‘neurodiversity’
Vanderbilt researchers seeking to aid neurodiverse adults receive prestigious National Science Foundation CIVIC Stage 2 Award
Sep. 22, 2023—Two Vanderbilt researchers are part of a team that earned a $1 million grant to develop AI-based training that will help neurodiverse people learn to drive—addressing a huge obstacle for that population. “The ability to drive will open up new opportunities for employment and a life of independence for many neurodiverse individuals,” said Nilanjan Sarkar,...
Vanderbilt’s Frist Center for Autism & Innovation wins NSF grant to support neurodiverse engineering students in their education, careers
Aug. 4, 2022—The Vanderbilt School of Engineering’s Frist Center for Autism & Innovation, working in partnership with Fisk University, has won a $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to create a system of programs to support neurodiverse students in engineering majors and careers. The Autism Self-advocacy Center for Equity and Neurodiversity in Engineering (A-SCENE) at...
Frist Center for Autism and Innovation receives 2021 Edward M. Kennedy Community Service Award
Sep. 15, 2021—Frist Center grand opening (John Russell) By Marissa Shapiro The American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity announced that the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation will receive the Edward M. Kennedy Community Service Award at the association’s annual awards ceremony in October. The Edward M. Kennedy Award is presented to an individual or organization...
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 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...