Vanderbilt View

Religious scholar’s journey takes him from Millersburg to Bangladesh Tony Stewart (John Russell/Vanderbilt) Tony Stewart performed an experiment when he arrived on the Vanderbilt campus. “I asked everyone I ran into for directions to Religious Studies,” he said. “Without exception, they told me how to get to… Read More

Anthropologist explores modern Africa and black immigrant experience in America Jemima Pierre (Joe Howell/Vanderbilt) In her interactions with black immigrants over the years, Jemima Pierre said she discovered a surprising sentiment. “They told me, ‘I never knew I was black until I came to the U.S.’ I found that… Read More

Interfacial scientist thrives on moment of discovery Erin Rericha (Lauren Owens/Vanderbilt) Erin Rericha considers herself an interfacial scientist. The new assistant professor of physics explained that she has “a bit of a split personality.” “I am trained as a condensed matter physicist,” she said, “and I spent… Read More

Law professor sees progress where environmental and economic good meets J.B. Ruhl (courtesy of Vanderbilt University Law School) Environmental law and property law expert J.B. Ruhl said he considers himself part of the “radical middle” when it comes to helping craft solutions to controversial environmental issues. “Sometimes you need… Read More

Bioengineer builds robotics to make medical procedures easier Pietro Valdastri (John Russell/Vanderbilt) The prospect of a colonoscopy is about as unwelcome as a root canal, so it’s no surprise that it’s difficult to convince people to get regular screenings for colon cancer. But what if you could replace this… Read More

Political scientist looks at elections and why they matter Larry Bartels (John Russell/Vanderbilt) Larry Bartels, arguably the most influential political scientist of his generation, is fascinated with democracy – how it really works, who has the most influence and why the presidential primary election process has propelled one-time dark… Read More

A complete list of new faculty for the 2011-12 academic year Blair School of Music Dikeman Philip Dikeman, associate professor of flute B.M., Oberlin… Read More

Vanderbilt’s EAP helps employees find balance in their work and lives Ellen Clark (Susan Urmy/Vanderbilt) Ellen Clark’s first day on the job at Vanderbilt is stamped on her memory. It’s likely stamped on your memory, too. Clark, a licensed clinical social worker, had an official start date of… Read More

A rooftop view of a Vanderbilt LifeFlight helicopter making its approach. (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt) I recently updated my Facebook status to read “I’m thinking of going off the grid.” I wasn’t planning to disappear into the wilderness sans smart phone to live off the land. But I was experiencing a… Read More

Tracy Barrett (Vanderbilt) Tracy Barrett, senior lecturer in Italian, has written Dark of the Moon, a re-telling of the Theseus myth for young adult readers, published by Harcourt Children’s Books. Leonard Bickman, the Betts Chair and professor… Read More

Coach Dan McGugin with his son, Leonard. (Photo courtesy of The Banner Collection, Nashville Public Library) In 1904 Dan McGugin, an Iowa native who played football while earning a law degree at the University of Michigan, wrote to Vanderbilt asking for its vacant head coaching job. Vanderbilt hired him,… Read More

Lyne Bingham was photographed at J-J’s Market and Café, Nashville, Tenn. (John Russell/Vanderbilt)     Lyne Bingham’s gestures say a lot, whether she’s in the midst of a lively conversation or conducting a symphony orchestra. Such expressiveness and easy sociability in a person with Asperger’s syndrome might come as… Read More

It has been a decade since the 9/11 terrorists attacks, in which more than 3,000 people died at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. But time has not fully healed the wound: Don’t we all remember where we were that day? The View invited members of the Vanderbilt community to share their stories, and we have captured a few of them here. Read More

Open Enrollment, the annual opportunity for benefits-eligible employees to choose their benefits and elect the coverage that fits their needs for the coming year, begins at 8 a.m. Oct. 1 and ends at 5 p.m. Oct. 14. Read More

VEMS puts undergrads on the front lines of medicine Members of the Vanderbilt Emergency Medical Society undergo CPR instructor training through the Vanderbilt Resuscitation Program. (Steve Green/Vanderbilt) Pendell Meyers is planning a career in medicine, so the summer after his freshman year at Vanderbilt he got a job drawing… Read More

The former U.S. poet laureate discusses his upcoming Vanderbilt residency and the importance of a poem’s ‘shape’ In the opinion of poet Billy Collins, poetry needs to be everywhere. “I think ambushing people with poems on billboards, buses,… Read More

(image courtesy of Helene Dunbar) Ten years ago, tragic events took place that changed America forever. There is no getting around that. There exists in our memories the time before Sept. 11, 2001, and the time after it, and those time periods are profoundly different. The enormity of the… Read More

James Bradford (Vanderbilt University) James Bradford, dean of the Owen Graduate School of Management, has been named to the board of directors of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. Vanderbilt’s Department of Mathematics is headquarters to Constructive Approximation, an internationally recognized mathematics journal recently ranked 10th out of 277 journals… Read More

Student Natalie DuBose looks at prayer ribbons hanging from the remembrance tree on Sept. 13, 2001. (Vanderbilt University/Neil Brake) In the hours and days following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Vanderbilt responded to the tragedy by organizing events and services designed to give the university community opportunities… Read More

(John Russell/Vanderbilt University) Thumbing through a handful of her daughter’s recently taken senior photos, Kim Drake was a little tearful. “I’m having a mother moment,” she explained before tucking them away to offer some friendly guidance to a patient at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center’s Patient and Family Resource… Read More