Brown University researchers are partnering with faith-based leaders in Providence to increase participation of Black community members in Alzheimer’s prevention studies.
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Featured Headlines
All News A virtual event hosted by the Annenberg Institute convened experts to discuss how Providence and Rhode Island can build stronger, healthier K-12 schools, both amid and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Arts and Humanities
How gospel music helped power the Civil Rights Movement
Ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Charrise Barron, an assistant professor at Brown, discussed the long relationship between Black American music and social justice movements throughout history.
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An independent report from Tripp Umbach commissioned by Brown University concludes that closer integration of health systems, physician practices and research can create significant economic and societal gains.
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Science and Technology
Accomplished biomedical engineer, academic leader named Brown School of Engineering dean
Tejal Desai, a professor and researcher who has led academic programs at the University of California San Francisco, Boston University and elsewhere, will work to expand collaborative engineering research and teaching.
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Recent Highlights
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Science and Technology
Researchers propose new explanation for Moon’s magnetic mystery
A new study reveals how the diminutive Moon could have been an occasional magnetic powerhouse early in its history, a question that has confounded researchers since NASA’s Apollo program began returning lunar samples in 1969.
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News and Events
The year in stories — 2021
At Brown, calendar year 2021 was brimming with breakthroughs, reflections, an unshakeable sense of community and the determination necessary to move forward — here are 21 stories that offer a glimpse at that activity.
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Arts and Humanities
In music theory class, students learn another kind of storytelling
Eric Nathan’s Theory of Tonal Music I course teaches students the mechanics of music — then calls on them to write their own pop songs.
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Selected from a pool of 6,146 applicants, the Class of 2026’s first members reflect the University’s ongoing commitment to making a Brown education more accessible to students from every socioeconomic background.
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Generous support from the Legorreta family will propel plans for a world-class, nationally designated cancer center at Brown that will turn basic science into treatments for patients in Rhode Island and beyond.
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Brown, Lifespan and Care New England leaders joined U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and other experts in a virtual discussion on the potential for an integrated system to provide world-class care for the people of Rhode Island.
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Staff at Brown University are working with the Providence public school to transform an empty classroom into an engaging, interactive space where students can conduct experiments and work on creative projects.
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Arts and Humanities
At Brown, Indigenous students are keeping their native languages alive
An independent study project organized through the Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative is enabling students to strengthen their knowledge of international Indigenous languages, from Narragansett to Yoruba.
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Making the most of opportunities for entrepreneurship support at Brown, four undergraduates combined their distinctive skills, talents and experiences to change how health care is provided to vulnerable patients.
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Brown’s annual Midyear Completion Celebration on Saturday, Dec. 11, an in-person event that will be live-streamed, will celebrate the achievements of this year’s “.5ers,” who complete their degree requirements this month.
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The Brown Arts Institute’s free and open-to-the-public Songwriting Workshop provides a welcoming space for musicians from all walks of life to perform for one another and receive feedback on songs in progress.
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One of just 32 Rhodes Scholars from the United States, Alexandra Ali Martínez will pursue a doctoral degree in migration studies at Oxford University.
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The accomplished dean and professor, who oversaw the creation of renowned academic centers and recruited world-class faculty, will return to research and to teaching English, comparative literature and German studies after a sabbatical.
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An event hosted by Brown’s School of Public Health brought students together to build low-cost, highly effective Corsi-Rosenthal cubes as air filters that will augment existing filtration systems at Brown.
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Science and Technology
Brown physics student earns Ph.D. at age 89
After a 30-year career in medicine, Manfred Steiner returned to the classroom to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a physicist.
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A second edition of Brown’s landmark report, which sparked a national conversation on higher education’s entanglements with racial slavery, offers new insights on the document’s persistent and evolving impact.
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University Initiatives
Scholars, leaders reflect on Brown’s transformative Slavery and Justice Report
University leaders, faculty, alumni and students gathered on Friday, Nov. 12, to celebrate a new second edition of the report, discuss the original report’s legacy and debate what work remains at Brown and beyond.
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Brehan Brady — a self-described working-class kid from Pawtucket who transferred to Brown from the Community College of Rhode Island — joins other student veterans in forging a new path after their military service.
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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
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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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Science and Technology
Study shows how machine learning could improve COVID-19 predictive models
With the help of an advanced machine learning technique, researchers from Brown University suggest strategies for improving the performance of epidemiological models used to predict the course of pandemics.
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Many believe climate change and environmental degradation caused the Maya civilization to fall — but a new survey shows that some Maya kingdoms had sustainable agricultural practices and high food yields for centuries.
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New findings about military veterans at the highest risk for food insecurity can help connect them to food they need for good health and inform interventions to address the larger, long-term issue.
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Health and Medicine
Study offers insights on why the elderly are more susceptible to COVID-19
New research reveals the cellular mechanism behind why the elderly, as well as those with certain overlapping diseases, are at risk of infection and death from the virus — and how this mechanism can potentially be used to protect them.
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Science and Technology
Vast patches of glassy rock in Chilean desert likely created by ancient exploding comet
Heat from a comet exploding just above the ground fused the sandy soil into patches of glass stretching 75 kilometers, a study led by Brown University researchers found.
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Science and Technology
New material could pave way for better, safer batteries
A material derived from trees could potentially replace liquid electrolytes in next-generation batteries.
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Science and Technology
Computational biology researcher at Brown wins prestigious early-career NIH award
With a $1.9 million Genomic Innovator Award, Ritambhara Singh will apply machine learning to better understand the genetic underpinnings of disease.
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Health and Medicine
Depression rates tripled and symptoms intensified during first year of COVID-19
A new study found that people with lower incomes and who experienced multiple COVID-related stressors were more likely to feel the toll of the pandemic, as socioeconomic inequities in mental health continue to widen.
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Science and Technology
Brown scientist wins NIH innovator award to illuminate undetected brain activity
A five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will support Ahmed Abdelfattah’s research to shed light on brain activity, which could ultimately benefit patients facing a range of disorders.
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Jim Head, a planetary geologist at Brown, is working with colleagues from China to analyze rocks returned from the Chang’e 5 mission, which recently brought to Earth the first lunar samples retrieved in 45 years.
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Brown University sociologist John Logan said the 2020 census data released this summer show that race, not income, is still the driving factor behind who lives where in the United States.
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The newly discovered structures provide game-changing evidence that the imperial power of Teotihuacan exerted considerable influence on Tikal, an ancient Maya capital, as part of a campaign of conquest.
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Health and Medicine
New guidelines intended to help health providers prevent gun injuries and deaths
A team of clinicians, researchers and educators, including Brown physician-scientist Dr. Megan Ranney, established new guidelines on educating health care professionals about how to help prevent firearm injuries.
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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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