Releases

Robert Stutman, a 25-year veteran of the national Drug Enforcement Agency, will address the Vanderbilt community on the dangers of even casual drug use in a talk titled "What Did I Take? The Truth Behind Ecstasy, Coke and Other Drugs" on Monday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Sarratt Cinema. Read More

Robin Jensen, the Luce Chancellor‘s Professor of the History of Christian Art and Worship at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, will elaborate on the potential of arts in Christian worship at two events, a community breakfast on Thursday, March 3, and an all-day forum on Saturday, April 9. Read More

Journalists are encouraged to apply to attend a media fellowship, "Autism: Rates, Causes and Treatment," hosted by Vanderbilt University in conjunction with the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education April 10-13 in Nashville, Tenn. At this fellowship, journalists will have an opportunity to meet with leading autism researchers and affected families to learn about the latest advances in understanding this complex disorder. Read More

Brain Awareness Month is a series of events during March aimed at teaching the public about the importance of brain research to understanding, treating, and ultimately curing brain-related diseases. Read More

Constant light has long been understood to disrupt our internal clocks, resulting in problems like jet lag and health problems in extended-shift workers. A study led by Vanderbilt researcher Douglas McMahon reveals that although the clocks of individuals exposed to constant light may get out of synch, they keep ticking. The findings offer insight into how to modify constant-light situations to lessen their impact on humans. Read More

Vanderbilt University Librarian Paul M. Gherman has been named the 2005 winner of the Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award. Gherman will receive $2,000 and a citation during the American Library Association Annual Conference in Chicago. It will be presented at the Library Administration and Management Association President‘s Program on June 26 at 1:30 p.m. Read More

The nuclear threat posed by North Korea will be the focus of a lecture by former South Korean government official Chang Hee Kang Tuesday, Feb. 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies. Read More

Vanderbilt University‘s Dance Marathon — a 14-hour overnight gathering featuring live music and performances, games, food and dancing — will attract more than 400 students from across campus when it convenes tomorrow evening, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. Members of the public may attend the marathon and participate in its activities on a come-and-go basis for a $10 per person donation at the door. Read More

Students interested in pursuing a degree in nursing from Vanderbilt, but who are concerned about financial obstacles, could get a big boost thanks to a grant from the Christy-Houston Foundation. Read More

The World Bank senior officer who oversees its collaboration with religious organizations will speak at Vanderbilt University about religion and development. The lecture by Katherine Marshall will be at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24, in Room 204 of the Mayborn Building on Vanderbilt‘s Peabody College campus. Read More

Alain Connes, Distinguished Professor in the Vanderbilt University Department of Mathematics, has been awarded one of France‘s most noteworthy scientific awards: the annual Gold Medal of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). Read More

The engineering students at Vanderbilt University will display their ingenuity and inventiveness through a series of challenging — but fun — competitions and events to be held during National Engineers Week Feb. 21-25. In addition to spotlighting the engineering field, the competitions and activities are designed to interest students in engineering and scientific fields. The media and the public are invited. Read More

The newborn baby of a Fort Campbell soldier family has become the first to receive a new type of surgery at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children‘s Hospital at Vanderbilt. Read More

Sten Vermund, M.D., Ph.D., has been named the first Amos Christie Chair in Global Health and director of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine‘s Institute for Global Health. He will assume the role effective July 1. Read More

What changes does a family go through when one of its members has a disability? Marsha Seltzer, Vaughn Bascom Professor of Social Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will discuss her research on this topic at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development Thursday, Feb. 17, at 4 p.m. Read More

A collection of essays addressing the "profound misunderstandings" between Islamic cultures and the Western world will be signed and discussed Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Vanderbilt. The book is edited by Steven Heyneman, professor of international education policy in the Vanderbilt University Department of Leadership, Policy and Organizations. Read More

The logistical and cultural challenges of rebuilding Iraq and its government — including establishing needed government-sanctioned social services for women — will be brought home during Vanderbilt University alumna and army reservist Martha Boyd‘s talk at Vanderbilt Wednesday, Feb. 23. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers studying the antislavery movement, propaganda and a prominent former slave known as Big Prince were awarded fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Read More

Childhood obesity in Tennessee is a growing concern. Research shows about 10 percent of children ages 2-5 and 15 percent of children ages 6-19 are obese, and the percentages have more than doubled in the last two decades. Experts at Vanderbilt say Tennessee‘s numbers match those national statistics. Read More

Tennessee lawmakers will learn firsthand about the people who make up Vanderbilt when faculty, students and staff visit the legislature during the university‘s annual "Day on the Hill" Feb. 15. More than 100 people participated in last year‘s inaugural event, and an even broader cross-section of the Vanderbilt community is expected this year. Included on the agenda is a joint session of the Senate and House Finance, Ways and Means Committees with testimony by Jeff Balser, associate vice chancellor for research. Read More