Reagan Villet

The world’s preeminent scholars of early American history convened at Vanderbilt University June 11–13 for the Omohundro Institute’s 29th annual conference, hosted by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries. This premier gathering for historians and researchers who focus on American history through the early 19th century featured cutting-edge research, panels and workshops covering “Vast Early America”—that is, North America, the Caribbean and the Atlantic world. Read More

A new exhibit at the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries celebrates America’s semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—by exploring the United States’ formative years. 'Forging a Nation' will be on view through December 2026. Read More

Ellis Island Honors Society Chairman Nasser J. Kazeminy awarded Billy Hudson, director of the Vanderbilt Center for Matrix Biology and the Elliott V. Newman Professor of Medicine, with a 2026 Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 16 at a black-tie gala. The Ellis Island Medals of Honor rank among the nation’s most renowned awards, officially recognized by the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, with each year’s recipients listed in the Congressional Record. Read More

Anonymous donors have committed $25 million to build a bold new hub of innovation and discovery at Vanderbilt University—a multipurpose science facility that will shape the future of research and education on campus and beyond. Read More

The collaboration reflects a shared commitment to advancing respectful, community-engaged research and supporting Indigenous knowledge preservation. Read More

Martin Egli, the Richard N. Armstrong, Ph.D. Professor of Innovation in Biochemistry and a professor of biochemistry at the School of Medicine Basic Sciences, delivered a Kairos Lecture on May 28. Egli’s work, which has resulted in over 300 publications and two influential nucleic acid textbooks, has advanced strategies to stabilize RNA for therapeutic applications, including siRNA. He has received major honors and extensively served his department and the university. Read More

The Vanderbilt rocket team captured its ninth payload design award and placed 2nd at the 2025-2026 University Student Launch Initiative competition conducted by the NASA Marshall Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Read More

Vanderbilt University may nominate up to three tenure-track faculty per department for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's 2027 Sloan Research Fellowships. Read More

Vanderbilt University may nominate two candidates for the 2027 Searle Scholars Program, which supports the independent research of outstanding early-career scientists who have recently been appointed as assistant professors on a tenure-track appointment. Read More

Library professionals from across North America came together at Vanderbilt University May 27–29 for the 2026 Southern Library Support Staff Conference. This annual gathering, hosted by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries, is designed to offer all levels of staff at academic, public, school and special libraries an opportunity to learn, teach, share and develop connections with others in their field. Read More

The inaugural program invites students to develop real companies designed to solve real-world business challenges from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, NASA, IBM, Xtremis and EPB.  Read More

Vanderbilt NeuroCline, a consortium of researchers from Vanderbilt Health and Vanderbilt University, has received a prestigious award to explore using artificial intelligence to find new drug targets for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most common form of motor neuron disease. Read More

A new investigation finds that workplace monitoring platforms are systematically sharing personal data about workers and online activity with hundreds of outside data brokers and big tech companies in ways that are not clearly disclosed and that, in some cases, may contradict the platforms’ own privacy policies. Read More

The Vanderbilt Choral Scholars have spent the last week immersed in the rich musical traditions of Northern England, combining performances, collaborations and liturgical music-making in a tour that is already proving transformative for the Blair School of Music students. Read More

The Vanderbilt Alumni Association will welcome new and returning alumni leaders to its board for three-year terms that start July 1, 2026. The Alumni Association’s mission is to engage Vanderbilt alumni in the life of the university, encourage lifelong connections and support the university’s mission and priorities. Read More

In a groundbreaking study published recently in the journal Nature, researchers at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt Health have created the first growth charts for white matter in the brain over a human lifetime. The work brings together nearly two decades of Vanderbilt research collaborations, the university’s extensive MRI data collections, and an advanced AI-enabled computing platform. Read More

Vanderbilt University will welcome thousands of family members and alumni to campus for Family Weekend, September 18–20, and Reunion, October 15–18, and staff volunteers are needed as Vanderbilt Ambassadors to make the weekend a success. Read More

Vanderbilt University computer science students have developed an accurate, reliable and cost-effective solution for segmenting and labeling television news broadcasts, making them more discoverable and accessible to researchers. This new tool, the first created through the Vanderbilt Cloud Innovation Lab for Libraries and Applied Digital Preservation, powered by AWS, uses artificial intelligence to improve upon manual processes and may reduce costs up to 80 percent. Read More

The Vanderbilt University Center for Structural Biology and Center for AI in Protein Dynamics recently hosted a symposium called “Bridging Atoms and Algorithms: A Symposium on AI and Structural Biology.” The March event brought together Vanderbilt faculty, trainees, and invited speakers to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and structural biology, share research, and foster new scientific collaborations. Read More

As an undergraduate, Marcia Fordyce-Steinfurth, BA’94, arrived in Nashville from Washington, D.C., eager to continue her education at another top-tier institution after attending Stone Ridge. At Vanderbilt, she connected with classmates from her hometown as well as peers from a wide range of backgrounds, all while immersing herself in a small-town Southern culture that was entirely new to her. Now, with a daughter at Vanderbilt, Marcia and her husband, P.R. Steinfurth, have witnessed firsthand how the university continues to help students access professional opportunities. Inspired in part by the lasting impact of Marcia’s undergraduate education, the Steinfurths knew they wanted to give back. Read More