Melanie Moran
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DigitalVU: Using technology to engage students beyond the classroom walls
Watch video of an Oct. 20 presentation “Using technology to engage students beyond the classroom walls” with Corbette Doyle and Stephanie Milne. This session provides a hands-on look at Twitter as a tool to encourage students to think critically about course content — before, during and after class ends. To… Read MoreOct 21, 2011
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Primer on political impacts of Sept. 11
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 MoreSep 2, 2011
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Memories may skew visual perception
New research from Vanderbilt University indicates images held in our working memory may skew perception of current events. (iStock) Taking a trip down memory lane while you are driving could land you in a roadside ditch, new research indicates. Vanderbilt University psychologists have found that our visual perception… Read MoreJul 19, 2011
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Why people with schizophrenia may have trouble reading social cues
Impairments in a brain area involved in social perception may help explain why individuals with schizophrenia have trouble reading social cues. Read MoreMay 24, 2011
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Researchers put school choice options under the microscope
Vanderbilt education experts explore the complex issues surrounding school choice in new book published this month by Harvard Education Press. Read MoreMar 14, 2011
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Brain imaging may hold clues to help children improve grammar
Researchers have for the first time successfully used brain imaging to predict how children will respond to programs that help them improve their grammar. Read MoreMar 11, 2011
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Grammy-nominated recording artist holds show to benefit Susan Gray School
Courtesy of LynnMarie When Nashville recording artist LynnMarie learned that her son, James, would be born with Down syndrome, her world stopped. “I didn’t think I could go on, much less continue with my career,” she said. “As the years went, by I found myself sitting in my bathrobe,… Read MoreFeb 25, 2011
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Feb. 24 women’s basketball game postponed: Time moved to 5 p.m. Friday
The Commodores’ postponed women’s basketball game with Florida will now tip off at 5 p.m. Friday in Memorial Gymnasium. Read MoreFeb 24, 2011
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Tennessee pre-k students see 82 percent gain over peers
Students in Tennessee's state prekindergarten program experience an average of 82 percent greater gains in literacy and math skills over their peers who do not attend state pre-k. Read MoreFeb 24, 2011
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Schizophrenics better at some memory tasks
(iStock Photo) Individuals with schizophrenia are better at some cognitive tasks than average people, new research from Vanderbilt University indicates. The findings open the door for potential new therapies for these individuals. Katy Thakkar and Sohee Park (Mary Donaldson/Vanderbilt University) “We found a pocket of spared or enhanced ability in… Read MoreJan 28, 2011
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How does the policy environment impact charter schools?
Charter schools and mayoral control are both hot topics in education reform. Indiana combined these reform strategies when enacting a new charter school law in 2001. Under the law, the mayor of Indianapolis was granted authorizing authority to charter schools in the Indianapolis Public Schools district, as well as 10… Read MoreJan 26, 2011
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Aliquots – VUMC research highlights
RSV prefers stressed cells “Stress granules” – globs of proteins and RNAs – form inside cells in response to environmental stressors and are thought to regulate protein production. Several viruses induce stress granule formation, but the function of these structures during virus replication is not well understood. James Crowe Jr.,… Read MoreJan 6, 2011
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Brain imaging predicts future reading progress in children with dyslexia
(Photo credit: iStock photo) Brain scans of adolescents with dyslexia can be used to predict the future improvement of their reading skills with an accuracy rate of up to 90 percent, new research indicates. Advanced analyses of the brain activity images are significantly more accurate in driving predictions than standardized… Read MoreDec 20, 2010
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Participants sought for study treating speech disorders in young children with cleft palate
Young children born with cleft lip or palate are sought to participate in a groundbreaking intervention study to help improve their language and speech. The study, launched by Vanderbilt University and East Tennessee State University in January 2010, has already been found to have a positive impact on addressing speech disorders in these children. Read MoreDec 19, 2010
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Texas program sees gains in student achievement, teacher retention
Student achievement improved and teacher turnover declined in schools participating in the Texas state-funded District Awards for Teacher Excellence (D.A.T.E.) program, the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University has found. “Our findings suggest that, more often than not, participants in the D.A.T.E. program had a positive experience and… Read MoreDec 7, 2010
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TIPSHEET: Vanderbilt expert able to comment on DREAM Act
As members of Congress spar over whether or not to provide tuition benefits and a path to legalization to undocumented students through the DREAM Act, an examination of the nation’s first state-level “dream act” indicates such policy effectively boosts college enrollment by these students. Read MoreDec 6, 2010
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$3.8 million grant to fund mental health service study by Vanderbilt University and Indiana University
Vanderbilt University’s Center for Evaluation and Program Improvement and the Indiana University Center for Adolescent and Family Studies have won a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study methods to improve mental health services. The five-year project will examine how to improve mental health services… Read MoreDec 6, 2010
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TIPSHEET: Expert on surveillance can comment on National Opt-Out Day
Torin Monahan, associate professor of human and organizational development and medicine at Vanderbilt University, is available to discuss how and why resistance to surveillance is on the rise in the United States and ways in which surveillance has developed in recent years. Read MoreNov 19, 2010
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Important brain area organized by color and orientation
Photo courtesy of National Eye Institute A brain area known to play a critical role in vision is divided into compartments that respond separately to different colors and orientations, Vanderbilt University researchers have discovered. The findings have important implications for furthering our understanding of perception and attention. The research… Read MoreNov 15, 2010
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Educators need to shift focus from achievement gap to opportunity gap to better serve racially diverse students
A report released this week by the Council of Great City Schools finds black students continue to perform and test at levels significantly below their white counterparts. A new book released this month by Vanderbilt University education professor H. Richard Milner details strategies for closing this persistent achievement gap by… Read MoreNov 10, 2010