Arts And Science

Since the first cohort was enrolled 20 years ago, 190 students have participated in the program, 157 master’s degrees have been awarded, 137 students have bridged to a Ph.D. program, and 70 students have earned a Ph.D. The program has an 88 percent Ph.D. completion rate, more than twice the national average of 43 percent. Read More

María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Art, secured a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to advance the work of the Engine for Art, Democracy & Justice (EADJ), which she founded. Read More

Adam Blandin, assistant professor of economics, typically analyzes how the amount of time worked affects a person’s earnings; how family structure affects wages, employment, and equality; and the economic implications of remote work. However, recently, Blandin looked at generative AI through an economic lens and helped create the first nationally representative survey on how workers are using generative AI. Read More

Vanderbilt Distinguished Visiting Professor of Political Science and Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham has been awarded a National Humanities Medal, the nation’s highest honor for contributions to the humanities.    Read More

Learn about what inspires the Class of 2025 Outstanding Senior winner and read about all the nominees. Read More

Tiffiny Tung, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of Social and Natural Sciences, professor of anthropology and vice provost for undergraduate education, has been named a senior fellow in the Pre-Columbian Studies program at Harvard’s Dumbarton Oaks. The fellowship underscores Tung’s notable contributions to anthropology and Andean archaeology. Read More

Wiesmeyer, associate professor of molecular biology, emeritus, died on Oct. 4, 2024, in Nashville. He was 92. Read More

The image of a writer often conjures up visions of an author sequestered away crafting the perfect poem or buried under stacks of paper finishing their next novel. However, award-winning poet and Gertrude Conaway Professor of English Major Jackson believes it is a deeply collaborative process that relies heavily on community. Read More

Yinghui Guo, senior lecturer in Asian studies, died unexpectedly on Friday, Oct. 25. A memorial event featuring some of Guo’s personal artwork will be held in the Buttrick Atrium on Tuesday, Nov. 5, from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.  Read More

A recent study conducted by Vanderbilt chemistry professors Sandy Rosenthal and Oleg Kovtun found that people experiencing depressed states had lower daytime activity, and people’s daytime activity increased with longer days and more sun exposure. Read More

Patte, an internationally acclaimed biblical scholar and teacher, with a focus on the ethics of biblical interpretation and an emphasis on the contextual character of any interpretation of the Bible, died on Sept. 2, 2024, in Nashville. He was 85. Read More

For John Jumper, BS’07, the road to winning the Nobel Prize in chemistry began with an interdisciplinary education at Vanderbilt.  Read More

Learn more about Dean Tim McNamara, what's kept him teaching and leading for 40+ years and what he loves to do most when he's not working. Read More

During a Dialogue Vanderbilt event, Professor of Political Science John Sides interviewed renowned statistician and writer Nate Silver about his latest book focused on appetites for risk-taking. Together, they examined the topic related to gambling, business and the 2024 election. Read More

Carlos Taboada, assistant professor of biological sciences, was among the 2024 Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering announced on Tuesday, Oct. 15. At the Taboada Lab, he and his team investigate the chemical, physiological and physical mechanisms that create different colors in frogs and the remarkable transparency of glassfrogs. Read More

Vanderbilt University secured four National Endowment for the Humanities grants totaling $330,696 to support projects ranging from Yiddish literature to the preservation of Special Collections. The grants highlight Vanderbilt’s leadership in humanities research and were facilitated by the university’s Research Development and Support team. Read More

With 1,100 enrolled students, the number speaks for itself—PSCI 1150: U.S. Elections is a hot commodity on campus. The elective course offered every four years by the College of Arts and Science is a highly anticipated deep dive into how elections work in the U.S., blending a robust  understanding of history with extensive research from political science. Read More

John M. Jumper, BS’07, is one of three scientists awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Oct. 9. Jumper currently is a senior staff research scientist for DeepMind, a London-based company that made a huge leap forward in solving the protein folding problem using artificial intelligence. He is the third Vanderbilt alumnus to win a Nobel Prize. Read More

A new study led by Andre Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, found that animal subjects under general anesthesia were unable to detect moderate and complex surprises. This discovery deepens the understanding about the nature of consciousness and how it arises. Read More

Roschke, a renowned expert in media literacy and misinformation, has been named the inaugural executive director of the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies at Vanderbilt University beginning Oct. 15. Roschke will also hold a faculty appointment in the Program in Communication of Science and Technology in the College of Arts and Science. Read More