News From Brown

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Alexander Weheliye, a professor of modern culture and media at Brown University, has been elected president of the American Studies Association, the largest scholarly organization focused on the interdisciplinary study of United States history and culture within a global context. Alexander Weheliye Weheliye’s three-year leadership cycle with the association began in July with a one-year term as president-elect.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Waking up at 4 a.m. to hike a steep trail in 90-degree heat to excavate ancient remains may not seem like a relaxing way to spend part of the summer, but it was an opportunity Brown University student Erin Finn could not pass up. Erin Finn at one of the banana farms that are along the hike to the necropolis.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — More than 3 million children enrolled in pre-K-12 schools in the U.S. attend a school located within a quarter mile of a known environmental hazard site tracked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — As he led a vocabulary game during an English class for teens on a morning in late July, Brown University student Justin Dunn stood at a whiteboard and wrote a set of five words. Beside him, a local high schooler sat facing a dozen classmates. He could not see the words, but the other teens — seated shoulder-to-shoulder on couches and chairs across from him — could. Their task was to help him guess each word without saying it aloud.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — When people encounter new information that challenges their expectations, their pupils are likely to dilate. This physiological response is a sign that something is happening in the brain to help the person adapt to the new situation, according to a study led by Brown University researchers.

Beijing, China “Hiking and seeing glaciers in Alaska is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people, including me. I consider myself a visual learner, and the immersive experience drew my attention. At home, I am not around many people who share similar passions in environmental studies, and I knew that the Brown Environmental Leadership Lab brought driven environmentalists together. This experience transformed us into one big group instead of scattered clusters of students.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — They are the engine that powers every laboratory-based biology course at Brown. They fix centrifuges, organize pipettes and prepare gels. They troubleshoot, suggest lab activities and find alternatives when supplies are unavailable. At Brown University, the scientists and technicians at the University’s Multidisciplinary Teaching Laboratories are the team that brings lab-based teaching and learning to life.

In a pair of letters to the Brown community, the leaders assert that a new strategic planning process should start with a new leader who will steward Brown’s next chapter, to be identified in a national search. President Christina H. Paxson has served as Brown’s 19th president since 2012. Photo by Nick Dentamaro/Brown University PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — President Christina H. Paxson and Chancellor Brian T. Moynihan announced in a pair of letters to the Brown University community Aug.

With crackling fires illuminating downtown Providence, Brown honored the first responders, neighbors, businesses and community partners who supported the campus through the aftermath of Dec. 13. 2025. PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — When tragedy struck Brown University’s campus on Dec. 13, 2025, light came in many forms: first responders rushing toward danger, businesses delivering meals, neighbors opening their homes and community partners helping students return safely to their families.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — In 33 years as a custodian at Brown University, Leo Eastman guesses he has worked in just about every building on campus — and he knows for sure that he has made countless connections with the generations of people who have learned, taught, studied and moved through those spaces. For more than three decades, Leo Eastman has meticulously stewarded Rochambeau House and its delicate furnishings.