‘Frist Center for Autism and Innovation’
NISE graduate trainee program now accepting applications
Apr. 29, 2021—Applications are now open for the Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering (NISE) graduate trainee program. The deadline to apply is June 15. Sponsored by an NSF Research Traineeship grant, the NISE program takes a novel approach to the training of engineers and scientists engaged in advancing the future of work at the human technology frontier...
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...
TEDx Talk highlights Frist Center for Autism and Innovation work
Jan. 9, 2020—This past November, Frist Center for Autism and Innovation communications coordinator Claire Barnett spoke at TEDxVanderbilt about autistic employment. Her talk, titled “Why autistic unemployment is so high – and what we can do about it,” explores several reasons that autistic adults struggle to obtain meaningful work. Barnett also discusses the steps that both businesses...
Vanderbilt engineers lead $1 million NSF pilot to develop tech for workforce inclusion of people with autism
Oct. 11, 2019—A Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professor is leading an ambitious pilot project that will develop prototypes of new, AI-based technology and tools to train, connect and support people with autism spectrum disorders in finding jobs and succeeding in the workforce. The multi-university, multi-disciplinary team is at the forefront of a new NSF program that aims to...
$3 million NSF grant sets up graduate trainee program for autism-related workplace innovations
Sep. 12, 2019—Vanderbilt University will train a new generation of engineers and scientists to develop innovations that connect 21st-century workforce needs to the talents and abilities of neurodiverse individuals, such as those living along the autism spectrum. A $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation will establish a first-of-its-kind graduate traineeship program called Neurodiversity Inspired Science...
Vanderbilt celebrates opening of Frist Center for Autism and Innovation
Jul. 29, 2019—The ribbon-cutting of the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation with (l to r) Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affair Susan R. Wente, Bruce and Bridgitt Evans Dean of Engineering Philippe Fauchet, Jennifer R. Frist, BS’93, William R. “Billy” Frist, Frist Center for Autism & Innovation Director Keivan Stassun, Daria Mulkey and John Mulkey....
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...