Dear UVM community,

At the University of Vermont, research is more than just an academic pursuit—it is the engine for our innovation and a defining characteristic of our community. As an R1 institution, you—our faculty, staff, and students—are driven by a profound desire to ask the questions that create meaningful change and to Study What Matters: to you, to our communities, to Vermont, and to the world.

Incredible pathbreaking research is taking place right here on campus, and Research Week was a powerful opportunity to experience the excellence and bold creativity of our faculty, students, and staff. We saw students presenting research that spanned the fields of engineering, agriculture, healthcare, the humanities, and social sciences. Doctoral students sketched out their extensive work in the tight confines of the three-minute thesis event—where, for example, Anna Maassel shared insights about the impact of Canadian wildfire smoke on asthma in Vermont children; and Bryn Loftness talked about developing a simple device that could provide early indication of cases of anxiety and depression in young children. And faculty member and Ph.D. alum Sean Diehl, who has already won acclaim for an antibody he developed to combat RSV in infants, was recognized along with technician Ben McElvany for their patented work developing two antibodies to combat Zika, the dangerous mosquito-borne virus.

These extraordinary examples of our pathbreaking research give insight into the exceptional quality of the work taking place across the university that will impact Vermont and the world.

It is this commitment to solving complex problems and creating a real impact that defines our UVM community. I invite you to see how our faculty, students, and staff are bringing this vision to life.

Sincerely,

Dr. Marlene Tromp 
President