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:

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.

Dr. Cutting to be Awarded at 11th Annual Research to Practice Symposium

The AIM Institute for Learning & Research annual Research to Practice Symposium is a free, day-long event that brings together literacy researchers and educators to learn and collaborate on important literacy themes. This year’s event, which will take place in-person as well as be accessible to a global audience via live stream, will focus on the complexity of reading comprehension and provide educators with insights for the classroom. The presentations will be moderated by Nancy Hennessy, author of The Reading Comprehension Blueprint. The event will also include presentations by Dr. Hugh Catts, Director of FSU School of Communication Science and Disorders at the Florida Center for Reading & Research, Dr. Amy Elleman, Director of the Literacy Studies Ph.D program at Middle Tennessee State University, and Dr. Tiffany Hogan, Director of the Speech and Language Literacy Lab at the MGH Institute of Health Professions.

Dr. Cutting will receive the Hollis Scarborough Award and make remarks during the event. Past Hollis Scarborough Award recipients include Dr. Hollis Scarborough (who received the inaugural award in 2019), Dr. Linnea Ehri, Dr. Mark Seidenberg, and Dr. Don Compton.

Register to attend the 2023 symposium at: www.aimpa.org/symposium.

EBRL at 29th Annual SSSR Meeting

Last week Ph.D. students Tin Nguyen, Andrea Burgess, Natalie Huerta, Emily Harriott and Dr. Amanda Martinez-Lincoln attended the 29th Annual Society for the Scientific Study of Reading conference. They were happy to represent both the science of reading that we study here at the lab and Vanderbilt University at large. They return refreshed and brimming with knowledge from their peers.

Pictured (Left to Right): Emily Harriott, Dr. Amanda Martinez-Lincoln, Andrea Burgess, Natalie Huerta, and Tin Nguyen

EBRL Recruiting Kindergarteners for Reading Study!

We are currently recruiting participants for our executive function study with kindergarteners. If you have a child that is a kindergartener and might be interested in participating in a longitudinal study tracking their reading/academic progress, please fill out this survey.

We are also currently seeking individuals ages 8 to 20 with reading difficulties or Neurofibromatosis Type 1 to participate in our research study. If interested or if you want more information, please contact us at (615) 875-5534 or email us at educationbrain@vanderbilt.edu.

Click to see the flyer for more information!

Flyer for Families of Kindergarteners