Virginia Innovation Partnership Awards $800,000 to University Research Projects
Office of the VP for Research
A statewide network designed to accelerate innovation and economic growth has awarded $800,000 to 18 university research projects in Virginia. The Virginia Innovation Partnership, created in 2012 as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s i6 Challenge, provides funding that allows university researchers to advance early-stage work through  the “proof of concept” stage, in which they establish its commercial potential. The program also connects researchers with mentors, corporations and investors to accelerate commercialization of the new discoveries and inventions. It is the only statewide innovation network in the U.S. and serves as a model for other states. CONTINUE READING

Editing Your Life's Stories Can Create Happier Endings
College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Psychologist Tim Wilson has been studying how small changes in a person's own stories and memories can help with emotional health. He calls the process "story editing." And he says that small tweaks in the interpretation of life events can reap huge benefits. CONTINUE READING

Going Mental: Architecture Professor Researches Everyday Travel and the Cognitive Map
School of Architecture
In a recent study, a new School of Architecture faculty member has found that a person’s mental map of city routes and methods of travel are linked in important ways that shape access to urban opportunities. CONTINUE READING

Drug Could Preserve Transplant Lungs
School of Medicine
Lung transplants are exceedingly difficult to pull off. Once a donor dies, doctors typically have between six and eight hours to perform the transplant. Many of the lungs expire before then, said microbiologist Victor Laubach. But Laubach and a team of researchers believe they can change that with the development of a new drug. CONTINUE READING

Engineering Professor Puts New Materials to Extreme Tests
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Elizabeth Opila is subjecting the building blocks of new jet engines to supersonic winds, water vapors and temperatures as high as 2,000 degrees Celsius. CONTINUE READING

The Top Ten Brain Science And Psychology Studies Of 2013
College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
No. 2. To Your Brain, Me is We: A 2013 study supports a finding that’s been gaining science-fueled momentum in recent years: the human brain is wired to connect with others so strongly that it experiences what they experience as if it’s happening to us. CONTINUE READING

Early Start to Weight Gain Tied to Later Heart Risks
School of Medicine
Kids who start rapidly gaining weight early in childhood are more likely to have higher blood pressure and other signs of future heart trouble as preteens, a new study suggests. "There's a natural tendency early in life for children to thin out as they grow taller and gain stature faster than they gain weight," Dr. Mark D. DeBoer said. CONTINUE READING

Dr. James Coan – The Human Brain and Empathy
College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
James Coan is an associate professor of clinical psychology and Director of the Virginia Affective Neuroscience Laboratory. His research examines the neural systems supporting social forms of emotion regulation. His work has appeared in numerous peer-reviewed journals and been featured in the popular press. He reveals evidence that our brains are wired for empathy. CONTINUE READING

Study: State Slow to Fix Practices for Suspect Lineups
School of Law
In 13 of 16 high-profile DNA exonerations in Virginia, eyewitness misidentifications were involved, according to a professor’s research. Brandon Garrett, who teaches at the School of Law, has concluded in a recent report that “institutional inertia, and not policy choices, explain the slow pace of adoption of best practices” statewide. CONTINUE READING

Brain Research Named a Top Discovery
School of Medicine
A group of researchers has been named to the number 4 spot on the 2013 list of Top Discoveries and Breakthroughs, compiled by the National Institute of Mental Health. Researchers there have determined that the makeup of the cells and neurons in the brain is different than originally thought. They've also learned the brain is even more different from other organs. CONTINUE READING

Why Were Early Galaxies So Dusty? Exploding Stars May Hold Clues
College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
New views from a giant radio telescope in Chile are revealing massive amounts of dust created by an exploding star for the first time. Scientists – including astronomer Remy Indebetouw – used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array radio telescope in Chile to make the discovery while observing supernova 1987A, an exploded star in the Large Magellanic Cloud. CONTINUE READING

Report Says Virginia’s Black Male Students are Twice as Likely as White Males to be Suspended
Curry School of Education
Black male students in Virginia are twice as likely to be suspended from public schools as white male students, according to a report released Wednesday. The report, based on data from more than 600 Virginia schools, found that suspension rates were lower in secondary schools that used threat assessment guidelines, which provide a procedure for examining the intent and risk associated with student misbehavior. “Prevention v. Punishment: Threat Assessment, School Suspensions and Racial Disparities” was jointly done by Dewey Cornell, an education professor with the Curry School of Education, and JustChildren, a child advocacy program of the Legal Aid Justice Center. CONTINUE READING

Study Using ALMA Telescope Reveals Supernova Dust Factory
College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Astronomers are using the powerful telescope in Chile to keep a close eye on Supernova 1987A, and to confirm long-held hypotheses. CONTINUE READING

From Programming Languages to Auto Mechanics, Engineering Students Give Teaching a Try
School of Engineering and Applied Science
Students are taking to the other end of the classroom to share their expertise with their peers. Students Nishant Shukla and Anish Simhal pitched the idea of a student-taught class to Edward Berger, associate dean for undergraduate programs, and professor Kevin Skadron, chair of the computer science department. They agreed to give it a try. CONTINUE READING