Science & Research - The Brown Daily Herald

Science & Research

The COVID Pod with Dr. Ashish Jha: Approaching a More 'Normal' Fall 2021

By Cate Ryan , Emilija Sagaityte and Rahma Ibrahim | April 10

On the last episode of The COVID Pod, recorded on the morning of April 9, 2021, Dean of the School of Public Health Ashish Jha is back to comment on Brown’s plans toward a more traditional semester in fall of 2021. The COVID Pod team discusses advice for the incoming class of 2025, efforts to promote ...

Science & Research

Pandemic Journaling Project enables ordinary people to write their own history

By Anna Kim | April 9

In an effort to record the voices of ordinary people during the COVID-19 pandemic, Assistant Professor of Anthropology Katherine Mason and Sarah Willen, associate professor of anthropology at University of Connecticut, co-founded the Pandemic Journaling Project to predesign an archive of people’s ...

Science & Research

FDA-approved implant provides alternative ACL tear treatment

By Rahma Ibrahim | April 8

A newly approved medical implant — Bridge-Enhanced® ACL Repair — is providing an alternate treatment for Anterior Cruciate Ligament tears. The current standard of care for ACL tears, which are among the most common knee injuries, depends on the condition of the injured person, according to the ...

Courtesy_of_NASA_JPL_University_of_Arizona

Science & Research

Dangling by nylon threads: touchdown of Mars Perseverance Rover

By Lucas Fried | April 7

An unexpected snowfall closed schools in Huntsville, Alabama on the afternoon of Feb. 18. Despite the cold, NASA scientist Caleb Fassett MS’05 PhD’08 was grateful to have his two first-grade daughters home to witness a key moment in space exploration. When he was a graduate student nearly two decades ...

Science & Research

Journey to Jezero Crater: what Perseverance may uncover

By Lucas Fried | April 7

Several years ago, Jezero Crater was proposed as the landing site for NASA’s 2011 Mars rover Curiosity but was rejected because there were too many rocks that the rover might hit in the possible landing areas, according to Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Jack Mustard. When ...

Science & Research

Early life exposure to chemical group PFAS increases cardiometabolic risk through adolescence

By Kathleen Meininger | April 6

Early exposure to compounds known as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances — also referred to as PFAS — can lead to cardiometabolic defects later in life, according to a study led by University researchers. The study was one of four nominated as papers of the month by the National Institute of Environmental ...

Science & Research

Virtual 2021 Brown Venture Prize awards $50,000 total to three start-up teams

By Jared Zhang | April 5

The winners of the 2021 Brown Venture Prize were announced following a virtual finalist pitch night on March 25. The BVP, which is a competition organized by the Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship, is designed to provide resources that assist the growth of ventures led by Brown students, said Executive ...

Science & Research

Researchers test treatments for mutations causing rare neurodevelopmental disease

By Gabriella Vulakh | April 5

Christianson syndrome, also referred to as CS, is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder associated with seizures, various degrees of intellectual disability and difficulty standing or walking. Research suggests that cells expressing characteristics related to the condition respond differently to treatment ...

Science & Research

2021 Salomon Awards grant funds 16 projects

By Jared Zhang | March 30

The Office of the Vice President for Research announced 16 recipients of the 2021 Richard B. Salomon Faculty Research Awards Mar. 10. The awards, named in honor of Chancellor of Brown 1977 to 1988 Richard Salomon, “recognize excellence in scholarship,” wrote Vice President for Research Jill Pipher ...

Science & Research

High rates of burnout burden lesbian, gay, bisexual medical students

By Kathleen Meininger | March 29

Lesbian, gay and bisexual medical students are more likely to experience burnout and to report perceived mistreatment by other members of the medical community than their heterosexual classmates are, according to a study published last month conducted by Brown and Yale researchers. Burnout, which ...

Science & Research

A cardiothoracic surgeon, aerospace researcher and professor: Peter Lee ’94 PhD’03 MD’05 on his path back to Brown

By Marlene Goetz | March 29

Peter Lee ’94 PhD'03 MD'05, cardiothoracic surgeon and an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, conducted his undergraduate, graduate and medical studies at the University and returns to College Hill from Ohio State University as an accomplished researcher and surgeon with varied ...

Science & Research

The COVID Pod with Dr. Ashish Jha: Getting Vaccinated (with a side of free donuts)

By Cate Ryan , Emilija Sagaityte , Colleen Cronin and Rahma Ibrahim | March 27

On March 26, 2021, the COVID Pod team welcomes Dr. Ashish Jha again to discuss expanded vaccine eligibility coming soon to Rhode Island, how to address ongoing vaccine hesitancy and what the summer and next few years will look like after more people are vaccinated. Dr. Jha also provides his perspective ...

Science & Research

Political science professor publishes “African American Political Thought: A Collected History”

By Kaitlyn Torres | March 25

In an effort to expand and nuance the literary canon of political theory, Associate Professor of Political Science Melvin Rogers published an essay collection last month titled “African American Political Thought: A Collected History.” The book, which Rogers co-edited with Jack Turner III, associate ...

Science & Research

The HerbUX Project works on making Herbarium data more accessible

By Anna Kim | March 22

When a student visits the Brown University Herbarium, they’re greeted by countless plants meticulously climate-controlled in storage. Rebecca Kartzinel, director of the Herbarium and assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, defines herbaria as “collections of dried, pressed plants, ...

Science & Research

University researchers monitor effects of COVID-19 vaccines in nursing home residents

By Jared Zhang | March 15

A University researcher is leading a national effort to track vaccine adverse events in nursing home residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine adverse events are health issues that arise following inoculation with a vaccine; these events may be caused by the vaccine itself or be completely ...

Science & Research

Student-built satellite returns after two and a half years in space

By Benjamin Schornstein | March 15

Brown Space Engineering’s first ever student-built satellite, EQUiSat, reentered Earth’s atmosphere on Dec. 26, 2020, after over 14,000 trips around Earth. Brown students had the opportunity to track the satellite as it traveled around Earth and work directly with NASA to test the use of LiFePO4 ...

Science & Research

The COVID Pod with Dr. Ashish Jha: Marching Forward One Year Later

By Cate Ryan , Emilija Sagaityte and Rahma Ibrahim | March 13

One year into the pandemic, and on the anniversary of the day Brown announced it would be closing to students and faculty in the wake of COVID-19 in March of 2020, The COVID Pod team welcomes Dean of the School of Public Health Ashish Jha to have a conversation about looking ahead. Dr. Jha gives his ...

Science & Research

Study suggests potential decarbonization plan for R.I. that could lead to net zero emissions by 2050

By Emma Gardner | March 9

Rhode Island has the potential to cut its carbon emissions by 80 percent between 2030 and 2050, according to data from a recently published study from the Brown Climate and Development Lab and the Stockholm Environment Institute, titled “Faster and steeper is feasible: Modeling deeper decarbonization ...

Science & Research

University researchers study Apollo rock samples to understand Moon’s early history

By Anna Kim | March 8

Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Alberto Saal and his colleague, late Carnegie scientist Erik Hauri analyzed sulfur isotopes in samples of volcanic glass collected during NASA’s Apollo 15 and 17 missions to understand the Moon’s formation and early history in a study published ...

Science & Research

2021 Seed Awards grant 18 projects $1 million in total

By Gabriella Vulakh | March 8

Recipients of the 2021 Seed Awards will receive a total of $1 million in funding according to a Feb. 22 Today@Brown announcement from the Office of the Vice President for Research. 18 projects across a variety of fields, predominantly physical and life sciences, will receive funding through Seed. The ...