October 2011 Vanderbilt View

Fields medalist brings informal style to Vanderbilt Vaughan Jones (Joe Howell/Vanderbilt) When Vaughan Jones was 5 years old, he made his first mathematical discovery. “I was learning the addition tables and realized that if one plus one equals two, then 100 plus 100 must equal 200 – something that… Read More

New center director explores connections between humanities and medicine Jonathan Metzl (John Russell/Vanderbilt) Jonathan Metzl was born into medicine but is drawn to the humanities. He’s still insisting on having it both ways. The new director of Vanderbilt’s Center for Medicine, Health and Society is the son… Read More

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