The Connect Downtown project team has released a comprehensive look at the current state of transportation in downtown Nashville.

Informed by data analysis and public input, the State of Downtown Mobility Report looks at who lives in, works in and visits downtown and the mobility systems that support them. From walking and rolling to biking and scooting to driving and parking, the report shares findings that will be used to shape multimodal improvements:

• Downtown Nashville is home to 14,000 residents and welcomes 63,000 commuting workers every day.

• Ten miles of downtown’s sidewalks are in poor condition.

• In August, scooter riders took more than 5,000 trips a day.

• In 2021, 5% of traffic collisions downtown – 200 collisions – were severe injuries or fatalities.

• There are 2,000 on-street parking meters downtown and 45,000 off-street parking spaces.

• In 2019, WeGo transported 8.8 million passengers to, from and within Downtown.

• Nashvillians spent an average of 43 hours in traffic congestion in 2021.

The State of Downtown Mobility Report also identifies eight focus areas for Connect Downtown that are based on the challenges and opportunities the project team has and will continue to explore. From prioritizing travel modes to better managing events and visitor traffic, there are many quick wins and longer-term strategies that will be needed to keep Downtown moving.

Connect Downtown is a project combining the efforts of The Nashville Department of Transportation & Multimodal Infrastructure, WeGo Public Transit, the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the Nashville Downtown Partnership.

The project is developing an ambitious yet realistic plan to fund and implement projects and programs that serve the growing mobility needs of downtown, the city and the region. Connect Downtown will include traffic and curbside management strategies, transit improvements, walking, rolling and biking projects, and Vision Zero safety strategies.

Review the State of Downtown Mobility Report online

Bridgestone, Yellow top companies for women

Two Nashville companies, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. and Yellow Corporation, have been recognized as 2022 “Top Companies for Women to Work For in Transportation” by Redefining the Road, the official magazine of Women In Trucking.

The organization’s mission is to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize the obstacles they face.

There are number of factors to consider for companies on the list, Brian Everett, group publisher and editorial director of Redefining the Road magazine says, including corporate cultures that foster gender diversity, competitive compensation and benefits, flexible hours and work requirements, professional development opportunities and career advancement opportunities.

This year’s list is composed of a diverse range of business sectors in the commercial freight transportation marketplace, including motor carriers, third-party logistics companies and original equipment manufacturers.

Uniguest acquires video provider MediaStar

Nashville-based Uniguest, a global provider of technology solutions to enable those in hospitality, senior living, sports/stadiums, entertainment, retail, education, government, corporate and enterprise to engage with their audience, has announced the acquisition of MediaStar Systems, an IP video and digital signage provider to the professional AV industry.

Founded in 1984 and based in Newbury, United Kingdom, MediaStar Systems develops IPTV and digital signage software and hardware solutions. MediaStar technology allows its channel partners to implement and install professional AV solutions quickly and securely for end user customers.

Thistle Farms announces new CBD product line

Thistle Farms, a nonprofit social enterprise serving women survivors of trafficking, prostitution and addiction, has announced the addition of a new CBD line to their body and home products.

The organization’s new collection features a CBD-based Body Balm, scented with its signature Calm essential oil blend.

Thistle Farms’ new product line is extracted from Tennessee-grown hemp. Every batch of our CBD products is independently tested to ensure that each product meets the published CBD targets and is within the 0.03% legal limit of THC.

Missing WWII medals back with soldier’s family

Four missing World War II military medals found in a Tennessee safe-deposit box have been returned to the soldier’s family.

The Tennessee Department of Treasury Division of Unclaimed Property located Joseph R. Foster’s family with the help of a social media campaign launched about a year ago, the agency said in a news release.

Foster, who died in 2010, served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the war and was awarded the medals. He stored them in a safe-deposit box in a Nashville-area bank, and the medals were discovered in the abandoned box after his death and turned over to Unclaimed Property.

Foster’s children, Melisa Foster Washington and David Foster, were given the medals during a ceremony at the state Capitol.

The Tennessee Treasury holds unclaimed money and military medals. The state has $1.2 billion in unclaimed property waiting to be claimed, the agency said.

State health department launches grant program

The Tennessee Department of Health launched a $230 million grant program earlier this month to expand the availability and delivery of quality health care services for Tennesseans.

TDH’s Healthcare Resiliency Program will award competitive grants to eligible applicants in two categories – capital investment, and practice transformation and extension – meant to expand patient capacity, upgrade practices and technology, and improve access to health care services in the state.

TDH will administer the HRP grants, evaluate project proposals from qualifying applicants, and award grant funding to eligible projects.

The HRP grants are funded through the American Rescue Plan, which passed Congress in March 2022. Tennessee received $3.9 billion in total ARP funds, and in August 2021, the state’s Financial Stimulus Accountability Group dedicated $230 million in recovery funding to TDH for health care modernization and transformation projects.

TDH opened applications for HRP’s Capital Investment grants Nov. 3 with $145 million in available funding.

The Capital Investment grants will go to projects in the state that increase adult and pediatric intensive care unit and floor bed capacity at acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities.

On Nov. 10, TDH opened applications for HRP Practice Transformation and Extension grants, with $75 million in available funding.

The Practice Transformation and Extension grants will go to projects that improve and upgrade medical practices, technology and service delivery at acute care hospitals and long-term care facilities and at other institutions, such as schools, that provide health and health care services.

A few practice transformation and extension project examples include co-locating and integrating health care services, providing alternative or innovative health care models, and strengthening partnerships with social service agencies that deliver health care services.

TDH will announce the finalists for the HRP grants in March 2023, with all obligated grant funding to be spent by December 2026.

VUSM offers new biomed imaging master’s

A new Master of Imaging Science program will immerse Vanderbilt University School of Medicine students in the full spectrum of biomedical imaging and provide hands-on clinical and research experience.

Biomedical imaging technologies, including ultrasound, X-ray, CT, MRI and PET, allow physicians and researchers to observe internal organs, detect cancers and monitor image-guided surgeries. The one-year MIS program aims to train students who will fill roles in the imaging technology industry, academic and pharmaceutical research, or who may choose to pursue medical or doctoral degrees.

“There’s a need in many different spheres for people who have knowledge of imaging technologies and how to work with imaging data,” says Todd Peterson, director of the MIS program and professor of Radiology & Radiological Sciences.

The MIS program is one of only a handful of such programs in the country, Peterson says.

It takes advantage of the unique resources offered by the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science.

“There aren’t a lot of places like Vanderbilt that have a collection of faculty, staff and research infrastructure that spans all the imaging modalities in a building together,” Peterson says. “We have a special environment that is a natural fit for developing a highly integrated master’s program.”

The new program, which will enroll its first cohort of students for the 2023-24 academic year, will include nine months of didactic coursework and associated labs where students will acquire and analyze data from multiple imaging modalities, followed by three months working on a research project.

TSU nabs award for esports innovation

A program developed by Tennessee State University using 5G technology to recruit and retain underserved students in the STEM field, won first place in the inaugural T-Mobile “Unconventional” Awards for innovation in customer experience, at the Mobile World Congress in Nevada, Las Vegas.

The TSU academic esports program, geared toward creating pathways for students from gaming to STEM, took the top honor in the first-ever awards created to recognize and celebrate T-Mobile’s business customers who dare to innovate.

As a first-place winner, TSU was awarded a $25,000 in in-kind donation to the university’s favorite charity.

“Being chosen by T-Mobile for Business as an Unconventional Award winner offers TSU more validation for its innovative and decidedly creative approach to addressing the issue of diversity in STEM fields,” says Dr. Robbie Melton, associate vice president for SMART Global Technology Innovation Strategies.

TSU’s T-Mobile recognition in innovation comes in just the second semester of the opening of its Academic esports Center, which aims to use video games as a crucial steppingstone toward STEM careers.

Egypt Garrett, a competitive esports gamer and freshman computer science major, says it is no surprise that TSU won the award.

Kuhn Rikon promoting healthy eating program

Kuhn Rikon USA, a Nashville-based maker of Swiss cookware and cooks’ tools sold worldwide, is expanding its partnership with the non-profit organization, the Dr. Yum Project.

This partnership will initially focus on the Nashville area, as well a select group of families nationwide. The relationship will expand in 2023 with a host of national programs to support this important cause.

Beginning this month, Kuhn Rikon will sponsor two preschools by providing funding and product support to assist with implementing Dr. Yum’s curriculum: “Dr. Yum’s Preschool Food Adventure,” an interactive, multi-sensory, two-year nutrition curriculum with strong family involvement and research to prove it helps children enjoy more fruits and vegetables.

In addition, the company will support “Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure: Home Edition,” an on-demand cooking curriculum created by a pediatrician, a registered dietitian, a pediatric feeding specialist, and an early childhood educator. The flexible yearlong subscription includes monthly on-demand lessons and recipes expert guidance for parents tips on helping picky eaters and is inclusive of children with special needs. Along the way, children learn about the power of food, cooking skills for life and how food grows.

MTSU recognized for ed prep accreditation

Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Education was one of only 32 total institutions to be recognized by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation for its quality as an education preparation provider.

Each year, CAEP selects education preparation providers accredited by the council to receive the Frank Murray Leadership Recognition for Continuous Improvement designation, with other winners this year coming from across the U.S., Puerto Rico and Jordan.

Christopher Koch, CAEP president, says the recognition is reserved for those institutions that achieve the gold standard for teacher preparation accreditation from the council with a clean review.

“We need to focus on the future of teaching by emphasizing the recruitment of qualified teacher candidates, supporting them through their preparation and preparing these teachers to the highest standard possible,” Koch says.

Chosen from providers that were granted CAEP accreditation the previous year, these institutions also show a commitment to continuous improvement and preparing their students to succeed in a diverse range of classrooms; an advancement of equity and excellence in educator preparation through self-study procedures; and evidence-based reporting (and) use inquiry and assessments to drive improvement, stated the CAEP release.

The CAEP accreditation standards additionally require institutions to focus on how they recruit and emphasize diversity to build a pool of teachers that reflects the students they will be teaching, Koch says.