Brown University welcomed back its 2020 graduates, who missed their in-person Commencement when COVID-19 arrived their senior year, for the full, traditional experience of Commencement and Reunion Weekend.
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Featured Headlines
All News The Class of 2022 celebrated the Baccalaureate with joyful performances, reflective remarks and prayers from faith traditions across the globe — holding space for both celebration and sorrow.
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News and Events
Brown names The Lindemann Performing Arts Center
The name for the center, set to open in 2023, honors Brown Corporation member Frayda Lindemann and her late husband, George Lindemann Sr., a longtime University supporter, business executive and art collector.
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Alumni who received their doctoral and master’s degrees in 2020 experienced Commencement and Reunion the way they’d long hoped to — across multiple days, in-person and surrounded by loved ones on College Hill.
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The acknowledgment is part of a set of commitments aimed at building a better understanding of the relationship between the University community, Indigenous peoples of the region and the land on which Brown is situated.
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Recent Highlights
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News and Events
Brown to confer 2,788 degrees at 254th Commencement
On Sunday, May 29, the University will confer a total of 2,788 degrees in all categories — undergraduate, graduate, medical and honorary.
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Professor of Economics Emily Oster received the distinction for her work in translating data into simple, rational guidance for parents worldwide.
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The University will celebrate its Class of 2022 graduates, members of the Class of 2020 who missed their in-person Commencement experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and alumni from across the generations.
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Mira Nikolova and Abdullah Shihipar, who respectively earned a Ph.D. and master’s from Brown in 2020, will return to campus to address their fellow alumni during a dedicated Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 28.
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Elizabeth Samuels, an assistant professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School, and medical student Aneeqah Naeem argued for federal action supporting harm reduction centers such as those authorized in Rhode Island.
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As Brown celebrates Commencement 2022, Jiuyang Bai and Amelia Spalter will address their peers in separate Ph.D. and master’s ceremonies on College Hill on Sunday, May 29.
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In keeping with a Brown tradition that dates back more than two and a half centuries, seniors Kaitlan Bui, Alexandra Ali Martínez and Michelle Liu will address their fellow graduates during Commencement 2022.
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Adriel Barrios-Anderson, who served as a student orator upon earning his bachelor’s degree from Brown in 2017, hopes to inspire newly minted M.D.s to feel confident about embracing the uncertainty of the future.
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Brown alumni Sydney Lo and Dhruv Singh will return to campus to deliver Commencement speeches to the Class of 2020 on Saturday, May 28, with a focus on the importance of community.
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Arts and Humanities
John Hay Library acquires Puerto Rican playwright’s personal papers
A new collection of drafts, notes and correspondence from playwright José Rivera gives scholars a window into one artist’s process and provides new perspective on the lived experiences of Latin Americans.
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A climate scientist and professor who comes to Brown from Georgia Tech, Cobb will lead IBES, an academic hub for scholars exploring the interactions between natural, human and social systems.
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The University will bestow honorary degrees on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Dr. Seth Berkley of the Vaccine Alliance, recording artist Shaggy and six other accomplished leaders.
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University Initiatives
In partnership with Providence’s Building Futures, Brown jump-starts careers in construction
Over 15 years, more than 320 apprentices from Building Futures have trained at dozens of construction sites on Brown’s campus — providing them with the training they need to secure stable, well-paying careers.
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The Warren Alpert Medical School’s Class of 2024 celebrated together at an in-person white coat ceremony that was held two years later than usual, but still felt timely.
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In the wake of the war in Ukraine, the University is supporting Ukrainian students with financial assistance, summer housing, counseling and more.
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Members of the Warren Alpert Medical School community, including graduates from classes ranging from 1972 to 2022, gathered to commemorate the history and look to the future of Rhode Island’s first and only medical school.
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The annual awards program recognizes outstanding faculty scholarship; new this year were awards for Brown inventor and startup of the year.
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In a conversation with Derek Shearer, former ambassador to Finland, the 42nd U.S. president spoke about global politics as well as climate change, writing and music.
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The University responds to COVID-19
In true testament to the University’s mission to serve the community, the nation and the world, Brown students, faculty and staff are addressing the COVID-19 pandemic on multiple fronts. Explore new research, community impact initiatives, expert perspectives and more.
Research News
All News Scholars from Rice and Brown universities say that next-generation wireless networks that use the technology could be designed with built-in defenses against the ‘metasurface-in-the-middle’ attack.
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Science and Technology
Researchers highlight more equitable way to analyze DNA data from understudied groups
New methods of analyzing DNA will allow for a better understanding of how genetic conditions affect different populations, ultimately enabling more targeted treatments.
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Science and Technology
Robotic swimmer sheds light on microorganisms in motion
A self-propelled robotic swimmer, developed by Brown University students and faculty, could help researchers better understand the complex swimming behaviors of bacteria and other microorganisms.
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A new study from researchers at the Policy Lab offers important information on when text-message vaccination campaigns work and when they don’t.
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Science and Technology
Differences between the Moon’s near and far sides linked to colossal ancient impact
New research shows how the impact that created the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken basin is linked to the stark contrast in composition and appearance between the two sides of the Moon.
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Researchers at Brown University developed a new model to predict human flocking behavior based on optics and other sensory data.
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Led by principal investigator John Sedivy, a multi-university effort will build on recent discoveries about mechanisms of aging to understand causes and potential treatments for neurodegenerative diseases.
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Using a simulation modeling approach, Brown researchers estimate that closing syringe services programs, even for one year, will cause cases of HIV to rise.
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Science and Technology
Brown convenes scholars to envision the future of home-based health tech
With a massive shift under way toward more home-based health care delivery, more than 90 medical professionals and technologists gathered virtually to explore the challenges and opportunities that change presents.
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Science and Technology
Psyche, the iron giant of asteroids, may be less iron than researchers thought
Scientists have thought that the asteroid Psyche could be a big ball of pure iron, but new research suggests it’s likely harboring a hidden rocky component.
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A study led by Brown University researchers found significant racial and ethnic disparities in patient care experience among enrollees of Medicaid managed care plans.
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Science and Technology
Researchers use tiny magnetic swirls to generate true random numbers
Skyrmions, tiny magnetic anomalies that arise in two-dimensional materials, can be used to generate true random numbers useful in cryptography and probabilistic computing.
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A new 3D connective tissue model gives researchers a sophisticated tool to understand the underlying mechanisms of connective tissue disorders and test potential treatments.
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Science and Technology
Tuning the bonds of paired quantum particles creates dissipationless flow
A tunable, atomically thin materials platform may help researchers figure out how to create a robust quantum condensate that can flow without dissipation of energy — potentially paving the way for ultra-efficient lossless electronic devices.
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Science and Technology
Newly discovered type of ‘strange metal’ could lead to deep insights
A new discovery could help scientists to understand “strange metals,” a class of materials that are related to high-temperature superconductors and share fundamental quantum attributes with black holes.
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Health and Medicine
Researchers develop an RNA-based breath test to detect COVID-19
The Bubbler, a breathalyzer device that reverse-transcribes RNA from airborne SARS-CoV-2 in breath, predicts lower respiratory tract involvement and is less invasive than alternative testing approaches, researchers say.
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Amanda Lynch, a Brown University professor and inaugural director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, will chair the board responsible for guiding the World Meteorological Organization’s research agenda.
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Science and Technology
Magnetic surprise revealed in ‘magic-angle’ graphene
Magnets and superconductors don’t normally get along, but a new study shows that ‘magic-angle’ graphene is capable of producing both superconductivity and ferromagnetism, which could be useful in quantum computing.
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Brown University researchers are part of a consortium tracking the impact of COVID-19 on patients with cancer.
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Science and Technology
Grant project supports Asian American and Pacific Islander students in geoscience
The National Science Foundation will support a project aimed at helping Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders thrive in Earth and geological science education and careers.
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The discovery of electrical signals in the brain associated with OCD could enable an emerging type of adaptive deep brain stimulation therapy as an improved treatment.
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Brown in the News
See MoreHighlighting Brown’s Distinction
University Initiatives
Highlighting Brown’s distinction in entrepreneurship
Offering courses, programs and support to students at every stage of the entrepreneurial process, the Nelson Center has become a nexus for entrepreneurship at Brown in just three years since launch.
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Brown’s scholars in international and public affairs are addressing inequality, convening conversations that move the needle on tough issues and connecting students with practitioners on the ground.
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Science and Technology
Highlighting Brown’s distinction in energy and environmental engineering
Researchers in Brown’s School of Engineering are developing next-generation renewable energy technologies, advancing energy efficiency in computing and finding new ways to detect and clean contaminants in the environment.
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Arts and Humanities
Highlighting Brown’s distinction in the arts
The University is advancing its reputation for excellence in the arts by forming new partnerships with artists and scholars and making major new investments in programming and facilities.
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Health and Medicine
Highlighting Brown’s distinction in brain science
Brown researchers are building understanding of the brain, restoring movement for patients with paralysis, unlocking the secrets of devastating diseases and devising new treatments to address brain-related disorders.
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Social Sciences
Highlighting Brown’s distinction in economics
With an increased focus on unearthing novel data sources for analysis, Brown’s economics scholars are bringing new insights to complex problems and teaching the next generation of researchers and policymakers to do the same.
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News and Events
Highlighting Brown’s distinction in educational innovation
Learning at Brown is a collaborative, hands-on experience — one in which students often lead their own research projects or conduct research alongside their instructors.
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Arts and Humanities
Highlighting Brown’s distinction in the humanities
Humanities scholars at Brown are energizing comparative work that informs a deeper understanding of the most challenging questions of global common concern.
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