Student News

Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer 2020 plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Students Rashmi Bharadwaj and Joe Miller both want to make an impact… Read More

Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer 2020 plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Students Emery Little, Lucas Ludgate, Brooke Ellis, and Jaime Perez all used… Read More

Though the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled many students’ original summer plans, College of Arts and Science students adapted quickly. Through technology, creativity, and determination, they found ways to expand their horizons and continue preparing for life after Vanderbilt. Juniors Navya Thakkar, Skylar Cuevas, and Natalie Elliott all used their summers to… Read More

Americans love coffee: according to Statista, two-thirds of us drink at least two cups per day. Many people, however, are unaware that the popular drink has a complicated past—and present. Together with The Wond’ry, the College of Arts and Science’s… Read More

Alfred Prah, BA’19 (Nathan Morgan/Vanderbilt University As a student in Ghana, Alfred Prah, BA’19, didn’t have access to a laptop or personal cell phone at the boarding school he attended. Despite that, he was captivated by the potential of technology to enrich his education and had dreams of using AI… Read More

Susan Gessner Stewart, BS’90 When Susan Gessner Stewart, BS’90, first came to the College of Arts and Science, her mind was firmly grounded on this planet—in the world of architecture, to be precise. Then a string of unexpected circumstances led her to the Department of Physics… Read More

Jacob Steenwyk (Vanderbilt University) It’s no surprise that Jacob Steenwyk became interested in art at a young age. Both his parents are artists: his father served as art director for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his mother was a recognized art critic who has published in… Read More

Two graduate students in the Department of Physics and Astronomy have been awarded coveted U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) fellowships to advance their research. David Curie, a third-year physics Ph.D. student, received an Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Fellowship to conduct part of… Read More

Founder’s Medalist Sumanth Chennareddy BA’20 Sumanth Chennareddy BA’20, a neuroscience major and Spanish minor, is this year’s Founder’s Medalist for the College of Arts and Science. The Founder’s Medal is a 143-year-old tradition that recognizes the top graduating student from each of Vanderbilt’s 10 schools… Read More

When Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences Thomas Clements first came to Vanderbilt, he realized right away that he would have to be intentional about connecting with his students. His fall teaching load typically includes BiSci 1510, an intro-level lecture that sometimes draws hundreds of students, and he wanted them… Read More

On the eighth floor of Vanderbilt’s Central Library, a group of small offices flank a large, welcoming study area. Pieces of art from the library’s collection dot the walls. Though light pours into the space from large windows, students from the College of Arts and Science are largely in the… Read More

In middle school, Allison Booher (BA’21) already knew she wanted to be a doctor. Since then, she has set out on a pursuit to make it a reality. When Booher enrolled at Vanderbilt, she charted out a traditional path to medical school as a biochemistry major in the College… Read More

On November 20, in a dimly lit Neely Auditorium, the Greek heroine Antigone stood center stage. She was in anguish and held a white balloon against her body. She popped the balloon, projecting red confetti into the air, and fell to the floor. Her fiancé, Haemon, entered the scene and… Read More

At an October 29 reception, College of Arts and Science students spoke about projects supported by the Nichols Humanitarian Fund and expressed their gratitude to donors Edward and Janice Nichols. Established in 2006, the fund supports undergraduate and graduate students in completing humanitarian endeavors in the U.S. and overseas. Twenty… Read More

Roy Blount Jr., BA’63, and John Hindle, BA’68, PhD’81, are among the six recipients to be honored by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association Board. Blount will receive the Alumni Professional Achievement Award that recognizes alumni who have distinguished themselves through their professional accomplishments, and whose contributions honor the legacy of excellence… Read More

Elsa Mercado Sanchez has not always had a clear or easy path to the Ph.D. she is pursuing. She grew up in an urban, racially-segregated neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wis., with Mexican immigrant parents who didn’t speak much English. Education was a top priority for her… Read More

A&S alumna and former head of Nashville nonprofit FiftyForward looks back on 50 years of work in the community Janet Jernigan has never seen herself as exceptional. As an undergraduate English major at Vanderbilt in the mid-1960’s, she saw herself as simply a reflection of all the other young… Read More