Life, Earth And Space

Cindy D. Kam has been named dean of faculty affairs in the College of Arts and Science. Kam, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Political Science and director of the Research on Individuals, Politics and Society Lab, steps into the role as Kamal Saggi, Frances and John Downing Family Professor of Economics, moves into a new leadership position in the Office of the Provost. Read More

Growing up in a small community has its advantages, but if you want to learn from world experts, you may have better luck in a big city. This is the case in the world of birds as well. Large populations of birds might be better able to maintain complex songs than small populations – all because of access to high-quality tutors. Read More

The American Academy of Arts and Sciences has announced that Dr. Nancy Carrasco, Joe C. Davis Professor of Biomedical Science and professor and chair of molecular physiology and biophysics, has been elected as one of its new members. Carrasco was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2015 and to the National Academy of Medicine in 2020. Read More

A team of Vanderbilt researchers led a project that studies chemical compounds produced by bacteria. Specifically, the group was interested in a suite of chemicals known as natural products. These chemicals are produced by the organism for a specific purpose, but are often valuable because they may be used as antibiotics, anticancer agents, or other therapeutics. Read More

The Vanderbilt College of Arts and Science has launched a new climate studies major. The major integrates the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities to give students a comprehensive perspective on climate change, its challenges and its possible solutions. Read More

Members of the Evolutionary Studies Initiative took a field trip to Coon Creek Science Center (CCSC) to dig for fossils. Read More

The Vanderbilt Evolutionary Studies Initiative welcomes image forensics detective Elisabeth Bik for the inaugural J.T. Scopes virtual lecture. The lecture series highlights the work of high-profile scientists that speak truth to power and defend science. Read More

Science’s influence on pop culture is undeniable, and the reverse is equally important. Research led by Jay Clayton, the first literature professor to ever receive funding from the NIH, shows that films portray genetic science as risky far more often than television shows. Read More

Kenneth Catania, Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences, has received the 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books in the Young Adult Science Book category for "Great Adaptations: Star-Nosed Moles, Electric Eels and Other Tales of Evolution’s Mysteries Solved." Read More

Research conducted at Vanderbilt by Faith Rovenolt and Ann Tate has been published in a new study in The American Naturalist that models how parasites interact to affect their host’s behavior. The results of the research reinforce an understanding of the influence of disease in community dynamics. Read More

A team of astronomers has made the discovery of a lifetime that will help answer burning questions on the evolution of stars. The group is led by Keivan Stassun, Evolutionary Studies Initiative member and Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy. Read More

Over the past decade, Larisa DeSantis, paleontologist and associate professor of biological sciences, has worked with a team of former Vanderbilt undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and experts from across the globe to show how species can be both generalized at the species level and specialized individually—a probable key to their success. Read More

Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, Stevenson Professor of Astrophysics, has received the 2022 Mentor Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The award is for individuals who have mentored significant numbers of underrepresented students who are working toward doctorates in STEM. Read More

Fourteen undergraduates and two graduate students represented Vanderbilt University in Glasgow, Scotland, as official delegates to the United Nations international climate change negotiations—dubbed COP26. Read More

The Evolutionary Studies Initiative has awarded seven grants to researchers in the initiative to seed new projects and collaborations. Read More

Students in the Glacial Geology class took their research to new levels of immersion, collecting soil and rock samples at an elevation of 9,000 feet in the Sawatch Mountain Range of Colorado. Their research helps show the movement of glaciers, ultimately giving clues about the impact of climate change. Read More

Robert O’Dell, Distinguished Research Professor of Physics and Astronomy, has been named a 2022 fellow of the American Astronomical Society for extraordinary achievement and service to the field of astronomy. He is among 23 fellows being inducted into the AAS this year. Read More

Vanderbilt University researchers from the departments of physics and astronomy, math, electrical engineering, and history have received a $3 million National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Award to establish a graduate certificate program in the emerging field of multimessenger astronomy. Read More

International astronomy collaboration strengthens evidence for signal that may hint at ultra-low frequency gravitational waves. Read More

Looking at prehistoric organisms allows Simon Darroch and his students to describe how, when and why complex life evolved on this planet. Their work is a piece of the puzzle in understanding how likely it is that we’ll find complex life beyond Earth. Read More