Op Ed

Although the NSA may not conduct queries or examine content unless it or a court determines that “national security” is at stake, national security is apparently at stake quite often, if the recent reports about monitoring hundreds of thousands of foreigners’ calls as well as the calls of foreign leaders are true, writes Christopher Slobogin, Milton R. Underwood Professor of Law. Read More

We must make sure that standardized tests actually cover what we all agree is important for children to learn, writes Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development. Read More

Ensuring patient safety in today's medical environment requires a fundamental shift in today’s health care organizations, says Ranga Ramanujam. Read More

In a letter to faculty, Carolyn Dever, dean of the College of Arts and Science, reflects on how research informs teaching, and vice-versa. Read More

More can be done with sun-powered electricity source, writes Dennis Hall, vice provost for research, dean of the Graduate School, professor of physics and professor of electrical engineering. Read More

Groundbreaking research, cutting-edge systems and university partnerships with industry and government have resulted in new technologies and paradigms that have transformed American industry, and will continue to bolster American competitiveness for the next decade, writes Philippe Fauchet, dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering. Read More

Setting a solid routine and re-engaging in a child’s school are back-to-school essentials for parents, writes Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development. Read More

Suzanna Sherry's op-ed about the deeply divided Supreme Court decision to strike down what was considered the government’s strongest legal tool to stop voting discrimination appeared on the Washington Post website on June 25. Read More

Windsor v. United States makes history – in more ways than one – but it doesn’t make new law, says Vanderbilt constitutional law scholar Suzanna Sherry in an op-ed for the Washington Post. Read More

Twenty-five years ago this March, Iraqi forces coordinated a calculated campaign of genocide against the Kurds, an atrocity that should remind the world that it must rally to the aid of those who suffer from brutal regimes, writes Michael Newton, professor of the practice of law. Read More

While critics of expanded preschool argue that their cognitive effects fade out after the first few years of schooling, they ignore a body of longer-term evidence that indicates impoverished students who experience a high-quality preschool program are less likely to repeat grades, to spend time in special education, to become teen parents or to get arrested, writes Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development. Read More

Peabody Professor Christopher Loss addresses the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) act, speculating what this new regulatory regime might look like. Read More

Over time, guns become much more than symbols of self-protection—they become symbols of racial inquietude and mistrust, writes Jonathan Metzl, Frederick B. Rentschler II Professor of Sociology and Medicine, Health and Society, in NBC news blog "The Grio." Read More

The vital partnership between NIH and Vanderbilt – reproduced at universities all around the country – supports thousands of brilliant minds from all around the world. Sequestration will discourage a generation of young people from even considering a career in research. Read More

Cyclist Lance Armstrong, who was stripped of his most illustrious awards because of his use of performance enhancing drugs, made an effective plea for forgiveness during his interview with Oprah Winfrey, but his lack of regret is problematic, writes law professor Erin O'Hara O'Connor, who studies apologies and dispute resolution. Read More

"Our scientists and engineers are making discoveries today that will lead to unimaginable technological breakthroughs tomorrow in medicine, energy and technology. Without long-term sustained federal investments in science and engineering research, these discoveries simply will not be made," write Chancellor Zeppos and University of Tennessee president Joseph Di Pietro in The Tennessean. Read More

"Beyond the damaging effects on the health of our people, disrupting the nation’s biomedical science infrastructure puts our economic future at risk," writes Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs Jeff Balser in The Tennessean. Read More

Jessica Mazerik is a graduate student in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology. As scientists, our ability to obtain funding, publish papers, and generate interest in our research is dependent upon our ability to successfully “sell” our scientific data and ideas – that is, to convince… Read More

Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development, continues to share her expertise with in the midstate and highlight Peabody research in her bimonthly Tennessean column. See what she has to say about why algebra matters, how quality pre-K benefits… Read More

Public education is fundamental to the aims of promoting democracy, social efficiency, and social mobility, writes Claire Smrekar, associate professor of leadership, policy and organizations at Peabody. Read More