In this moment of deep political polarization in our country, it is more important than ever that we effectively listen to and engage with one another. In this month’s letter, Dean Geer highlights the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, which aims to advance our democracy by focusing on evidence instead of ideology to guide our decisions.

Some of our talented faculty talk about representation in STEM and how they're helping to mold the next generation of scientists.

WZTV-Fox 17: Vanderbilt professor breaks down 'massive escalation' of Russia-Ukraine conflict
(Kathryn David, Mellon Assistant Professor of German, Russian and East European Studies, quoted.)

The Nashville Ledger: Top athletes finally cashing in on name, image, likeness change
(John Koch, senior lecturer of communication studies, quoted.)

The Washington Post: NATO's membership rules invite conflict—and benefit Putin
(Brett Benson, associate professor of political science, authored.)

Smithsonian Magazine: Why did 16th-century Andean villagers string together the bones of their ancestors?
(Tiffiny Tung, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Chair in the Social and Natural Sciences, quoted.)

Nature: Why the Tongan eruption will go down in the history of volcanology
(Kristen Fauria, assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences, quoted.)

The New York Times: Act of 'heresy' adds horseshoe crabs to arachnid family tree
(Antonis Rokas, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor in Biological Sciences, quoted.)

We've reached the mid-point of the semester and students are hard at work. Everyone, including our four-legged friends, is looking forward to a brief respite during Spring Break starting on March 5. 

It's your College. Stay connected.