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inter+SECTIONS: environmental justice + sustainability with Patrick Trent Greiner

Nov. 30, 2023—Patrick Trent Greiner, assistant professor of sociology and C. Family Dean’s Faculty Fellow in Grand Challenges: Climate and Society, studies the intersection of environmental justice and sustainability. He investigates how public policy has created social inequality in the past, increasing environmental risk to marginalized communities, and affecting the health and quality of life for many.

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Lachs, Centennial Professor Emeritus and beloved instructor for a half-century, has died

Nov. 29, 2023—John Lachs, professor emeritus of philosophy and Centennial Professor Emeritus, died November 14 in Nashville. He was 89. Lachs was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1934, and emigrated to Canada as a child. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1956 and a master’s degree in 1957 from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. He graduated from Yale...

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In my words: I was selected to discuss climate change at the White House (Gaby Beck ‘26)

Nov. 17, 2023—Gabrielle Beck Neuroscience and English, ‘26 Hear from sophomore Gabrielle Beck, who attended the National Climate Assessment report release at the White House, about her interest in climate change and public health disparities and her plans for the future. My passion is in understanding and addressing the intersection of climate change and public health disparities....

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New collaborative research project seeks improved treatment for cystic fibrosis

Nov. 13, 2023—Lars Plate, assistant professor of chemistry and biological sciences, has received a $2.76 million collaborative grant to investigate medical therapy for people with cystic fibrosis. The interdisciplinary project brings together teams with varied expertise in computational structural biology, proteomics, biophysics, and physiology in hopes of improving the quality of life for those afflicted with the...

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Good Authority website provides important political analysis for the public

Nov. 10, 2023—A fresh political news site has just launched with John Sides, William R. Kenan Jr. Chair and professor in political science, at its helm. Goodauthority.org draws on the expertise of leading political scientists to provide the public with evidence-based, non-partisan information about the most important issues of the day. Good Authority’s mission is “to bring...

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Stephen Taylor named featured plenary lecturer for global astronomy conference

Nov. 9, 2023—Stephen Taylor, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, has been selected to give the opening lecture at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) semiannual meeting. The meeting, the largest regularly occurring astronomy conference in the world, will take place in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7-11, 2024. The Fred Kavli Plenary Lecture is devoted to a...

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Church, professor emeritus and former director of the Vanderbilt Language Lab, has died

Oct. 27, 2023—Dan Church, professor of French, emeritus, and former director of the Vanderbilt Language Lab, died October 9 in Nashville. He was 84. Church was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1939 and grew up in North Wilkesboro and Statesville. He received his bachelor’s degree in French from Wake Forest University in 1961 and was a...

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Innovative podcast explores creative, interdisciplinary responses to climate change

Oct. 20, 2023—You might not have ever thought about how art made of snow can communicate the threats of global warming. Or how an underwater opera can highlight the distress of our oceans. These unusual pairings—and many more—are the focus of a new podcast that explores unexpected connections between the arts and the sciences. The podcast, Art...

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Senior Nadia McGlynn wins NABG conference award

Oct. 20, 2023—Nadia McGlynn, a senior double majoring in Earth and environmental sciences and anthropology, recently won first place for her poster presentation at the National Association of Black Geoscientists 42nd annual technical conference. McGlynn conducted research on Antarctic glaciers that furthers our understanding about how they respond to climate change. Hear from her below about her...

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Enrique Pupo-Walker, Centennial Professor of Spanish and Portuguese, has died

Oct. 19, 2023—Enrique Pupo-Walker, Centennial Professor of Spanish and Portuguese and former director of the Center for Latin American and Iberian Studies, died September 25 in Nashville. He was 90. Pupo-Walker was born in Holguin, Cuba, in 1933. He received his undergraduate degree at La Universidad de la Habana, in Cuba, in 1954, a master’s degree from...

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