Month: May 2012

Withholding aid from governments with a reputation for corruption can have a "vicious cycle" effect that makes it very difficult for them to progress, according to analysis from the 2010 AmericasBarometer survey by The Latin American Public Opinion Project at Vanderbilt University. Read More

Faculty and alumni from the Owen Graduate School of Management combine creativity and research to break down barriers in the business world. Read More

Privacy has become a flashpoint of contemporary American life. But it would be a mistake to treat “privacy” as an abstraction, unmoored by time, circumstance, and place. Watch video of Sarah E. Igo’s talk which investigates one of the key terms of U.S. political culture, charting the diverse ways privacy… Read More

Watch video of Robert J. Webster III’s talk which covers several examples of novel surgical robots, ranging from “tentacle-like” robots that are the diameter of needles for endonasal surgery, to swallowable endoscopic capsule robots that can accomplish surgery in the intestines and are thus making the Fantastic Voyage foreseen by… Read More

Watch video of Melanie Lowe’s talk that explores the aesthetics of the impossible in Joesph Haydn’s most sublime work. In 1797 Haydn completed what was immediately hailed as his greatest work, The Creation.This enormous piece scored for solo singers, chorus, and orchestra opens with nothing short of a musical impossibility—the sound of… Read More

College produces good citizens, right? Yes, but not for the reasons most people think. Watch video of Christopher P. Loss’s talk about the role of higher education in defining changing meanings of democratic citizenship in the 20th century, and explain why coordinated efforts to use education to produce good citizens… Read More

A rare genetic change adds support to the idea that altered dopamine signaling is a key risk factor for ADHD. Read More

The epithelial cells that line the intestines have a newly discovered mechanism for protecting us against microbes: they fire anti-bacterial "bullets" into the gut. Read More

This is only a test. Read More

VUCast Extra: Seniors hear from NBC veteran journalist Tom Brokaw, and remember their place in Vanderbilt history. It all started four years ago… Watch the full video of Senior Day. Read a wrap-up of Senior Day. Storify: A wrap-up of Senior Day tweets, images and posts [vucastblurb]… Read More

Clinical and developmental psychologist Donald J. Stedman received Peabody's Distinguished Alumnus Award during Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 11. Read More

Identification of brain regions involved in processing sights and sounds may offer insights into disorders like autism and dyslexia. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that the pulvinar, a mysterious structure buried in the center of our brains, determines how we see the world — and whether we see at all. Read More

Understanding how mutations in neuronal receptors contribute to epilepsy could lead to improved therapies. Read More

Peabody's Teaching and Learning in Urban Schools program graduates its first cohort of students. Read More

Watch video of Vanderbilt’s main Commencement ceremony, including an address by Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos, awarding of Founders Medals, honoring of faculty emeriti and conferring of degrees. Read more: Chancellor urges Vanderbilt grads to embrace complexity      … Read More

Watch video of newsman Tom Brokaw speaking at Senior Day May 10. He is the former anchor of NBC Nightly News and author of books including The Greatest Generation. Read a wrap-up of Senior Day. Read More

The "Extractionator" is a sophisticated little device that automates the diagnostic sample collection and preparation process so it can be operated by individuals in remote environments with minimal training. Read More

The 1.9 percent tuition increase announced for Vanderbilt University in 2012-13 is significantly lower that those announced by many leading private universities. Read More

Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos will address Vanderbilt graduates during Commencement ceremonies Friday, May 11 on Alumni Lawn. Newsman Tom Brokaw will receive the university’s prestigious Nichols-Chancellor’s Medal during the Senior Day ceremony Thursday, May 11. Read More