Releases

Since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law in February, it has given a significant boost to scientific and medical research at Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Read More

Performance pay for teachers continues to gain momentum nationally despite the absence of a clear understanding of its impact on students, teachers and schools. A new book from the National Center on Performance Incentives at Vanderbilt University brings together the latest research on the topic to offer guidance for researchers, policymakers and practitioners seeking deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding this issue. Read More

Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor for the New York Times and puzzle master on NPR's "Weekend Edition Sunday," will give a public talk at Vanderbilt University Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. Read More

Stephen Hadley, who served as the principal White House foreign policy adviser under former President George W. Bush, will speak at Vanderbilt University Law School on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at noon. Read More

The Association of Vanderbilt Black Alumni (AVBA) will not only reflect on its achievements the past 25 years but also consider issues pertinent to current and future African Americans on campus during a series of events Oct. 15-17. Read More

David Charles Mills, author of Unholy: The Slaves Bible, will give two public lectures at Vanderbilt University, Wednesday, Oct. 14, at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. Read More

Antonis Rokas is a member of a small cadre of scientists who are applying the growing power of genomics to untangle and correctly arrange the branches of the tree of life. Read More

On July 3, 2009, James A. Young became the first African American mayor of Philadelphia, Miss., a small city forever linked with the murders of three Civil Rights workers in 1964. Young brings his story to Vanderbilt University Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7 p.m. at Sarratt Cinema. Read More

"Bad movie physics from the perspective of art and science" is the subject of a free public lecture that is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, in Stevenson Center Room 4327 on the Vanderbilt campus. Read More

Colorful sculptures in the form of movable stair stoops and a panel discussion with three Vanderbilt University faculty members are among the ongoing activities for Art Makes Place, a year-long project to bring more contemporary art to Nashville's public spaces. Read More

Vanderbilt University has several events planned for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the general public during its homecoming scheduled Tuesday, Oct. 13, through Saturday, Oct. 17, when the Vanderbilt Commodores take on the Georgia Bulldogs at 11:20 a.m. central time. Read More

A collaboration between scientists at Vanderbilt University and the University of California, San Francisco has led to the first direct information about the molecular structure of prions. In addition, the study has revealed surprisingly large structural differences between natural prions and the closest synthetic analogs that scientists have created in the lab. Read More

Shelby County District Attorney General Bill Gibbons will be the first in a series of Tennessee gubernatorial candidates to address students in Vanderbilt University's "Introduction to Politics" class. Read More

Training and education, says Professor Woodie Flowers, are very different. "I think it is time to shift gears – to shift away from the ‘sage on the stage,'" says Flowers. Universities, he says, need to get out of the business of training. Read More

The sixth and final concert of the 2009 Bluebird on the Mountain series will feature singer-songwriters Don Henry, Kim Richey and Craig Carothers on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. Read More

The most ambitious attempt yet to trace the history of the universe has seen "first light." The Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (BOSS), part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III), took its first astronomical data on the night of Sept. 14-15 at the Sloan Foundation telescope in New Mexico. Read More

Will Shortz, crossword puzzle editor for The New York Times and puzzle master on NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, will give a public talk at Vanderbilt University Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m. Read More

Enjoy a fall afternoon at Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory with a concert by the Blair Big Band on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 4 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public, but reservations are required on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations may be made online at www.dyer.vanderbilt.edu. There will be a $10 parking fee per carload with a maximum of eight people per car. Read More

Jerry Fife, who has served as Vanderbilt's acting vice chancellor for administration for the past eight months, has been appointed to the role permanently after a national search by the university. His appointment is subject to approval by the Board of Trust. Read More

Peter C. Mancall, professor of history and anthropology at the University of Southern California, will examine the life, legacy and mystery of Hudson and discuss his recent book, Fatal Journey: The Final Expedition of Henry Hudson -- A Tale of Mutiny and Murder in the Arctic (Basic Books, 2009) on Monday, Oct. 12, at 4:10 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Room 126, at Vanderbilt University. A book signing will follow the lecture. Read More