Year: 2011

Professor Oswald T. Avery in his laboratory in the current Medical Center North. The photograph, probably dating to 1948, is inscribed to his associate, Dr. Bertram Sprofkin. Two of the most influential scientists of the 20th century, and perhaps of all time, have worked at Vanderbilt. One performed his last… Read More

Board of Trust Chairman Martha Ingram’s letter to more than 100,000 Vanderbilt alumni and friends in January 2001 announced trustees’ approval of a new fundraising campaign to “turn our aspirations into realities.” Read More

Michael Burry Michael Burry, MD’97, studied economics and premedical training at UCLA before enrolling at Vanderbilt. He continued his medical education as a resident at Stanford University Hospital before leaving after his third residency year to found Scion Capital. Burry’s transition into the world of finance was eased… Read More

Editor GayNelle Doll Art Director and Designer Donna DeVore Pritchett Editorial Associate Editor and Production Manager Phillip B. Tucker Arts & Culture Editor Bonnie Arant Ertelt, BS’81 Class Notes and Sports Editor Nelson Bryan, BA’73 Photography and Imaging Director, Photography Services Daniel… Read More

A few weeks ago I received a telephone call from Frank Beck, BA’81, with an odd request: Could I help him find a photograph of his mother’s legs? It seemed that back when his mother, Jane Padgett Beck, BA’51, was a Vanderbilt sophomore or junior—Frank wasn’t sure which—a photograph involving… Read More

The Week That Lasts a Lifetime Alternative Spring Break was an incredibly meaningful experience for me as a student. Now that I am a professor [of informatics at the University of California, Irvine], I love watching our students get the same experience, and I am so glad ASB has… Read More

The Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board of Directors announces nine new members, from a wide range of class years and professions. All are serving three-year terms, except where noted. Mark D. Arons, BA’80, of Fairfield, Conn., is a partner in the law firm of Millman Arons & Millman in Westport, where… Read More

The body count was piling up fast. Two hit the ground first. Then three, four and five went down in quick succession. Onlookers soon lost count as the heap of squirming uniformed men just kept growing. Read More

In my address to the Class of 2011 in May, welcoming them into the global family of Vanderbilt alumni, I asked them to consider what it means to be a Commodore as they prepare to engage the wider world of commerce, family and society. For me, being a Commodore begins… Read More

Bacteria can influence the sexual behavior of their Nasonia hosts.Like all species of animals and plants, we humans are unwitting hosts to our own set of bacterial travelers. We carry thousands of different species of microbes, which scientists refer to as “the human microbiome.” In fact, only one among every… Read More

Qian Vermund Vanderbilt researchers are partnering with the Chinese government and a large volunteer organization to test combination methods for reducing the spread of HIV—the AIDS virus—among gay men in China. Thirty years into the global HIV pandemic, it is apparent that no single strategy will stop the spread… Read More

Try asking any Monday morning quarterback about blown fourth-down play calls in the NFL and you are guaranteed passionate opinions. In most fourth-down plays, an NFL team will punt or try for a field goal. But occasionally, teams decide to do something that is viewed as risky: attempt a fourth-down… Read More

Millions of 13-year cicadas emerged in Nashville in May, emitting sound levels at 85 to 88 decibels and clogging up cooling systems all over campus.And on the subject of bugs—Nashville’s largest brood of cicadas emerged in May and hung around for five or six weeks, blanketing the campus like thousands… Read More

Targets for a new class of insect repellent could include backyard bugs and agricultural pests, says researcher Patrick Jones. Imagine an insect repellent that not only is thousands of times more effective than DEET—the active ingredient in most commercial mosquito repellents—but also works against all types of insects, including… Read More

Thomas Schwartz Thomas Schwartz, professor of history, recently responded to an interview request from a journalist in São Paulo, Brazil, about the lasting political impacts of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Professor Schwartz’s responses provide a concise overview of the lasting impact of a day… Read More

There is a list, famous among astronomers, of 110 faint objects in the night sky, first cataloged by French astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century. A “Messier marathon” is when astronomers begin at dusk and work until dawn, hoping to locate every single one, searching amid the field of… Read More

The well-known bronze statue of university founder Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, sculpted by Giuseppe Moretti of New York, has had four homes. Planned for four years, the statue was completed and brought to Nashville in 1897 and was first displayed near the Parthenon replica in what is now Centennial Park during… Read More

Shipping magnate Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt was no stranger to travel, but this is an odd journey indeed. What’s being done with the Commodore statue in this 1986 photograph? Go here to find out if you’re right. Read More

JUSTIN MILLER, BS’09 NICK GORDON, BE’09 Justin Miller (left), Nick Gordon (right) and Michael—a CARE for AIDS client in Kamirithu, Kenya, whom fellow clients call “The Chairman”—help build a chicken coop for a church. A contractor by trade, Michael organized a group of clients to start a craft-making business and… Read More

ANDREA BOUCHEY YOUNG, BA’00 “Horses and the jockeys who ride them are some of the most remarkable athletes I’ve encountered in my career,” says Andréa Bouchey Young, president and COO of Sam Houston Race Park in Houston. Young, a lifelong sports fan, has seen some great athletes. Before joining Sam… Read More