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Research

Legislative gridlock did not stop lawmaking

Mar. 26, 2025—Vanderbilt’s Alan Wiseman co-directs the Center for Effective Lawmaking with University of Virginia professor Craig Volden. Using a combination of 15 metrics, the center defines legislators that “exceed expectations” as those who outperform the center’...

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Jackson Lab reveals relationship between transport proteins and brain disease

Mar. 26, 2025—Fat and protein molecules are essential to human brain health, and there are microscopic transport hubs that make sure the right molecules get to the right cells. If the proteins aren’t interacting properly, they can wind up in the wrong places—a probl...

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New research showcases unsung history of female architects

Mar. 11, 2025—In the decades preceding World War II, professional architecture schools started enrolling increasing numbers of women. However, career success for these women did not come easily due to discrimination. Kevin Murphy, Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities and professor of history of art and architecture, and Mary Anne Hunting, BA’80, have uncovered the histories...

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Jackson Lab reveals relationship between transport proteins and brain disease

Mar. 5, 2025—Most of us rely heavily on shipping services like FedEx or UPS to ensure we receive the correct packages. If that system was disrupted, parcels would end up lost or in the wrong place. Similarly, all human cells require large protein coat complexes, working at transport hubs called endosomes, to coordinate the transport of fatty...

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Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of highway congestion on fast-food consumption

Feb. 19, 2025—According to new research from Panka Bencsik, assistant professor of medicine, health and society, on days when highways are more congested, particularly during weekday afternoon rush hour, people are more likely to choose the fast-food option.

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Sloan Foundation awards Vanderbilt’s Alexandre Tiriac prestigious research fellowship

Feb. 17, 2025—While he was cooking dinner, phone in hand, Alexandre Tiriac noticed an email from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The organization—a grantmaking institution founded in 1934 by industrialist Alfred P. Sloan Jr.—had written to tell him he’d been selecte...

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Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of highway congestion on fast-food consumption

Feb. 17, 2025—Sitting in your car at 5:15 p.m. on a Tuesday, vehicles line the highway as far as the eye can see. The GPS estimates you still have 30 minutes left in traffic, and a vision of your empty fridge passes through your mind as your stomach grumbles. You are faced with a decision: stop at...

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Seven Vanderbilt faculty research projects get innovation catalyst funding

Feb. 16, 2025—Vanderbilt’s Innovation Catalyst Fund has awarded seven new faculty-led projects, advancing translational research and innovation in health care, engineering and AI-driven solutions.

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Reducing the risk of “forever chemicals” in Tennessee’s drinking water

Jan. 28, 2025—By Jenna Somers   A transdisciplinary team at Vanderbilt University seeks to identify Tennessee communities at risk of exposure to toxic man-made chemicals in their drinking water. In response to a 2024 regulation from the U.S. Environmental Protection...

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Faculty members and alumni recognized by the White House for the Presidential Early Career Award

Jan. 22, 2025—On Jan. 14, President Biden awarded nearly 400 scientists and engineers the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on outstanding scientists and engineers early in their careers. ...

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