Media

Today, the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation recognizes its founding director, Keivan Stassun, who will depart Vanderbilt on December 31 and assume his new role as the inaugural Ashvin B. Chhabra Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy within the Franklin School for Arts… Read More

In April, our Director of Communications Dr. Jessica Schonhut Stasik, was featured as a guest on The Anxious Achiever podcast with Morra Aarons-Mele. In the episode, Dr. Schonhut Stasik reflects on what it can take to build a meaningful, sustainable career when your brain does not align with the… Read More

The latest FCAI Salon Series recording is now available: The Educational Experience of Autistic Girls, featuring Dr. Brittney L. Goscicki (Lecturer, Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University). You can find the recording on the FCAI YouTube, our website, or embedded below. In this session, Dr. Goscicki shares research… Read More

April 1 marks the start of Autism Awareness Month, a time to increase understanding, celebrate autistic voices, and strengthen environments where neurodivergent people can thrive. At FCAI, our work focuses on practical, evidence-informed strategies that expand access, belonging, and opportunity across education and employment. We would like to take this… Read More

Dave Thompson, Project Manager for A-SCENE at FCAI. The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation is proud to announce that two of our exceptional staff members, Dr. Jessica Schonhut-Stasik and Dave Thompson, have been honored with the Nimoy-Knight Foundation’s ‘Live Long and Prosper’ Tribute Award for… Read More

FCAI Associate Director Dr. Dave Caudel In 2025, Associate Director Dr. Dave Caudel, collaborated with AutismTN as a scholar, to support the creation of a webinar series “Exploring Autistic Life and Culture”. The “Exploring Autistic Life and Culture” webinar series represents a groundbreaking community dialogue project… Read More

Dr. Jessica Schonhut-Stasik is a research scientist in astrophysics, the Director of Communications for the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, and the CEO/President of The Neuroverse Initiative, a non-profit that works at the intersection of space science and neurodiversity. The Frist Center for Autism and Innovation is proud to… Read More

The Frist Center for Autism & Innovation (FCAI) at Vanderbilt University is proud to announce the successful convening of the inaugural NeuroCorps cohort on Monday and Tuesday this week. This brand-new program brings together six neurodivergent leaders, entrepreneurs, and business and non-profit leaders, comprising staff and visiting scholars, to… Read More

On September 7th, FCAI Director Keivan Stassun guested on the Imperfect Leaders Podcast, hosted by Jeffrey Cohn. From the Imperfect Leaders website: “There is no such thing as a perfect leader. We invite the country’s most admired leaders to talk about their imperfections and leadership journey.” Listen to the… Read More

We would love to extend our congratulations to Amber Crabtree, PhD Candidate and Neurodiversity Inspired Science and Engineering Fellow at the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation, candidly discussing her experience of autism, sensory issues, her research, and the importance of it on CBS’s This Morning. This piece also… Read More