School News Items

High School Student Research Poster Session

Ten School for Science and Math seniors and 19 Research Internship Program (RIP) students will present their summer research at two poster sessions on July 10, 2008.

The poster sessions will run from 9:30 to 10:45 am and 11:00 am to 12:15 pm in the north lobby of Light Hall.

We encourage everyone to stop by and witness the extraordinary work that these students -- the next generation of research scientists -- have produced.

See a related article in The Reporter from June 27, 2008

Posted: June 30, 2008

Three Seniors Win at the 2008 Tennessee Junior Academy of Sciences

Our senior class recently attended the Tennessee Junior Academy of Sciences (TN JAS) meeting, held at Belmont University.

Twenty-two papers were presented from students across Tennessee. Three School students presented research papers from projects completed during internships in Vanderbilt University labs.

Awards were given to the top 7 papers, with two $500 prizes and five $200 prizes. School students Natalie Christian, Natalie Darar, and Runbin Dong each won a $200 prize.

Their research papers will be published in the annual Handbook and Transactions of the Tennessee Junior Academy of Science, published each fall and distributed to all high schools in Tennessee.

Congratulations, students!

Posted: April 30, 2008

School Hosts Information Sessions for Incoming Students

On Thursday, April 24, freshmen and seniors who have received acceptance letters or a notice that they are on the waiting list for the School are invited to information sessions to learn more about the School.

Find out more about the information sessions.

Posted: April 23, 2008

School for Science and Math Seniors Present at the Tennessee Junior Academy of Sciences

On April 18, the School for Science and Math senior class attended the 66^th annual TN Junior Academy of Sciences Symposium, held at Belmont University. In addition, four School students were chosen to present their senior research project at the symposium. These students were selected from over 100 submissions and were chosen based on their written research report. Natalie Christian, Natalie Darar, Runbin Dong, and Cheng Zhang were each invited to give a 10-minute presentation to the audience which included their classmates, fellow students from across the state, parents, teachers, and judges from the TN Academy of Sciences. This event was a valuable experience and the School for Science and Math was grateful for the opportunity to participate.

Posted: April 21, 2008

Local News Station Profiles the School

Nashville's News Channel 5 (WTVF) highlighted the School for Science and Math on its March 10 evening newscast and website.

See the story, along with a video, on NewsChannel5.com.

Posted: March 10, 2008

RIP and Senior Applications Now Available

For more information about applying to the School for Science and Math, please click here.

For more information about applying to RIP, please click here.

The application deadline for both programs is March 7, 2008.

Posted: February 4, 2008

School for Science & Math Website and Applications Available

The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt debuted its new website design and released applications for its 2008-'09 freshman class today at http://theschool.vanderbilt.edu/. The website will continue to grow in the coming months as student projects and events from the current school year continue with 24 freshmen and 8 seniors enrolled in the School's inaugural year.

Applications for next year's freshman class will be accepted through 5:00pm on February 8. Applications for current high school juniors being released in mid-February along with the Center for Science Outreach's other summer program for rising high school seniors, the Research Internship Program (RIP).

Posted: January 11, 2008

School for Science and Math Hosts Nobel Prize Winner

On December 3, students of the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt hosted Nobel Prize winner Dr. Stanley Cohen. Dr. Cohen won the 1986 Nobel Prize for his work with Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini in discovering nerve and epidermal cell growth factors. He came to Vanderbilt University in 1959 as an Assistant Professor in the Biochemistry Department where he explored the chemistry and biology of epidermal growth factor (EGF).

The School students, instructors and staff also hosted a banquet luncheon for Dr. Cohen where they had the opportunity to discuss his influential work and receive his advice to, "find what you love and do that."

Posted: December 5, 2007

Parent Night - Thursday, December 6, 2007

School for Science and Math parent night will be held from 6:30 - 8:00 pm in 208 Light Hall. Parking is available at meters on 24th Avenue in front of the VA Hospital and in the Medical Center East garage.

Please call 322-7132 or email amanda.dixon@vanderbilt.edu if you have questions.

Posted: December 4, 2007

Water, Water Everywhere

Freshmen at the School for Science and Math have been thinking about water and, as they do each Monday, asking questions: What does water look like? Where does it come from? Where does it go? What can it tell us about the past?

From a string of articles by the Tennessean, students learned that millions of gallons of water is "lost" through leaks in the middle Tennessee water distribution system. Students brainstormed ideas for improving leak detection throughout the system, and then held a class vote to determine the best idea. The class then visited and got a first-hand look at Nashville’s wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities. During the wastewater plant visit, the student who had generated the winning (by a landslide) leak detection method, presented her idea to Metro Water Services representative Sonia Harvat.

Looking at water as a link to the past, Vanderbilt researcher Dr. Molly Miller shared stories from her numerous voyages to the Antarctic Ice Shelves including the recently discovered underground lakes below the shelves. Students witnessed an ice core sample through videoconferencing with Mark Twickler of the National Ice Core Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire prompting some students to begin planning their expedition to Antarctica!

Students have begun their semester project using Wisconsin Fast Plants to discover what happens when plants are exposed to caffeine, the most common drug found in water bodies, due to the incomplete breakdown in the wastewater treatment process. Stay tuned for the results-which could make us think twice before ordering that next frappuccino!

Posted: October 25, 2007

School for Science and Math Senior Named Semi-Finalist in Siemens-Westinghouse Science Competition

Uyen, a senior at the School for Science and Math, is one of 7 semi-finalists chosen from Tennessee in the Siemens-Westinghouse Science Competition. Eight seniors from the School for Science and Math entered the competition which is held annually and is open to high school students. Five regional finalists were chosen from Tennessee and will go on to compete for the national finals. School for Science and Math seniors have the opportunity to enter their projects in two additional science competitions, Intel and the Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair.

Congratulations Uyen!

Posted: October 22, 2007

Students Conduct River Survey

On a recent Monday, freshman students of the School for Science and Math conducted a survey of water quality in the Little Harpeth River. Students learned how to use Global Positioning System devices to map their coordinates. They also collected water quality sample data and they identified species living in the river. The students used the data they collected to assess the water quality and overall "health" of the river.

Posted: October 9, 2007

What is this thing called science?

Is DNA the secret to the mysteries of life? Is your water safe to drink? Does your brain have potential?

These are a few of the questions that freshman students at the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt tackle weekly. Every Monday, 25 students are immersed in the rich and dynamic scientific research environment of Vanderbilt University. From the study of neurons using glow worms in Dr. David Miller's laboratory, to the study of speciation in beetles in Dr. Daniel Funk's laboratory, to research tools like rapid speed DNA sequencing; the School opens the door to real world science for these bright young high school students. On a recent Monday, students extracted DNA from fruit and watched it separate through gel electrophoresis. On October 1, the class will venture to Nashville's Warner Parks where they will wade through the Little Harpeth River while performing a stream survey to study water quality, species diversity, and to ponder the question, are there too many roads?

Each class day, instructors Dr. Angela Eeds, Dr. Kimberlie McCue and Dr.Chris Vanags present students with a question. The students are encouraged to ask more questions and dialogue with each other and their instructors to dig deeper into the mysteries of science and the natural world.

The eight members of the senior class are preparing to enter their independent research projects into the Siemens Westinghouse, Intel and Middle Tennessee Science and Technology science competitions.

As fall approaches, the School is bustling with excitement and activity.

Posted: September 21, 2007

The School in "Eye on the LSI"

The Learning Sciences Institute (LSI) is a Vanderbilt University-wide center dedicated to stimulating and supporting interdisciplinary research and development in the learning sciences. Through that work, the LSI seeks to improve education while developing a new generation of tomorrow's leaders.

With over $80 million in external support, the LSI's 100+ investigators are currently exploring a wide variety of topics such as conceptual and cultural change, the achievement gap, education leadership assessment, embodied mathematical cognition, teacher professional development, the role of culture in learning, and more.

The summer 2007 edition of the LSI's newsletter, "Eye on the LSI," featured an article introducing the School for Science and Math to the LSI investigators and to other community members. Read the article online or download a PDF copy of the whole newsletter.

Posted: September 1, 2007

The School’s New Web Address

Just in time for the start of the school year, the School for Science and Math has a new web address, http://theschool.vanderbilt.edu/. We hope the address lets our new students, their families, and the community understand how highly Vanderbilt University views their work and dedication to this new partnership with Metro Nashville Public Schools.

Posted: August 17, 2007

School for Science and Math Freshman Orientation

The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt has kicked off its inaugural year with the first freshman class attending orientation today. Students and their parents were introduced to members of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Vice Chancellor Dr. Harry Jacobson, School of Medicine Dean Dr. Steven Gabbe, and Associate Vice Chancellor Dr. Jeffrey Balser), members of Metro Nashville Public Schools (Director of Schools Dr. Pedro Garcia, School Board Chair Marsha Warden, and Executive Director of PreK-12 Administrative Services Jim Overstreet), the Nashville Alliance for Public Education's Executive Director Pam Garrett, and the Vanderbilt Center for Science Outreach's Director Dr. Virginia Shepherd. Students were also able to meet Dr. Glenn McCombs, the School's director, and faculty members Drs. Angela Eeds, Kimberlie McCue, and Chris Vanags.

Following the program, students were issued identification cards from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and activated their network credentials and email addresses.

Posted: August 2, 2007

Student Research Symposium

This summer, 31 rising 12th grade students have participated in summer research internships sponsored by the Center for Science Outreach and the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt. These science internships will culminate with a research symposium on July 19 where each student will present a poster detailing his or her project.

We look forward to your joining us for this fantastic event!

Schedule

9:30 a.m. - MRB-III Breezeway
Group 1 Posters

11:00 a.m. - MRB-III Breezeway
Group 2 Posters

Noon - MRB-III Breezeway & 1220 MRB-III
Lunch

1:00 p.m. - 1220 MRB-III
Introduction: VUMC Vice-Chancellor Harry Jacobson, MD
Keynote: Kennedy Center Director Pat Levitt, Ph.D.

1:45 p.m. - 1220 MRB-III
Final remarks, awards, recognitions

2:00 p.m. - MRB-III Breezeway
Thank you: School of Medicine Dean Steve Gabbe, MD
Reception for students, parents, PIs, and lab staff

Posted: July 9, 2007

School for Science and Math Applications Available

Current 8th and 11th grade students that attend a school in the Metro Nashville Public Schools district are eligible to apply to the School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt.

Rising freshmen will attend an orientation session in the summer. Rising juniors will participate in an eight week Senior Research Project on Vanderbilt’s campus during the summer. Both grades will attend the school, on Vanderbilt’s campus with transportation from their home school, one day per week during the school year beginning in August.

Applications and more information are available on the school's website.

Posted: February 21, 2007

The Vanderbilt Register Introduces The School for Science and Math at Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilt Register was the first to share the news that Vanderbilt University Medical Center will host a one-day-per-week science and math high school for the brightest public school students in Nashville beginning next fall.

Posted: October 27, 2006