Mechanical Engineering
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Braun receives NSF Early CAREER Award to create next-gen robots to assist humans
David Braun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received a prestigious NSF CAREER Award for foundational research in mechanically adaptive robotics. His CAREER project, “Mechanically Adaptive, Energetically Passive Robotics,” will enable the creation of new-generation industrial robots, transportation systems, and devices that can assist and augment humans. The five-year, $600,000 grant will support work on robot... Read MoreApr 13, 2022
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Karl Zelick is inaugural awardee of a Scaling Success Grant
Karl Zelik, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is one of three inaugural awardees for the February 2022 cycle of the Scaling Success Grant, which is the first cycle of this internal funding opportunity. Yuankai Huo, assistant professor of computer science and computer engineering, is co-PI on a SSG grant. Read MoreApr 11, 2022
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International research collaboration reveals new possibilities in nanophotonics
Joshua Caldwell, Flowers Family Chancellor’s Faculty Fellow in Engineering and associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Joseph Matson, a graduate student in Caldwell’s lab, have contributed to an international study that has discovered a new type of light-matter coupling. The work has long-term implications for how optical components can be even further miniaturized, a discovery... Read MoreMar 3, 2022
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International research collaboration reveals new possibilities in nanophotonics
Josh Caldwell and graduate student Joseph Matson are part of a team that has discovered how asymmetric light-matter interactions may enable new ways to guide and process optical signals on chips and design compact infrared optical components. Read MoreMar 3, 2022
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Breakthrough measurements/theory of vibrating atoms in nanostructures ushers in new class of technology
Vanderbilt researchers Sokrates Pantelides and Joshua Caldwell are part of an international collaboration that has demonstrated a new way to manipulate and measure subtle atomic vibrations in nanomaterials. This breakthrough could make it possible to develop customized functionalities to improve on and build new technologies. Sokrates Pantelides (Vanderbilt University) Joshua Caldwell (Vanderbilt University) Electron beams... Read MoreJan 26, 2022
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Autoimmune drug shows promise in treating severe burns
A severe burn injury is not static. Within 72 hours, partial thickness burns can progress, or convert, to full thickness burns, greatly increasing the risk of infection, incapacitating scarring, and even death. Preventing the conversion is one of the most challenging aspects of treating burns, and a trans-institutional team of researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical... Read MoreJan 12, 2022
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New study reveals breakthrough tool to show how much exoskeletons reduce back injury risk
A study led by researchers from Vanderbilt University’s Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology reveals a breakthrough tool to assess the effect of exoskeletons on injury risk. The tool, called Exo-LiFFT, is an interactive calculator that will help companies looking for ways to overcome workforces struggling with musculoskeletal injuries, missed work, and accelerated retirement... Read MoreNov 30, 2021
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Researchers to test wearable tech to detect problem behaviors in children with disabilities and offer intervention strategies
Vanderbilt researchers have won a National Science Foundation grant to use wearable technologies to detect problem behaviors in children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and offer strategies to protect them from potential harm. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at increased risk of showing problem behavior that expose them to being... Read MoreOct 27, 2021
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Researchers to test wearable tech to detect problem behaviors in children with disabilities and offer intervention strategies
Vanderbilt researchers have won a National Science Foundation grant to use wearable technologies to detect problem behaviors in children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and offer strategies to protect them from potential harm. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at increased risk of showing problem behavior that expose them to being... Read MoreOct 27, 2021
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Novel advanced light design and fabrication process could revolutionize sensing technologies
Vanderbilt and Penn State engineers have developed a novel approach to design and fabricate thin-film infrared light sources with near-arbitrary spectral output driven by heat, along with a machine learning methodology called inverse design that reduced the optimization time for these devices from weeks or months on a multi-core computer… Read MoreOct 21, 2021
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Novel advanced light design and fabrication process could revolutionize sensing technologies
Vanderbilt and Penn State engineers have developed a novel approach to design and fabricate thin-film infrared light sources with near-arbitrary spectral output driven by heat, along with a machine learning methodology called inverse design that reduced the optimization time for these devices from weeks or months on a multi-core computer to a few minutes on... Read MoreOct 21, 2021
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Wond’ry students collaborate with Del Fuego Project to design innovations in coffee drying process
Through a partnership between the Coffee Equity Lab at the Wond’ry and the Del Fuego Project—a Yepocapa, Guatemala-based nonprofit that’s building capacity in small-holder farming communities—Vanderbilt students engaged in collaborative design to generate innovations in coffee processing. Read MoreAug 24, 2021
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NSF virtual expo this week highlights three major projects led by VUSE faculty
Three ambitious, multidisciplinary projects led by Vanderbilt School of Engineering faculty will be featured Wednesday, July 28, and Thursday, July 29, during the National Science Foundation Convergence Accelerator Expo 2021. Read MoreJul 26, 2021
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NSF virtual expo this week highlights 3 major projects led by VUSE faculty
Three ambitious, multidisciplinary projects led by Vanderbilt School of Engineering faculty will be featured Wednesday and Thursday, July 28 and 29, during the NSF Convergence Accelerator Expo 2021. The two-day virtual event will present 15-minute demonstrations of novel solutions that address big-scale societal challenges. The NSF-funded projects integrate disciplines and include industry partners from their... Read MoreJul 26, 2021
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Three engineering faculty awarded Seeding Success Grants in inaugural funding round
The Office of the Provost has announced the inaugural round of grant recipients for the Seeding Success Grant program established in March. Three engineering faculty members are among 15 faculty members across four Vanderbilt schools and colleges who will receive support for their work. They are: David Braun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; “Catapult Legs: Enhancing Human... Read MoreJul 14, 2021
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Three engineering faculty awarded Seeding Success Grants in inaugural funding round
The Office of the Provost has announced the inaugural round of grant recipients for the Seeding Success Grant program established in March. Three engineering faculty members are among 15 faculty members across four Vanderbilt schools and colleges who will receive support for their work. They are: David Braun, assistant professor of mechanical engineering; “Catapult Legs: Enhancing Human... Read MoreJul 14, 2021
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Class of 2021: From rockets to fighter jets, mechanical engineering major builds on big successes
Will Reisner enjoys reaching new heights. The mechanical engineering senior is the vehicle team lead on the perennially top-ranked Vanderbilt Aerospace Design Laboratory rocket team. Read MoreMay 3, 2021
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Engineers’ groundbreaking discovery points to new route for creating thermal superconductors
The relentless increase in heat loads imposed on devices in modern technologies is driving renewed interest among engineers and materials scientists in the area of heat transfer. A team of engineers led by Vanderbilt professor Deyu Li has shown experimentally that the thermal conductivity of a special kind of ultra-thin nanowire becomes divergent with the wire length. Read MoreApr 16, 2021
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Engineers’ groundbreaking discovery points to a new route to create thermal superconductors
The relentless increase in heat loads imposed on devices in modern technologies is driving renewed interest among engineers and materials scientists in the area of heat transfer. A key challenge is finding approaches to enhance the materials’ capability of conducting heat. A team of engineers led by Vanderbilt mechanical engineering Professor Deyu Li and his... Read MoreApr 16, 2021
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Engineers’ groundbreaking discovery points to a new route to create thermal superconductors
The relentless increase in heat loads imposed on devices in modern technologies is driving renewed interest among engineers and materials scientists in the area of heat transfer. A key challenge is finding approaches to enhance the materials’ capability of conducting heat. A team of engineers led by Vanderbilt mechanical engineering Professor Deyu Li and his... Read MoreApr 16, 2021