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‘student research’

Cinema and Media Arts students use capstone projects to develop themselves as world citizens

Apr. 20, 2021—For students in the Department of Cinema and Media Arts (CMA), senior year involves an important rite of passage: the capstone seminar. Required for every CMA major, the seminar brings together the department’s unique blend of theory and practice. While most film departments around the country focus on training either film scholars (theory) or filmmakers...

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Vanderbilt Debate overcomes COVID-19 challenges to break new ground in civic engagement

Jan. 22, 2021—One year ago, Sahil “Sael” Soni ’21, a chemistry and economics double major, had just returned from a blue-ribbon performance in Vanderbilt Debate’s first-ever international competition. He was looking forward to finishing the 2019-2020 season on a high note, as were his teammates. For the last 30 years, Vanderbilt Debate has been a national leader,...

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Friedman lab finds unexpected opportunities in COVID-adjusted research activities

Nov. 30, 2020—When Vanderbilt ramped down research activities early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Friedman Lab was better-positioned than many. Led by Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Biological Sciences Katherine Friedman, the lab conducts cell-based research on DNA replication and repair. Experiments run for just one week at a time, so Friedman and her staff were...

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Political science course helps undergraduates connect to Vanderbilt’s long military history

Nov. 11, 2020—A little more than one hundred years ago, rows of young men stood at attention for a portrait in front of Kirkland Hall. Their wide-brimmed campaign hats and their crisp brown uniforms signaled their impending journey. After this historic photo was taken, the very first cadet corps from Vanderbilt University left to serve in World...

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Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, The Wond’ry collaborate on undergraduate coffee studies program

Sep. 29, 2020—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 Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities aims to close that knowledge gap. Beginning this...

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Seizing the Opportunity to Accomplish Lifelong Goals: Alfred Prah, BA’19

Sep. 4, 2020—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 to make technology more useful and accessible to everyone. He knew...

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Biological Sciences Ph.D. Student Finds Creative Outlet in Science-Themed Art

Jun. 30, 2020—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 major magazines in the Philippines. Steenwyk loved making art as a child and...

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Physics Students Win U.S. Department of Energy Research Fellowships

Jun. 11, 2020—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 his dissertation research in a DOE laboratory. Laura Nichols, a...

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Serving Through Health Care: Founder’s Medalist Sumanth Chennareddy BA’20

May. 21, 2020—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 and colleges. The recipient of the Martin F. McNamara, Jr. Honor Scholarship, Chennareddy served as...

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Conversations to Empower and Build Community: Tommy Oswalt, BA’20

May. 20, 2020—Psychology and communications studies double-major Tommy Oswalt came to Vanderbilt as a first-generation college student with a dream of finding a creative and supportive community like the large Cuban family he left in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. As head resident adviser of West House on The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons, vice president of VUcept, and volunteer at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at...

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