Summer 2013

Capt. Joseph “Dick” Robertson, a barge pilot on the Mississippi River, has worked for Ingram Barge Co. for 41 years. The Vanderbilt Sleep Center is partnering with Ingram Barge to provide sleep apnea screening, treatment and coaching for its employees. (Credit: KEVIN LORENZI) While at the helm… Read More

Tennesseans strongly support charter schools, but their feelings about school vouchers are more divided, according to a poll from the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions at Vanderbilt. “A solid 66 percent of those polled support charter schools,” says John Geer,… Read More

Guatemala has become a hub for service-learning opportunities that benefit both Vanderbilt students and the local population. (Credit: Armen Henderson) Vanderbilt’s expanded commitment to research and sustainable development in Guatemala took a giant step forward this past spring with the opening of a Guatemala City field station… Read More

During Sasser’s stint as ambassador to China, he was trapped in the embassy for four days after Beijing erupted in violence following an inadvertent American-led NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. (Credit: Greg Baker - AP/Wide World Photos) James R. Sasser, former U.S. senator and… Read More

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other digital learning platforms are the focus of a new institute being launched this fall. The Institute for Digital Learning will be led by Douglas Fisher, associate professor of computer science and computer engineering at the School of Engineering. It will be… Read More

Credit: SUSAN URMY Vanderbilt Libraries and two student groups that help adoptable dogs teamed up between final exams last spring. “Smooch a Pooch” offered students the opportunity to greet, hug and leash-walk dogs in need of loving homes. The event took place outside the Central… Read More

Everybody Has a Story is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, FYE, iTunes and Walmart, as well as at Children’s Hospital in The Friends Shop. A compilation of songs written in music therapy sessions at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and recorded by… Read More

  2013, Third Wheel Press Charles R. Scott, BA’90, and his children—Sho, age 12, and Saya, age 6—are cycling the Lewis and Clark Trail this summer. While they’ll journey the first 1,500 miles by car in order to complete their adventure during the school break, they’ll ride… Read More

The new varsity clubhouse under construction (Credit: Steve Green) Full Swing New facilities boost golf teams The Vanderbilt men’s and women’s golf teams will soon benefit from improvements at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. The $2.3 million project includes a new instruction facility with state-of-the-art hitting… Read More

Credit: HARRY CAMPBELL You’re walking down the street when a shot rings out. You duck for cover and pull out your smartphone. A map of the neighborhood pops up on the screen with a red arrow pointing in the direction the shot came from. A team of… Read More

Credit: DONNA GRETHEN Although past studies have found little evidence that women are opting out of the workforce in general, first-of-its-kind research shows that female graduates of elite undergraduate universities are working many fewer hours than their counterparts from less selective institutions. “Even though elite graduates are… Read More

Molecular waste products pass through abdominal membrane during peritoneal dialysis. The two large objects in the foreground are red blood cells. (Credit: Dorling Kindersley/getty images) Kidney failure is an important cause of permanent disability in the United States. It can be the result of long-term chronic illnesses… Read More

Credit: Ireneusz Skorupa A $1.1 million U.S. Department of Defense grant will support development of a new surgical device that could help repair severed nerves, allowing soldiers and cancer patients to regain use of a limb and avoid amputations after a catastrophic injury or cancer… Read More

Connor Harrell, BA’13 (Credit: Joe Howell) You Snooze, You Win Strike-zone judgment grows worse over the course of a major league baseball season in a predictable way, possibly due to effects of grueling travel schedules, disrupted sleep patterns and fatigue, says a Vanderbilt sleep researcher. Read More

Credit: GERALD LAWRENCE As soon as Bernie Madoff was arrested in December 2008 for his $50 billion Ponzi scheme, the phones began ringing at Barbara Hart’s law firm. “The impact on our clients was devastating,” says Hart, the chief operating officer at Lowey Dannenberg Cohen & Hart… Read More

Credit: PERRY JAMES LOCKE Watching a 100-pound silver tarpon leap high in the air and take off just beneath the surface of the water is an incredibly visual experience, says Chris Frohlich. “I’ve caught all types of fish all over the world,” he says, “but fishing for… Read More

Left to right: Edwin, Emily and Maureen Schloss (Credit: Daniel Dubois) Family’s Gift Expands Summer Study-Abroad Opportunities As Emily Schloss, BA’13, prepared to graduate earlier this year, her parents, Edwin and Maureen Schloss, began to think of ways to thank the Vanderbilt community for the opportunities afforded… Read More

Alumni Association Board Adds New Members The Vanderbilt University Alumni Association Board of Directors welcomes seven new members. “Our new members are active alumni who generously donate time, treasure and talents to Vanderbilt and also represent the increasing diversity of our alumni population,” says Patti Early White, BA’76,… Read More

Credit: Tennessee Department of State Walter Durham, BA’48, MA’56 State Historian Walter Thomas Durham of Nashville died May 24, 2013. He was 88. The author of 24 books about Tennessee history, he had served since 2002 with the Tennessee State Library and Archives as state historian. During… Read More