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Source: https://www.brown.edu/news/by-year/2019 Parent: https://www.brown.edu/news/news-events
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News and Events
Graduate School dean to lead Council for Graduate Schools board
December 20, 2019
Dean Andrew G. Campbell will serve as chair-elect in 2020 for the national graduate education and research organization before stepping into the role of chair in 2021.
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News and Events
The year in stories — 2019
December 19, 2019
As the Brown community bids farewell to 2019 and ushers in a new decade, here are 21 highlights from Brown’s most noteworthy and best-loved stories from the last year.
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Science and Technology
Undergraduate maker finds home in engineering research lab
December 19, 2019
Brown junior Ian Ho’s penchant for building things has made him an integral part of a School of Engineering research lab, an experience helping to shape his future.
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Science and Technology
Researchers directly measure ‘Cheerios effect’ forces for the first time
December 19, 2019
In a finding that could be useful in designing small aquatic robots, researchers have measured the forces that cause small objects to cluster together on the surface of a liquid — a phenomenon known as the “Cheerios effect.”
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Health and Medicine
Big data, small state: R.I. database offers the potential for efficient, improved health care
December 18, 2019
Researchers at the Brown-based, federally funded Advance-CTR program are using Rhode Island’s All-Payer Claims Database to improve health care and train the next generation of health care scholars.
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Science and Technology
Research provides new design principle for water-splitting catalysts
December 18, 2019
Understanding why platinum is such a good catalyst for producing hydrogen from water could lead to new and cheaper catalysts — and could ultimately make more hydrogen available for fossil-free fuels and chemicals.
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News and Events
Brown senior, recent alumni awarded prestigious Marshall, Schwarzman scholarships
December 18, 2019
Class of 2020 student Ryan Saadeh is among the recipients of the Marshall Scholarship, which allows for post-graduate study in the United Kingdom, while three recent alumni will head to Tsinghua University in Beijing as Schwarzman scholars.
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Social Sciences
Climate change legislation, media coverage drives ad spending by oil companies, study finds
December 17, 2019
An analysis led by an Institute at Brown for Environment and Society visiting professor found that oil companies ramp up advertising campaigns when they face negative media coverage or new regulations.
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Health and Medicine
New industry partnership to accelerate research on flu vaccines for the elderly
December 13, 2019
A three year $2.1 million research agreement with Insight Therapeutics will enable a team of Brown researchers to compare the effectiveness of flu vaccines in approximately 1,000 nursing homes.
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Arts and Humanities
Boatbuilding course at Brown includes equal parts discussion and construction
December 12, 2019
In “Boatbuilding: Design, Making and Culture,” at once a humanities seminar and a hands-on engineering lesson, students from concentrations across the University built and launched a wooden boat.
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News and Events
Brown admits 800 early decision applicants
December 12, 2019
Selected from a pool of 4,562 applicants, the Class of 2024’s first members reflect an expanding array of initiatives aimed at making a Brown education more accessible to students from every socioeconomic background.
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Science and Technology
Researchers reconstruct spoken words as processed in nonhuman primate brains
December 12, 2019
Using a brain-computer interface, a team of researchers has reconstructed English words from the brain activity of rhesus macaques that listened as the words were spoken.
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University Initiatives
Brown celebrates five years of achievement under Building on Distinction
December 10, 2019
After reaching the midpoint of its 10-year strategic plan in 2019, the University released a report highlighting the many accomplishments that have contributed to fulfilling the plan’s vision.
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Health and Medicine
New grant will fund clinical trial of a novel approach to treating Alzheimer’s
December 10, 2019
A major grant from the Alzheimer’s Association will enable researchers to test a drug that could reduce brain inflammation in Alzheimer’s patients and possibly slow the progression of the disease.
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Science and Technology
On Capitol Hill, Brown’s vice president for research urges more study on quantum technology
December 6, 2019
Jill Pipher, a mathematics professor, cryptography expert and president of the American Mathematical Society, said quantum technology brings both great scientific potential and threats to security and privacy.
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News and Events
Midyear completion students carve out their own space on way to graduation
December 5, 2019
Brown’s annual Midyear Completion Ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 7, will celebrate the achievements and unique paths of “.5ers,” who complete their degree requirements this month.
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Health and Medicine
Mindfulness training may help lower blood pressure, new study shows
December 4, 2019
A study at Brown University finds that mindfulness could reduce blood pressure by enhancing attention control, emotion regulation and self-awareness of both healthy and unhealthy habits.
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Science and Technology
Researchers demonstrate strange melting point phenomenon in metals
December 3, 2019
Quantum mechanical calculations show that the melting point of metals decreases at extreme pressure, meaning even high-density metals can have a liquid phase that’s actually denser than its normal solid phase.
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Arts and Humanities
Students uncover uncharted histories of the slave trade for upcoming documentary series
December 3, 2019
On the 400th anniversary of the start of slave trade in the British American colonies, students and faculty at Brown’s Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice are engaging in research for a PBS miniseries directed by renowned documentarian Stanley Nelson, hosting a two-day symposium on the lasting effects of slavery and more.
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News and Events
Finance leader Michael White appointed vice president and CFO at Brown
December 2, 2019
With more than 25 years of experience in higher education, White will lead financial planning and operations for Brown to advance essential growth and ensure long-term financial security.
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Social Sciences
Poll reveals generational, political divides over economic outlook
December 2, 2019
Asked whether the economy is doing well, Americans do not see eye to eye, according to a new poll from Brown’s Taubman Center — they do agree that the government cannot be trusted and that school safety is under threat.
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Health and Medicine
A game-changer in the fight against Ebola
November 27, 2019
Dr. Adam Levine, an emergency physician and leader of the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies, played a key role on a clinical trial evaluating promising new treatments for Ebola virus disease.
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Environment
Where will we go when the water rises? Computer models may hold answers, research says
November 26, 2019
Computer models focused on current and potential policy decisions could help shed light on the future of migration caused by sea level rise, concluded a team of scholars that included Brown demographer Elizabeth Fussell.
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Science and Technology
Applied mathematics, medical professors at Brown named AAAS fellows
November 26, 2019
Professors Kavita Ramanan and Dr. Jack Wands earned recognition for their distinguished contributions to science by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the world’s largest general scientific body.
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Science and Technology
Scientists inch closer than ever to signal from cosmic dawn
November 26, 2019
Researchers using the Murchison Widefield Array radio telescope have taken a new and significant step toward detecting a signal from the period in cosmic history when the first stars lit up the universe.
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Science and Technology
Brown cryptography expert testifies on data security before U.S. House committee
November 25, 2019
Seny Kamara, an associate professor of computer science, told a U.S. House Financial Services Committee Task Force that there is more that companies could be doing to keep sensitive financial data safe.
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News and Events
Brown senior named one of nation’s 32 Rhodes Scholars
November 25, 2019
Camila Pelsinger, an international relations concentrator from San Francisco, will pursue graduate studies at Oxford through one of the most prestigious awards for international study.
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University Initiatives
Brown joins legal brief to urge continued practical training for international students
November 25, 2019
The future of Optional Practical Training, a long-standing federal program that enables temporary employment for international students at American colleges and universities, is at stake in a U.S. District Court case.
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Health and Medicine
R.I. researchers, policymakers outline new framework for opioid use disorder treatment
November 19, 2019
Aiming to reduce treatment gaps and guide state policy, a diverse set of voices from Brown University and the State of Rhode Island developed a cascade of care model for opioid use disorder.
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News and Events
At discussion among R.I. leaders, higher education takes center stage
November 14, 2019
Brown President Christina H. Paxson discussed college affordability and other opportunities and challenges alongside other leaders at a Boston Globe discussion on the future of Rhode Island.
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Science and Technology
Research reveals new state of matter: a Cooper pair metal
November 14, 2019
In a finding that reveals an entirely new state of matter, research published in the journal Science shows that Cooper pairs, electron duos that enable superconductivity, can also conduct electricity like normal metals do.
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Science and Technology
National Society of Black Physicists conference comes to Providence
November 13, 2019
Stephon Alexander, Brown professor and president-elect of the National Society for Black Physicists, discusses the organization’s annual conference, which comes to Providence for the first time this year.
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Social Sciences
The cost of the global war on terror: $6.4 trillion and 801,000 lives
November 13, 2019
Two reports released by the Costs of War project, based at Brown, provide a comprehensive estimate of the financial and human cost of America’s post-9/11 wars.
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Science and Technology
At future Mars landing spot, scientists spy mineral that could preserve signs of ancient life
November 12, 2019
Using orbital instruments to peer into Jezero crater, the landing site for NASA’s Mars 2020 rover, researchers found deposits of hydrated silica, a mineral that’s great at preserving microfossils and other signs of life.
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Social Sciences
Are men animals? In new book, a Brown anthropologist investigates
November 12, 2019
Matthew Gutmann’s book “Are Men Animals?”, out on Tuesday, Nov. 12, traces the origins of the claim that “boys will be boys” — and refutes it.
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University Initiatives
Brown to double number of U.S. military veterans enrolled as undergrads by 2024
November 11, 2019
At Brown’s annual Veterans Day ceremony, President Christina H. Paxson announced plans for increased financial aid for student veterans, need-blind and test-optional admission policies and new partnerships to increase the number of veterans at Brown.
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Science and Technology
Tackling turbulence: Researchers to take new look at an old problem in physics
November 7, 2019
Physics professor Brad Marston is part of an international project supported by a $4 million grant from the Simons Foundation to study turbulence, one of the great unsolved problems of classical physics.
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News and Events
Susan Rice: Love fiercely, but not uncritically
November 6, 2019
In a visit hosted by Brown University’s Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy, the former national security advisor shared crucial — and surprising — insights from her decades-long diplomatic career.
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Health and Medicine
Researchers identify potential nanotechnology therapy for rare, incurable bone cancer
November 6, 2019
A Warren Alpert Medical School and Rhode Island Hospital cancer physician collaborates with molecular researcher to study use of nanotechnology to deliver medicine inside cancer cells.
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Science and Technology
New federal awards highlight Brown’s quantum expertise across academic departments
November 6, 2019
Leveraging expertise across engineering, chemistry and more, Brown physicists are leading four new federally funded research projects in quantum science.
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Science and Technology
$2 million grant will support development of ‘magnetic camera’
November 6, 2019
Researchers at Brown will build quantum mechanical magnetic camera to image magnetic fields, which could help in better understanding and manipulating quantum materials.
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Arts and Humanities
Faculty artist brings bold, bright colors to the Bell Gallery
November 6, 2019
“Luscious: Paintings and Drawings by Wendy Edwards,” an exhibition of selected works by the Brown professor of visual art, offers an artistic chronicle of 40 years of travel, life changes and perspective shifts.
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Environment
Study of African animals illuminates links between environment, diet and gut microbiome
November 4, 2019
New research analyzing the diets and microbiomes of 33 large-herbivore species in Kenya yields surprising findings about the interplay between animal evolution, behavior and the gut microbiome.
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Science and Technology
Scientists reveal the physics of Jackson Pollock’s painting technique
October 30, 2019
A study finds that Pollock’s “drip” technique was geared to avoid a classic fluid mechanical instability, whether he was aware of it or not.
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Health and Medicine
In confronting opioid crisis, researchers to test neighborhood-based interventions, fentanyl test strips
October 29, 2019
Nearly $6.8 million in new federal grants will enable researchers to collaborate with agencies across the state, including the Rhode Island Department of Health, to investigate innovative ways to tackle the opioid crisis.
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News and Events
Brown celebrates Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship’s dedicated new home
October 28, 2019
Celebration recognizes the impact already being made in the collaborative, configurable space home to the Nelson Center, recently recognized as one of the globe’s outstanding emerging entrepreneurship centers.
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University Initiatives
Brown publishes gift acceptance policy reflecting updates approved by Corporation
October 27, 2019
Updated policy further defines the principles by which gifts are accepted that advance Brown’s mission.
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Arts and Humanities
Brown archaeologists, students dig up new insights in Central Greece
October 23, 2019
Recent discoveries by Brown faculty and students at the ancient Koutroulou Magoula settlement have prompted scholars to reconsider their assumptions about the Middle Neolithic period.
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News and Events
Open Curriculum celebration infuses Family and Alumni Fall Weekend
October 19, 2019
As Brown’s distinctive, student-driven approach to teaching and learning marks its 50th anniversary, weekend events honored the pioneers who paved its way and enabled students and families to hear from alumni about its impact on lives and careers.
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Science and Technology
New augmented reality system lets smartphone users get hands-on with virtual objects
October 16, 2019
Developed at Brown University, a new augmented reality system places virtual objects within real-world backgrounds on cell phone screens and lets people interact with those object by hand as if they were really there.
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