But "it's a complete change of direction" this time, says John Gore, the grant's principal investigator and director of the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science. "We want to focus on the challenges of the highest field in human imaging."

The grant will support development of "high field" magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy using the institute's 7 Tesla scanner, one of only 13 in the world being used in human studies.

One Tesla is roughly 20,000 times the strength of the magnetic field of the earth. Encased in 400 metric tons of steel, the 7 Tesla scanner can generate brain images down to the molecular level.

The magnet interacts with atoms, such as hydrogen, in body tissues so they will absorb energy from particular frequencies of radio waves, causing them to resonate. By measuring these magnetic effects, scanners can construct detailed images of structures in the body and also determine the levels of key compounds, including molecules that are involved in signaling in the brain.

More powerful magnets require the use of higher frequency radio waves, and generate bigger signals that can be used to increase the resolution -- the detail -- of the images. The 7 Tesla scanner, for example, can reveal tiny blood vessels in the brain that are beyond the resolving power of conventional scanners, and can bring the focus down to single columns of neurons.

Ultimately, high-field magnetic resonance and spectro-scopy may enable researchers to study the effects of drugs on a wide range of brain disorders, from chronic pain to Alzheimer's disease, and to help develop new drugs.

Gore is Chancellor's University Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, and professor of molecular physiology, biophysics and physics.

Photo by Daniel DuBois.

"There were no rules, there was no hierarchy, there was no management. "

--Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, on how his firm rallied after 658 of 970 employees perished in the World Trade Center. Lutnick spoke at Commencement for the Owen Graduate School of Management on May 9.

www.vanderbilthealth.com/clinicaltrials

Asthma? Sleep apnea? A spare tire around your waist? Whatever the malady, chances are Vanderbilt is studying it in a clinical research trial. This new Web site aims to at least triple the number of volunteers for clinical trials of new vaccines, cancer treatments, and a multitude of other areas. The beefed-up recruitment is an initiative of the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research, established last fall with a $46 million award from the National Institutes of Health--the largest single government grant ever received by Vanderbilt.

Scott Avett of the Avett Brothers Band performs at Rites of Spring, an annual student-produced music festival to celebrate the end of the academic year. Headline acts for the April 18-19 event were Spoon and Lil Jon.

PHOTO BY JENNY MANDEVILLE

Photo by Daniel DuBois.

RNA Interference Heals Growth Deficiency Disorder

Vanderbilt researchers have demonstrated for the first time that a new type of gene therapy called "RNA interference" can heal a genetic disorder in a live animal.

Their study, published last fall by the journal Endocrinology, shows that RNA interference can "rescue" a strain of mouse that has been genetically engineered to express a defective human hormone that interferes with normal growth. When the gene that produces the defective human growth hormone is inserted into the mouse's genome, it also stunts the mouse's growth. But when a small snippet of RNA that interferes with the hormone's production is also added, the mouse is restored to normal.

Find out more: www.vanderbilt.edu/exploration/stories/sirna.html

Liver Allocation System Lowers Death Rates

Vanderbilt researchers have found that the United Network for Organ Sharing's (UNOS) adoption of an objective-only method of allocating donated livers has lowered the number of deaths among patients on the waiting list. In 2002, UNOS adopted a system using laboratory-based values to characterize a patient's need for liver transplantation.

Previously, patients who spent the longest time on the waiting list for a liver were often given priority. After the change, wait times became less of an issue while severity of condition was prioritized.

The change was the subject of great debate and prompted Vanderbilt researchers to examine the outcomes associated with the new liver allocation policy. Results of the study were released last fall in the Archives of Surgery.

Find out more: www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=6002

Melatonin Study Could Help Children with Autism

Vanderbilt sleep researchers are reporting a relationship between good sleep and how much melatonin the body produces--the first in a series of research studies intended to help children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) sleep through the night.

"This suggests that children with ASD who have decreased melatonin levels have decreased levels of deep sleep," says lead author Dr. Beth Malow, director of the Vanderbilt Sleep Disorders Center. "We didn't actually give the supplement; we measured natural levels of melatonin in the body. One could infer, based on what we found, that a supplement might be good."

More research is needed before recommending that children begin taking melatonin supplements to benefit their sleep.

Find out more: www.mc.vanderbilt.edu/reporter/index.html?ID=5973

Photo by Steve Green

Coach Johnson Honored for Suicide Prevention Work

Head Football Coach Bobby Johnson was recognized during a ceremony in March for his efforts toward youth suicide prevention when The Jason Foundation presented him with its Grant Teaff "Breaking the Silence" Award.

The award is given annually by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and The Jason Foundation to the college coach who has done the most to promote youth suicide prevention. Johnson was first told about the honor in front of nearly 2,000 college coaches at the American Football Coaches Association convention in January.

Since its inception a decade ago, The Jason Foundation has worked with the American Football Coaches Association membership after data surfaced that youth most often turn to an educator--and specifically a coach--in times of crisis.

Checkered Past

"It's a pretty cute bug," Lamar Alexander, BA'62, said last November at an event in Gatlinburg, Tenn., announcing the discovery of a new species of insect to be named after the former Tennessee governor, former U.S. secretary of education, former Republican presidential candidate and current U.S. senator.

Like the trademark plaid shirts Alexander has worn in political campaigns, Cosberella lamaralexanderi, or "Lamar Alexander springtail," sports a checkerboard coloration. The insect was first discovered in the Great Smoky Mountains. Alexander grew up in nearby Maryville, Tenn.

Police Chief to Lead 2,000 Peers

Marlon C. Lynch, Vanderbilt chief of police, is the 2008-2009 president-elect for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators Inc. (IACLEA). Lynch joined Vanderbilt in 2005 as assistant chief of police after serving as chief of police and director of public safety at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He became chief of police at Vanderbilt in January 2007.

Lynch earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State University and a master's degree from Boston University, both in criminal justice. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command.

The office will be led by Nora Spencer, who leaves a similar job at the University of Florida. There she oversaw support services, programming, strategic planning, marketing and fundraising for GLBT affairs and served as a resource and advocate regarding GLBT issues.

Nora Spencer

The new office "not only will provide support and encouragement, but also the type of visibility and advocacy needed in the Vanderbilt community," says Shay Malone, assistant director of the Office of Leadership Development and Intercultural Affairs. "It is my hope that with a fully staffed GLBT office, we can begin to address some of the unique challenges GLBT students face here at Vanderbilt and the need to educate students about awareness and understanding in a way we were not able to do before."

The university also has established a committee to advise the administration on issues that affect GLBT life on campus. David Boyd, associate professor of medicine, health and society, who led the task force that recommended creation of the GLBT center, has been appointed chair of the committee.

Richard McCarty
Photo by Daniel DuBois.

Richard McCarty, a distinguished psychologist who has led the largest school at Vanderbilt University for the past seven years, has been named provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs.

"Richard embodies Vanderbilt's values of excellence and fairness," said Chancellor Nicholas Zeppos in announcing the appointment in May. "He is a scholar who is committed to every aspect of our education mission."

McCarty received his bachelor's degree in biology and master's degree in zoology from Old Dominion University before earning a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He is an authority on the physiological and behavioral aspects of stress. A native of Portsmouth, Va., he spent two years as a research associate in pharmacology with the National Institute of Mental Health before joining the University of Virginia in 1978 as an assistant professor of psychology. He then rose to department chair before taking a leave of absence to join the American Psychological Association as executive director for science. He has served as editor of American Psychologist and as founding editor-in-chief of Stress.

Under McCarty's direction Vanderbilt embarked on a significant faculty recruitment initiative; undergraduate student quality, diversity and selectivity were ranked among the highest in the country; and graduate student enrollment and diversity increased dramatically.

As provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, McCarty will have responsibility for academic programs of the Blair School of Music, College of Arts and Science, Divinity School, School of Engineering, Graduate School, Law School, Owen Graduate School of Management and Peabody College, and also will oversee student affairs, housing, admissions and financial aid, and research.

Carolyn Dever, executive dean of the College of Arts and Science and professor of English, is serving as interim dean of the College of Arts and Science until a new dean is named.

Illustration by Normand Cousineau

Although manufacturers are responsible for much of the greenhouse-gas emissions in the United States, individuals largely contribute to the problem of climate change, too. So what can be done about it?

A diverse group of experts at Vanderbilt University has created the Climate Change Research Network, which combines researchers from the areas of earth and environmental sciences, political science, law, engineering, business, management, economics and nursing to investigate one of the most important and most widely overlooked sources of greenhouse gases: individual behavior.

"The Climate Change Research Network is an interdisciplinary team conducting research to understand the magnitude of the contribution from individuals and households," says Michael Vandenbergh, professor of environmental law. "Our goal is to identify the legal, economic and social responses that can generate effective, low-cost emissions reductions by those individuals and their families in their everyday lives."

Network participants are examining questions such as: Which individual behaviors release the greatest amounts of greenhouse-gas emissions? How do people perceive and value climate-change risks, particularly when they are remote? What changes in the administration and staffing of government agencies will be required if climate-change laws and policies are adopted?

The Climate Change Research Network is in the early stages of establishing a national and international network of researchers to help answer questions that policymakers and other individuals may have regarding what they can do in their day-to-day lives to shrink their carbon footprint.

Find out more by clicking here.

Monroe Carell Jr. during one of his frequent visits to the hospital that bears his name
Photo by Dana Johnson.

­­­Monroe J. Carell Jr., BE'59, a Nashville executive admired as much for his philanthropy as for his business acumen, died June 20 after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 76.

The former chairman and chief executive officer of Central Parking Corp. provided strong volunteer leadership for Vander-bilt initiatives and numerous other causes.

"I cannot overstate the impact he has had on Vanderbilt's past, present and future," said Vanderbilt Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos. "Through his leadership on the Board of Trust and enormous philanthropic generosity, Monroe established one of the finest children's hospitals in the country and created scholarships that changed the lives of students.

"He led Vanderbilt's Shape the Future campaign with a vigor and passion that only he could possess, and he challenged all of us to reach higher in our goals for this great university."

A member of Vanderbilt University's Board of Trust since 1991, Carell and his wife, Ann, have long supported various segments of the university, including undergraduate education, the children's hospital that now bears his name, the School of Medicine and athletics. At the time of his death, he was leading the comprehensive, university-wide Shape the Future campaign, which has experienced unprecedented success.

Carell also served on the Vanderbilt Medical Center Board and the board of overseers for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and was an honorary lifetime member of the board of directors of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital.

The Shape the Future campaign was publicly launched in 2003 with a goal of $1.25 billion. In late 2006 the Board of Trust voted to increase the goal to $1.75 billion in anticipation of reaching the original goal two years ahead of schedule.

A secondary goal of $100 million in bequests was reached in 2007, and the Board of Trust, at Carell's request, raised the bequest goal to $150 million. The campaign is scheduled to close Dec. 31, 2010.

When the Shape the Future campaign reached its $1 billion milestone in September 2004, an editorial in The Tennessean newspaper stated, "It is Vanderbilt's spending of the money--not its raising of it--that should most impress this city," noting that the campaign priorities included need-based scholarships, faculty chairs and residential colleges.

Carell's gifts to Vanderbilt included the Ann and Monroe Carell Jr. Family Chair in Pediatric Cardiology and the Carell Scholarship Fund. Perhaps his most significant commitment to Vanderbilt was leadership of the campaign to raise $50 million to help establish a new children's hospital, which previously had been housed within Vanderbilt University Hospital. Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, which opened in 2004, is recognized as one of the nation's top pediatric teaching, research and treatment institutions.

In all, some $79 million has been committed to the Children's Hospital as a result of the Carells' generosity as well as Monroe Carell's personal fundraising efforts and leadership.

"His legacy will live on in the lives of the countless children he helped to improve through the hospital that bears his name," said Dr. Harry R. Jacobson, vice chancellor for health affairs.

A 1959 cum laude graduate of the Vanderbilt School of Engineering, Carell received the school's Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2001. The native Nashvillian served in the Navy before enrolling at Vanderbilt, where he earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. Carell was chief engineer with the Duck River Electrical Membership Cooperative before going to work for his father and a business partner at Central Parking in 1967.

Central Parking, which had 10 parking lots in Nashville and Atlanta when Carell began work there, is now the world's largest parking services provider with more than 4,000 parking facilities. Carell sold Central Parking to a group of private equity firms in 2007. He resigned as executive chairman and, with his family, formed Carell LLC, a real-estate investment company.

In 1998 Carell established a fund to provide a total of eight full-tuition scholarships to excellent, hard-working students engaged in their community and committed to the broadening experience of working while in college. In 2006 the Carell Scholarship Fund was expanded to include a baseball scholarship. There are now 20 Carell Scholars and two Monroe J. Carell Jr. Baseball Scholars; 14 have graduated, and eight are still students. A new Carell Scholar will enter Vanderbilt this fall.

Carell is survived by his wife, the former Julia Ann Scott, who graduated from Peabody College in 1957, and by three children, six grandchildren and a brother.

Sevin Awarded Germany's Cross of the Order of Merit

Dieter Sevin, professor of Germanic languages and literatures and chair of the department, has been awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. It is the only order awarded by the president of that nation.

"For almost 40 years [Sevin] has taught German language and literature at Vanderbilt," said Lutz H. Görgens, the Atlanta-based consul general of the Federal Republic of Germany, in presenting the award. "His entire career so far has been dedicated to promoting the knowledge of German language and literature and culture in the United States."

Sevin, who arrived in the U.S. as a teenager nearly 50 years ago, has published hundreds of articles and books, including one of the most widely used German college texts, Wie geht's?: An Introductory German Course, co-authored with his wife, Ingrid Sevin.

Cancer Researcher Receives Accolade

Dr. David H. Johnson received the Association of Community Cancer Centers' annual Clinical Research Award last October. Johnson, a professor of medicine, is director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and deputy director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. He was honored for his research, leadership, and commitment to individuals with lung and breast cancers. Johnson's clinical research interests focus mainly on management of thoracic malignancies and experimental therapeutics.

Vanderbilt has launched its own channel on YouTube, the wildly popular video-sharing site. The channel features a broad range of offerings, including lectures, concerts and news pieces, and content straight from the classroom. Vanderbilt is one among just a handful of universities nationally with a branded YouTube channel.

Kathryn Edwards works to find a vaccine that would protect everyone from a pandemic flu. Photo by Dana Johnson

Vanderbilt University Medical Center will receive nearly $24 million from the federal government over the next seven years to continue evaluating innovative vaccines for pandemic flu, malaria and other infections. Vanderbilt's Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Unit is one of eight in the country funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

"Obtaining funding for this contract is remarkable, especially in light of shrinking federal budgets for research," says Dr. Jeff Balser, associate vice chancellor for research. "Vaccine development is a powerful tool to fight disease on a broad public scale."

Over the years Vanderbilt's unit has morphed from a small vaccine clinic serving children to a testing center of national importance, beginning when swine flu hit in 1976. The VTEU was the basis for establishing Vanderbilt's HIV Vaccine Testing Unit in 1988. Its long history of responding quickly to the microbial hot topic of the day has made Vanderbilt an international leader in vaccine research.

"The contract will allow us to address growing challenges in this area of research," says the unit's principal investigator, Dr. Kathryn Edwards, professor of pediatrics and director of the Division of Pediatric Clinical Research. Among the challenges: how to increase the number of participants in these important studies.

"Those folks who have already participated in pandemic flu trials will not be eligible to participate in another round of these trials. We need new volunteers."

Edwards says the VTEU will also work to increase racial and ethnic diversity "so that if there were a pandemic flu, we would have vaccine that would work for all."

Some of the funds will support development of substances that can enhance the strength of the vaccines and thus reduce the amount and number of doses needed.

"That might mean, in the case of pandemic flu, that we can protect our population and others in developing countries that do not have the potential to make vaccines," Edwards says.

Vanderbilt researchers also are working on cytomegalo-virus (CMV) prevention, new types of seasonal influenza vaccines and, in collaboration with colleagues at Stanford University, an innovative malaria vaccine that uses a malaria protein carried in the common cold virus.

"A colleague at another institution told me about a patient who was given a prescription and said to the doctor, 'Are you prescribing this drug because that's what's printed on your pen?' That says how powerful this issue is," says Dr. Steven Gabbe,dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

Drug representatives may continue to meet with physicians and to supply free samples through the outpatient pharmacy, but they may not attend conferences and continuing medical education classes.

The policy is being phased in over a six-month period, with July 1 as the target date for compliance. It focuses on nonresearch use of industry products and will not affect research relationships or activities.

"This policy is a practical guide for physician interaction with industry," says Gabbe. "It will give the public great assurance to know that our decisions are based on what's best for them."

VUMC's executive leadership is soliciting feedback on the policy, available by clicking here.

The Saturday Academy at Vanderbilt for the Young raises the bar for top students. Photo by Rusty Russell

Not every child would want to spend Saturdays in school. But these aren't your average kids, and SAVY isn't your average school. Beginning in January and continuing through early March, gifted students in kindergarten through eighth grade had the chance to expand their academic horizons in a new program created by Vanderbilt and held at the nearby University School of Nashville.

To qualify for the Saturday Academy at Vanderbilt for the Young--SAVY--students had to test at the 95th percentile and above on either verbal or quantitative reasoning sections of academic achievement tests or IQ tests.

Each class was limited to 12 students, led by teachers trained and experienced in working with the gifted. Classes ranged from "The Deep: The Wonderful, Watery World of the Oceans" for kindergartners to "Going Nuclear: The Solution for Our Energy Needs?" for seventh- and eighth-graders.

Moms and dads also got in on the act. "Parents are among the most important forces in the development of special talents while also fostering balance and healthfulness," says Elizabeth Schoenfeld, director of the Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth. "We are offering classes for SAVY parents while their children are in class."

To learn more about Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth, including SAVY, Weekend Academy at Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt Summer Academy, and the new Med School 101, visit www.pty.vanderbilt.edu or call 615/322-8261.

Teacher Mary Laurens Seely helps Tyler Rowland with his studies at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital School, where young patients keep up with schoolwork. Photo by Dana Johnson

Like most 4-year-olds, the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt is growing like a weed. Although the free-standing hospital was just completed in 2004, Vanderbilt in January obtained approval from the Tennessee Health Services and Development Agency to move forward with expansion.

"We have seen tremendous growth in the number of children treated at our hospital," says Dr. Kevin Churchwell, CEO of Children's Hospital. "This growth has led to our hospital being at full capacity most of the year."

Since opening its doors the hospital has seen an increase in discharges of 37 percent, patient days of 31 percent, operative procedures of 53 percent, emergency visits of 31 percent, and clinic visits of 45 percent.

The total cost of the eight-story addition is projected to be approximately $203 million, with groundbreaking in 2009 and construction completed in 2012. The expanded building will connect to the existing hospital to the east, including the adjacent block of Medical Center

Drive and the space currently occupied by the Vanderbilt Dayani Center for Health and Wellness, which is slated to relocate to the developing 100 Oaks campus.

The new building will house 190 new and relocated obstetrical, pediatric and neonatal intensive care beds. Obstetrical and NICU beds currently in the main hospital will be relocated to the new building.

The total number of licensed beds for the Medical Center will increase to 1,051.

SPEAR volunteers turn last year's leaves into next year's compost. Photo by John Russell

Vanderbilt has more trees than undergraduate students--an estimated 7,500 leaf- producing specimens on its 330-acre campus. Until recently, all the leaves collected from autumns past were stockpiled at Natchez Triangle because nobody could figure out what to do with them.

"The Grounds Department wanted to incorporate green principles to compost the leaves for our own use on the grounds," says Judson Newbern, associate vice chancellor for campus planning and construction. "But we had been unsuccessful at transforming the massive pile of leaves into usable compost."

Working with Students Promoting Environmental Awareness and Recycling (SPEAR), Vanderbilt hired Marcus Kerske, who with his family operates Nashville's Gardens of Babylon, a nursery and landscaping center based on sustainable practices.

"Our biggest challenge was getting enough oxygen into the leaves to allow the right decomposition," says Kerske. An enormous single pile of leaves was reconfigured into a 90-foot row about 7 feet high, so that a front-end loader could turn it to expose all layers to oxygen.

The first batch of rich, dark compost was loaded into trucks recently and returned across campus to be spread under the trees that shed those leaves several seasons ago.

"Compost helps rejuvenate plants and trees in urban settings due to the richness of the microorganisms in it," explains Kerske. "This is the first step toward rebuilding the soil structure in these beds." The insulating layer of compost will also be helpful if last summer's drought conditions recur.

"The bigger concept each autumn will be to shred some leaves finely enough to fertilize our lawns without shading out the grass, to shred some onto bed areas under trees, and to haul enough leaves to the Natchez Trace composting operation to keep the cycle going in order to renew the vigor of our campus soil for future generations," says Newbern.

Enrollment of African American students has more than doubled in the past decade. Photo by Kathleen Smith Barry

The percentage of African Americans in the fall 2007 freshman class increased by 12.3 percent over the previous fall, placing Vanderbilt fourth among the highest-ranking U.S. universities, according to The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

"The progress at Vanderbilt University over the past decade has been extraordinary," the journal observed in January. "In 1995 only 4 percent of all freshmen at Vanderbilt were black. This year the figure is 10.3 percent."

Of the highest-ranking universities selected by U.S. News & World Report, Vanderbilt ranks fourth in percentage of black freshmen, behind Columbia University, the University of Virginia, and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Meanwhile, overall graduation rates have held steady.

"This is the result of a directed and purposeful approach to recruiting a diverse student body," says Douglas Christiansen, associate provost for enrollment and dean of admissions at Vanderbilt. "We set out to achieve this because it means our students benefit from a cross-section of backgrounds and outlooks, as does everyone on campus."

In the decade between 1997 and 2007, black freshman enrollment at Vanderbilt more than doubled, from 82 to 172.

This year Vanderbilt is also seeing a dramatic increase in applications across the board. Students seeking admission to Vanderbilt's fall 2008 freshman class rose 30 percent in one year. The university saw a comparable increase among diverse populations as well as rises in all geographic regions, with the largest increases coming from outside Vanderbilt's own region.

"This is the most diverse, well-rounded and academically prepared applicant pool in Vanderbilt's history," Christiansen says. "Every measure of academic quality is up--standardized tests, class ranking, high school GPA, and the number taking Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and honors courses."

This year a record of approximately 16,800 students applied to Vanderbilt (for 1,550 available freshman positions), compared to 12,911 in 2007--a 30 percent increase. The number of minority applicants increased by 28.7 percent, with the largest increase coming among Hispanics at 34 percent, followed by Asians at 29 percent, African Americans at 24 percent, and American Indians at 17 percent. Applicants from other countries and from U.S. territories rose 76 percent from 653 to 1,168.

Nicholas S. Zeppos was named Vanderbilt's chancellor March 1 following the Board of Trust's winter meeting.

The unanimous election of Zeppos, who had served as Vanderbilt's chief academic officer since 2002 and interim chancellor since last summer, marks the first time in 70 years that Vanderbilt has chosen a chancellor from within the university.

"I always will consider myself a faculty member, a teacher," Zeppos said in accepting the appointment. "A university is the most vital institution in society because it is built on timeless values of truth, knowledge, discovery and healing."

"We wanted a chancellor who was a true scholar," said Dennis C. Bottorff, BE'66, chair of a nine-member committee that undertook a national chancellor search following the resignation of E. Gordon Gee last August.

Since 2002, Zeppos has overseen the university's undergraduate, graduate and professional education programs, as well as research in liberal arts and sciences, engineering, music, education, business, law and divinity. As provost and vice chancellor, he chaired Vanderbilt's budgeting and capital planning council, led fundraising and alumni relations efforts, and oversaw the dean of students and dean of admissions.

Zeppos has led a number of initiatives at Vanderbilt, including the planning process for The Commons; the Strategic Academic Planning Group; innovative efforts in undergraduate admissions and financial aid; and development of programs in Jewish studies, law and economics, and genetics, among others. He has led the university's current Shape the Future fundraising campaign, which exceeded its $1.25 billion goal two years ahead of schedule and set a new target of $1.75 billion by 2010.

Zeppos joined the Vanderbilt faculty in 1987 as an assistant professor in the law school, where he was recognized with five teaching awards. He served as an associate dean and associate provost before becoming provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in 2002.

From 1982 to 1987, Zeppos practiced law in Washington, D.C., at the U.S. Department of Justice and at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. He has written widely on legislation, administrative law and profes-sional responsibility. He served as chair for the Scholars Committee, advising the Senate and the American Bar Association on the confirmation of Justice Stephen Breyer, and as chair of the Rules Advisory Committee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Wisconsin, Zeppos is married to Lydia Ann Howarth. They have two sons, Benjamin, 21, and Nicholas, 18.

"This great university has come so far, so fast," said Martha Ingram, chairman of the Board of Trust, "and the principal reason is Nick's enormous intellect, his great vision, and his tireless commitment."

Zeppos called his appointment the second best thing that happened that week. "Beating Tennessee was the best thing," he added. The Vanderbilt men's basketball team beat the No. 1-ranked University of Tennessee 72-69 on Feb. 29.

More about Zeppos and his vision for Vanderbilt will appear in the summer issue of Vanderbilt Magazine.

Find out more: www.vanderbilt.edu/chancellor

A Vanderbilt student group's love of nature has led to a project that will produce cleaner-burning fuel on campus. The Vanderbilt Biodiesel Initiative, started by participants of Vanderbilt's Wilskills program, will take used vegetable oil--stuff that cooks fried foods in campus cafeterias-- and recycle it into environmentally friendly biodiesel.

Wilskills, an outdoor education program that uses rock climbing, caving, hiking and white-water canoeing to teach wilderness skills, coordinates a six-day orientation experience for first-year students, as well as additional excursions throughout the year. "We have a van that we take out every weekend, and we were using a lot of gas," says Derek Riley, MS'06, a Wilskills instructor and current graduate student in computer science. "We're an environmentally responsible group, we like to think, so we thought we'd look into using biodiesel."

Biodiesel is a processed fuel derived from biological sources that can be used in unmodified diesel-engine vehicles.Vegetable oil can be used in any diesel engine that has been converted to burn it, "but you have to pay for the conversion," Riley says. "With biodiesel, if you convert the vegetable oil first, you can use it in any diesel vehicle."

Enlisting the help of other campus groups, proponents of a campus biodiesel initiative set out to acquire processing equipment. "We have a couple of chemical engineers involved, lots of engineering students, just lots of creative people in general," says Riley, who cites Professor of the Practice of Civil and Environmental Engineering James Clarke as chief adviser. "We talked about ideas and came up with a design, which we continued to work on and refine." From the design, the group built a working pilot system that can produce 50 gallons of biodiesel in a batch.

Campus-produced biodiesel will be used in plant operations equipment and possibly in medical center shuttle buses. The Wilskills program has purchased a diesel-engine van that will run on 100 percent biodiesel.

"The project is going to reduce the amount of fuel consumed on campus in significant ways," Riley says. "It's going to increase awareness about biodiesel and biofuels, and it's going to reduce emissions." Biodiesel produces about 60 percent less net carbon-dioxide emissions than petroleum-based diesel.

"I think there's enough oil supply on campus that we eventually could be converting 500 to 600 gallons a week into biodiesel," says Riley."Down the road we're looking at potentially making 2,000 gallons of biodiesel a month, which is pretty significant for a student-run project."