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Mary-Lou Watkinson

  • Vanderbilt University

    Slow traffic, fast food: The effects of highway congestion on fast-food consumption

    Assistant Professor of Medicine, Health, and Society Panka Bencsik Sitting in your car at 5:15 p.m. on a Tuesday, vehicles line the highway as far as the eye can see. The GPS estimates you still have 30 minutes left in traffic, and a vision of your empty fridge passes through… Read More

    Feb. 17, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    Students contribute to Nashville’s socially engaged art scene

    Socially engaged art is defined as art that involves the community in debate, collaboration, and social interaction. But what does that look like in practice? A group of Vanderbilt students sought to answer that question. As part of Professor of the Practice of Art Jana Harper’s class,… Read More

    Feb. 11, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    Katie Crawford named interim director of Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities; Holly Tucker steps down

    Katie Crawford, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair, professor of history, and chair of the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies. Katie Crawford, Cornelius Vanderbilt Chair, professor of history, and chair of the Department of Gender and Sexuality Studies, has been named the interim director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the… Read More

    Jan. 28, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    Undergraduate students manage $500k portfolio in TVA’s Investment Challenge Program

    Students from Hulings’ 2023 classes accepting an award for their performance. Many college students learn the basic concepts of investing in business or economics courses. However, at Vanderbilt, students get hands-on experience managing real stocks with real money. As part of the Investment Analysis and Corporate Valuation courses, taught by… Read More

    Jan. 23, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    A picture is worth a thousand words: Advanced writing seminar offers students hands-on art historian experience

    On a crisp fall evening in North Nashville, the sound of clapping emanates from Fisk University’s Carl Van Vechten Art Gallery. Inside, Vanderbilt students walk the large room, surrounded by a rich array of 20th century early modernist works from the collection of Alfred Stieglitz. As they tour the space,… Read More

    Jan. 14, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    2025 Keegan Fellows

    This prestigious fellowship empowers students to immerse themselves in diverse cultures, pursue bold ideas, and engage in hands-on learning that shapes their future as global citizens and leaders. Through independent exploration and cross-cultural engagement, fellows can develop the adaptability, resilience, and leadership skills necessary to drive meaningful impact in an interconnected world. Read More

    Jan. 10, 2025

  • Vanderbilt University

    Undergraduate students co-lead study on carbon offset financing for energy-efficiency upgrades for low-income households

    Vanderbilt senior Maya Maciel-Seidman [/caption] Climate change affects us all; however, disadvantaged communities are often the most vulnerable and negatively impacted. Low-income households have limited material and financial resources to build resilience to heat and other weather events. Low-income households in the U.S. spend 6 to 10 percent of their… Read More

    Dec. 17, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Stewart, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Humanities, emeritus, has died

    Tony Stewart, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Humanities and professor of religious studies, emeritus, died on October 6, 2024, in Nashville. He was 70. Stewart was a prominent figure in the field of South Asian religious studies. He was a pioneer in research on Bengali religious narratives and helped… Read More

    Dec. 13, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Analyzing police shootings, public safety, and policy

    A series of three recently published studies have provided the first nationally comprehensive analysis of shootings by law enforcement officers that injured or killed people in the U.S. Led by Julie Ward, assistant professor of medicine, health, and society, in a joint effort with the Johns Hopkins… Read More

    Nov. 22, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Genes + culture: Exploring how our first language is echoed in our genes

    Nicole Creanza, associate professor of biological sciences. A person’s native language is often referred to as their “mother tongue.” But does a first language always come from your mother? In a new study conducted by Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Nicole Creanza, postdoctoral student Yakov Pichkar, and… Read More

    Nov. 21, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Research Snapshot: Examining AI’s rapid growth and economic impact

    Adam Blandin, assistant professor of economics, typically analyzes how the amount of time worked affects a person’s earnings; how family structure affects wages, employment, and equality; and the economic implications of remote work. However, recently, Blandin looked at generative AI through an economic lens. Blandin helped create… Read More

    Nov. 19, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program celebrates 20 years of improving representation in STEM

    Lauren Campbell, executive director of the Bridge Program. In Lauren Campbell’s opinion, getting through graduate school takes a village. It requires financial resources, extraordinary hard work, perseverance, and strong supports. As the executive director of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, Campbell is dedicated to making sure students… Read More

    Nov. 18, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Wiesmeyer, associate professor of molecular biology, emeritus, has died

    Herbert Wiesmeyer, associate professor of molecular biology, emeritus, died on October 4, 2024, in Nashville. He was 92. Wiesmeyer was a dedicated teacher and mentor with an interest in cloning plants, spending many hours in his own greenhouse with his orchid collection. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Wiesmeyer attended Farragut High… Read More

    Nov. 7, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    New study sheds light on seasonality in mood disorders

    Article adapted from a press release written by PLOS While cooler temperatures and falling leaves may draw some to pumpkin patches and hayrides, for others, it marks the start of shorter days and less sunlight. In a recent study conducted by Sandy Rosenthal, Jack and Pamela Egan… Read More

    Oct. 31, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Bringing community to a seemingly solitary endeavor

    The image of a writer often conjures up visions of an author sequestered away crafting the perfect poem or buried under stacks of paper finishing their next novel. However, award-winning poet and Gertrude Conaway Professor of English Major Jackson believes it is a deeply collaborative process that… Read More

    Oct. 30, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Patte, professor of religious studies, emeritus, has died

    Daniel Patte, professor of religious studies, emeritus, died on September 2, 2024, in Nashville. He was 85. Patte was an internationally acclaimed biblical scholar and teacher, with a focus on the ethics of biblical interpretation and an emphasis on the contextual character of any interpretation of the Bible. He received… Read More

    Oct. 29, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science celebrates 30 years of STEM outreach

    When she was in middle school, Cheryl Quartey remembers looking forward to Vanderbilt students teaching science to her class through the Vanderbilt Student Volunteers for Science (VSVS) program. “When VSVS came to my class, I realized I had a passion for science thanks to the fun lessons… Read More

    Oct. 28, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    Center for Global Democracy Awarded $12.5 million from USAID

    The College of Arts and Science’s Center for Global Democracy has been awarded $12.5 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand its research on democratic governance in Latin America and the Caribbean. The funds will be dispersed over the next five years to… Read More

    Oct. 10, 2024

  • Vanderbilt University

    New study finds that anesthesia inhibits brain’s predictive processing

    Our brains constantly work to make predictions about what’s going on around us, ensuring that we can attend to and consider the unexpected. However, in a new study led by Assistant Professor of Psychology Andre Bastos, researchers found that animal subjects under general anesthesia were unable to… Read More

    Oct. 8, 2024

  • Nominations now open for Berg Global Artist-in-Residence Fellowship

    Nominations now open for Berg Global Artist-in-Residence Fellowship

    The College of Arts and Science has announced that nominations for the Berg Global Artist-in-Residence Fellowship are now open until September 30. All Vanderbilt faculty are eligible to submit nominations, and nominations by interdisciplinary teams of faculty are encouraged. The program brings accomplished visual artists to Vanderbilt… Read More

    Sep. 23, 2024