Neurodiversity

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. Nilanjan Sarkar “The ability to drive will open up new opportunities for employment and a life of independence… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

Left, Nilanjan Sarkar, professor of mechanical engineering, is the lead investigator on a significant new NSF convergence grant. He, Joshua Wade, a senior staff research scientist, Michael Breen, an intern on the project, and Claire Barnett, communications coordinator at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, work an interactive prototype,… Read More

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… Read More

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)… Read More