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Profiles

Vanderbilt Debate overcomes COVID-19 challenges to break new ground in civic engagement

Jan. 22, 2021—One year ago, Sahil “Sael” Soni ’21, a chemistry and economics double major, had just returned from a blue-ribbon performance in Vanderbilt Debate’s first-ever international competition. He was looking forward to finishing the 2019-2020 season on a high note, as were his teammates. For the last 30 years, Vanderbilt Debate has been a national leader,...

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Antonis Rokas elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Dec. 9, 2020—Antonis Rokas, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The lifetime honor, first awarded in 1874, recognizes pre-eminent scientists who engage in pioneering research; excel at teaching, mentoring, and collaborating; and advance public understanding of science. The AAAS said in a...

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A&S classes take student’s career ambitions in an unexpected direction

Nov. 9, 2020—Growing up, William Schmid excelled at math and science. He assumed that meant he was destined for a career in engineering: after all, his father was an engineer, and most of the people in his immediate family had studied the subject in college. “It seemed like the obvious choice for me,” he said. But after...

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Persistence in a pandemic: College of Arts and Science students work for social change through nonprofit organizations

Oct. 30, 2020—Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer 2020 plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Students Rashmi Bharadwaj and Joe Miller both want to make an impact on society. This summer, they...

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Steady Hand: Gov. Andy Beshear, BA’00, seeks the ‘why’ in governing as he guides Kentucky through the pandemic and political divide

Oct. 26, 2020—Beshear, the first-term Democratic governor of Kentucky, was elected last November by a margin as thin as a surgical mask, just in time to steer his largely Republican state through a runaway pandemic, the resulting economic damage, and America’s most ...

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Persistence in a pandemic: College of Arts and Science students complete summer internships with innovative businesses

Oct. 23, 2020—Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer 2020 plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Students Emery Little, Lucas Ludgate, Brooke Ellis, and Jaime Perez all used their summers to complete internships...

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Words in Common: Mother-daughter duo and writers-in-residence Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams share a deep creative calling

Oct. 1, 2020—Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams are both writers-in-residence at Vanderbilt—Randall in the Department of African American and Diaspora Studies and Williams in the Department of Medicine, Health and Society. And neither is afraid to shine a ...

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Trailblazing alumna Dorothy Phillips discusses her career as a chemist, importance of diversity in the physical sciences

Oct. 1, 2020—Dorothy J. Wingfield Phillips, BA’67, the first African American woman to receive an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt and a member of the inaugural class of Vanderbilt Trailblazers, recently was interviewed by the American Chemical Society about he...

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Professor uses centuries-old martial arts form to educate students about Brazilian democracy

Sep. 15, 2020—On a hot, muggy August evening, a group of masked students followed Gilman Whiting, associate professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, onto the lawn in front of Wilson Hall. There, they took up socially distanced positions and began working their way through a series of exercises designed to encourage rhythm, flexibility, balance, and cooperation....

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Seizing the Opportunity to Accomplish Lifelong Goals: Alfred Prah, BA’19

Sep. 4, 2020—As a student in Ghana, Alfred Prah, BA’19, didn’t have access to a laptop or personal cell phone at the boarding school he attended. Despite that, he was captivated by the potential of technology to enrich his education and had dreams of using AI to make technology more useful and accessible to everyone. He knew...

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