Releases

While many Godzilla fans view the Japanese fantasy films as pure entertainment, a Vanderbilt University historian believes the original movies serve as important reflections of Japanese post-war society. Yoshikuni Igarashi, associate professor of history and director of East Asian Studies at Vanderbilt, is the plenary speaker for an Oct. 28-30 conference at the University of Kansas marking the 50th birthday of Godzilla. Read More

Members of CHEERS (Collegians Helping to Encourage and Educate Responsible Socializing), a student-based alcohol awareness organization at Vanderbilt University, will stage a mock drunk driving accident on the Vanderbilt campus on Thursday at 3 p.m. Read More

The presentation of a new book offering book-by-book commentaries on the Bible by scholars from around the world will be a highlight of activities sponsored by Vanderbilt Divinity School as part of university homecoming. Read More

More than 300 students at Franklin's Page High School will have a chance to visit a planetarium without leaving school grounds Wednesday, Oct. 27. Astronomers from Vanderbilt and Fisk universities will bring a portable, inflatable planetarium to the school to help educate students about the stars with the goal of interesting them in a career in science. The planetarium is the centerpiece of the Fisk-Vanderbilt NASA Roadshow, made possible by a grant from NASA. Read More

Biomedical engineers and physicians at Vanderbilt University have brought the day when artificial limbs will be controlled directly by the brain considerably closer by discovering a method that uses laser light, rather than electricity, to stimulate and control nerve cells. Read More

A legacy of the 2000 election is the increased likelihood that the 2004 and subsequent presidential races will end up in the courts, says Susanna Sherry, Cal Turner Professor of Law and Leadership at Vanderbilt University. Read More

"Company," Stephen Sondheim's grown-up look at love and marriage, is the second production of the Vanderbilt University Department of Theatre's 2004-2005 season. Read More

The Rev. Peter J. Gomes, author of bestselling books about faith and widely regarded as one of America's most distinguished preachers, will deliver the 2004 Cole Lectures at Vanderbilt University on Nov. 4 and 5. Read More

Vanderbilt professors will discuss diverse topics ranging from the presidential election and its impact on the Middle East to understanding the latest recording technologies during a series of "Classes Without Quizzes" on Nov. 5. Read More

A few lucky families will avoid long lines to receive flu vaccine for their young children, and may help future generations at the same time by participating in flu vaccine research at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Read More

Decades ago Halloween meant visiting a handful of houses, always prepared to earn a treat with a clever homemade costume and a friendly Halloween greeting. Today many families feel trick-or-treating is an exercise in excess at a time when obesity is one of the nation's top health concerns. Read More

Juvenile defenders from all 50 states, juvenile justice advocates and legal experts will convene in Nashville Oct. 22-24 for the national Juvenile Defender Leadership Summit. The summit is held in a different city each year and is co-sponsored this year by the Vanderbilt Child and Family Policy Center. Read More

One week before American voters decide whether to retain George W. Bush as president or make a change with Sen. John Kerry, political analyst and author Joe Klein will speak at Vanderbilt University. Read More

Carole Brookins, the World Bank's executive director for the United States, will speak about "Tennessee and the World Bank: Partners in Development" at Vanderbilt University on Oct. 20. Read More

There are many terms that can be used to define Monica J. Casper, the new director of the women's studies program at Vanderbilt University ñ feminist scholar, bioethicist, medical sociologist and mom. Indeed, Casper's varied roles reflect one of her major goals since joining the university this fall ñ to expand people's definition of women's studies. Read More

Annette S. Eskind, chairman of the Nashville Public Education Foundation, announced that the foundation is establishing a $1,000,000 endowed fund at Peabody College of Vanderbilt University that will create a permanent collaborative relationship between Peabody, Vanderbilt and Metro Public Schools to help meet the professional development needs of Metro Schools teachers and principals. Read More

The "down low" black male quickly became a cultural touchstone after the publication of On the Down Low by J.L. King and its subsequent promotion in the national print and television media. Read More

The longest continuous Holocaust lecture series at an American university begins its 27th year on Thursday, Oct. 21, at Vanderbilt University and will expand to consider genocides beyond those perpetrated by the Nazis. Read More

Vanderbilt University students will gather Wednesday evening to watch the final and perhaps decisive presidential debate. Read More

French scholar Claude Pichois, one of the world's foremost scholars of French letters and a Vanderbilt University professor since 1970, died Tuesday at a Paris hospital of heart failure. He was 79. Read More