News Story Category
Heard that Bird: Creanza Lab develops free curriculum to teach birdsong identification
Jun. 28, 2024—Since 2020, a question has nagged at Nicole Creanza: What type of bird is singing in the background of Taylor Swift and Bon Iver’s song “Exile”? Creanza, associate professor of biological sciences, is an expert in the evolution of human language and bird songs, but she also enjoys trying to identify popular music by ear....
Seligson, Centennial Professor of Political Science, emeritus, has died
Jun. 21, 2024—Mitchell A. Seligson, Centennial Professor of Political Science, professor of sociology, emeritus, and founder of the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) Lab died June 1, 2024, in New York City. He was 78. Born in 1945 in Hempstead, New York, Seligson developed an interest in Latin America after meeting a foreign exchange student from...
Gilligan awarded spot in American Geophysical Union’s Voices for Science program
Jun. 21, 2024—When Jonathan Gilligan, professor of earth and environmental sciences, thinks about climate change, they think about people. Gilligan says that climate change causes a variety of weather patterns to undergo persistent changes, and those affect every aspect of peoples’ lives, as well as the workings of our society and economy more broadly. In March, Gilligan...
Auer, founder of the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies and Cooperation, has died
May. 23, 2024—James Auer, senior lecturer of Asian studies, emeritus, died May 16, 2024, as a result of complications from Parkinson’s disease. He was 82. Auer founded the Center for U.S.-Japan Studies and Cooperation at Vanderbilt in 1988, which was an active hub promoting cooperation between the two countries in the areas of economics, national security, and...
Vanderbilt scientists develop an algae time machine, advancing biomedicine
May. 13, 2024—Carl H. Johnson, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences, along with a team of Vanderbilt scientists, have succeeded in adjusting the daily biological clock of cyanobacteria, making the blue-green algae a more prolific producer of renewable fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, like insulin. The ultimate solar-powered machines, cyanobacteria are like tiny workshops churning out everything from...
A&S Featured Course: Improv in Science Communication
Apr. 30, 2024—Each semester, A&S offers a variety of exciting courses focused on critical or timely topics that offer students a chance to investigate a subject in a new way. Watch students in CSET 3890: Improv in Science Communication explore creative (and humorous) ways of communicating about science.
Students help build a more equitable coffee supply chain through innovative design challenge
Apr. 29, 2024—By Ann Marie Deer Owens Imagine going to a coffee shop and ordering your favorite drink. You see a QR code next to your menu item. The code’s link connects you to global music from where the coffee beans were grown, as well as information about the local farmers who harvested the beans. That is...
Cognitive scientist and respected leader Tim McNamara named dean of College of Arts and Science
Apr. 18, 2024—Vanderbilt University has named Timothy P. McNamara, a visionary leader, trusted peer and mentor, as Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science. McNamara’s appointment for a two-year term, announced by C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, follows McNamara’s exemplary service as interim dean since July 2023.
CLACX: A legacy and future of leadership and evolution
Apr. 5, 2024—For more than 75 years, Vanderbilt has been a pioneer in the study of the Americas, forging new paths to innovate, shape, and advance the field. Now, the Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latinx Studies (CLACX) once again finds itself at the forefront, driving important changes in education, research, and programming, both at the...
15 years of the Beckman Scholars Program: Providing unparalleled undergrad research opportunities
Apr. 2, 2024—The highly selective Beckman Scholars Program is celebrating 15 years of partnership with the College of Arts and Science. Over the years, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation has provided more than $543,000 in support of 23 undergraduate Beckman Scholars at Vanderbilt who engage in unique, hands-on, mentored research. The Beckman Scholars Program (BSP) supports...