News
Gilligan awarded spot in American Geophysical Union’s Voices for Science program
Jul. 2, 2024—When Jonathan Gilligan, professor of earth and environmental sciences, thinks about climate change, they think about people. Gilligan says that climate change causes a variety of weather patterns to undergo persistent changes, and those affect every aspect of peoples’ lives, as well as the workings of our society and economy more broadly. In March, Gilligan was...
New CBMS supplemental grant aims to enhance laboratory safety practices
Jun. 27, 2024—Given the occurrence of tragic accidents and near-misses at research institutions across the country, cultivating a culture of laboratory safety in academic institutions has been a pressing concern for governmental funding agencies. Thanks to a training grant supplement from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded last year, Vanderbilt campus partners collaborated to execute...
Vanderbilt conference sparks collaboration for Tennessee’s transportation future
Jun. 14, 2024—Earlier this year, Forbes magazine ranked Nashville’s commute as the “toughest in America,” with commuters losing an average of 41 hours a year to traffic congestion. In keeping with its commitment to mitigating this issue, Vanderbilt recently hosted a groundbreaking conference focused on driving transportation innovation in Tennessee. The Intelligent Transportation Society of Tennessee’s 2024 annual meeting, held May 15–17,...
Opening of Vanderbilt’s Oliver C. Carmichael College completes 12-year West End Neighborhood construction
Jun. 11, 2024—On a warm July day in 2021, a 15-minute controlled implosion toppled Vanderbilt University’s 55-year-old Carmichael Towers East. Together with Carmichael Towers West, which was imploded in 2019, these two imposing structures at their peak welcomed 1,200 students for dormitory-style campus living. Today, the university is poised to open Carmichael Towers’ successor with a brand-new mission: The...
How Zoning Affects Greenhouse Gas Emissions
May. 30, 2024—Climate change is a global challenge often met on a local level. Local governments shape how their communities are developed through land use controls. Their policy decisions related to housing density, location, and building standards have a profound impact on climate – buildings produce nearly 40% of U.S. carbon emissions, and personal vehicles account for...
Vanderbilt hosts Moving Forward event to discuss Mayor O’Connell’s transportation plan
May. 29, 2024—Vanderbilt University, in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Moving Forward, recently hosted an important event aimed at addressing Nashville’s transportation future. The gathering, centered around open discussion with Mayor Freddie O’Connell regarding the “Choose How You Move” transportation plan, was held Monday, May 20, at the Vanderbilt University Student Life Center. Acting as a platform for...
Vanderbilt and Civic Design Center’s impact on Nashville’s urban evolution
May. 24, 2024—For over 24 years, the Civic Design Center has stood as a beacon for community-driven urban planning projects and programs. Based in downtown Nashville, this nonprofit organization draws expertise from diverse professional and academic sources, including Vanderbilt University, to engage community members in the envisioning and shaping of the city. Since its formation in 2000, the Civic...
Vanderbilt scientists develop an algae time machine, advancing biomedicine
May. 15, 2024—Carl H. Johnson, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences, along with a team of Vanderbilt scientists, have succeeded in adjusting the daily biological clock of cyanobacteria, making the blue-green algae a more prolific producer of renewable fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, like insulin. The ultimate solar-powered machines, cyanobacteria are like tiny workshops churning out everything from...
Vanderbilt University Native Meadow flourishing with collaborative research projects
Apr. 29, 2024—Tucked behind the 6 Magnolia Building on Vanderbilt’s Peabody Campus is what might look to some like a lush garden of weeds. In reality, it’s a strategic Native Meadow full of pollinator-friendly plants. Funded by the Vanderbilt Green Fund in 2021, students proposed filling a meadow with plants native to the Tennessee/Nashville area to increase...
Tapping into the past
Apr. 29, 2024—With a prestigious new grant, archaeologist Ari Caramanica will explore what ancient people can teach us about dealing with the most pressing environmental issue of our time. By Michael Blanding Among the dry hills of the north coast of Peru are massive earth mounds that appear to be natural features. Archaeologist Ari Caramanica has revealed them...