Education (Colleges & Universities)
Here's a look at documents from public, private and community colleges in the U.S.
Featured Stories
University of Cincinnati Celebrates Partnership With Thales
CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 14 -- The University of Cincinnati posted the following news:
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UC celebrates partnership with Thales
Research + Innovation Week kicks off with Digital Futures' first industrial partner
By Emily Glass, glassei@ucmail.uc.edu
UC's annual Research + Innovation Week, highlighting faculty- and student-led research, is launching with a bang.
April 13 marked the unveiling of a new collaborative workspace in UC's interdisciplinary research facility Digital Futures for Thales, known as being a global leader in defense and aeronautics that invests in digital and "deep tech"
... Show Full Article
CINCINNATI, Ohio, April 14 -- The University of Cincinnati posted the following news:
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UC celebrates partnership with Thales
Research + Innovation Week kicks off with Digital Futures' first industrial partner
By Emily Glass, glassei@ucmail.uc.edu
UC's annual Research + Innovation Week, highlighting faculty- and student-led research, is launching with a bang.
April 13 marked the unveiling of a new collaborative workspace in UC's interdisciplinary research facility Digital Futures for Thales, known as being a global leader in defense and aeronautics that invests in digital and "deep tech"innovations.
The collaboration will bring UC and Thales researchers together to focus on advances in artificial intelligence and air mobility.
"Advances in trustworthy AI for mission-critical use cases are enabling real solutions to some of the most complex challenges in defense and aerospace," said Alan Pellegrini, CEO of Thales North America.
"Our collaboration with the University of Cincinnati accelerates progress in tackling these challenges from advanced air mobility and other autonomous platforms to explainable AI tools integrated into other high stakes environments," Pellegrini added. "As AI continues to evolve at remarkable speed, Thales will remain at the forefront of harnessing this technology for safe, resilient and reliable application for mission-critical operations."
AI innovations
UC first signed a research agreement to work with Thales in March 2023. This collaboration allowed UC researchers to partner with the company to use its state-of-the art transparent AI system that uses fuzzy logic to make critical decisions. Instead of seeing the world in a binary right or wrong, fuzzy logic uses degrees of truth to strengthen transparency and mathematical assurance.
"At a time when organizations worldwide are racing to deploy AI in high-stakes environments, Thales is demonstrating that trust, ethics and transparency are not constraints on AI performance, but rather strengths," said UC President Neville Pinto. "The decision by the Thales team to co-locate at Digital Futures in the Cincinnati Innovation District creates an ideal alignment."
Nick Ernest, UC engineering alum and chief architect for Thales Avionics, was part of a panel discussion at the event.
"We are pleased to join Digital Futures through our partnership with the University of Cincinnati and Dr. Kelly Cohen's lab," Ernest said. "This collaboration strengthens our engagement with academia and advances our research into safe and ethical AI for mission and safety critical applications."
Ernest has been working in advanced AI systems since he was a doctoral candidate at UC. He created sophisticated AI that is capable of outmaneuvering fighter pilots in simulations. Before joining Thales, Ernest also worked with UC research partners to apply genetic fuzzy logic to help doctors predict treatment effectiveness for bipolar disorder from brain scans.
Now, as part of the partnership between Thales and UC, Ernest and his team will continue to give UC researchers hands-on experience working with the company and its advanced AI models.
Accelerating the pace of discovery
Speakers at the kickoff event included leadership from both UC and Thales, where the real-world impact of the industry partnership was emphasized.
"Thales is a key partner as the university strives to lead cutting-edge research with impact," said Interim Vice President of Research Frank Gerner. "The University of Cincinnati's partnership with Thales will provide training opportunities for our students and postdocs, promote collaborations with faculty and accelerate the pace of discovery."
Learn more about R+I Week and register for events (https://research.uc.edu/researchweek?_gl=1*1wj4ckc*_ga*MTkyNzk4NDI5LjE3NjE5MDg1OTE.*_ga_7H1FCKXZ4Y*czE3NzYxNTI2NDQkbzc2JGcxJHQxNzc2MTUzMDExJGo2MCRsMCRoMA..*_ga_LSJTQ7TZ38*czE3NzYxNTI2NDQkbzc2JGcxJHQxNzc2MTUyOTAzJGo0MCRsMCRoMA..*_ga_CWY9357HWN*czE3NzYxNTI2NDQkbzc2JGcxJHQxNzc2MTUyOTAzJGo0MCRsMCRoMA..*_ga_7N8S2WV95Y*czE3NzYxNTI2NDQkbzE3JGcxJHQxNzc2MTUyOTAzJGo0MCRsMCRoMA..).
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Original text here: https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2026/04/university-of-cincinnati-celebrates-partnership-with-thales.html
UC Irvine Physicists Discover Method to Reverse 'Quantum Scrambling'
IRVINE, California, April 14 (TNSjou) -- The University of California Irvine campus issued the following news release:
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UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse 'quantum scrambling'
The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing systems
* A problem in quantum computing called "quantum scrambling" hampers the technology's development.
* Scrambling results in the loss of data in a quantum computing system, an issue previously thought to be irreversible.
* A UC Irvine team has discovered a way to reverse the scrambling process.
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Quantum computers stand
... Show Full Article
IRVINE, California, April 14 (TNSjou) -- The University of California Irvine campus issued the following news release:
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UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse 'quantum scrambling'
The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing systems
* A problem in quantum computing called "quantum scrambling" hampers the technology's development.
* Scrambling results in the loss of data in a quantum computing system, an issue previously thought to be irreversible.
* A UC Irvine team has discovered a way to reverse the scrambling process.
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Quantum computers standto revolutionize research by helping investigators solve certain problems exponentially faster than with conventional computers. Current quantum computers encounter a challenge where they lose stored information in a process known as 'quantum scrambling.' However, scientists at the University of California, Irvine discovered a method to enable computers to preserve the data that would otherwise be lost during the scrambling process.
"My work is on understanding how this scrambling of quantum information works and in understanding how it emerges," said Thomas Scaffidi, assistant professor of physics & astronomy and lead author of the new Physical Review Letters study. "We're trying to figure out if the information is still there in some form and if we can reverse the scrambling process completely."
The fundamental unit of information in quantum computing is the qubit. Conventional computers use bits, which store information as either a 0 or a 1, while a qubit stores information as either a 0, a 1 or both at the same time.
Quantum scrambling happens when information encoded into qubits spreads within a quantum computing chip and then keeps spreading before disappearing entirely.
"Let's say you have many qubits that are all talking to each other and exchanging information," said Scaffidi. "If you try to locally encode some information in the qubits, after a while, there's going to be the scrambling effect - the encoded information is going to spread out over many qubits and will be effectively lost, and you won't be able to recover it. That's an issue if you want to retrieve that information or do calculations with it."
Scaffidi and his graduate student, Rishik Perugu, approached the problem by studying a subtle feature of quantum physics: Although scrambled quantum information can appear effectively lost, the underlying microscopic laws are in principle often reversible. That means the information may not be destroyed but dispersed in an extremely complex way across many interacting particles.
"At the microscopic level, our universe seems to be reversible in time, so if you think of two particles colliding, if you watch a movie of two particles colliding, the movie would look sensible if you played it forward or backwards," said Scaffidi.
Perugu discovered that this reversible behavior appears in many quantum systems, including quantum computers. That opens the door to counteracting quantum scrambling with a precisely tuned intervention that effectively drives the system backward, allowing previously dispersed information to refocus near where it started.
"It happens to be a very universal property," Scaffidi said. "The conclusion is that it is possible to reverse it, but it requires an extremely fine-tuned and very fine level of control on your system."
The breakthrough came after Perugu, soon after joining Scaffidi's research group, was able to perform the calculations revealing how quantum scrambling might be reversed.
"The project had stalled for a while before Rishik joined," said Scaffidi. "His work gave it new momentum, and he played a central role in making the new paper happen."
Scaffidi is funded by a U.S. Department of Energy Early Career Research Program Award, and key collaborators include Michael Flynn at BlocQ and Bryce Kobrin at Google.
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About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation's top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.
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Original text here: https://news.uci.edu/2026/04/13/uc-irvine-physicists-discover-method-to-reverse-quantum-scrambling/
Rochester Institute of Technology: Imaging Science Research Gives Clarity on What Color Helps Eyes Focus Best
ROCHESTER, New York, April 14 (TNSjou) -- Rochester Institute of Technology issued the following news release:
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Imaging science research gives new clarity on what color helps eyes focus best
Assistant professor Benjamin Chin publishes paper on findings that may help in the slowing of myopia
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The human eye is a biological camera, and its lens, like all lenses, can only focus on one wavelength at a time. Scientists have yet to determine which wavelength this is.
RIT Assistant Professor Benjamin Chin is shining new light on this question through his research in the Chester F. Carlson Center
... Show Full Article
ROCHESTER, New York, April 14 (TNSjou) -- Rochester Institute of Technology issued the following news release:
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Imaging science research gives new clarity on what color helps eyes focus best
Assistant professor Benjamin Chin publishes paper on findings that may help in the slowing of myopia
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The human eye is a biological camera, and its lens, like all lenses, can only focus on one wavelength at a time. Scientists have yet to determine which wavelength this is.
RIT Assistant Professor Benjamin Chin is shining new light on this question through his research in the Chester F. Carlson Centerfor Imaging Science. His findings, recently published in Science Advances, show that the wavelength and focus of the eye may depend on what the human is looking at. This knowledge can help inform interventions for slowing the development and progression of myopia, or nearsightedness.
Chin studies ocular accommodation, which examines how the eye brings objects at different distances into the best focus. Eyes are constantly refocusing, but scientists don't fully understand what the eyeball is actually doing and how the eye and brain are communicating to make the process possible.
As Chin explained, lenses have chromatic aberration, which refers to when not all wavelengths of light are focused at the same point (think of how light splits into different colors when it passes through a prism). He and his co-researchers looked at the effect of color or spectrum of light entering the eye.
"We measured people's accommodation in response to different light spectra entering the eye," he said. "We would show people things on a screen, change the color of light coming out of the screen, and then measure how the lens in people's eyes changed in real time."
Researchers then built a model of the visual system to try to understand what neural signals could be guiding the accommodation behaviors they saw. Results showed that what spectra the eye focuses on tends be the one that is most prominent in the environment being viewed, with one caveat: the visual system may avoid focusing on blue, or shortwave, light.
The findings help inform the idea that chromatic aberration may be implicated in the growth of the eyeball. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is caused by excessive growth of the eyeball. In recent years, a large body of research has explored the idea that the correct light spectrum entering the eye could be able to slow down the growth of the eyeball, and therefore, slow down nearsightedness. However, it is unclear what this spectrum might be. Most research in the area has emphasized measuring light in the environment, rather than how light is actually focused by the eye.
"In order to understand factors causing the growth of the eyeball," said Chin, "you also need to understand how the visual system in real time deals with basic, blurry images of light entering the eye. That is the big picture."
Chin began his research at the University of California, Berkeley, before beginning at RIT in fall 2025. Co-authors of the paper are Martin Banks, Austin Roorda, and Emily Cooper from University of California, Berkeley; and Derek Nankivil from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. Support for the research came from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes for Health.
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Original text here: https://www.rit.edu/news/imaging-science-research-gives-new-clarity-what-color-helps-eyes-focus-best
CSU and California Community Colleges Partner to Advance Statewide Accessibility
LONG BEACH, California, April 14 -- California State University issued the following news:
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CSU and California Community Colleges Partner to Advance Statewide Accessibility
Through the partnership, the university systems will share accessibility tools that improve students' experience while reducing costs and effort duplication.
By Alisia Ruble
When Jeanette Jones chose to attend Stanislaus State to pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology, she was influenced by friends and colleagues--many of whom, like her, are visually and hearing impaired.
"When you are a member of a community like
... Show Full Article
LONG BEACH, California, April 14 -- California State University issued the following news:
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CSU and California Community Colleges Partner to Advance Statewide Accessibility
Through the partnership, the university systems will share accessibility tools that improve students' experience while reducing costs and effort duplication.
By Alisia Ruble
When Jeanette Jones chose to attend Stanislaus State to pursue a bachelor's degree in psychology, she was influenced by friends and colleagues--many of whom, like her, are visually and hearing impaired.
"When you are a member of a community likeI am with fellow blind individuals, you have an idea of which places are really good at offering the extra support that many of us need," Jones said. "What Stan State did for me was beyond my expectations. ... I have honestly never felt more supported than I have here."
Assisted by Stanislaus State's Disability Resource Services and motivated by her 13-year-old son, Connor, Jones earned her bachelor's degree in 2023 and will complete her master's degree in psychology this spring. Throughout her academic journey, she benefited from a range of accommodations, including accessible course materials in formats designed for the visually impaired, interpreters and captioners, and mobility services.
A statewide partnership between the California State University and the California Community Colleges seeks to further enhance the student experience for individuals like Jones, demonstrating how cross-system collaboration can expand access and equity across public higher education. Signed in late 2025, the formal agreement expands and aligns accessibility efforts across the two systems.
The collaboration builds on the CSU's long-standing commitment to digital accessibility through its Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI), a Chancellor's Office-led effort that coordinates systemwide strategies, investments and partnerships to improve the accessibility of technology, digital content and online services. As federal accessibility requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act take effect, agreements like this one reflect the CSU's proactive, good faith approach to ensuring equitable access across all programs and activities.
At the core of the agreement is a practical exchange of tools and expertise designed to improve efficiency and consistency. CSU faculty and staff now have access to the CCC's self paced accessibility training courses, which provide high quality, role based instruction on topics like alternate media and accessible course design, as well as promote proactive accessibility practices statewide. In turn, CCC faculty and staff can use the CSU's AIMhub, a platform for sharing accessible instructional materials and alternative media, helping reduce costs and improve turnaround times for students who rely on accommodations.
"AIMhub serves as a shared accessibility collaboration platform that allows the California State University, California Community Colleges and other higher education systems to reduce duplication, share accessible digital content and coordinate compliance efforts more efficiently," said Leon McNaught, director of Digital Accessibility and Equity at the CSU Chancellor's Office.
Through the partnership, students with disabilities can expect faster access to materials and more seamless support as they move between institutions. Faculty and staff will benefit from expanded professional development opportunities and shared accessibility standards.
"This partnership represents what's possible when we lead with shared purpose," said Jory Hadsell, executive in residence for the CCC's Strategic Technology Initiatives. "By aligning accessibility training and tools across our systems, we're expanding access, increasing consistency and better supporting the faculty and staff who serve students every day."
As of fall 2023, the CSU serves nearly 22,000 students with verified disabilities across its 22 universities* including students with visual or mobility limitations, deafness, communication or learning disabilities, autism or ADHD, psychological or psychiatric disabilities, and other functional limitations. The California Community Colleges serve more than 82,000 students with verified disabilities across 115 campuses statewide.
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Original text here: https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/news/Pages/CSU-CCC-Partnership-to-Advance-Statewide-Accessibility.aspx
Brooklyn Law School: Health and Family Law Fellows Take Center Stage
BROOKLYN, New York, April 14 -- Brooklyn Law School issued the following news:
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Health and Family Law Fellows Take Center Stage
Fellows discuss their work in panels and then field questions from the audience in a Q&A format.
Eight students who are Brooklyn Law School Health Law & Family Law Fellows presented their work on Friday, April 10, sharing the findings from legal research projects that delve deeply into a wide range of fascinating topics.
The presentations and the luncheon that followed shone a spotlight on the work of students and served as a proud moment for the dedicated faculty
... Show Full Article
BROOKLYN, New York, April 14 -- Brooklyn Law School issued the following news:
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Health and Family Law Fellows Take Center Stage
Fellows discuss their work in panels and then field questions from the audience in a Q&A format.
Eight students who are Brooklyn Law School Health Law & Family Law Fellows presented their work on Friday, April 10, sharing the findings from legal research projects that delve deeply into a wide range of fascinating topics.
The presentations and the luncheon that followed shone a spotlight on the work of students and served as a proud moment for the dedicated facultymembers who oversee the fellows. Associate Dean for Academic and Student Success and Professor Karen Porter shepherds the Health Law Fellows as Director of that program, while Professor Elizabeth Chen, who is new to the role this year, and Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Scholarship and Professor Cynthia Godsoe co-direct and guide the work of the Family Law Fellows.
Health Law & Policy and Family Law & Policy Fellows Presentations 2026 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/brooklynlawschool/albums/72177720333030448)
Deep-Dive Research
After starting as a mentor, Chen became a co-director of the program this academic year.
"It's a pretty unique program that pairs students with faculty and practitioners to do a deep dive into something that students are interested in," she said. "These students are fantastic, generative thinkers and it's been inspiring to see how they've developed these projects."
The genesis of the projects varies and stems from legal experience students gained over the summer, in the clinics, or is simply on a topic that is of longtime interest to the student. Faculty directors set up programming for the fellows, and the students gather as a cohort to discuss the progress of their work. Not all projects result in papers. One Family Law Fellow, Ava Zhang '27, created a prototype of an app that incorporates AI to help facilitate post-separation mediation. As part of her fellowship, Health Law Fellow Theresa Kircher '26 convened a panel of scholars, physicians, and advocates to discuss Guardianship and Reproductive Healthcare: Legal Standards and Clinical Realities.
The students' work culminates with the presentations.
"The students have engaged in year-long research projects and done excellent work," said Godsoe. "Their friends and family come to celebrate them, and an important part of the program is audience members, including faculty, asking them questions about their research."
Below are a list of the student presenters and the titles of their work.
Abstracts for the Health Law Fellows may be accessed here: https://www.brooklaw.edu/academics/fellowships/health-law-fellowship/
Abstracts for the Family Law Fellows may be accessed here: https://www.brooklaw.edu/academics/fellowships/family-law-and-policy-fellowship/
Emma Cohen '26: Forgetting What is a Child's Best Interest: Looking at the Role and Appropriateness of New York's Forensic Custodial Evaluations in Child Custody Cases Impacted by Domestic Violence
Marina Khan '26: Coverage Interrupted: The Structural Production of Health Inequality
Theresa Kircher '26: Reproductive Rights at the Margins: Charting a Course from Historical Oppression Through Modern Law to Equitable Policy for Individuals Under New York's Article 81 Guardianship Framework
Victoria Le Fraga '26: The Ex Files: How Bankruptcy Reclassifies the Non-Debtor Spouse
Kyra McTigue '27: Patent Exclusivity and Vaccine Access
Allison Sullivan '27: The UCCJEA: How the Law Works Against Survivors of Domestic Violence, and what Survivors Should Know About Fleeing State Lines with Their Children
Porter Stracke '27: Addressing the Shortcomings of Guardianships: Special Needs Trusts as an Alternative to Preserve Autonomy for Individuals with Disabilities in New York
Ava Zhang '27: AI and Separation: Easing a Personal Process
Applications are open to rising 2L, 2P, 3L, 3P, and 4P students through April 17.
Family Law Fellow applicants can apply HERE (https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=mHgn2wL1xkan4a8xwzPbNjzJMjIukZ1Anjodsncr19JUM0VXMVhGMElRVE5SMERDWFlaU09USUs2TS4u&route=shorturl&sid=ec403978-989e-4f89-86d7-9c1ede57cdb9).
Health Law and Policy Fellow applicants can apply via the application section on this page: https://www.brooklaw.edu/academics/fellowships/health-law-fellowship/
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Original text here: https://www.brooklaw.edu/news-and-events/news/2026/04/health-family-law-fellows-presentations/
Anderson University: Art and Science Intersect - Creativity Displayed at Bearwood
ANDERSON, South Carolina, April 14 -- Anderson University issued the following news release:
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Art and Science Intersect: Creativity Displayed at Bearwood
Students in the Anderson University Pathologists' Assistant program brought the microscopic world into a macroscopic view, engaging in a creative project to display one of four main tissue types creatively. This unique merging of art and science is one of many examples of Anderson University's pillar of Great Academics.
The students spent three weeks before spring break learning about the microscopic characteristics, functions and locations
... Show Full Article
ANDERSON, South Carolina, April 14 -- Anderson University issued the following news release:
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Art and Science Intersect: Creativity Displayed at Bearwood
Students in the Anderson University Pathologists' Assistant program brought the microscopic world into a macroscopic view, engaging in a creative project to display one of four main tissue types creatively. This unique merging of art and science is one of many examples of Anderson University's pillar of Great Academics.
The students spent three weeks before spring break learning about the microscopic characteristics, functions and locationsof the four main tissue types found within the human body--connective, nervous, muscle and epithelium.
Three students whose projects scored high talked about their projects.
Colleen Heuser was drawn to display ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium--a tissue found in the upper respiratory tract that traps inhaled debris. Heuser's painting on canvas represents the tissue after H&E (Hematoxylin and Eosin) staining, a technique allowing pathologists to examine tissue and identify cell types. Goblet cells are depicted as the lighter purple, oval shapes with purple dots within them and hairlike projections known as cilia.
Heuser enjoyed tapping into her artistic side as she went to work on her project.
"It basically connects this aspect that I personally enjoy doing and it allows me to visualize and truly understand and grasp the different components that are included in this type of cell, Heuser said.
"It was a little out of the box," admitted Aaliyah Thomas. Bouncing the idea off her father, she came up with a way of visualizing skeletal muscle tissue, the most common type of muscle tissue, which is responsible for our voluntary movements. She was working with her father, whom she considers to be very creative, imagining how she might demonstrate how the tissue appears. She came up with a"sweet" discovery. Examining a microscopic view, they concluded that the elongated cylindrical cells arranged in parallell bundles (fascicles) resemble Mike and Ike and Hot Tamale candies.
"Once I saw his vision... When I saw a way to explain it to him and teach it to him, it came all together for me," said Thomas, who wants to enter forensic pathology.
"I like to do art in my spare time," said Gracey (Olivia) Hefner, whose project is a sculpture depicting cortical bone tissue. Cortical bone functions as the dense, outer, hard layer which provides structural support, protection for the inner portions of the bone, and provides strength to resist various forces. "I'm a very visual person. I can remember things better if I see them physically or can recreate them physically. A lot of my assignments, I'll draw out because it just helps me understand it better."
"I got a Styrofoam base and painted it black so that the wire would stand out when you look at it. Then I took some wire and made different sized rings to represent the different units of cortical bone, because they're not all the same size, they're different depending on where you are in the body," Hefner said. "I would connect them with a different color wire to kind of separate out the different parts, so you would be able to see them more clearly."
The projects are on display through the remainder of the semester at the Holdredge Bearwood Center of Anderson University at 3031 N. Highway 81, Anderson, South Carolina.
The Pathologists' Assistant program is hosted by the Anderson University School of Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
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Original text here: https://andersonuniversity.edu/news/art-and-science-intersect-creativity-displayed-at-bearwood-2/?_post_id=46601
Virginia Tech: Graduate Course Brings Federal Health Experts Into the Classroom
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, April 14 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
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Graduate course brings federal health experts into the classroom
A cancer genomics course offered to translational biology, medicine, and health students in Washington, D.C., this spring marks a first for the Virginia Tech graduate program.
By Lena Ayuk
When scientists want the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval for a new treatment for cancers that start in the bone marrow, they reach out to Kelly Norsworthy.
Norsworthy is the director of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies I in the FDA's Center
... Show Full Article
BLACKSBURG, Virginia, April 14 -- Virginia Tech issued the following news:
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Graduate course brings federal health experts into the classroom
A cancer genomics course offered to translational biology, medicine, and health students in Washington, D.C., this spring marks a first for the Virginia Tech graduate program.
By Lena Ayuk
When scientists want the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval for a new treatment for cancers that start in the bone marrow, they reach out to Kelly Norsworthy.
Norsworthy is the director of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies I in the FDA's Centerfor Drug Evaluation and Research. She will visit Virginia Tech's laboratories in Washington, D.C., on April 23 to share insights on the regulation of targeted therapies for patients with myeloid malignancies.
As part of the visit, Norsworthy will offer graduate students an inside look into careers with the FDA. They also will have an opportunity to participate in a case study based on the approval of one targeted drug for acute myeloid leukemia.
Her guest lecture is part of the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program's (TBMH) first course taught in Washington, D.C.
Laura Dillon, research associate professor, studies acute myeloid leukemia in the institute's Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C., and designed the course in Translational Cancer Genomics.
Norsworthy, who oversees applications for therapeutics for acute and chronic leukemias, is one of several guest lecturers participating in the course, which Dillon said "offers unique access and the ability to bring in experts from many different fields because of our location in the D.C. area."
A course designed around a city
The course reflects Virginia Tech's growing presence in the greater Washington, D.C., area. With the National Institutes of Health and the FDA both roughly 6 miles away, the university has access to federal research expertise. At a glance, the course:
* Is taught through a series of lectures by subject-matter experts, including scientists from the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Children's National Hospital, FDA, National Institutes of Health (NIH), George Washington University, and Sanford Imagenetics
* Incorporates unique hands-on learning opportunities, including laboratory-based exercises and a workshop on the NIH-supported UCSC Genome Browser
* Utilizes case-based learning, allowing for an active, student-centered approach to bridge theoretical knowledge with application in the patient setting
"The TBMH program has been thrilled with the exciting growth of the Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C., and the addition of world-class researchers, including Laura Dillon, to our teaching faculty," said John Chappell, director of the graduate program and associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke. "By pioneering this course, Dillon is offering our students insight into cutting-edge cancer care and invaluable connections with researchers working at some of the highest levels of academia, industry, and government."
Dillon, who joined Virginia Tech from the NIH in 2025, designed the course to give students structured engagement with scientists working in academic institutes and the federal cancer research ecosystem.
"I tried to bring in people from different areas and expertise," Dillon said. "We have basic scientists, clinicians, and lab directors who run clinical labs, so students can see many different ways genetics is applied in cancer."
Genomic medicine and cancer care
Genomic data now informs how most cancers are diagnosed, staged, and treated.
The ability to sequence a tumor's DNA and identify the mutations driving its growth has produced a new class of targeted therapies. As that shift toward more personalized medicine accelerates, graduate students are learning how genomic findings move through the laboratory, the clinic, and the regulatory process to reach patients.
Dillon designed the course to cover that full range. Beginning with genomics fundamentals and cancer biology, the course moves through genetic alteration types, laboratory techniques, bioinformatics, and biostatistics before arriving at targeted therapy development and the regulatory pathway by which genomic discoveries become approved treatments.
"While I plan for my career to focus on wet lab work, my research will still be guided by the knowledge gained by those who do genomics research," said Aidan Erwin, a second-year graduate student enrolled in the course. "Understanding translational genomics and how to interpret that data is key to my success as a scientist."
Student groups are assigned a hypothetical leukemia patient whose profile is revealed incrementally as the course progresses. As they learn new material, students use genomic data to apply each new concept in a personalized medicine approach.
"They're all patients with acute myeloid leukemia who technically have the same disease, but the genetics can be different," Dillon said. "Students are learning how genetics influences the way a cancer patient is diagnosed, what their prognosis is, and how clinicians tailor the subsequent treatment course."
At the end of the semester, each team will present its patient case and propose an experimental design to investigate an open clinical question about the case.
A hands-on training
The course includes a full-day bioinformatics workshop led by Robert Kuhn, one of the original developers of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Genome Browser, a public platform used internationally in both research and clinical genomics settings. The workshop included hands-on exercises in which participants worked through the tool's features using real genomic data.
Dillon attended the same workshop while at the NIH. Although she was already familiar with the browser and used it regularly, she said the experience changed her approach. "I wish I knew all of the features of the genome browser when I was starting as a graduate student," she said. "I wanted to set up our students with the knowledge that would empower them as they start their research journey."
After the workshop, students completed two days of hands-on laboratory training at the institute's Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C., constructing next-generation sequencing libraries using state-of-the-art instruments. The data they generated are then used in the course's next module, where students analyze their own sequencing output to identify mutations relevant to cancer.
Many university research programs outsource genomic sequencing, Dillon said. Students typically receive data without any direct experience of how it was produced. "They often ship the sample out somewhere, and someone loads it on an instrument, and they send you back this data, and you have no idea how it was ever made."
She wanted a different approach. "Seeing is believing," Dillon said.
"I especially appreciate how the course exposes us to emerging techniques and perspectives that are gaining attention as well as more foundational techniques," said Shubhangi Garg, a bioinformatician enrolled in the graduate program. Garg hopes to work in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical field upon earning her doctorate.
"As a student, the class is strengthening my ability to analyze and interpret complex data," Garg said. "As a scientist, it is shaping my ability to think about how research can be translated into meaningful clinical and industry applications.
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Original text here: https://news.vt.edu/articles/2026/04/research_fralinbiomed_tbmhdc.html
