Fall 2013

Vanderbilt Opera Theatre has put an offbeat spin on a fairy-tale-inspired musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The setting is decidedly steampunk: a melding of Victorian-era design, industrial gears and steam-powered machinery that is both retro and futuristic at the same time. Read More

Vanderbilt will promote free online courses in China through a partnership between Coursera, a leading massive open online course (MOOC) platform, and NetEase, one of the largest Chinese Internet companies. Read More

Greenhouse gas emissions from campus have decreased by 19 percent from an all-time high reached in 2008—and by 14 percent between 2005 and 2012. Read More

Mark Kendall’s debut documentary film is ostensibly about the journey made by a decommissioned American school bus to become a mode of transportation for Guatemalan workers. But the film is really about how something as seemingly insignificant as a bus can be part of something larger. Read More

I seldom venture anywhere without some Vanderbilt link popping up. For this issue of the magazine, it was a 50-cent copy of Deliverance at a Pasadena flea market and a conversation with a stranger about James Dickey. Read More

During the past three years, Vanderbilt more than quadrupled its earnings from technology commercialization efforts to more than $24.5 million in the fiscal year that ended June 30. Read More

First-year students by the numbers Read More

Bosley Jarrett’s shot of the night sky in Franz Josef, New Zealand, was one of 12 finalists in Vanderbilt’s 2013 Global Education Office photo contest. Read More

Debate Annoying Family Members like a Pro This Holiday Season This holiday season we all can count on a few things to mark the occasion. Families will gather, turkey will be served, and perhaps most dependable of all, arguments will erupt. At least one person always seems to be at… Read More

Vanderbilt University is ranked No. 17 in U.S. News & World Report’s latest list of top national universities, while also receiving recognition for its value, learning communities and undergraduate research. Read More

More than 1,300 first-year students moved their belongings into residence halls on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons on Aug. 17. Read More

The Complexity of Seattle’s Floating Homes Community Now studying to be an architect, Erin Feeney explored Seattle’s community of floating homes in a recent book and exhibit, both pictured below. (Greg Gilbert)   Erin Feeney, BA’07, did not have architecture in mind as a career when she… Read More

Cave Man At age 11, Gary Roberson crawled into a cave on his very first Boy Scout camping trip and fell in love. To this day he’s still enamored, especially when he sets foot in undiscovered territory. “Caving is one of the few things in the world that allows you… Read More

A new interdisciplinary program examines the presence of Latinos and Hispanics as an integral part of U.S. culture and history. Read More

It was the 9-degree, molar-rattling middle of January in North Georgia, and I was on my way to visit the Chattooga River, 57 miles of fierce backcountry water and etched stone where the film of my father’s first novel, Deliverance, was shot in the summer of 1971. Read More

‘Yo-Yo Dieting’ May Cause Metabolic Dysfunction The cycles of weight loss and gain that accompany “yo-yo dieting” increase the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, exactly how weight cycling increases metabolic dysfunction—more than steady weight gain alone—is unknown. © istock.com / Karen Roach… Read More

Recent Books for Your Fall Reading   Lauren P. Della Monica, BA’95, Painted Landscapes: Contemporary Views (2013, Schiffer Publishing) Della Monica explores American landscape painting today, its relevance in the contemporary art world and its historic roots. Trends from realism to abstraction and nonobjectivity are… Read More

Vanderbilt extends its gratitude for record-breaking support during its most recent fiscal year, which ended June 30. Read More

This year more than 3,000 alumni and guests gathered on campus Oct. 3–5 for Reunion 2013. From Thursday evening’s reception for the newest Quinqs to the last play of the Homecoming football game on Saturday, the weekend was packed with activities. Read More

Joe Bozich, CEO of Knights Apparel, provides a thread of hope for hundreds in the Dominican Republic. Read More