News

A portrait of Kelli Duncan, a person with short black hair and a green shirt.

Kelli Duncan, Associate Dean of the Faculty and Academic Resources and Professor of Biology, Serving as Scientific Mentor

Kelli Duncan, Associate Dean of the Faculty and Academic Resources and Professor of Biology on the Patricia Shoer Goldman-Rakic ’59 Professorship Chair, is serving as the scientific mentor for Daniel Tobiansky’s Rhode Island IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (RI-INBRE) Proposal Development Grant. She is providing hands-on mentorship for a project examining the spatial distribution of unique woodpecker tau (MAPT) transcript variants in woodpecker and songbird brains.

Gothic-style stone building on the Vassar campus framed by autumn trees with sunlight streaming through the leaves.

New Faculty Members Bring Expertise Spanning Virology to Volcanoes

Vassar’s new tenure track faculty members bring a wealth of talent and expertise to the campus.

Photo portrait of a person in front of a grey wall.

Justin Touchon, Associate Professor of Biology, Publishes New Book Applied Statistics with R

Justin Touchon, Associate Professor of Biology, is the author of Applied Statistics with R: A Practical Guide for the Life Sciences and Beyond, recently published by Oxford University Press. The book uses the statistical language R and a real-world dataset to teach data manipulation skills and prepare readers for more advanced statistical analyses.

Two smiling people in a lab wearing gloves and holding lab containers.

Thanks to URSI, Scientific Research is Going Strong at Vassar

Deep cuts in government funding for scientific research have forced many colleges and other institutions to curtail or even eliminate many research programs. This has not been the case at Vassar. The College’s Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI) ran right on schedule this summer.

Front of the Taylor Hall Gate, a large stone building with a central arched gateway and tall clock tower, surrounded by blooming pink, purple, and white tulips in the foreground.

Vassar Celebrates Eight Faculty Members Granted Full Professorships

Vassar’s Board of Trustees has voted to award full professorships to eight members of the faculty, Dean of Faculty Brian Daly announced.

Colin Echeverría Aitken wearing navy shirt with high collar against a gray background.

Colin Echeverría Aitken, Assistant Professor of Biology, Awarded Renewed NIH Funding

Colin Echeverría Aitken, Assistant Professor of Biology, was awarded renewed funding by the National Institutes of Health for his ongoing research project, The Role of the mRNA-entry Channel Arm of eIF3 in mRNA Recruitment.

Dr. Michelle Monje ’98, a person with long blond hair and a dark dress, sits in a room talking to some other people.

‘Genius Award’ Alum Gives Inspiring Talk on Her Work to Cure Pediatric Brain Cancer

“Genius Award” winner Dr. Michelle Monje ’98 returned to her alma mater to deliver a lecture on her breakthroughs in cancer research.

A group of adults of various ages stand by a fence in a sunny field.

Getting to the Heart of Human Physiology

Students enrolled in Professor of Biology Kate Susman’s Human Physiology class learned real-life applications to their work by volunteering for four community-based organizations.

20 people sitting around a large oval table in a room with large paintings, floor to ceiling windows, and long, gold drapery.

Convening in Edinburgh, International Group of Education Leaders Collaborate on Liberal Arts Initiatives

In March, representatives of Vassar, the University of Edinburgh, University of Global Health Equity in Rwanda, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay convened on the campus of the revered University of Edinburgh in Scotland to collaborate on initiatives incorporating the principles of the liberal arts.