JACKSON, Tennessee, June 16 -- Union University issued the following news release: From babies in strollers to the elderly with walkers, approximately 500 people gathered at Union University June 11 for the "Walk for Justice: Remembering the Lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery." The walk was a peaceful poster demonstration for the Union community to stand in support of justice and was organized by Ashley Akerson, residence director of the Heritage Complex; Song Kim, graphic  more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, June 19 -- Chattanooga State Community College issued the following news release: Chattanooga State, TCAT Chattanooga, Cleveland State, and TCAT Athens have partnered with the local American Job Center (AJC) to present a series of no-cost virtual information sessions beginning June 25. These sessions will address four specific industry sectors: Business Management and Hospitality (Thursday, June 25 at 2 p.m. ET) Engineering and Computer Technology (Thursday, July 2 at   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 19 -- Christian Brothers University issued the following statement by President Jack Shannon: The Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision this morning that maintains the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides protection from deportation for close to 700,000 recipients across the nation. As one of the institutions of higher learning that signed the amicus brief in support of DACA, Christian Brothers University is among the many  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, June 19 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: An idea that began in March with the COVID-19 quarantine has evolved into a series of workout videos and a new outdoor fitness park that will open later this summer along the Greenbelt at Riverwalk Park in Kingsport. Dr. Tyler Schmitz, a resident physician with ETSU Health Family Medicine Kingsport, received a Local Humanitarian Grant from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM) to f  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, June 17 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: More than 100 individuals, including health care professionals, students, community leaders and other supporters, came together for White Coats for Black Lives, a solidarity march and demonstration against racial injustice, on June 15. The event was planned by the East Tennessee State University Student National Medical Association, the Gold Humanism Honor Society and the Organization of Student Repr  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 19 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Governor Bill Lee's Unified Command Group announced that nearly all of Tennessee's 700 long-term care facilities have completed the required COVID-19 testing of residents and staff, as part of the state's efforts to protect the health of vulnerable populations. "We know long-term care residents are the most vulnerable population to COVID-19, and protecting their health and safety is one of our top prioritie  more

CLEVELAND, Tennessee, June 19 -- Lee University issued the following news: Lee University president Paul Conn announced Thursday that the school is establishing an Office of Racial and Ethnic Relations with local educator Gloria Scott-Richmond as its first director. Conn said the action was taken by the Lee Board of Directors in a meeting early this week. "This is a step forward for us as we work. We are eager to make Lee University a place where students and staff of color can thrive, more no  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 19 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: For most of Danny Taylor's 65 years, he has made it his mission to live by Proverbs 4:3 -- "As you think, you will become." From that mission came his personal mantra, "Couldn't be better," that has become a familiar response when someone asks Taylor how he is doing. That mindset has carried Taylor far in life from his humble beginnings in Kentucky to his most recent role as Lipscomb's Chief Financial Officer and   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 17 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following statement by Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente: Over the past three months, we have experienced many changes and transitions across nearly every aspect of campus and faculty life. Despite the challenges of the pandemic and economic downturn, our progress comes from teamwork across the entire university and our most sincere commitment to serve our students, faculty, staff and postdocs in the best possible way  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 19 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following statement: "We applaud the Supreme Court's decision that the Trump Administration did not follow the proper administrative process in attempting to rescind DACA. "We have always believed in the potential of these young student scholars, who have been raised and educated in the United States, to contribute to their communities and our national economy. "It is unfathomable that we as a nation would deny these young peop  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 19 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee's Economic Recovery Group (ERG) has developed the TN Strong Mask Movement, partnering with more than 30 flagship brands to distribute close to 300,000 free or low-cost cloth face coverings, at a projected value of more than $3 million, across the state. Now, residents can stay safe while wearing brands synonymous with Tennessee from the worlds of sports, education, and business.   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 18 -- Tennessee State University issued the following news: Tennessee State University is giving its alumni and others affected by the coronavirus an opportunity to retool. The University is partnering with Apple to help those individuals learn how to code and design apps. The "Everyone Can Code and Create" course will be offered online in the fall through TSU's National Center for Smart Technology Innovations, which is supported by the tech giant. Scholarship applic  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 17 -- Tennessee State University issued the following news: The Tennessee State University College of Education has received another $300,000 grant from the Tennessee Department of Education to train an additional 51 aspiring assistant principals in Middle Tennessee school districts. This brings to 101 the total number of individuals to be trained in the one-year program. "Tennessee State University is taking the lead in the state's assistant principal training progr  more

JACKSON, Tennessee, June 19 -- Union University issued the following news release: Union University President Samuel W. "Dub" Oliver will deliver the commencement addresses during Union's three graduation ceremonies June 20 on the university's Great Lawn. To comply with social distancing guidelines, the university will hold three separate ceremonies that day - at 10 a.m. for students receiving graduate degrees, at 2 p.m. for non-traditional undergraduate students and at 6 p.m. for traditional   more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, June 18 -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release: Alexandra Zelin, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was recently awarded the American Psychology Association (APA) Mary Roth Walsh Teaching the Psychology of Women award. The annual award's namesake was a pioneer in promoting the psychology of women and founder of the Teaching the Psychology of Women Institute. "Dr. Alex Zelin is   more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, June 20 -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release: The prescription drug hydroxychloroquine has been in the news in recent months thanks to the COVID-19 global pandemic. Hydroxychloroquine has successfully been used to treat lupus and rheumatoid arthritis and to prevent and treat malaria by killing the parasites that cause that disease. Since the drug has been beneficial in fighting off other viral illnesses, there was some th  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, June 18 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: The College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center will host a free, virtual community dialogue Wednesday, June 24, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT, titled, "Why Aren't We All Mad? A Dialogue on Structural Racism in the Health Care System." The roundtable discussion via Zoom will include leaders from the College of Medicine, as well as community and faith leaders,  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 17 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt University is celebrating Monday's U.S. Supreme Court decision protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender workers from employment discrimination. Writing for a six-justice majority in Bostock v. Clayton County, Justice Neil Gorsuch concluded that "[a]n employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law." The university has prohibited discrimination based on sexual  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 20 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: As society moves toward a future of renewable energy around the world, a vision is emerging of safe, energy-dense batteries that will allow electric vehicles to travel longer distances on a single charge, as well as decentralized grids to store massive amounts of energy to power entire communities. The development of solid-state batteries is moving us in that direction, presenting a step change from the lithium-io  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 18 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Houra Merrikh, principal investigator in the department of biochemistry, has been named a finalist in the 2020 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists (http://www.blavatnikawards.org/), in the Life Sciences category. Merrikh was selected as one of the nation's 31 rising stars in science from 305 nominations from 161 academic and research centers across 41 U.S. states for her work in reversing antimicrobial   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 16 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: A precision medicine approach to health disparities, the social contexts of caregiving, the global psyche and Indigenous perspectives on science are the topics of recent journal issues edited by Vanderbilt University faculty that touch on health and well-being. Precision approaches to health disparities In efforts to address health disparities, it is important to expand the notion of precision medicine beyond ge  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 17 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt University's Warren Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with San Diego-based ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc., which will seek to develop and commercialize treatments for central nervous system disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia. This collaboration will focus on positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) of the  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 16 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Chief diversity officers from across the Southeastern Conference will offer a webinar, "A Pandemic in Our Communities--Health Disparities, Health Inequities and Possible Solutions," on Wednesday, June 24. The event, which will explore the intersection of race and the COVID-19 health crisis, will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. CT (2-4 p.m. ET). The Vanderbilt-hosted webinar is free and open to the public. Register to at  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 18 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: While all incoming Vanderbilt undergraduates are expected to read The Person You Mean to Be, which is the Commons Reading for 2020-21, the book will be particularly useful for anyone trying to understand the root causes of inequality. "The Person You Mean to Be offers many tools to help us think about ways to recognize our own implicit bias and the role that bias plays in our interactions with others," said Melis  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 17 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Black phosphorus is a crystalline material that is attracting growing research interest from semiconductor device engineers, chemists and material scientists to create high-quality atomically thin films. From the perspective of a 2D layered material, black phosphorus shows promise for applications in next-generation flexible electronics that could enable advances in semiconductors, medical imaging, night vision a  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 12 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: As secondary educators begin planning their fall course material, research associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Janey Camp is leading the development of online-friendly teaching materials focused on risk education. "Whether you realize it or not, we make decisions about risk daily - from wearing a helmet and seat belt to purchasing home and car insurance," notes Camp. "Part of the reason tha  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 19 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt University may submit two applications from each school for the Procter & Gamble Higher Education Grant Program (https://app.box.com/s/tv4g4cqybkvgfuhzd91cqvxgdg7ii3mw). The program provides support for efforts that will better prepare students for success in business (see examples below). Grant support is for one year, and awards range between $10,000-$20,000. Grants will be provided for specific proje  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 17 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following statement by Incoming Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente: We appreciate your patience while we have developed our return to campus plans. We understand uncertainty about the fall semester may have compounded the stress you have been under during these extremely challenging times, and we know all are eager for information that will allow us to look forward and plan for the futur  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 17 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Damages from flooding cost hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Compounded by a changing climate, by 2080 the frequency of these major events is expected to increase by 20 times. A case study of the record-breaking and devastating flooding of Middle Tennessee in May 2010 and an evaluation of Nashville's existing home buyout program, led by research associate professor of civil and environmental engineering J  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 11 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Three Vanderbilt junior pitchers heard their names called on the second and final day of the Major League Baseball Draft - including Tyler Brown who went with the 101st overall pick - as an SEC-best four student-athletes were picked overall in the five-round event. Brown was taken late in the third round Thursday by the Houston Astros. Three picks later, Jake Eder was selected with the 104th pick (fourth round) b  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, June 16 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente has launched a new working group to focus on the Vanderbilt community's child care needs in response to the closing of schools and facilities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The University Working Group on Schools and Childcare will advise university leadership by providing feedback and recommendations that allow the university to best support the child care needs o  more