Arts And Science Research

The highly selective Beckman Scholars Program is celebrating 15 years of partnership with the College of Arts and Science. Over the years, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation has provided more than $543,000 in support of 23 undergraduate Beckman Scholars at Vanderbilt who engage in unique, hands-on, mentored research. Read More

Vanderbilt University has been awarded a prize from the National Institutes of Health for its creation of the LGBTQ+ Policy Lab, which advances a culture of inclusion for sexual and gender minority individuals through interdisciplinary research and collaboration. Read More

John A. McLean, Stevenson Professor of Chemistry and dean of graduate education and research in the College of Arts and Science, has been named the winner of this year’s Charles H. Herty Medal by the Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society. The award recognizes outstanding work and service by a chemist in the Southeast. Read More

Brandt Eichman and Walter Chazin, professors of biochemistry, have worked together to provide a better understanding of how exactly DNA replication is initiated in eukaryotes. Using Vanderbilt’s state-of-the-art instrumentation in the Center for Structural Biology’s Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility, Eichman, Chazin and their colleagues provided detailed visualizations of a multi-functional protein in action, which sheds light on how DNA replication is initiated in humans. Read More

Kyle David, an NSF postdoctoral fellow in the Rokas lab, and co-authors published a new paper, “Saccharomycotina yeasts defy longstanding macroecological patterns” in the high-impact journal PNAS. This paper, which looks at the ecology of 186 species of yeast, provides evidence that not all life-forms follow the rules. Read More

Kyle David, an NSF postdoctoral fellow in the Rokas lab, and co-authors published a new paper, 'Saccharomycotina yeasts defy longstanding macroecological patterns' in the high-impact journal PNAS. This paper, which looks at the ecology of 186 species of yeast, provides evidence that not all life-forms follow the rules. Read More

Jenny Davis, professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Science, and Pamela Wisniewski, associate professor in human-computer interaction and Flowers Faculty Fellow in the School of Engineering, join 22 other distinguished scholars from a wide array of organizations and backgrounds to collaborate on critical policy discussions related to technology and society. Read More

Vanderbilt University officially launched the McGee Applied Research Center for Narrative Studies at a campus event on Feb. 7. Board of Trust members, university leaders, alumni and invited guests gathered at Rothschild College to celebrate the new interdisciplinary center, which will promote media literacy by providing resources to evaluate the objectivity of news coverage, digital media and other narratives. Read More

Working across multiple disciplines, Vanderbilt researchers found that a relatively small proportion of funds from two recent significant pieces of environmental law – the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021 and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 – could lead to an outsized reduction in emissions. Read More

A new Vanderbilt University study challenges traditional views on childhood, emphasizing the role of cultural, social and historical factors in shaping policies on children’s health and well-being. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the “Rethinking Childhoods” study by the Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Initiative proposes a more inclusive approach to health policy, incorporating global perspectives to redefine childhood beyond Western norms.  Read More

Avenir Award funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse recognizes research that represents “the future of addiction science.” Brown’s research is creating an AI-experiment feedback loop that will help optimize painkilling drugs to be less addictive. Read More

Throughout the brain’s cortex, neurons are arranged in six distinctive layers, which can be readily seen with a microscope. André Bastos, assistant professor of psychology, is senior author on a study published in Nature Neuroscience detailing that these layers also show distinct patterns of electrical activity, which are consistent over many brain regions and across several animal species, including humans. Read More

Professor of English Lorrie Moore’s newest novel, I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, has been named one of the best books of 2023 by The New Yorker and received year-end praise from NPR and New York Magazine. Read More

A simmering discontent with democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean is creating opportunities for politicians with undemocratic plans, according to a comprehensive survey released Nov. 29 by Vanderbilt University’s LAPOP Lab. Read More

By Jenna Somers Heidi Carlone A three-year, nearly $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation supports a trans-institutional research team at Vanderbilt University investigating an innovative approach to STEM education that could help young people develop STEM identities and agency amid climate anxiety. Children around the world… Read More

Adapa, an Ingram Scholar in the College of Arts and Science, will travel to Sweden in December as one of only 10 students globally to receive a 2023 Future Nobel Laureate Scholarship.   Read More

Lars Plate, assistant professor of chemistry and biological sciences, has received a $2.76 million collaborative grant to investigate medical therapy for people with cystic fibrosis. The interdisciplinary project brings together teams with varied expertise in computational structural biology, proteomics, biophysics, and physiology in hopes of improving the quality of life for those afflicted with the genetic disease. Read More

See how more than 200 students and faculty came together through 19 interdisciplinary hands-on courses to turn the historic Vaughn home into a living laboratory, unveiling "hidden narratives" of Vanderbilt's and Nashville's past. Read More

Vanderbilt hosts first international lunar gravitational wave workshop, including a Nobel laureate, a NASA administrator, leading astrophysicists and more, to identify opportunities and resources to continue exploring our universe.  Read More

Vanderbilt University recently hosted the Vanderbilt University-Oak Ridge National Laboratory Workshop on Climate Change and Environmental Justice, aiming to deepen collaborative research on climate change and discuss potential projects. The event, which emphasized the importance of environmental justice and resilience strategies, marked the continuation of the institutions’ efforts to collaborate on addressing global challenges. Read More