News Story Category
Bridging the gap: Combining music and astrophysics to improve representation in science
Feb. 27, 2024— As a child, Shaniya Jarrett was fascinated by space and science fiction, but didn’t believe that pursuing the big scientific questions of the universe was a viable career option. Now a second-year astrophysics graduate student in the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, Shaniya is creating opportunities for young women of color that she would have...
First-gen college student prepares for grad school future focused on evolutionary biology research
Feb. 16, 2024—Credit: Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation/Kaerie Ray College of Arts and Science senior Sarah Hourihan is eagerly awaiting journal publication of a first-author manuscript featuring results of research on the dark-eyed junco songbird completed as a Beckman Foundation Scholar. The paper, available as a pre-print on bioRxiv, signals the end of work on one research...
Hananeel Morinville, BA’25, selected for highly competitive leadership program
Feb. 15, 2024—Hananeel Morinville, a history major in the College of Arts and Science, was named to the next class of the John Robert Lewis Scholars & Fellows Program for 2024-2025. The program is run by the Faith and Politics Institute. Comprising student leaders and changemakers from 17 universities across the country, the newest cohort of scholars...
New center launches, leading the conversation on the American presidency
Feb. 7, 2024—The Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Center for the American Presidency has launched, with the goal of exploring the presidency through an innovative, comprehensive lens. Housed within the College of Arts and Science, the center will serve as a nationally recognized hub for innovative scholarship about the workings of the presidency. On February 6,...
Cycling for Solidarity: Navigating Gender Inequality through Urban Mobility
Jan. 31, 2024—Julie Gamble, assistant professor of gender and sexuality studies, shares her experience biking through Quito, Ecuador with a women’s cyclist group to understand first-hand how urban mobility and infrastructure can help reduce gender inequality.
Weiler, emeritus professor of physics and astronomy, has died
Jan. 26, 2024—Thomas Weiler, professor of physics and astronomy, emeritus, died December 17, 2023, after enduring a progressive neurodegenerative variant of Parkinson’s disease. He was 74. Weiler was an international leader in the use of neutrinos to elucidate new particle physics and astrophysics. He received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in...
Hercules, Centennial Professor of Chemistry, emeritus, has died
Jan. 25, 2024—David Hercules, Centennial Professor of Chemistry, emeritus, who served as the chair of the Department of Chemistry for eight years, died January 20, 2024, after a battle with cancer. He was 91. Born in Somerset, Pennsylvania on August 10, 1932, Hercules developed an interest in science at an early age, spurred by the gift of...
The big picture: Archaeology of the Andes revealed on a scale not previously seen
Jan. 19, 2024—Steven Wernke, associate professor and chair of anthropology, has developed GeoPACHA (Geospatial Platform for Andean Culture, History and Archaeology), a web application that allows researchers to map archaeological sites in the Andes at a greater scale than ever before. GeoPACHA has enabled new discoveries about past human occupation in the region. These findings will be...
Study reveals a universal pattern of brain wave frequencies
Jan. 18, 2024—Adapted from article written by Anne Trafton, MIT News Office Throughout the brain’s cortex, neurons are arranged in six distinctive layers, which can be readily seen with a microscope. André Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, is senior author on a study published in Nature Neuroscience detailing that these layers also show distinct patterns of electrical...
Nine faculty receive awards for outstanding efforts in teaching and advising
Dec. 6, 2023—On December 5, the College of Arts and Science recognized nine faculty members for outstanding teaching and advising. These annual awards acknowledge faculty who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication and commitment to their students, and the nominations come directly from the students. The college is pleased to announce the following fall 2023 award winners: Advising Award...