Stories

Oct. 18, 2018

More than 450 visitors spent a day on the Vassar campus, attending classes, taking tours and enjoying a concert by members of the Music Department. “A Day at Vassar” was a huge success.

Oct. 18, 2018

Two members of the science faculty and 11 science majors joined hundreds of others in the field to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Vassar’s first astronomy professor at the Maria Mitchell Association’s 2018 Women in Science Symposium Oct. 5 and 6 in Wellesley MA.

Oct. 9, 2018

Prof. of Psychological Science Abigail Baird, Assistant Prof. of Political Science Taneisha Means, Prof. of Art Molly Nesbit, Prof. of Philosophy Bryan Van Norden and Associate Director of the Vassar Library for Special Collections Ronald Patkus were named recipients of endowed chairs this fall.

Oct. 3, 2018

A paper by Assistant Prof. of Philosophy Christopher Raymond that analyzed Aristotle’s views on shame has been named by Philosopher’s Annual as one of the 10 best articles on philosophy published ion 2017.

Sep. 24, 2018

Debra M. Elmegreen Professor of Astronomy on the Maria Mitchell Chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been elected by her peers to lead the largest international organization of astronomers in the world.

Sep. 13, 2018

Stress is part of everyone’s life, but there are ways to bounce back from adversity. Prof. of Psychological Science Michele Tugade ’95 has devoted her research to helping students—and even some astronauts—learn how to be resilient.

Sep. 6, 2018

More than a dozen Vassar students, all humanities and sciences majors, took part in an intensive six-week introduction to coding class over the summer. They’re now using the new knowledge to enhance their research capabilities.

Sep. 6, 2018

Last year, Vassar launched its Engaged Pluralism Initiative (EPI). A founder of the project, Associate Prof. of Anthropology Candice Lowe Swift, provides an update on what’s been accomplished so far and what’s ahead for EPI in the coming year.

Aug. 30, 2018

Novelist and English Prof. Amitava Kumar talked about the art and craft of writing at Fall Convocation on Sept. 12, and two prominent alumnae were honored.

Aug. 17, 2018

Assistant Prof. of Psychological Science Hadley Bergstrom and a team of faculty and students spent part of the summer using tiny microscopes to study brain activity.

Aug. 14, 2018

It’s natural for parents to want to protect their children from harm, but is there some danger in protecting them too much? Prof. of Psychological Science Abigail Baird ’91 says her research on the workings of the adolescent brain suggests that the answer is yes.

Aug. 9, 2018

Vassar students who enroll in courses taught by History Prof. Ismail Rashid can be confident his observations about youth, conflict, peacebuilding and other issues in Africa are fresh and insightful. Every spring break and summer, he returns to meet with researchers, political leaders and journalists there, and he mentors young scholars who are studying those issues.

Jun. 20, 2018

Vassar is one of 57 colleges and universities to receive an Inclusive Excellence grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

May. 21, 2018

Education Prof. Christopher Bjork and three of his students collaborated on a project examining the issues facing Vassar’s international students as the campus prepares to go more global.

Apr. 26, 2018

Professor of Art Susan Kuretsky ’63 has introduced the world of art to thousands of Vassar students, some of whom have gone on to become noted professionals and scholars in the art world. In a recent conversation, Kuretsky talked about the joys of teaching.

Apr. 19, 2018

Elizabeth Aeschlimann, Vassar’s Rachlin Director for Jewish Student Life, led 11 students through a half-semester, non-credit course on the use of Jewish ethical writing and practice to help them “align our actions with our values.”

Feb. 16, 2018

After four years of testing extra virgin olive oil from groves in Italy and California, Chemistry Prof. Miriam Rossi and an interdisciplinary team of Vassar researchers and Italian scientists have shown that this staple of Mediterranean cuisine has some remarkable health benefits.

Jan. 12, 2018

Debra Elmegreen, Maria Mitchell Professor of Astronomy at Vassar, and her husband Bruce Elmegreen, IBM astronomer, recently announced the discovery of “Little Blue Dots,” a kind of galaxy never seen before, in the Hubble Frontier Fields.

Nov. 16, 2017

History Prof. Rebecca Edwards is an expert on American political history, but she had never run for office before this year’s election. She and her and her team canvassed neighborhoods and ran an upbeat campaign on social media—and won a seat in the Dutchess County Legislature with 53 percent of the vote.

Sep. 11, 2017

Amitava Kumar, professor of English at Vassar College, shares his thoughts on four photographs from “Here is New York—A Democracy of Photographs,” an exhibition of photographs taken by amateurs and pros in the wake of 9/11.