News from Brown

Health and Medicine

$25 million gift to Brown will fuel innovation in brain science

January 26, 2021

The latest major investment in Brown’s cutting-edge brain science research, the generous gift will support computational brain science and endow a program to promote innovative research.

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Featured Headlines

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News and Events

Brown alumna Janet Yellen first woman to serve as treasury secretary

January 28, 2021

The Class of 1967 Brown graduate and former Federal Reserve chair will advise President Joseph Biden and his cabinet on economic issues.

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Health and Medicine

Clinical trial to evaluate whether topical medication can prevent common skin cancer

January 25, 2021

A $34 million U.S. Veterans Affairs grant will enable Martin Weinstock, who directs dermatology research for the Providence V.A. and is a Brown professor, to evaluate the effectiveness of a common medication in preventing basal cell carcinoma.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: Is all pandemic news really bad news?

January 22, 2021

Molly Cook, a junior at Brown, participated in a research project that found that major American news outlets took a more negative tone in their COVID-19 coverage than international news outlets or scientific journals.

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News and Events

Letter from President Paxson: Plans for Commencement and Reunion 2021

January 21, 2021

Given the state of the public health situation, Brown will host Commencement events for Class of 2021 graduates in person, but families and guests will attend virtually, and all alumni Reunion events will be held virtually.

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Recent Highlights

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Student Life

Excitement, energy and a desire to explore: Class of 2024 undergrads arrive at Brown

January 20, 2021

After a postponed arrival due to the pandemic, Brown’s 1,756 first-year undergraduate students began their first term at the University on Wednesday, Jan. 20 — and five of them shared their stories.

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Science and Technology

Brown brain scientist wins early-career award from National Academy of Sciences

January 21, 2021

Michael J. Frank, a Brown professor who directs the Center for Computational Brain Science in the Carney Institute for Brain Science, was named one of two recipients of this year’s Troland Award.

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News and Events

Brown’s newest undergraduates, by the numbers

January 20, 2021

A total of 1,756 new first-year students began studies at Brown University on Wednesday, Jan. 20 — here’s a look at who is included in the Class of 2024

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Science and Technology

Researchers develop new graphene nanochannel water filters

January 21, 2021

Brown University researchers have shown that tiny channels between graphene sheets can be aligned in a way that makes them ideal for water filtration.

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News and Events

Brown alumna to co-chair science and technology council under Biden administration

January 20, 2021

Maria Zuber, a senior leader and faculty member at MIT who earned her Ph.D. from Brown, will lead the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

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University Initiatives

For the Brown community, honoring the values of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

January 18, 2021

In the face of enduring systemic racism and profound political divisiveness, Brown President Christina H. Paxson urged students, faculty and staff to uphold the values that define King’s legacy.

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News and Events

Brown scholars weigh in on unrest at the Capitol, presidential transition

January 13, 2021

Ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration and Donald Trump's potential second impeachment, faculty experts from Brown weighed in on what led to this moment of upheaval and where American politics is headed.

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Science and Technology

14,000 loops around the Earth later, Brown student satellite ends its mission

December 31, 2020

The systems on the student-designed and -built EQUiSat functioned nearly flawlessly for over two years in the harshness of space before reentering Earth’s atmosphere on Dec. 26.

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University Initiatives

In Anchor Program, faculty design courses that thrive within pandemic moment

December 18, 2020

Since this summer, over 300 Brown faculty members have completed an online institute run by the Sheridan Center that focused on innovative approaches to developing remote and hybrid courses.

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News and Events

Federal Reserve Board appoints Brown president chair of Boston Fed board

January 6, 2021

Christina H. Paxson, an economist, higher education leader and president of Brown University, will serve as chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2021.

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News and Events

Brown investment leader Joe Dowling to join global investment firm Blackstone

January 11, 2021

Dowling, who has played a key role in the growth of Brown University’s endowment since 2013, will leave Brown to serve as global co-head of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management, effective Jan. 12, 2021.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: How the pandemic could increase homelessness in 2021

December 18, 2020

Francesca Mari, a visiting lecturer at Brown, spoke about what might happen when the federal eviction moratorium ends on Jan. 31 — and why millions of disadvantaged Americans have struggled to afford urban housing for years.

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News and Events

From largest pool to date, Brown admits 885 early decision applicants

December 17, 2020

Selected from a total of 5,540 applicants, the Class of 2025’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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News and Events

The year in stories — 2020

December 17, 2020

It has been a calendar year that will long be remembered, in more ways than could have been imagined — as 2020 comes to a close, here are 23 highlights among Brown’s most noteworthy stories.

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Science and Technology

$10 million federal grant expands research to protect against concussions

December 17, 2020

A multi-institution effort to better understand, diagnose and prevent concussions received a $10 million boost from the U.S. Office of Naval Research.

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Science and Technology

Brown alumna selected for NASA’s new lunar exploration program

December 14, 2020

As one of 18 astronauts selected for NASA’s Artemis program, Brown Class of 1999 graduate and accomplished astronaut Jessica Meir has a chance to become the first woman to walk on the Moon.

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News and Events

Final court approval of Brown v. Cohen settlement sets 2024 end to Joint Agreement

December 15, 2020

Now-final settlement sets an end date to 1998 agreement that has hindered competitive varsity athletics for women and men at Brown; returns women’s equestrian and fencing teams to varsity status.

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Arts and Humanities

On its 50th anniversary, Rites and Reason Theatre says goodbye to its ‘beating heart’

December 10, 2020

A virtual fete on Tuesday, Dec. 15, will pay tribute to Karen Allen Baxter, who has served as senior managing director of Brown’s Rites and Reason Theatre since 1988.

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Arts and Humanities

Online and on-site, Brown and its partners ‘top off’ future Performing Arts Center

December 10, 2020

To celebrate the topping-off of its future hub for performing arts scholarship, University leaders joined construction workers and key project partners for a live-streamed virtual ceremony complete with on-site drone footage.

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Science and Technology

NASA moves forward with water-seeking Moon mission

December 4, 2020

Two Brown University alumnae and a Brown professor will lead a small satellite mission to further investigate water on the surface of the Moon, which was first detected by Brown scientists in 2009.

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News and Events

Four students, recent alumni awarded prestigious Marshall and Schwarzman scholarships

December 7, 2020

Class of 2020 graduate Frishta Qaderi will study at Oxford as a recipient of the Marshall scholarship, while three others will pursue graduate degrees at Tsinghua University in Beijing as Schwarzman Scholars.

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Science and Technology

Research reveals how airflow inside a car may affect COVID-19 transmission risk

December 4, 2020

A new study uses computer simulations to track airflows inside a car’s passenger cabin, providing potential strategies — some of them counterintuitive — for reducing the risk of transmitting airborne diseases.

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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.

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Research News

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Science and Technology

New technique builds super-hard metals from nanoparticles

January 22, 2021

Brown University researchers have shown a way to make bulk metals by smashing tiny metal nanoparticles together, which allows for customized grain structures and improved mechanical and other properties.

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Science and Technology

As the brain plans movements, the middle frontal gyrus is listening

January 12, 2021

A brain-computer interface study reveals one brain region’s surprising role in planning movements exclusively in response to sounds.

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Science and Technology

Remote sensing data sheds light on when and how asteroid Ryugu lost its water

January 5, 2021

Rocks on Ryugu, a “rubble pile” near-Earth asteroid recently visited by Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft, appear to have lost much of their water before they came together to form the asteroid, new research suggests.

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Science and Technology

Researchers discover a new tool for reconstructing ancient sea ice to study climate change

January 4, 2021

A previously problematic molecule turns out to be a reliable proxy for reconstructing sea ice, a new study by Brown University researchers shows.

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Health and Medicine

Researchers identify predictors of timely enrollment in treatment for opioid use disorder

December 16, 2020

Frequent doctor visits were associated with timely treatment, while prior overdose, alcohol use disorder and back problems predicted non-enrollment, study finds.

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Social Sciences

Infant health inequality has increased since 2010, study finds

December 8, 2020

After decades of narrowing gaps in health between infants born to the most and least advantaged American mothers, infant health inequality is increasing, portending a rise in health and social inequity that could last for decades.

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News and Events

Brown medical science, sociology faculty members elected AAAS fellows

November 24, 2020

For their distinguished contributions to science, Graduate School Dean Andrew G. Campbell and professor Susan Short have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Social Sciences

Field research has changed, and so should ethical guidelines, Brown professor says

November 24, 2020

A social scientist at Brown is calling on research institutions, leading scientific journals and national professional associations to establish new ethical standards that protect human subjects from emotional, financial and political manipulation.

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Health and Medicine

New communications toolkit aims to encourage routine COVID-19 testing across the U.S.

November 19, 2020

The Brown University School of Public Health, Harvard Global Health Institute and the Rockefeller Foundation launched a toolkit to help health officials, community organizations convey the importance of asymptomatic testing.

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Health and Medicine

Pod e-cigarettes less harmful than regular cigarettes, new study finds

November 18, 2020

In the first-ever clinical trial of fourth-generation electronic cigarettes, researchers found that adults who switched to e-cigarettes had lower levels of a major carcinogen compared to smokers who continued using combustible cigarettes.

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Science and Technology

New remote sensing technique could bring key planetary mineral into focus

November 2, 2020

The mineral olivine, thought to be a major component inside all planetary bodies, holds secrets about the early formation of the solar system, and a team of Brown University researchers has a new way to study it remotely.

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Health and Medicine

Study discovers potential target for treating aggressive cancer cells

October 21, 2020

New research by a team at Brown University finds that special filaments called vimentin may be key to the spread of some aggressive, chemo-resistant cancer cells.

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Environment

Researchers step toward understanding how toxic PFAS chemicals spread from release sites

October 15, 2020

New lab studies are helping researchers to better understand how so called “forever chemicals” behave in soil and water, which can help in understanding how these contaminants spread.

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Health and Medicine

Tuned lighting helps nursing home residents get better sleep, study finds

October 6, 2020

A study led by researchers at the Brown University School of Public Health found that using tuned LED lighting cut in half the number of sleep disturbances among older residents in long-term care.

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Health and Medicine

When disasters strike, nursing home residents face considerable risk

October 6, 2020

With a focus on nursing home deaths after Hurricane Irma in 2017, study finds the effects of natural and other disasters on long-term care populations are vastly underestimated.

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Health and Medicine

Firearm injuries cost a health insurer $8.2 to $41.2 million to treat, study finds

September 28, 2020

Using insurance claim data from five states, a team of researchers led by Brown University physician-scholar Megan Ranney found that health care costs skyrocket in the six months after a firearm injury.

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Health and Medicine

Imaging rapid drug effects in the human brain

August 25, 2020

Brown University researchers outline a method of showing how drugs affect the brain within minutes to hours of being taken.

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Stay-at-home orders significantly associated with reduced spread of COVID-19, study finds

August 12, 2020

As COVID-19 swept across the nation, most states went into lockdown — new research and state-by-state data suggests that stay-at-home orders helped slow the pandemic significantly.

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Science and Technology

New catalyst efficiently turns carbon dioxide into useful fuels and chemicals

August 12, 2020

By efficiently converting CO2 into complex hydrocarbon products, a new catalyst developed by a team of Brown researchers could potentially aid in large-scale efforts to recycle excess carbon dioxide.

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Health and Medicine

Quality of care at rural hospitals may not differ as much as reported, study suggests

August 10, 2020

A Brown University School of Public Health research team found that differences in diagnosis coding practices has resulted in artificially inflated mortality rate comparisons to other hospitals.

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Brown in the News

ProPublica

How many vaccine shots go to waste? Several states aren’t counting.

January 21, 2021

New York Times

Finally in 3-D: A dinosaur’s all-purpose orifice

January 19, 2021

WIRED

NASA is training an AI to detect fresh craters on Mars

January 19, 2021

WPRI 12 Providence

Q&A with Brown University professor Hamlin on MLK Day

January 18, 2021

Highlighting Brown’s Distinction

University Initiatives

Highlighting Brown’s distinction in entrepreneurship

July 18, 2019

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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Social Sciences

Highlighting Brown’s distinction in international and public affairs

July 18, 2019

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

July 18, 2019

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

July 18, 2019

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

January 10, 2019

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

January 10, 2019

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

January 10, 2019

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

January 10, 2019

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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