Eco Flick Lab

I love science communication and my job at Vanderbilt allows for plenty! From researching my own historical stories about evolution over the years at Vanderbilt to writing press releases for exciting research from my faculty colleagues, I get to do it all!

Book Reviews

In 2018, I reviewed Mohamed Noor’s “Live Long and Evolve: What Star Trek Can Teach Us about Evolution, Genetics, and Life on Other Worlds,” for Leading Edge Magazine. It’s been 7 years now, and I am back to reviewing books! I’ve just started on Peter and Rosemary Grant’s, “40 Years of Evolution: Darwin’s Finches on Daphne Major Island.” Stay tuned to find out what I think!

Press Releases

In my role as scientific coordinator, I do less manuscript writing and more news briefs on the work of other talented researchers. Most press releases that I have written are included in Evolutionary Studies – the Magazine, which I began in Spring 2022. I get really excited when others pick up these stories, usually this means Phys.org, but the student newspaper, the Vanderbilt Hustler, and the twice annual Vanderbilt Magazine have also covered some of my work! This hasn’t been updated since 2023, but I’ve got lots more to add – check out the Evolution at Vanderbilt website to see more.

  • Perspectives on AI-Generated Art in Science. 4/7/23. Evolutionary Studies – the Magazine.
  • Paleontology Graduate Student Uncovers Lessons from Microfossils of the Grand Canyon. 4/7/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Trio of Vanderbilt Researchers Identify Variable Outcomes in Experimental Evolution. 4/7/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • International Collaboration Uncovers Evolutionary History of Respiratory Virus in Argentina. 4/7/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Vanderbilt Researchers find Evidence for Evolutionary Constraints on Immunity. 4/7/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Vanderbilt Team finds Evolutionary Support for Induced Defenses. 4/7/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website. Phys.org
  • Vanderbilt researcher finds evidence for ant caste systems driven by chemo-sensing responses. 4/3/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Scott Edwards, expert on the evolution of biodiversity, to deliver J. T. Scopes Lecture. 3/20/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • New outreach partnership with Dismas House. 3/16/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Joan Strassmann, expert on the evolution of cooperation, to deliver Evolutionary Studies seminar. 2/19/23. Research News VU website.
  • Vanderbilt-led Group Discovers Divergent Function in Convergent Evolution of Form. 2/22/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Vanderbilt Researcher Identifies Modes of Natural Selection in Understudied Human Populations. 2/16/23. Also available in Spanish. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website. Phys.org
  • Vanderbilt Anthropologist Discovers Lasting Effects from Disasters in Bangladesh. 1/26/23. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Richard Lenski, founder of the long-term evolution experiment, to deliver 2023 Darwin Day Lecture. 1/17/23. Research News VU website.
  • Ogden lab discovers new interactions between viruses during dual infections. 12/13/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Vanderbilt Graduate Student Parses Out Differences in Virulence across the Aspergillus Genus. 12/6/22. Research News VU website.
  • Fighting Misconceptions through Intentionally Designed Figures. 10/31/22. Research News VU website.
  • Vanderbilt biologists discover genetic pathways linking the immune and circulatory systems of mosquitoes during infection. 9/7/2022. Research News VU website. Phys.org
  • Associate professor Larisa DeSantis to give prestigious scientific talk in Ireland. 7/13/22. Research News VU website.
  • Vanderbilt researchers bring paleoecology into the 21st century. 7/7/22. Vanderbilt News website.
  • “The Hunger Games: E. coli edition” demonstrates how mutualism and cooperative behavior shape species. 5/20/22. Research News VU website. Phys.org
  • Vanderbilt researchers develop new evolutionary approach for identifying proteins that functionally interact. 5/4/22. Research News VU website. Phys.org
  • Nashville Earth Day Celebration at Centennial Park. 5/4/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Vanderbilt researchers suggest that complex bird songs might require large populations. 4/22/22. A&S news website.
  • Trainees of ESI receive high praise. 4/8/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Vanderbilt researchers use new method to target potentially undiscovered beneficial therapeutic chemicals. 4/5/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website. Phys.org
  • Medical researchers develop new methodology for molecular mechanisms of disease. 3/29/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • ESI group visits Coon Creek Science Center. 3/28/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Evolutionary Studies Initiative hosts Elisabeth Bik, top academic ethics sleuth, for virtual J.T. Scopes Lecture. 3/1/22. Research News VU website.
  • Literature researchers identify attitudes toward genetics across 100 years of film and television. 2/28/22. Research News VU website. Phys.org
  • Researchers aim to define host-parasite interactions by modeling the effects of coinfection on community dynamics. 2/14/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Microbiologists collaborate on new interdisciplinary research program. 2/13/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Graduate student to study biological evolution in Malaysia through ESI grant. 2/11/22. Research News VU website.
  • Vanderbilt astronomers discover exceedingly rare star. 2/11/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website. Phys.org
  • Patel Lab earns new grant to study evolutionary trade-offs between reproduction and aging. 2/4/22. Research News VU website.
  • Seven awards given in inaugural Evolutionary Studies Initiative pilot grant program. 1/24/22. Evolutionary Studies Initiative website.
  • Vanderbilt researchers combine paleontology and fluid physics to uncover Ediacaran nurseries. 1/7/22. Research News VU website. Phys.org
  • Vanderbilt researcher outlines how whales’ sensory systems have evolved through imaging technology. 12/2/21. Research News VU website. Phys.org