U News | Vanderbilt receives $25 million gift for its College of Connected Computing
The University of South Florida announced a record-setting $40 million gift to establish the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.
From Vanderbilt University:
Vanderbilt University’s College of Connected Computing has received a transformational $25 million commitment from Trustee John Arnold and his wife, Laura Arnold, to provide foundational support for the college’s faculty leadership, teaching, and initiatives that fuel real-world impact.
The Arnolds’ milestone gift to the College of Connected Computing represents the resounding enthusiasm of the Vanderbilt community as the university prepares to launch its first new college in 40 years. Their visionary support is leading the way in advancing Vanderbilt’s commitment to innovation and strengthening the university’s position as a leader in shaping the future of computing education and research.
“Vanderbilt’s College of Connected Computing will be an empowering resource for students and faculty in all disciplines—enabling them to take their work in new directions and crucially advance some of society’s most influential and promising fields,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “John and Laura Arnold’s generous commitment holds tremendous impact for our community and exemplifies the bold vision and historic momentum of our university’s dare to grow era.”
The gift will establish an endowed chair for the college’s dean and three chairs to support distinguished faculty leaders. It will provide current-use funding for the founding dean to implement the university’s ambitious vision for the college in advancing breakthrough discoveries and strengthening computing education and research for every Vanderbilt student through a “computing for all” approach.
From the University of South Florida:
In a bold move to position Tampa as a global leader in artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, the University of South Florida (USF) last week announced a record-setting $40 million gift to establish the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity and Computing. This transformational investment—the largest in USF’s nearly 70-year history—marks the first named college in the U.S. dedicated exclusively to the convergence of AI and cybersecurity.
The gift from Arnie and Lauren Bellini comes at a critical juncture, as the United States faces an unprecedented wave of cyberattacks, AI-driven threats, and global competition in digital security. The new Bellini College will directly address the nation’s urgent cybersecurity workforce shortage while equipping America’s digital defenses against the rapidly evolving threats of the AI era.
As a tech entrepreneur and investor, Arnie Bellini built ConnectWise into a billion-dollar cybersecurity and Information Technology services leader before its 2019 sale, which helped catalyze Tampa’s tech boom. Today, as Chief Executive Officer of Bellini Capital, he continues to champion Florida’s transformation into a global technology powerhouse.
From Florida State University:
The Florida State University (FSU) College of Nursing and its Institute on Digital Health and Innovation have announced a collaboration with Samsung Electronics America Inc. to create a Smart Health Home space at Latitude Margaritaville Watersound (LMWS), a 55-plus community in Bay County, FL.
The groundbreaking initiative is the result of a recent partnership with Minto Communities USA, Margaritaville Holdings, and St. Joe Company, and will harness the power of Samsung’s end-to-end wellness platform, SmartThings IoT (Internet of Things) technology and Health AI (artificial intelligence), to facilitate proactive health monitoring and wellness management for aging adults.
“The Smart Health Home Initiative represents an exciting step forward in the evolution of aging and the expanding role of health technology,” said Jing Wang, Dean of the FSU College of Nursing. “By combining FSU’s deep commitment to advancing patient care through cutting-edge research and technology through its Institute on Digital Health and Innovation, involving multiple disciplines and colleges through our FSU Health umbrella, with Samsung’s industry-leading smart technology and wellness platform, we can better understand the health needs of aging adults and leverage these insights to develop novel solutions that empower individuals to take charge of their health from the comfort and convenience of their own homes.”
The Smart Health Home at LMWS is an innovative connected care solution that bridges devices and systems in the home to encourage better wellness and improve health outcomes. Through sensors, automation and connected devices, the state-of-the-art space will leverage best-in-class hardware and software, alongside emerging technologies developed by third-party partners, to provide connected, virtual care that integrates into a person’s daily life and centered around the home.
From the Georgia Institute of Technology:
A small but powerful invention could make life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) easier for the tiniest patients.
Newborns must have their vitals checked frequently, and one of the most critical measures of newborn health is electrolyte levels. Right now, the only way to monitor electrolytes is to draw their blood multiple times a day. This can be painful and frightening for babies, and challenging to perform for medical staff, who can have trouble drawing blood from tiny, underdeveloped blood vessels.
Now, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a pacifier designed to monitor a baby’s electrolyte levels in real-time, potentially eliminating the need for repeated invasive blood draws.
Hong Yeo, Associate Professor and Harris Saunders Jr. Endowed Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, came up with the pacifier idea at a pediatric technology conference. Doctors described daily challenges they face in caring for sick newborns, and the lack of noninvasive monitoring systems.
How does it work?
The team constructed a tiny tunnel, or microfluidic channel, into the body of the pacifier. The opening at the pacifier’s nipple draws saliva into the channel, which then guides the saliva through the device and into a reservoir equipped with ion-detecting sensors. The sensors react to sodium and potassium ions, constantly measuring their levels.
From North Carolina State University:
Krista S. Walton, Associate Vice President for Research Operations and Infrastructure at the Georgia Institute of Technology, has been named Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at North Carolina State University (NC State), effective June 30. Chancellor Randy Woodson made the announcement today.
Walton replaces Mladen Vouk, who retired in July 2024. Alyson Wilson is currently serving as Interim Vice Chancellor.
“Krista Walton has a successful track record as a researcher, innovator and administrator,” Chancellor Randy Woodson said. “NC State looks forward to her leadership as we continue to grow the research enterprise and the translation of this work into solutions and economic prosperity for our state and nation.”
As an Associate Vice President, Walton helps lead the office responsible for the facilitation and support of Georgia Tech’s $1.4 billion research enterprise. She has also managed $300 million in annual sponsored research awards as Associate Dean for Research and Innovation in Georgia Tech’s College of Engineering from 2019 to 2023. She began her career at Georgia Tech in 2009 and prior to that was an Assistant Professor at Kansas State University.
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