program! Here pictured are the brand new doctors with their foam swords in lieu of the traditional PhD swords. (It’s a thing I swear) EBRL couldn’t be prouder of them and we’re all wishing them the best as they continue on their journeys.

Emily Harriott wins NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

The National Science Foundation has a long history of investing in students with demonstrated potential for significant achievements in science and engineering. This year, EBRL’s own Emily Harriott was awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship from their Developmental Psychology division. About 12,000 students apply annually for the fellowship across the United States and only about 2,000 receive awards, making it an intensely competitive award. An honor so rare, in fact, that Emily holds the honor for being the first student from EBRL to receive it!

The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support taking into account an annual stipend of $37,000. According to the National Science Foundation, forty of the past beneficiaries have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 440 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences. If you’d like to find out more about the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, see their website at this link or read about the history of the fellowship here.

EBRL at CNS 2023

 

The Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS) hosts an annual conference that brings together researchers across the world. This year in San Francisco, events included a party for their 30th anniversary, poster sessions, as well as a keynote address by Dr. Martha J. Farah from the University of Pennsylvania. Researchers from EBRL attended as well, including PhD student Emily Harriott (pictured above).

 

If you’d like to find out more about CNS or the event, please see the CNS 2023 Program here.