Arts And Science

Local students in grades 5-12 who enjoy being challenged by math are invited to join the Nashville Math Club, an initiative led by Vanderbilt University instructors Larry Rolen and Alice Mark. Read More

Vereen M. Bell, a professor of English, emeritus, who had a transformational influence on countless students, challenged institutional structures and pushed for greater diversity at Vanderbilt, died Aug. 24 at home in Nashville. He was 86 years old. Read More

Meet the new faculty head of E. Bronson Ingram College, Teresa Goddu, associate professor of English and American studies. Read More

Calling all lifelong learners 50 and older to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt, which has announced its fall term of courses. They include: ’60s music, the U.S. women’s movement, Latin American-U.S. relations, elements of film and more. Read More

Andrew Howard Nichols, senior director of higher education research and data analytics at education nonprofit The Education Trust, died Jan. 26 of brain cancer. His studies of educational gaps and financial aid regularly revealed inequities affecting low-income and minority students. Read More

By Marissa Shapiro THE IDEA Jonathan Gilligan (John Russell) Jonathan Gilligan, associate professor of Earth and environmental sciences and civil and environmental engineering, and a group of international researchers have illustrated potential international conflicts over climate change. One of a larger group of studies, this work engaged in a role-playing scenario set in 2040 in... Read More

Hundreds of acres of trees, green spaces and gardens across Vanderbilt’s campus support thousands of bees that live on the roof of the Jean and Alexander Heard Central Library. Read More

Vanderbilt University research from Professor of Political Science Elizabeth Zechmeister shows that gendered beliefs about leadership mean that women heads of state are less likely than men to receive a bump in support after an international terrorist incident. Read More

Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a virtual panel Aug. 26 on the crisis in Afghanistan—a timely and exclusive discussion featuring Vanderbilt faculty historians and foreign policy experts and retired Lt. Gen. Scott A. Howell, former commander of U.S. Joint Special Operations Command.  Read More

National and local leaders who played key roles in the original rollout and current support of the COVID-19 vaccine came together for a panel, “Vaccine Hesitancy: The Politics of Public Health in Tennessee,” hosted by The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy and Vanderbilt University Medical Center Aug. 18. Read More

John G. Geer, Ginny and Conner Searcy Dean of the College of Arts and Science, has announced changes in the dean’s office that will drive further excellence and support a strategic approach to propel the college forward. Read More

Professor Celso Castilho will lead the Center for Latin American Studies with a vision to expand its research agenda to include Latinx studies, increase engagement with the local Latinx community and establish Vanderbilt University as a thought leader in the study of Latinos in the South. Read More

Meet the new faculty head of West House, Emily Pendergrass, associate professor of literacy and director of reading education in the Department of Teaching and Learning. Read More

General Motors' announcement that it would phase out combustion engines—the heart of its cars and trucks for more than 100 years—and move to an all-electric fleet by 2035 could have monumental implications for the global auto industry and broad efforts to combat climate change. The success of the initiative will depend on Vanderbilt alumni who hold key positions in the company. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School and the College of Arts and Science will honor one of the university's most revered alumni with the launch of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements. Read More

Not a moonshot: Karan Jani explores possibility of lunar observatory to better understand fundamental physics, astronomy and cosmology Est. reading time: 2 mins. Read More

Public opinion polls ahead of the 2020 election were the most inaccurate in a generation, according to Josh Clinton, Abby and Jon Winkelried Chair and professor of political science, who recently served as chair of a special task force convened by the American Association for Public Opinion Research specifically to evaluate polling. Read More

Vanderbilt University will join with many community partners to pay tribute to the life and Nashville legacy of Rep. John Lewis on July 16 and 17 with the formal dedication of Rep. John Lewis Way and a public celebration at Ryman Auditorium. Read More

Carter Philips, BA’65, professor of classics, emeritus, and university marshal at Vanderbilt Commencement for more than two decades, died July 8. He was 78. Read More

The School of Medicine Basic Sciences brought together a biologist, a Christian theologist, a philosopher and an astrophysicist June 17 for a lab-to-table conversation exploring their views and academic perspectives on the origins of life. Read More