As a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Josh Gershlak never expected thinking outside the box would lead to growing heart tissue on spinach leaves as a potential treatment for heart disease. But when his casual comparison of a spinach leaf to the structure of an aorta led to cutting-edge tissue engineering research, he realized just how limitless scientific research is.

Gershlak earned an M.S. at Tufts University and then found WPI’s Myocardial Regeneration Lab a good fit to continue his studies. His work in the lab resulted in the decellularization process that launched what’s now known as the Hearts on Spinach research. His unexpected forays into entrepreneurship and innovation coursework gave him new perspectives that led to such creative thinking in the lab.

Gershlak’s internationally renowned work with Professor Glenn Gaudette explores the possibility of using plant materials as a scaffolding framework for specialized tissue regeneration. “It opens up conversations and minds to try and approach our problems in tissue engineering differently,” he says. “Hopefully it allows us as a field to create functional tissues and organs to positively affect people’s lives.” Gershlak says more work and testing needs to be done, but he’s confident enough in the process and in his colleagues to see Hearts on Spinach move from proof of concept to a reality. To read more about Gershlak’s research, visit the WPI website.

**Photo Credit: Matthew J. Burgos, WPI Marketing and Communications

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Julia Kent 

202.461.3874 / jkent@cgs.nche.edu

"At a time when our fastest growing occupations and knowledge-based economy requires more, not fewer, individuals with advanced degrees, the President’s budget overlooks the importance of education as a critical component of America’s competitiveness in a global market. Master’s and doctoral education is the backbone of America’s national security and economic strength: graduate degree holders develop the knowledge and innovations that make America a leader in healthcare, technology, and defense. The President’s budget continues the trend of the past several years by proposing policies that make graduate education less affordable. The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) supports efforts to strengthen and grow America’s economic future, but not at the expense of our master’s and doctoral students. CGS calls upon Congress’ to put forward a budget that makes a strong commitment to education, and does not create barriers for students who seek master’s and doctoral degrees."

"Further, CGS is concerned that the cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation will lead to a serious decline in scientific, technological, and medical breakthroughs. These breakthroughs have strengthened our national defense, economic prosperity, personal wellbeing, and health. They are applied commercially, create jobs, and help businesses grow. Disinvesting in our nation’s science and research enterprise today jeopardizes our ability to attract domestic and international talent to meet the increasing demand for a STEM-educated workforce."

In a previous statement CGS expressed its objections to the proposed elimination of the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities.

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Patrice Williams, a PhD student in urban and regional planning at Florida State University, grew up in a food desert in South Florida. The closest grocery store with high-quality food at reasonable prices was more than ten miles away, and her medical condition necessitated a healthy diet. Williams’ experience contributed to her decision to pursue a doctorate and study how social, economic, and environmental factors impact the well-being of disadvantaged populations living in neighborhoods undergoing gentrification.

Her tenacity and dedication were recently rewarded through a new program led by Johns Hopkins University and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Ms. Williams is one of 40 traditionally underrepresented students who received a grant and became part of the first cohort of Health Policy Research Scholars, a program designed to create a community of diverse leaders to inform and influence policy that advances a culture of health.

Ms. Williams places tremendous importance on improving the well-being of one’s community. To learn more about Patrice and her research, visit the Florida State University website.

**Photo Credit: Bruce Palmer, FSU Photography Services

Lisa Tostanoski, a PhD candidate in bioengineering at the University of Maryland, College Park, was awarded a prestigious Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for her efforts to develop new strategies to combat autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). As one of nine recipients across the country, Tostanoski is the first UMD student to win the highly-competitive prize.

An estimated 2.3 million people are affected by MS and according to Tostanoski, current treatments provided important benefits but, “lack cure-potential, which means patients receive regular, lifelong treatments.” One of Tostanoski’s bioengineered treatments has reversed paralysis in lab mice using an innovative approach that targets specific T-cells and changes them from bad cells to good ones. This is a significant departure from current treatments that suppress the entire immune system.

Ms. Tostanoski’s work has the potential to change the landscape of human health and patient care and transform treatment options for patients with MS, type 1 diabetes, lupus, and more. To learn more about Lisa and her research, visit the University of Maryland website.

**Photo Credit: University of Maryland, College Park

Dustin Mix, a master’s degree recipient in civil engineering and entrepreneurship, and Maria Gibbs, a PhD candidate in civil engineering, partnered at the University of Notre Dame to implement the Venture Founders Program. The program is a partnership between Notre Dame’s ESTEEM master’s program and the city of South Bend’s enFocus fellowship program, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs in developing impactful local ventures.

Mix and Gibbs built the program around a simple principle: talented people will focus their entrepreneurial spirit on positively impacting their local communities, if they are encouraged and supported, understand great ideas often stem from trying to solve a problem, and have access to resources in the earliest stages of a venture. Although this program is still in its infancy, current ESTEEM graduate students are already tackling critical issues: the skills gap, barriers to chronic health treatment, antibiotic resistance, and bridging the gap between limited internet access and digital literacy.

The Notre Dame ESTEEM program is an interdisciplinary program between the College of Engineering, the College of Science, and the Mendoza College of Business; its core values are collaboration and the business of innovation. To learn more about Dustin, Maria, and the Venture Founders Program, visit the University of Notre Dame website.

**Photo Credit: ESTEEM

Graduate Education 2030: Imagining the Future

September 10-12, 2017
Alyeska Resort, Alaska

The 2017 Summit theme, “Graduate Education 2030: Imagining the Future,” revisits an earlier CGS project, Graduate Education 2020, which challenged leading scholars to consider technological, demographic, and global trends shaping graduate education around the world, and to use the best evidence available to predict what the future of graduate education might look like. Now that the year 2020 is within sight, we took the opportunity to reconsider the future these scholars imagined. Looking even farther ahead, to 2030, we invited international leaders in graduate education to describe the global forces transforming graduate education in their countries and regions: How does the nature of graduate education in 2030 differ from what is available in 2017?

The 2017 Global Summit on Graduate Education included leaders of graduate institutions from 16 countries across six continents. Attendees contemplated the potential future(s) of graduate education, and how individually and collectively we might help influence these forces for the benefit of students, universities, and broader communities.

Event Materials:

• Statement of Practical Actions on Influencing the Future of Graduate Education
• Online Proceedings

The 2017 Summit is generously sponsored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

**Photo Credit: Simon Evans

Tim Brown, a philosophy graduate student at the University of Washington, was awarded one of the inaugural National Humanities Without Walls PreDoctoral Fellowship. The Humanities Without Walls consortium includes humanities centers at 15 research universities focused on collaborative research, teaching, and scholarship that require cross-institutional cooperation.

Brown’s transdisciplinary research in neural engineering and the ethics of neuroscience focuses on how deep-brain stimulator systems help people with Parkinson’s Disease and Essential Tremor manage symptoms. According to the UW website, “Devices like these may have the potential to profoundly change the user’s sense of self, feelings of self-control, or even their interpersonal relationships with family and friends.” Through interviews, Brown collects data on users’ experiences, “to challenge philosophical theories about autonomy, self-control, and personal identity.”

Brown’s research is conducted as part of the Neuroethics Thrust within the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) at the University of Washington. To learn more about Tim and his work, visit the University of Washington website.

**Photo Credit: University of Washington

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Katherine Hazelrigg (202) 461.3888/ khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu

Project will Join Humanities Initiative, Expanding Project to All Broad Fields of Study

Washington, DC — The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has been awarded a major grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF #1661272) to help universities collect data on the career pathways of PhDs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. Through a competitive sub-award process, CGS will select doctoral institutions to implement surveys of STEM PhD students and alumni, gathering information about their professional aspirations, career pathways, and career preparation. The project complements a parallel endeavor to collect and analyze data on humanities PhDs through a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The project builds upon two earlier phases of CGS research: a feasibility study supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and a survey development phase supported by the Mellon, Sloan, and National Science Foundations (NSF #1534620). In the most recent phase, CGS developed two surveys—one for current PhD students and one for PhD alumni— by gathering input from senior university leaders, research funders, disciplinary societies, researchers, PhD students, and alumni.

The two surveys address important workforce questions not currently answered by existing national data-collection efforts. For example, the surveys will help faculty and university leaders understand whether participation in professional development activities is associated with certain career preferences and career pathways. Because universities will be collecting their own data, the project will ultimately allow them to conduct program-level analyses of data with the intention of improving programs.

CGS President Suzanne Ortega believes the project will assist universities in assessing their students’ career outcomes and enhancing graduate training for the next generation STEM workforce. “As we work to improve the career preparation of our students, we need to understand how the professional development experiences of PhDs align with the demands of the 21^st century workforce. This project promises to provide universities with this critical information.”

CGS has issued a Request-For-Proposals (RFP) to CGS member institutions to participate in the project as funded partners. The RFP is accompanied by the survey instruments and an Implementation Guide that offers guidance on incorporating the survey administration into existing university processes. To support broad institutional adoption of the instruments, universities that are eligible to apply for both humanities and STEM funding are encouraged to submit a combined proposal.

The initiative complements other CGS endeavors to support career diversity for PhDs, such as a recently-completed project to understand the professional development needs of graduate students in STEM fields. Through a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), CGS has also established the Next Generation Humanities PhD Consortium, a collaborative learning community for the 28 NEH Next Generation PhD grant awardees. 

Released this week, the Trump Administration’s FY2018 budget, “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” calls for the elimination of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). As one of the organizations that recommended the founding of NEH, we affirm our belief that humanistic study and professional activities are in the national interest and merit continued federal funding support.

The current administration has argued that cuts must be made to rebuild and prepare our military for the future. Yet one of our military’s greatest assets is knowledge of the history, languages and cultures of the countries and regions where we are engaged. Indeed, the humanities have played a critical role in the United States’ efforts to protect our country since September 11, preparing our servicemen and women to better navigate the complex religious and cultural landscapes where they are deployed; enabling our diplomats to build alliances with key partners; and empowering our intelligence officers to brief our leaders on military strategy.

The NEH strengthens our nation’s preparedness and commitment to its soldiers through programs such as Teaching the Middle East, which provides resources for K-12 teachers to introduce their students to the history, cultures, and languages of the Middle East, and Our Warrior Chorus, which trains Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans to connect with the civilian public through “modern stories anchored by the shared experience of classical works.” 

The humanities and the arts also serve the national interest by helping us to explore what is common to all human experience—to seek peace, and to resolve conflicts that drain human and material resources both at home and abroad. Created Equal, a film series about the struggle for African American equality in the United States, is one notable example among many in NEH’s history.

NEH grants have benefited every state, region, and territory of the United States, and its programs serving rural areas have stimulated growth and preserved important history that may otherwise have been lost. For example, NEH supports Appalshop, a cultural center, which “celebrate[s] the culture, voice and concerns of people living in Appalachia and rural America.”  NEH’s digital initiatives bring important and rare texts into the hands of students, researchers, and interested readers across the country, including one preserving and digitizing the papers of President George Washington. Regional cultural museums supported by NEA not only enrich our understanding of American culture, but contribute to local economies by attracting tourism.

A skeptic might reply: Americans can still benefit from the humanities and arts without federal support. But philanthropic organizations do not have as their mission to support the national interest. If our goal is to protect this interest and preserve our history, we must continue to preserve the NEH and NEA, two of America’s great and historic institutions.

Suzanne T. Ortega                          
President                                                                           
Council of Graduate Schools                                       

Contact:

Julia Kent, jkent@cgs.nche.edu

Other Statements of Support:

Earl Lewis, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Pauline Yu, American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS)

Lanre Akinsiku started writing stories four years ago, because “there’s such a dearth of stories about kids of color getting to be human and alive in their own world. I know growing up I didn’t see a lot of those stories,” said Akinsiku. In the past four years, he has finished his MFA at Cornell University, published three books (almost four), and was honored by the New York Public Library’s selection of two of his books for inclusion on its annual list of best books for children and young adults. Akinsiku, who writes under the name LJ Alonge, is the first student in the history of Cornell’s MFA writing program to have three books published before completing the program.

After receiving his B.A. in international political economy from the University of California, Berkeley, Akinsiku spent several years working in political consulting. He gave that up to become a freelance travel writer before entering the MFA program at Cornell. Penguin editors approached him after his first year of graduate school to write a series for young adults. What resulted is Akinsiku’s Blacktop series, a collection of four books that explore topics including racism, relationships between police and teens of color, and gentrification, through the voices of teenagers with a shared love for basketball. To learn more about Lanre and his work, visit the Cornell University website.

**Photo credit: Lindsay France/University Photography