‘autism’
New faculty Maizie Zhou: Unlocking genetic disorders through Big Data
Dec. 1, 2020—While studying prefrontal cortex development in adolescents, neuroscientist Maizie Zhou came to a realization that would dramatically alter her career path. Seeing how widespread autism was, but how few answers the scientific community had for those affected by it, she decided a different approach—one that is more data-driven and computational—was needed to understand the disorder....
Vanderbilt leads $5 million project to revolutionize neurodiverse employment through AI
Sep. 10, 2020—NSF grant aligns with school’s Inclusion Engineering focus The National Science Foundation has awarded a highly competitive $5 million grant to Vanderbilt University that greatly expands a School of Engineering-led project for creating novel AI technology and tools and platforms that train and support individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the workplace. The significant federal...
Film Detective helps kids with autism interpret actors’ actions
Jan. 27, 2020— Elementary school teachers seemed particularly excited about Film Detective, a game to help adolescents on the autism spectrum learn to decode social scenarios, at the 7th annual ED Games Expo Jan. 9 in Washington, D.C. “They liked how engaging the game is, using television and movie clips as our instructional content,” said Maithilee Kunda,...
Vanderbilt University launches the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation
Nov. 8, 2018—A $10 million gift from alumna Jennifer R. Frist, BS’93, and husband William R. “Billy” Frist will endow a new center focused on supporting and developing the neurodiverse talents of individuals with autism at Vanderbilt University’s School of Engineering. The contribution continues the work of a Trans-Institutional Programs (TIPs) initiative launched last October with seed...
Autism & Innovation center to help people with ASD find meaningful work
Oct. 16, 2017—A new Vanderbilt center that includes the dean of the School of Engineering aims to create a model pipeline to assist adults on the autism spectrum find meaningful and gainful employment while enhancing local business innovation. The Center for Autism & Innovation (VCAI) brings together academic researchers, educators, employers, philanthropists and community organizers to address one of...
Chambers entrepreneurial speaker stresses customer and clinical validation
Sep. 30, 2017—Ayanna Howard is an internationally known roboticist, holds an endowed chair at Georgia Institute of Technology, and spent 12 years as a senior researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. An innovator with a proven track record, Howard nonetheless knew she had much to learn in making the leap to entrepreneur. And she’s still learning. Howard,...
Vanderbilt’s Kunda named to MIT’s ‘Innovators Under 35’ list
Aug. 23, 2016—For her work in the software field, Vanderbilt University computer science professor Maithilee Kunda has been recognized as a visionary on the MIT Technology Review annual list of Innovators Under 35 released today. The global media company recognizes exceptionally talented technologists whose work has great potential to transform the world. This list has been published...
Professor Sarkar featured in National Geographic article on new generation of robots
Jul. 28, 2011—Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering is featured in an article “Us. And them. Robots are being created that can think, act, and relate to humans. Are we ready?” that appeared in the August 2011 issue of National Geographic. [Other robots are making tentative forays into the treacherous terrain of human mental states and emotions. Nilanjan...