NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 16 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news on Jan. 15: The Austin Graduate School of Theology (AGST) located in Austin, Texas, will merge with Lipscomb University, officials from both institutions announced today. Under the terms of the merger agreement, AGST will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lipscomb. Both institutions have been in existence for more than a century, share a common faith heritage and are accredited by the Southern Association of Coll  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 12 (TNSPer) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Borden Lacy, Edward and Nancy Fody Chair in Pathology and professor of biochemistry and pathology, microbiology and immunology, has been named director of the Vanderbilt Center for Structural Biology. She is taking the reins from Walter Chazin, Chancellor's Chair in Medicine and professor of biochemistry and chemistry, who is stepping down as director at the end of the year after 21 years at the helm. Lac  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 14 -- Christian Brothers University issued the following news: The presentation will feature guest speaker Van Turner Jr., Shelby County Commissioner for District 12, who will discuss the importance of honoring Dr. King's legacy through civic engagement, highlight how the members of the CBU community can join the fight for social and racial justice, and talk about how individuals can make meaningful contributions by getting involved in local organizations in Memphis. It  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 16 -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center's College of Medicine has inducted its inaugural class to the Academy of Master Educators. The academy recognizes and celebrates contributions to education by dedicated physicians and other medical educators. The academy, which was formed in 2019, is being led by Mukta Panda, MD, MACP, FRCP, assistant dean for Medical Student Education an  more

JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee, Jan. 14 (TNSJou) -- East Tennessee State University issued the following news on Jan. 13: Dire wolves were some of the largest and most significant predators of Ice Age North America between 250,000 and 13,000 years ago, but not much is known about the details of their evolution and extinction. It has long been thought that dire wolves were close relatives of the gray wolves that still live in North America today, but a surprising new study published in the journal Natu  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 15 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: Lipscomb University will commemorate MLK Day 2021 with a combination of service and a gathering of diverse community leaders. MLK Joint Day of Service * Monday, Jan. 18 In honor of the legacy and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Lipscomb University will once again join with universities across Nashville for the annual MLK Joint Day of Service on Monday, Jan. 18 from 1-3 p.m. CST. For more than a decade college   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 13 (TNSPer) -- Lipscomb University issued the following news on Jan. 12: The PRSA Foundation, an independent, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion within the communications profession, announced today that it has appointed Aerial Ellis, assistant professor of public relations in Lipscomb University's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, as its president. A rising leader within the communications profession, Ellis is an entre  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 13 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news on Jan. 12: The Lipscomb campus was unusually quiet this spring and summer, but even so construction continued on several key projects designed to bring greater value to university and Lipscomb Academy students this school year. University students are enjoying additional garage parking, a completely renovated residence hall and upgrades in classroom buildings including specialized labs. Academy students at the lowe  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 16 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: Internationally renowned archaeology scholars Dr. Steven Ortiz and Dr. Tom Davis have founded the Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University. The Lanier Center for Archaeology is the first of its kind that is part of a university instead of a seminary setting. The center will offer academic programs and field research projects as well as bring extensive resources and artifacts to Lipscomb University. The   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 15 -- Lipscomb University issued the following news: When KC Holiday received his Bachelor of Science degree in business leadership during December 2020 commencement, it was the culmination of an educational journey that spanned 14 years, thousands of miles and the co-founding of Qalo, the first company to manufacture silicone rings. As a husband and father with a busy professional life, Holiday found Lipscomb Online to help him achieve his goal of finishing his und  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 15 (TNSJou) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt researchers have developed the next generation of ultrafast data transmission that may make it possible to make already high-performance computing "on demand." The technology unjams bottlenecks in data streams using a hybrid silicon-vanadium dioxide waveguide that can turn light on and off in less than one trillionth of a second. The article, "Sub-Picosecond Response Time of a Hybrid VO2: Sil  more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 12 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news on Jan. 11: Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III joined a broad coalition of 48 attorneys general in pushing federal regulators to examine recent progress in their fight against opioid abuse. The bipartisan coalition seeks a progress report regarding recent steps taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to combat the opioid crisis, given the new authorities Congress granted the agency  more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 14 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news on Jan. 13: Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, in sending a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen condemning the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and stating such actions cannot be allowed to go unchecked. "What occurred January 6th was an assault on the very foundation of our republic.  more

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 12 -- Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery III issued the following news: Attorney General Herbert H. Slatery III, along with the attorneys general of 27 states, has entered into a settlement with Sabre Corporation that resolves an investigation into the 2017 data breach of Sabre Hospitality Solutions' hotel booking system. The breach exposed the data of approximately 1.3 million credit cards. The settlement requires a payment of $2.4 million, of which the State of   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 15 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced special session legislation addressing K-12 student learning loss and the adverse effects on Tennessee students' proficiency in reading and math after extended time away from the classroom due to COVID-19. "COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of education and we are on the cusp of severe consequences for our students if we don't act now," said Gov. Lee. "Data suggests t  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 13 -- Gov. Bill Lee, R-Tennessee, issued the following news: Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announced appointments to judicial positions across the state. "I am proud to announce the appointment of these highly qualified individuals, and I value the experience they will bring to their respective judicial districts," said Gov. Lee. "I'm confident they will serve Tennessee with integrity." The following Tennesseans have been appointed: * Judge Jill Ayers - Court of Crim  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 12 -- The Tennessee Department of Education issued the following news release: Governor's Early Literacy Foundation (GELF), in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), announced a statewide rollout of Ready4K, a research-based text messaging program to help parents support their students in learning at home. This marks the largest statewide rollout of the Ready4K program to date and this resource is being made available for free to Tennessee scho  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 14 -- Tennessee State University issued the following news: Tennessee State University is partnering with Propel Center, a new global campus headquartered in Atlanta that will support innovative learning and development for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide. TSU will collaborate with Propel Center and the entire HBCU community to bring leadership and career development programming to its students. For the past two years, TSU has been wor  more

COOKEVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 15 (TNSRes) -- Tennessee Technological University issued the following news release: The College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech is considered to be not only a place for those hungry for knowledge, but also a place for those who enjoy a family atmosphere. Charles Van Neste, an assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, has seen this demonstrated first-hand as a student and as a member of the engineering faculty. "The program here is really solid,"  more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, Jan. 13 -- Chattanooga State Community College issued the following news release: Assistant Professor of Journalism Angela McClister along with Registered Nursing program Instructors Ashely Thiers and Brittany Williams were recently named 2020-21 Faculty Chairs of Excellence by Chattanooga State Community College. Angela McClister is an assistant professor of journalism in the Business Division's Digital Media Design and Production program. Her primary teaching duties i  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 14 (TNSPer) -- Trevecca Nazarene University issued the following news: For Mollie Yoder, it was the chance to return to a Christian university that first piqued her interest in Trevecca. "I am passionate about Christian education," Yoder said. "I'm excited to be a part of an institution that launches Christ-followers into the world as servant leaders. I deeply value the role Christian education has played in my life and am looking forward to helping more students exp  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 12 -- The University of Memphis issued the following news release: After a nearly two-year process, the UMRF Research Park at the University of Memphis has received the "Soft Landings" designation from the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA). InBIA is a global non-profit with more than 1,200 members who lead entrepreneurship support organizations in 30 countries. InBIA provides industry best practices through education while enabling collaboration, me  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 13 (TNSPer) -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: Bruce L. Keisling, PhD, executive director for Developmental Disabilities at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been named a 2021 Fellow of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD). He will be recognized during the organization's 145th Annual Meeting in Jacksonville, Florida, in June. Dr. Keisling also holds the Shainberg  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 12 (TNSGra) -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: Karen Derefinko, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and the Department of Pharmacology, Addiction Science, and Toxicology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), has received a $201,631 grant to study ways to reduce the stigma those in the African American community face when seeking treatment for opioid use disorder. The gran  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 15 (TNSAwa) -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news on Jan. 14: The Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center today recognized honorees of its inaugural Social Justice Awards. Tiffinie Snowden, UTHSC OED Inclusion Strategist, hosted the virtual ceremony which recognized UTHSC students, residents, and fellows whose actions demonstrate the importance of social justice activism and equi  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 16 (TNSRes) -- The University of Tennessee Health Science Center issued the following news: Finding better treatment options for glioblastoma is personal for Lawrence Pfeffer, PhD, the Muirhead Professor in the Department of Pathology in the College of Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He became interested in the brain cancer, when a friend and former colleague passed away suddenly from the disease. Since then, he has dedicated more than 30   more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, Jan. 13 (TNSPer) -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release: Daniel Loveless, UC Foundation associate professor of electrical engineering at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, has been chosen to serve as an associate editor on the Transactions on Nuclear Science (TNS) publication from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). "It is my honor to have been selected and to serve as an associate editor   more

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee, Jan. 12 -- The University of Tennessee's Chattanooga Campus issued the following news release: Almost a year of writing, reviewing and rewriting complex mathematical equations on techniques for testing electrical power networks. Then nine months of writing, reviewing and rewriting a research paper on techniques for testing electrical power networks, getting the paper ready for publication. Three weeks after publication in a major scholarly journal, an email arrives fro  more

MARTIN, Tennessee, Jan. 15 -- The University of Tennessee's Martin Campus issued the following news release: The University of Tennessee at Martin has received a $150,000 pledge by John Clark, a 1975 UT Martin alumnus and the interim director of the UT Martin Horace and Sara Dunagan Chair of Excellence in Banking, and his wife, Janie, to support the new Beef Cattle Research Facility. The state-of-the-art Beef Cattle Research Facility will be the first of its kind in Tennessee and will provide   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 16 (TNSPer) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanessa Beasley, vice provost for academic affairs and dean of residential faculty, has been named president-elect of the Rhetoric Society of America. She will begin her term as president of the scholarly association in July 2022. As president, Beasley will serve as the presiding officer of the organization's board of directors and as representative of the society. The purpose of the RSA is to identify n  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 13 (TNSJou) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Vanderbilt researchers have discovered a unique pathway that initiates islet Beta cell inflammation--a hallmark of type 2 diabetes--putting them a step closer to developing targeted therapeutics for the disease that affects one in 10 Americans. The article, "RIPK3-mediated inflammation is a conserved Beta-cell response to ER stress" was published in the journal Science Advances on Dec. 18. Type 2 diabe  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 16 -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news on Jan. 15: The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy debuted an exclusive conversation series last night, featuring a tone-setting discussion on the redemptive power of reason and evidence in American politics with former Vice President Al Gore and presidential historian Jon Meacham. Following the dialogue with Gore, Meacham welcomed Condoleezza Rice, the 66th Secretary of State, to the project's fir  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 8 (TNSRes) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: The Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative will host award-winning British science journalist and author Angela Saini in a virtual discussion to discuss her best-selling book Superior: The Return of Race Science on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at 3:10 p.m. CT. The goal of this event is to celebrate Martin Luther King Day with an open and inclusive discussion on issues of race in science. The event is free and  more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 12 (TNSJou) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news: Advances in big data technology and digital analytics are transforming the field of archaeology, generating new discoveries and conclusions about ancient civilizations. In February 2020, the Journal of Field Archaeology devoted a special edition to the impact of large data and emerging approaches to computational and spatial archaeology. When combined with the traditional "pick and trowel" approaches to   more

NASHVILLE, Tennessee, Jan. 14 (TNSJou) -- Vanderbilt University issued the following news on Jan. 13: Vanderbilt astrophysicists, led by Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy Stephen Taylor, are part of a group of researchers that may have found the first hints of low-frequency gravitational waves from supermassive black holes merging in other galaxies. The data was gathered and analyzed within the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. The paper, "The NANOGrav 12  more

GALLATIN, Tennessee, Jan. 14 (TNSPer) -- Volunteer State Community College issued the following news release: Erin Mann is the new dean of Humanities at Volunteer State Community College. She comes most recently from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, where she was associate provost of Academic Operations. The Humanities Division is the largest academic area at Vol State, encompassing eight departments ranging from English to Entertainment Media Production. "I'd been looking for a  more

MEMPHIS, Tennessee, Jan. 12 (TNSPer) -- Rhodes College issued the following news: Rhodes College President Marjorie Hass has announced J. Carey Thompson, vice president for enrollment and communications, will leave the college in May to become vice president of enrollment and educational services at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. "Carey has done incredible work over the past decade. Under his leadership, Rhodes has seen increases in the number of applications and enhanced the selectivity,  more