Year: 2003

A Vanderbilt LifeFlight nurse has been named National Medical Crew Member of the Year by the Association of Air Medical Services, one of the most prestigious awards to be given in the aeromedical field. Read More

When we experience an illusion, we usually have the impression we have been fooled, or that our minds are playing tricks on us. New research published in the Oct. 31 issue of the journal Science indicates our perceptions of these illusions are no hoax, but the result of how the brain is organized to process the information it receives from our senses. Read More

Al Franken, a political satirist and author of the best-selling book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, will speak at Vanderbilt University on Monday, Nov. 17, as part of Vanderbilt's ongoing Project Dialogue series. Read More

Companies that form political connections with government officials to obtain perks or preferential treatment are characteristic not only of countries traditionally labeled as corrupt, but are commonly found in countries known for their transparent systems, according to a new study by the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University. It is the first study to closely examine the legal connections to politicians and the various restrictions placed on their behavior. Read More

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development is hosting a photo exhibit and forum to raise awareness of the education needs of those with vision impairments. The exhibit, "Focusing on the Future of Students with Vision Impairments: Teachers in Action," showcases photos taken by the Brentwood Camera Club of teachers and students with vision impairments interacting in different learning situations. Read More

Vanderbilt University and National Geographic Society today announced recovery of a 600-pound elaborately carved Maya altar, replete with images and writing that offer new information on the shrouded history of the Maya civilization. The altar was recovered through an unusual collaboration among Guatemalan undercover agents, local Maya villagers and American archaeologists that included a six-month pursuit of the relic and the arrest of a ring of antiquities looters. Read More

A historical chronicle of the journey of the 600-pound Mayan altar, detailing events such as its commission in 796 A.D., its theft by gangs in 2001 and its recovery this fall. Read More

Archaeologist Arthur Demarest first learned of the ancient altar's existence from Maya village elders near his project site in Guatemala. Their information, given at personal risk, also led to the altar's recovery and the arrest of the looters who had it. The villagers' concern for the looted altar and their fragile heritage had come about in part as a result of a sustainable tourism and indigenous development project that is directed by Vanderbilt University, National Geographic and Counterpart International, with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and many other organizations. Read More

Top executives of MCI and America West Airlines will discuss how to lead a company through the most trying times and how to weather corporate challenges-from falling stock prices to economic pressures to bankruptcy-at the one-day "Managing in Turbulent Times" conference at the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University on Nov. 14. Read More

The second lecture at Vanderbilt University commemorating the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that outlawed educational segregation is titled "Brown v. Board after a Half Century: The Gains of Integration, the Consequences of Resegregation." Read More

Within the last decade astronomers have discovered more than 100 planets orbiting stars other than our sun. The significance of these profound discoveries on Earth's place in the universe is the focus of the next "Thinking Out of the (Lunch) Box" talk on Nov. 5. Vanderbilt Professor of Philosophy David Wood will lead the conversation, titled "A Question of Planets," with David Weintraub, associate professor of astronomy. Read More

Students at Vanderbilt Divinity School will take a closer look at how art is intertwined with Christian worship with the help of Robin Margaret Jensen, the first holder of the Luce Chancellor's Chair of the History of Christian Worship and art. Read More

Fuel cell manufacturer PowerAvenue has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering to collaborate on hydrogen fuel cell research. Read More

The Gender, Sexuality and Political Action Conference, organized by the 2002-03 fellows of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt, will be held Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1, in Room 134 of Featheringill Hall at Vanderbilt. Read More

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has been awarded a federal grant for nearly $1 million to address nurse recruitment and retention and its impact on the quality of care. Read More

Avery Leiserson, a distinguished Vanderbilt University political scientist who brought national recognition to his department through a variety of leadership and service roles, will be honored Nov. 1 at a campus reunion of his colleagues and former students. Read More

Two decades of dinner-table conversation between a husband and wife have resulted in a rare grant to an English professor from the National Institutes of Health. Read More

Dr. Andrea Bracikowski, director of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, says parents should be aware children are far more likely to suffer injury from a fall, or impact with an auto on Halloween than to have their candy tampered with. Read More

Faculty and staff of the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University will be the first on campus to take part in the Nashville Area Red Cross' "Together We Prepare" training later this week. Read More

Two Vanderbilt faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Sokrates T. Pantelides, professor of physics, and Ned A. Porter, professor and chair of the department of chemistry, are among the 300 members of the AAAS to receive the honor. Read More