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Undergraduate students co-lead study on carbon offset financing for energy-efficiency upgrades for low-income households
Dec. 17, 2024—Climate change affects us all; however, disadvantaged communities are often the most vulnerable and negatively impacted. Low-income households have limited material and financial resources to build resilience to heat and other weather events. Low-income households in the U.S. spend 6 to 10 percent of their limited income on energy costs, compared with 3 percent spent...
Estonian Ambassador Kristjan Prikk discusses Russia-Ukraine conflict and European democracy with Vanderbilt students
Dec. 16, 2024—Article written by Alexander Schmidt, Visiting Associate Professor of Max Kade Center for European and German Studies, and Allison Kaplan, class of 2025 Estonia’s Ambassador to the United States, Kristjan Prikk, engaged students at Vanderbilt University on October 2 during a lively classroom discussion on the future of European security and democracy. The event, hosted...
Stewart, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Humanities, emeritus, has died
Dec. 13, 2024—Tony Stewart, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Humanities and professor of religious studies, emeritus, died on October 6, 2024, in Nashville. He was 70. Stewart was a prominent figure in the field of South Asian religious studies. He was a pioneer in research on Bengali religious narratives and helped advance the field of literary...
Analyzing police shootings, public safety, and policy
Nov. 22, 2024—A series of three recently published studies have provided the first nationally comprehensive analysis of shootings by law enforcement officers that injured or killed people in the U.S. Led by Julie Ward, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, in a joint effort with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, the team analyzed...
Genes + culture: Exploring how our first language is echoed in our genes
Nov. 21, 2024—A person’s native language is often referred to as their “mother tongue.” But does a first language always come from your mother? In a new study conducted by Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Nicole Creanza, postdoctoral student Yakov Pichkar, and alumna Alexandra Surowiec BA’19, they found that certain cultural factors, such as being born in...
Research Snapshot: Examining AI’s rapid growth and economic impact
Nov. 19, 2024—Adam Blandin, assistant professor of economics, typically analyzes how the amount of time worked affects a person’s earnings; how family structure affects wages, employment, and equality; and the economic implications of remote work. However, recently, Blandin looked at generative AI through an economic lens. Blandin helped create the first nationally representative survey on how workers...
Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program celebrates 20 years of improving representation in STEM
Nov. 18, 2024—In Lauren Campbell’s opinion, getting through graduate school takes a village. It requires financial resources, extraordinary hard work, perseverance, and strong supports. As the executive director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, Campbell is dedicated to making sure students receive those supports and are set up for success. But for her, it’s not just a...
Vanderbilt Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice awarded $1 million Mellon Foundation grant
Nov. 18, 2024—María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Art, secured a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to advance the work of the Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice (EADJ), which she founded. “I think as an artist, you are successful when what you dream alone engages others,” said Campos-Pons. This belief is at the...
Wiesmeyer, associate professor of molecular biology, emeritus, has died
Nov. 7, 2024—Herbert Wiesmeyer, associate professor of molecular biology, emeritus, died on October 4, 2024, in Nashville. He was 92. Wiesmeyer was a dedicated teacher and mentor with an interest in cloning plants, spending many hours in his own greenhouse with his orchid collection. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Wiesmeyer attended Farragut High School, where he met his...
New study sheds light on seasonality in mood disorders
Oct. 31, 2024—Article adapted from a press release written by PLOS While cooler temperatures and falling leaves may draw some to pumpkin patches and hayrides, for others, it marks the start of shorter days and less sunlight. In a recent study conducted by Sandy Rosenthal, Jack and Pamela Egan Chair in Chemistry, and Oleg Kovtun, research assistant...