Month: February 2011

Watch video of the Feb. 10, 2011, Black Atlantic Lecture. Mamadou Diouf (African Studies, Columbia University) and Toyin Falola (history, University of Texas at Austin) present “Historicizing the Black Atlantic, Comparative Colonialism, and Transnational Citizenship.” The event is moderated by Moses Ochonu, assistant professor of history, and is co-sponsored by… Read More

Flowers, sweets and time spent with a special someone are great Valentine’s traditions, but the Vanderbilt University Sustainability and Environmental Management Office has suggestions for protecting the earth while you celebrate. Read More

Adam Hochschild (Photo courtesy of Media Sparks) Writer and journalist Adam Hochschild will give a lecture titled “’Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch . . .’: What Scholars Can Learn from Novelists – and Journalists – about Storytelling,” on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. in Room 114 Furman Hall… Read More

Results of a landmark, seven-year National Institutes of Health-funded trial, Management of Myelomeningocele Study (MOMS), demonstrate clear benefit for babies who undergo fetal surgery to treat spina bifida, the most common birth defect in the central nervous system. Read More

ohn C. Gore, Hertha Ramsey Cress University Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences at Vanderbilt University and professor of biomedical engineering, has been elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering for his contributions to the development and applications of magnetic resonance and other imaging techniques in medicine. Read More

(iStock photo) Vanderbilt University Medical Center is participating in a multi-site, national study to identify the role nurses play in improving outcomes among heart failure patients. Nancy Wells (Vanderbilt) “Heart failure is being recognized as a huge issue in elderly and middle-aged people, and it has a profound effect on… Read More

Have you ever wanted to see what happens during the college version of the NFL draft? Watch new Head Football Coach James Franklin as he leads his first Vanderbilt signing day and new recruits send in their letters of intent…..one fax at a time. It’s a VUCast Extra that bleeds… Read More

The Vanderbilt MRI Labs Physics / Imaging Department (Anne Rayner / Vanderbilt) Serotonin – a chemical that has roles in multiple brain functions, including mood, sleep and cognition – is manufactured by clusters of brainstem neurons gathered in the raphé nuclei. A reliable, non-invasive imaging method for assessing raphé neuron… Read More

Vanderbilt’s International Lens continues to offer a wide variety of film screenings that go way beyond the standard movie-plex fare. Heather Jones and JoEL Loguidice have been very involved in the planning for the spring semester’s showings, which frequently include introductions by Vanderbilt faculty and other individuals connected to… Read More

Watch video of the Feb. 3, 2011, class, “What Does A Conductor Actually Do?” Giancarlo Guerrero leads a penetrating and intimate exploration of the role and responsibilities of the symphonic conductor. Through the use of personal stories, DVDs, recordings and demonstration, class participants learn firsthand the actual components of the… Read More

The industrial chemical BPA is found in commercial products, such as plastic water bottles. (iStock Photo) The safety of industrial chemicals bisphenol A (BPA) and alkylphenols, which are used in commercial products like plastics, has recently been called into question. Exposure to these chemicals is typically measured… Read More

Toadstools in early morning light (Photo by Guy Nicholls, iStock) For some reason, fungi don’t get no respect. Despite the fact that genetically they are more closely related to animals than to plants and despite the fact that they play an absolutely critical role in the environment,… Read More

Tina Hartert, M.D., MPH, left, Kathryn Miller, M.D., MPH, and Yarris Muhammed are on the team studying the links between rhinoviruses and bronchiolitis. (Mary Donaldson / Vanderbilt) An infant’s risk of developing bronchiolitis caused by human rhinoviruses (HRV), aka the common cold, is linked to whether the mother has allergies… Read More

The Vanderbilt Melodores have come a long way from a group of guys practicing in the basement of Carmichael Towers. The all-male a capella group has been nominated for a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award for Best Classical Song for their rendition of Eric Whitacre’s “Sleep.”… Read More

(Photo credit: iStock photo) In the battle of the bulge, one important battalion is a set of brain cells expressing the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R). Via signals from the fat-derived hormone leptin, these neurons regulate feeding behavior and fat metabolism in an attempt to regulate body weight. But how leptin influences… Read More

The top three priorities for Tennessee’s elected officials should be the economy, education and health care, according to a new poll launched by Vanderbilt University. Read More

Since the days of Darwin, the “tree of life” has been the preeminent metaphor for the process of evolution, reflecting the gradual branching and changing of individual species. The discovery that a large cluster of genes appears to have jumped directly from one species of fungus to another, however,… Read More

Volunteer Becky Clark reads to a student at the Mama Lere Hearing School at Vanderbilt (Anne Rayner / Vanderbilt) OPTION Schools Inc., in collaboration with the Vanderbilt Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, is conducting a study looking at how children who are deaf or hard of hearing… Read More

Vanderbilt University expert suggests environmentally friendly Valentine’s Day celebration alternatives Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, is a day filled with cards, sweets, flowers and gifts.  Like many holidays, its celebration can create unintentional environmental side effects, such as the consumption of natural resources and the generation of solid waste. But… Read More

The lives and challenges of being black or of African descent in Europe are explored this semester in the Black Europe and the African Diaspora lecture and film series at Vanderbilt University. Convened by Trica Danielle Keaton, associate professor of African American and Diaspora Studies, and co-sponsored by… Read More