(Co-authored by Micah J. Schwartzman, Edward F. Howrey Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law) In Obergefell v. Hodges, marriage equality for same-sex couples became the law of the land. In the wake of the decision on Friday, focus has intensified on religious freedom for traditionalists. Few of the questions about religious accommodation are novel—they had been playing out in the states for some time. Yet the decision did have important ramifications for the relationship between religion and government in the United States, and it does mark the formal beginning of ...
(By Johann Neem is a professor of history at Western Washington University, an affiliate of the Wisconsin Center for the Advancement of Postsecondary Education, and a visiting faculty fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia) Are the humanities useless? Or can they produce “inventions” like the natural sciences? If our only understanding of invention is a technological product, perhaps the humanities are useless. But if we include new insights into culture, insights that transform our relationship with the world around us, then the ...
A speck of tissue is enough to allow doctors at the University of Virginia Medical Center to determine the most-effective ways to treat cancers. The technicians in the clinical genomics lab break down tissue from tumors to identify the DNA sequence of the cancer-causing genes.
Medicine helps fight illness, but finding the right medicine to specifically target a rare form cancer or genetic disease is difficult. However, thanks to new state of the art technology, doctors and clinicians at the University of Virginia Health System are making strides in precision medicine.
Two scientists from the University of Virginia are a few days away from taking part in a space exploration mission a decade in the making. A planetary geologist and astronomer are working with NASA to interpret some of the first high resolution images of Pluto's surface.
Investors who are vigilant about corporate fraud may be looking in the wrong places, according to a study in the journal Review of Accounting Studies from researchers at N.C. State University, George Mason University, the University of Virginia and the University of Cincinnati. Of the 194 surveyed investors, the researchers found that 25 percent had had experiences with fraudulent companies.
David Adjaye is known for his innovative architectural designs. Adjaye is overseeing the newest installment of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum’s “Selects” series, which spotlights the little-known West African textiles in the museum’s permanent collection. “Textiles, especially West African textiles, often demonstrate a paradoxical juxtaposition of regularity and serendipity,” says Kim Tanzer, a professor of architecture at the University of Virginia. “I see this quality in the walls of the [museum].”
More than 100 journals and 31 scientific organizations have signed new science publication guidelines, called Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP), published last week (June 25) in Science. Authored by Science editor-in-chief Marcia McNutt and nearly 40 researchers, TOP aims to help scientists and journals understand their respective roles in making sure research integrity is maintained and offer incentive structures for openness. “Transparency and reproducibility are the beating heart of the scientific enterprise,” coauthors Brian Nosek, a professor of psychology at...
While Virginia’s gay community celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic ruling Friday clearing the way for same-sex marriage in all 50 states, the decision’s immediate impact here was minimal. “It certainly will be a massive undertaking in terms of the number of areas of the law that might be affected,” said A.E. Dick Howard, a professor of constitutional law at the
Thursday’s Affordable Care Act ruling marked the second time in three years that a centerpiece of the health law often called Obamacare came under heavy legal assault and survived. It cost Chief Justice John Roberts about 5,700 words (21 pages) to uphold the Affordable Care Act’s health-insurance subsidies on Thursday. He spent three times as many in 2012, when he authored the majority ruling in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, upholding the law’s individual mandate. But Supreme Court rulings have also become more accessible, when their authors want th...
University of Virginia neuroscientist Jeffrey T. Barth, 66, who retired last week, will be remembered for his pioneering research in the long-term effects of mild head injuries. His work kicked off a wave of studies on the topic that eventually brought about major cultural changes in the NFL, which for years resisted the warnings issued by Barth and other neuroscientists — that repeated minor head injuries, often undetectable, leave lasting damage.
One of about six existing dementia assessment centers in Virginia is located at the University of Virginia. Dr. Carol Manning is the director of the Memory and Aging Care Clinic. “We have people from multiple disciplines neurology, neuropsychology, clinical psychology, social work, nursing, we have clinical trials,” she described.
On Friday, in a momentous decision, the Supreme Court allowed same-sex marriages nationwide. At oral argument, Alito asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli the question nagging many religiously affiliated educational institutions — the fact that Bob Jones University lost its tax-exempt status in the 1980s because it opposed interracial marriage. “So, would the same apply to a university or a college if it opposed same­-sex marriage?” Verrilli conceded that tax exemption is “certainly going to be an issue.” Some insist that the risk to tax exemption is “...
The tumult over gay marriage and the Confederate flag could spell an electoral day of reckoning for Republicans - and both they and the Democrats know it. Overall, "The Republicans have a much more serious 'base-versus-general-electorate' split than the Democrats do," notes Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "The GOP base insists that the Republican presidential candidates condemn the Supreme Court decision - and they do, with some fervency. But 57% of the electorate favors gay marriage, and 75% or more of young voters do," Sabato ...
Legal experts on Friday said the Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing same-sex marriage could have a sweeping impact on religious conservatives from faith-based universities and nonprofit groups who are major government partners in providing social services to individuals, including county clerks and people in the wedding industry who oppose the celebration of such unions. University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock, an expert on religious liberty, predicted “political gridlock” in the states, where the battles would continue.
Before the January 2010 earthquake destroyed much of Haiti's capital, the only occupants of the arid hills near the city's northern edge were skinny goats foraging amid the cactus and scrub. Today, hardware stores sell wood and rebar to a flood of homesteaders and children lug water up dusty paths between rows of cinderblock homes and tin-and-tarp shacks. The government estimates that in five years, some 250,000 people have settled in the unregulated sprawl called Canaan, named for the biblical land of promise and prosperity. "On the one hand, it's amazing that people have man...
Miss Piedmont Region Savannah Morgan Lane captivated the audience and the judges Saturday night at the Berglund Center, where she was crowned Miss Virginia 2015. She has a varied background in dance and is currently a student of a University of Virginia vocal teacher. The 20-year-old is a rising third-year at UVa, where she studies foreign affairs and Arabic.
During Virginia’s amazing run as one of the nation’s most successful overall athletic programs, one of the keys has been hiring the right people, something that Craig Littlepage, Jon Oliver and assistant AD Jane Miller have excelled. “There’s only a handful of athletic departments like this around the country,” said Bennett, who has led the Wahoos to back-to-back ACC regular season basketball titles. “What they say and what they stand for is actually what they stand for. It’s not lip service.” Not only do the Virginia coaches slap one another on ...
(By Jonathan Oberlander and Eric Patashnik, professor of Public Policy and Politics at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia) The Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell is an enormous victory for the Obama administration and the Affordable Care Act. By upholding the provision of subsidies in the 34 states that rely on the federal insurance exchange, the court ensured that 6.4 million Americans would not lose access to affordable coverage. Instead of dealing a devastating blow to Americans with ACA insurance plans, the court hande...
The University of Virginia Health System has opened a high-tech clinical genomics lab that will personalize care for patients, help doctors determine the best treatments for cancers and other diseases, and allow UVA to offer the most cutting-edge clinical trials, according to a news release from the university.