SAN LUIS OBISPO, California, Sept. 25 (TNSJou) -- California Polytechnic State University issued the following news release: When the roads emptied of traffic in March and April because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bay Area residents reported hearing more birds. They were halfway right. Jennifer Phillips, a researcher at Cal Poly, and Elizabeth Derryberry, a professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, collaborated with a team of fellow ecologists to evaluate whether and how songbirds r  more

DYERSBURG, Tennessee, Sept. 25 (TNSPer) -- Dyersburg State Community College issued the following news release: Dyersburg State Community College (DSCC) President Karen Bowyer has announced the appointment of Dr. Joshua Filtz as the new assistant vice president for the College in addition to his current duties as dean of the DSCC Jimmy Naifeh Center at Tipton County. This appointment will be effective October 1. "Dr. Filtz brings a wealth of experience in the area of enrollment services and re  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 26 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: The Center for Business as Mission in the Lipscomb University College of Business will host its second BAM323 Conference on Thursday, Oct. 1. The event features an all-star lineup of industry veterans who will equip and inspire the community of Nashville and beyond. The 2020 BAM323 conference is a virtual, half-day conference for those who desire to create sustainable impact and live out faith through their vocat  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 23 (TNSRes) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: From a range of political conspiracy theories to COVID-19 cures, we are living in a time of significant misinformation. Increasingly, people appear willing to live by "facts" that best suit their own viewpoints, making it difficult to determine what's true and what's false. Lisa Fazio, assistant professor of psychology and human development at Peabody College, studies how people learn new information, a  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sept. 24 -- Rhodes College issued the following remarks by President Marjorie Hass at Memphis Memorial for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: I am grateful to the organizers of this even for inviting me to make remarks. And I am honored to share the stage with such talented Memphians. In 1959, Justice Ginsburg was 26 years old. She had just graduated first in her class from law school. She had stellar accomplishments and the highest recommendations. Nonetheless, she couldn't find  more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, Sept. 22 -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release: Melissa Mueller doesn't make a big fuss out of being the first female president of the SMILE Fund in the Gary W. Rollins College of Business. "I've always been one of the guys," she said. "Being president means a lot, but I didn't see it as a hurdle to jump over." Ask her about potentially being known as the fund's top-performing president, though, and a huge smile appears.   more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 25 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news: Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III joined a bipartisan coalition of 31 states filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit to support states' authority to enforce price gouging regulations to protect consumers during emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition is urging the appellate court to overturn the district court's decision in Online Merch  more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 26 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news on Sept. 25: The Tennessee Attorney General's Office and the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance announced today that they are participating in a consolidated nationwide enforcement action to disrupt a fraudulent precious metals scheme that has solicited more than $185 million from seniors and other investors across the United States. This week, the Tennessee Attorney General's Offic  more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 25 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news on Sept. 24: Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III today announced a settlement by 48 states and the District of Columbia with C.R. Bard, Inc. and its parent company Becton, Dickinson and Company requiring payment of $60 million for the deceptive marketing of transvaginal surgical mesh devices. Surgical mesh is a synthetic material implanted to support the pelvic organs of women who suffer   more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 24 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news: Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III has secured an agreement to obtain nearly $15 million in loan forgiveness on 2,068 loans for former ITT Tech students in Tennessee. The agreement is part of a settlement with 43 attorneys general and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Nationally, the settlement will result in debt relief of about $330 million on about 43,000 loans. The   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 24 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news on Sept. 23: In advance of national Hunting & Fishing Day on Saturday, September 26, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee today signed Executive Order No. 62 establishing the Asian Carp Advisory Commission to study and provide advice regarding the best methods for mitigating the invasion of Asian carp into the state's lakes and river systems. "Tennessee's lakes and rivers are a critical feature of our state's econom  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 22 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following joint news on Sept. 21: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) today announced Coronavirus Agricultural and Forestry Business (CAFB) Fund awards to farm and forestry businesses. TDA established the CAFB Fund with CARES Act resources to help ensure stability of the food supply chain and agribusiness economy during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Just like all sectors of our economy,  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 26 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news on Sept. 25: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee today announced a 5-day extension for eligible small businesses to certify for the Tennessee Business Relief Program (TBRP). "We want to ensure this relief makes it to as many small businesses as possible who are hurting from the impacts of the pandemic," said Gov. Lee. "I encourage every eligible business to certify and take advantage of these no-cost funds." Accor  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 24 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news on Sept. 23: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee Department of Education today released estimated data regarding learning loss for Tennessee students resulting from COVID-19 school closures through the summer months. Preliminary data projects an estimated 50% decrease in proficiency rates in 3rd grade reading and a projected 65% decrease in proficiency in math. "This data highlights the immense ch  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 24 -- Tennessee State University issued the following news: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have stood a little over five feet, but those remembering her say she was a giant on the nation's highest court, and her influence will be felt for generations. Tennessee State University joined the country in mourning her death. "If ever there was a crusader for justice, she was that, and more," said TSU President Glenda Glover. "Early on in her legal professi  more

COOKEVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 22 (TNSRes) -- Tennessee Technological University issued the following news release: A recent study published in the journal Sedimentology by Tennessee Tech Earth Sciences assistant professor Lauren Michel and an international team of collaborators has important implications for how scientists think about the environments that early apes inhabited. Michel and the team have been working on Rusinga Island in Kenya, a prominent site for research on early apes, for nea  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 24 -- The Tennessee Democratic Party issued the following statement on Sept. 23 by Chair Civil Miller Watkins: * * * TNDP Black Caucus Chair Civil Miller Watkins Issued the Following Statement in Response to the Kentucky Justice Department's Decision to Not Convict Breonna Taylor's Murderers. "Today, the Kentucky Department of Justice announced its position on the murder of the Breonna Taylor. As has been true in the aftermath of so many of these police killings, t  more

JACKSON, Tennessee, Sept. 23 (TNSRac) -- Union University issued the following news release: The basic definition of equality has not changed much in America's history -- the idea is the uniform treatment of individuals -- but the country has not always treated its citizens equally, said Sean Evans, professor of political science at Union University. In light of recent national issues of racial justice, Evans examined the role of race in the development of constitutional law in his Constitutio  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sept. 25 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news on Sept. 24: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and Regional One Health today are announcing that they are partnering on a clinical trial program including two late-stage clinical trials evaluating Regeneron's REGN-COV2, the company's investigational two-antibody cocktail for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Leading the efforts are John Jefferies, MD, MPH, FAAP, F  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sept. 24 (TNSPer) -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: Third-year UTHSC College of Dentistry student Sonali Demla thinks training during the pandemic will make her a better dentist in the future. "As third-year dentistry students, we have been given the green light to begin seeing our own patients, and getting to experience that has been amazing," Demla said. "There have been lots of changes in the clinic and changes in dentistry,   more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sept. 24 (TNSGra) -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: Salvatore Mancarella, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Physiology in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, was recently awarded $1.52 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to support his investigations into the molecular-level causes of cardiac muscle deterioration. One of the most common types of heart disease  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Sept. 22 (TNSAwa) -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: The Tennessee Occupational Therapy Association has recognized Stephanie Lancaster, EdD, OTR/L, ATP, CAPS, program director for the UTHSC Department of Occupational Therapy, with a 2020 Excellence in Education Award. Dr. Lancaster is one of two educators in Tennessee recognized with the distinction, which is based on student nominations. "It's such an honor to have received this  more

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 22 (TNSPer) -- The University of Tennessee's Institute of Agriculture issued the following news release: The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture welcomes Janet Fox as assistant dean of UT Extension and head of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Fox is currently serving as head of the Louisiana 4-H Youth Development Program, which serves more than 200,000 youth annually with award-winning, experiential programs. Fox has almost fifteen years  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 26 (TNSJou) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt University biologists are testing the theoretical understanding of "cheating" and "cooperative" behavior in mitochondria--the organelles that generate cellular energy--with findings that provide new evolutionary insights into why selfishness and cooperation can coexist among populations. Maulik Patel and Ann Tate, both assistant professors of biological sciences, along with lead author and Ph  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 23 (TNSGra) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt researchers have been awarded a National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator 2020 Cohort Phase 1 grant to create a standardized platform that will streamline the development, testing and dissemination of technology that can improve human health. The nine-month project, "Scalable, Traceable AI for Imaging Translation: Innovation to Implementation for Accelerated Impact (STRAIT I3)," loo  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 23 (TNSRes) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news on Sept. 22: Vanderbilt engineers are leading the academic component of a massive Microsoft project that combines robotics, genomics, big data collection--and mosquitos--to monitor the environment and detect potential pandemics and other threats before they cause widespread outbreaks. Microsoft announced today expansion of its PREMONITION program and a large-scale pilot test in the Houston area. The Vand  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 24 (TNSPer) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Linda D. Norman, dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and the Valere Potter Menefee Professor of Nursing, announced she will step down from the position June 30, 2021. A transformational leader, Norman has served as dean since 2013 and spent nearly 30 years in various academic and administrative roles at Vanderbilt. Most recently, she has played a key role in formulating and implementing   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 26 (TNSAwa) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips, BS'67, is being honored with a lifetime achievement award from the National Organization for the Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers. Phillips, the first African American woman to receive an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt, is a 2020 recipient of NOBCChE's Lifetime Service Award. She will receive the award on Sept. 25 during the organization's virtua  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 24 (TNSAwa) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The practitioner advisor to the School of Engineering's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers is the recipient of the inaugural Richard H. Nettleton Outstanding Practitioner Advisor Award. Ashley T. Smith is the first recipient of the Nettleton award for outstanding advisors throughout ASCE nationally and internationally. The award was renamed in 2019 to honor Nettleton. The practitioner ad  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Sept. 26 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news on Sept. 25: In a regional webinar today, Kelvin Droegemeier, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, urged researchers to be aware of the pervasive threat by some foreign governments to the United States. The talk, "Enhancing the Security and Integrity of America's Research Enterprise," hosted by the University of Tennessee System and Vanderbilt University, was supported by the Natio  more