VU BreakThru

Africa Week Initiatives: Raising Awareness

Written by Vanderbilt freshman Vocal Performance major Michelle Langone I am always amazed by the ways Vanderbilt implements various methods to capitalize on educational opportunities. During Africa Week, students were exposed to impactful subjects that are not always discussed, bringing important issues to the forefront through a series of events. On the first day, I…

Posted by anderc8 on May 5, 2017 in News, TIPs 2016

Reflecting on Vanderbilt’s First-Ever Africa Week

Written by Keith Weghorst, Assistant Professor of Political Science “Elimu ni kama bahari, haina kuta wala dari” – Knowledge is like an ocean, it has no walls and no roof. Vanderbilt hosted its first-ever Africa Week on campus from April 2–7. During the six-day program, students, faculty, staff and the Nashville community experienced events ranging…

Posted by anderc8 on May 4, 2017 in News, TIPs 2016

X-Ray Diffractometer and Enchiladas

Janet Macdonald is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Her research group studies the synthesis and surface chemistry of nanocrystals, with the aim of applying this knowledge to new solar energy capture technologies. After 21 years of experiments, on Friday, April 15, 2017, the Scintag X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) in the chemistry department was shut down for…

Posted by anderc8 on April 18, 2017 in Discovery Grants, News

VISE affiliated lab: Computer-Assisted Otologic Surgery (CAOS) – Part II

Written By Neal P. Dillon, PhD (Post-doctoral researcher) Loris Fichera, PhD (Post-doctoral researcher) Trevor L. Bruns (PhD Student) The Computer-Assisted Otologic Surgery (CAOS) lab is a unique collaboration between Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Vanderbilt School of Engineering. Unlike most engineering labs, the lab is located in the Medical Center just a few floors…

Posted by anderc8 on April 17, 2017 in News, TIPs 2015

Music Cognition as a Window into Development

Written by Miriam Lense, PhD, Research Instructor, Department of Otolaryngology Twin A wailed as the nurse administered the heel stick. His heart rate jumped up nearly 70 beats per minute and he tightly squeezed his eyes shut. Nine weeks premature, he endured painful heel sticks and neurologic examinations as part of his daily routine. He…

Posted by anderc8 on April 10, 2017 in News, TIPs 2015

Do You See What I See? An Underrepresentation of Musicians of Color

Written by Erin Charles Perez, Ed.D., Lecturer in Musical Arts Teacher Education Program, Blair School of Music A peculiarity exists within music education programs that contradicts the very essence of our American heritage: a lack of diversity. America is known as the “melting pot,” a nation influenced by regions from around the world resulting in…

Posted by anderc8 on April 6, 2017 in News, Research Scholar Grants

Rene Gifford, seated, along with Benoit Dawant, left, Robert Labadie, right, and Jack Noble work on a research project about reprogramming existing Cochlear implants.

VISE affiliated lab: Computer-Assisted Otologic Surgery (CAOS)

Written by professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Robert F. Labadie, MD, PhD and ME PhD student Neal Dillon The aim of the Computer-Assisted Otologic Surgery (CAOS) lab is to develop novel methods and tools to improve otologic surgery. Our multi-disciplinary team consists of members with both surgical and engineering backgrounds and expertise in Otolaryngology, Audiology, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical…

Posted by anderc8 on April 5, 2017 in News, TIPs 2015

Sen. Jeff Yarbro (far right) met with three small groups of students during “The Nation’s Health” University Course’s day on the hill project.

Tennessee State Capitol Visit Reflection #3

Written by Vanderbilt senior Neuroscience major Margot Debrabandere As my classmates and I walked into the Tennessee State Capitol last Wednesday alongside younger students from a local school, we could not help but joke that we were on an adult field trip. Nonetheless, this was definitely the most insightful and rewarding field trip I have…

Posted by anderc8 on April 4, 2017 in News, The Nation's Health

Tennessee State Capitol Visit Reflection #2

Written by Courtney Black When our class visited the Tennessee State Capitol, we were fortunate enough to get an insider’s view by sitting in on a committee meeting, meeting with a state senator and hearing about the activities of staff members. My group met with Senator Richard Briggs, and I found his insight particularly interesting…

Posted by anderc8 on April 3, 2017 in News, The Nation's Health

Tennessee State Capitol Visit Reflection

Written by Tessa A. Eidelman, Vanderbilt PhD student in the Department of Human and Organizational Development Our visit to the Tennessee State Capitol was an educational and fun experience. My overall sense of the day was just how fast-paced and quickly everything moved. Within the space of four hours we attended the House Finance meeting,…

Posted by anderc8 on March 31, 2017 in News, The Nation's Health