NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 28 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The 16th annual Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology Symposium, hosted by the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology and the Chemical Biology Association of Students, is scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 6, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. CST. The event is sponsored by Ancora Innovation through Vanderbilt's partnership with Deerfield Management and will be broadcast remotely. Please register to attend the symposium.  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 31 -- Rhodes College issued the following news: Rhodes biology alumna Emma Selner '18 has had a manuscript based on her undergraduate research published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. The article, titled "The Effects of Ligand Charge, Orientation and Size on the Binding of Potential Inhibitors for Aldehyde Dehydrogenase," has applications in treatment for Parkinson's disease. Co-authors are chemistry professors Dr. Larr  more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee., July 25 -- Chattanooga State Community College issued the following news release: Chattanooga State Community College recently received a $200K Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant to purchase training equipment for a new workforce training instructional site in Rhea County. The equipment will be installed in mobile labs built adjacent to the Nokian Tyres plant, enabling the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) to offer Industrial Electricity and Indust  more

BRISTOL, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- Contura Energy, a coal supplier, issued the following news release: Contura Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CTRA), a leading U.S. coal supplier, plans to announce its second quarter 2020 financial results before the market opens on Friday, August 7, 2020. The company also expects to hold a conference call to discuss its second quarter 2020 results at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time the morning of August 7 Participating on the call will be Contura's chairman and chief executive offic  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, July 28 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: Dr. Jane Broderick, a professor in the Department of Early Childhood Education in East Tennessee State University's Clemmer College, is co-author of From Children's Interests to Children's Thinking: Using a Cycle of Inquiry to Plan Curriculum, recently published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Broderick co-authored the book with Dr. Seong Bock Hong, a faculty   more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: Michael Meit, director of research and programs at the East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, will be featured on a national podcast focusing on rural public health. The podcast is hosted by Dr. Alfredo Morabia, editor-in-chief of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH). It will be available beginning Aug. 5 at ajph.aphapublications.org. "In this podcast, we discussed   more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, July 29 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: As the health care community began transitioning to telehealth services for many types of appointments during the COVID-19 crisis, Dr. Teresa Boggs was uncertain how well telehealth would work for the Positive Eating Program at East Tennessee State University. ETSU's Positive Eating Program is designed for children with behavioral and sensory-based feeding challenges. It is housed at The Language Cen  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, July 30 -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news: An East Tennessee State University librarian has published a new book that focuses on applying the principles of trauma-informed care to the library setting. "A Trauma-Informed Approach to Library Services" by Rebecca Tolley was published this month by American Library Association (ALA) Editions. Tolley is a professor and librarian in ETSU's Charles C. Sherrod Library. Trauma-informed care, which or  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: While the current health crisis has brought challenges and struggles worldwide, for scholarly researchers it has also brought new opportunities to document and understand how we as a people respond to adversity and work to support one another. Lipscomb Instructor in Accounting Marcy Binkley is using that opportunity this summer to study how small businesses are responding to the economic downturn caused by COVID-19   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 29 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: Nurses are known as nurturers. Compassion and empathy are at the very heart of the nursing profession. Nurses are relied upon to provide medical treatment, support and encouragement during times of physical, emotional and spiritual anguish. But who nurtures the nurses? On March 11 when the World Health Organization declared the Novel Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19, a pandemic. A national emergency was declared in t  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 28 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: While the world is feverishly working to develop a COVID-19 vaccination, one Lipscomb alumnus has been working with a group of scientists and researchers from around the world since March to build a pangenomic tool to aid vaccine research. Last week, Thomas Townsley, who graduated from Lipscomb in December 2019 with a Master of Science degree in software engineering, was among a team of bioinformatics researchers   more

JACKSON, Tennessee, July 31 -- Union University issued the following news release: A newly married C. Ben Mitchell and his wife Nancy were living in Marietta, Ga., and looking for a church home. The search had frustrated them. One church would be "dead as a doornail," Mitchell said. "We'd go to another church, and the pastor would be running up and down the aisle, waving his white handkerchief, screaming and yelling." Mitchell still remembers the time, in the midst of that frustration, when h  more

ANTIOCH, Tennessee, July 29 -- Nashville State Community College issued the following news release: Nashville State Community College has announced the appointment of Jamica Hines as the associate dean and the director of its Southeast Campus. The campus is located at 5248 Hickory Hollow Pkwy in Antioch. Hines assumes the director's role from Kim Silverman, who was recently promoted to associate vice president of academic affairs for extended campuses. In her role, Hines leads site operations,  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 29 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Research on the evolving role of principal supervisors from Vanderbilt's Peabody College of education and human development was included in two of three reports released July 21 by the Wallace Foundation, a national philanthropy that seeks to improve learning for marginalized children. The reports examine the benefits gained by shifting the role of principal supervisors to focus on improving instruction rather tha  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee signed Executive Order No. 55, allowing the resumption of contact sports and extending local authority to require masks, among other provisions. "Athletics is an important part of our way of life and provides many benefits for our student-athletes, but common-sense precautions must be taken to combat COVID-19," said Gov. Lee. "We have worked directly with the TSSAA to coordinate a  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 29 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced the State of Tennessee's recommendations to reopen schools for the 2020-2021 school year. "Providing parents a choice in their children's education is incredibly important," said Gov. Lee. "In-person learning is the medically sound, preferred option. Our state is doing everything we can to work with local school districts and ensure that in-person learning is made avail  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 29 -- The Tennessee Democratic Party issued the following statement by Chair Mary Mancini in response to Gov. Bill Lee's back to school plan: "Governor Lee's plan to reopen schools in Tennessee does not follow guidelines from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The details of his executive order for reopening, which comes in the middle of a coronavirus surge with almost 95,000 cases and 965 Tennesseans dead, makes it clear that he is still ignoring CDC guidelines an  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 31 -- Tennessee State University issued the following news: With the completion of a new Health Sciences Building set for next month, Tennessee State University officials say ongoing construction projects around campus are on schedule and are intended to enhance students' living and improve their learning environment. "The new projects are part of a long-term plan to improve academic programs and increase our residence hall inventory, while enhancing the overall stat  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 28 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: A leading Vanderbilt scholar, her doctoral student and a recent doctoral alumnus have been honored with awards by the American Educational Research Association. Carolyn J. Heinrich, Patricia and Rodes Hart Professor of Public Policy and Education, and Jennifer Darling-Aduana, a Ph.D. candidate, received the Palmer O. Johnson Memorial Award for their article "A Look Inside Online Educational Settings in High Schoo  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 28 -- The Tennessee Democratic Party issued the following statement on July 27 by Chair Mary Mancini in response to Governor Bill Lee's refusal to take the advice of Deborah Birx: "Six months ago, by working together and by making a few tough decisions at the beginning of the threat, Tennessee's economy would have been rebounding. "Instead, Governor Lee refused to tell Tennesseans to wear a mask, downplayed the danger of the pandemic, made weak suggestions with no en  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 28 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: The Student Government Association Executive Council (SGAEC) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center announced the 2020 winners for its Excellence in Teaching Awards. Faculty members from each college are chosen by their students to receive the awards, which are among the highest of faculty honors that can be received on campus. "UTHSC is fortunate to have so many wonderful   more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, July 28 -- The University of Tennessee's Institute of Agriculture issued the following news release: Hongwei Xin, who leads the agricultural research program of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, has been recognized for his global leadership skills. Xin, a biosystems engineer who serves as Dean of UT AgResearch, is the recipient of the 2020 Lalit and Aruna Verma Award for Excellence in Global Engagement presented by the American Society of Agricultural   more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, July 28 -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release on July 27: It's a familiar statement in the world of medicine: Doctors do a good job taking care of others, but do a lousy job taking care of themselves. But for those who work in health care, that statement also covers nurses and clinical assistants, lab workers, even staff such as office administrators, chaplains and custodians, among others. A new study, led by University   more

MARTIN, Tennessee, July 28 -- The University of Tennessee's Martin Campus issued the following news release: The University of Tennessee Foundation Inc. (UTFI) generated its highest number of donors in the system's history as 67,281 donors gave over $196 million in commitments during the 2019-20 fiscal year. The UTFI also saw an increase in alumni participation with over 220,000 alumni engaging with the UT System throughout the year. "Our alumni and donors are passionate about the university,   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, July 30 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center Tuesday hosted its second online coronavirus symposium to an audience of more than 580. UTHSC's first Coronavirus Online Symposium for providers and the public was held April 6, and highlighted the characteristics of the virus; its patterns of spread; and efforts led by the university and its partners to contain it. "We are trying in the   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 25 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Human pregnancy can easily be taken for granted as a natural and regularly occurring event, but it is the product of the complex, coordinated function of two bodies, mother and baby, that has evolved side by side with other important human adaptations. For the first time, researchers have established how a complex disorder associated with pregnancy - spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) - has been shaped by multiple e  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 25 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news on July 24: The Vanderbilt University rocket team has won an unprecedented seventh NASA Student Launch national title. NASA officials today announced the Artemis Generation winners of its 2020 launch competition. By NASA's comprehensive grading, the Vanderbilt team edged teams from second and third place winners, University of North Carolina-Charlotte and the University of Alabama-Huntsville, and 43 other universi  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: A webinar discussing federal funding opportunities in the Department of Defense is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The webinar will be broadcast remotely. Register to attend (https://vanderbilt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAucuGrrzotGNwkvJc0Twb__kLviPFb2QHD). Experts from Lewis-Burke Associates LLC will highlight how the Department of Defense funds science and technology research and  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt Human Resources has announced a new professional development tool now available in Oracle Learning and an Employee Perks Program set to launch this fall as the university continues to add training and resources for employees. Skillsoft, which is now available within Oracle Learning, provides online professional development content for continuous learning. The tool allows employees to choose from interac  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Aug. 1 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The advent of DNA sequencing has given scientists a clearer insight into the interconnectedness of evolution and the web-like path that different organisms take, splitting apart and coming back together. Tony Capra, associate professor of biological sciences, has come to new conclusions about the influence of Neanderthal DNA on some genetic traits of modern humans. The article "Neanderthal introgression reintroduc  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 31 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: A protein linked to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurological disease that causes muscle weakness, may be a key to treating fibrotic disease of the kidneys and other organs, researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center reported recently. FUS is the acronym of a protein in the nucleus of cells that regulates DNA repair transcription, RNA splicing and other functions. In the brain, muta  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 31 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The multicellular, 3-D structure of human pancreatic islets -- the areas of the pancreas containing hormone-producing or endocrine cells -- has presented challenges to researchers as they study and manipulate these cells' function, but Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers have now developed a pseudoislet system that allows for much easier study of islet function. A pancreatic islet is composed primari  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 28 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following statement by Andre L. Churchwell, chief diversity officer, and vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion: My Heart is Broken. As a native Nashvillian and a Vanderbilt physician, I cannot uncouple my medical experiences from the lens through which I view the world. As I watched a recording of the virulent act, an impassive policeman using his knee and his body weight to slowly compress and crush the neck of Mr  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, July 30 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Following years of work developing diagnostics for infectious diseases including malaria, tuberculosis, dengue, chikungunya and zika, Nicholas Adams and Mindy Leelawong, both research assistant professors in the biomedical engineering laboratory headed by Rick Haselton, have developed a streamlined diagnostic approach for COVID-19 that renders RNA extraction - a bottleneck in the diagnostic process - unnecessary.   more