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‘student research’

A Bus Ride to Smile About: Dara Johnson, BA’20

May. 20, 2020—Dara Johnson insists she wants to spend time after graduation on a bus—a mobile dental clinic, to be exact. The Montgomery, Alabama, native is well-versed in the power of buses for social change. From Rosa Parks to the Freedom Riders, buses have been a potent symbol of change in Johnson’s hometown, and she’s working to...

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Biological Sciences Lecturer Converts Lab Course to Teach Students About Coronavirus

Apr. 21, 2020—When Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences Thomas Clements first came to Vanderbilt, he realized right away that he would have to be intentional about connecting with his students. His fall teaching load typically includes BiSci 1510, an intro-level lecture that sometimes draws hundreds of students, and he wanted them to feel like more than just...

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Allison Booher | BA’21 Latin American Studies & Neuroscience

Jan. 30, 2020—In middle school, Allison Booher (BA’21) already knew she wanted to be a doctor. Since then, she has set out on a pursuit to make it a reality. When Booher enrolled at Vanderbilt, she charted out a traditional path to medical school as a biochemistry major in the College of Arts and Science—but then a...

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LAPOP Receives $10 Million USAID Grant to Support AmericasBarometer Survey

Dec. 4, 2019—Vanderbilt’s LAPOP lab for international survey research has received a $10 million, five-year U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) grant to support its influential AmericasBarometer survey and related activities. The grant is the third received from USAID, which has a long-standing collaborative relationship with LAPOP. LAPOP Director and Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Science Elizabeth...

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Arts and Science Students Share Humanitarian Experiences with Donors, Fellow Students

Nov. 12, 2019—At an October 29 reception, College of Arts and Science students spoke about projects supported by the Nichols Humanitarian Fund and expressed their gratitude to donors Edward and Janice Nichols. Established in 2006, the fund supports undergraduate and graduate students in completing humanitarian endeavors in the U.S. and overseas. Twenty of the 27 award recipients...

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Elsa Mercado Sanchez, PhD’20 | Stronger together: the future of VU’s Latinx community

Sep. 27, 2019—Elsa Mercado Sanchez has not always had a clear or easy path to the Ph.D. she is pursuing. She grew up in an urban, racially-segregated neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wis., with Mexican immigrant parents who didn’t speak much English. Education was a top priority for her parents, but college was never a guarantee. Mercado Sanchez’s parents...

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Puxin Xuanyuan: Chemistry major says creativity is key

Jul. 22, 2019—Chemistry major Puxin Xuanyuan says creativity is key to her passion for scientific discovery. She put her creativity to good use this summer while splitting time between an immersion experience at a medical biotech startup in Toronto and conducting cancer-fighting research on the Vanderbilt campus. “Scientific inquiry, scientific discovery and research are some of the...

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A Scientific Mind and a Heart for Women’s Issues: Ananya Sharma, BA’19

Apr. 11, 2019—As the only child of a university biology professor, Ananya Sharma’s talent in science came naturally. Yet, while navigating a STEM-specialized curriculum in high school, she discovered an interest in women’s studies.

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From South Africa With Love

Apr. 9, 2019—Bill-Kande Badi never imagined he’d pursue a career in film when he traveled more than 8,500 miles from his hometown of Pretoria, South Africa, to study at Vanderbilt. But then he signed up for Cinema and Media Arts courses and “fell in love with making movies.”

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Find Your Impact: Student creates app for orangutans

Feb. 22, 2019—A coding hobby led Vanderbilt HOD and economics double major Ben Scheer on a wild immersion, building an app for orangutans at Zoo Atlanta.

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