Mechanical Engineering

Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professors Deyu Li and Josh Caldwell are part of a team of researchers who have discovered a new heat dissipation channel using phonon polaritons that could have extensive implications for novel cooling technologies in devices like smart phones and other modern electronics. Read More

Vanderbilt mechanical engineering professors Deyu Li and Josh Caldwell are part of a team of researchers who have discovered a new heat dissipation channel using phonon polaritons that could have extensive implications for novel cooling technologies in devices like smart phones and other modern electronics. The research was recently published in Nature Communications under the... Read More

The research team includes, left to right, Bruno Scaglioni, PhD; Keith Obstein MD, MPH; James Martin, PhD; Claire Landewee; Simone Calò, PhD; and Pietro Valdastri, PhD. (photo by Susan Urmy) by Jill Clendening A Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering (VISE) research team is conducting the first phase 1 clinical trial of a magnetic, flexible... Read More

Two Vanderbilt researchers are part of a team that earned a $1 million grant to develop AI-based training that will help neurodiverse people learn to drive—addressing a huge obstacle for that population. “The ability to drive will open up new opportunities for employment and a life of independence for many neurodiverse individuals,” said Nilanjan Sarkar,... Read More

Two Vanderbilt researchers are part of a team that earned a $1 million grant to develop AI-based training that will help neurodiverse people learn to drive—addressing a huge obstacle for that population. “The ability to drive will open up new opportunities for employment and a life of independence for many neurodiverse individuals,” said Nilanjan Sarkar,... Read More

Zeno Power, a startup initiated through the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Innovation Center, has received a total of $30 million from the U.S. Department of Defense and private investors to develop and build a flight-ready radioisotope-powered satellite by 2025. It is expected to be the first launch of a commercially developed space nuclear system in history. Vanderbilt... Read More

Karl Zelik, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and physical medicine and rehabilitation, is being recognized for his contributions to biomechanics with a Goel Award. The award recognizes accomplishments in translational biomechanics research, entrepreneurship and societal benefit. Read More

Karl Zelik, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and physical medicine and rehabilitation, is being recognized for his contributions to the field of biomechanics with a prestigious Goel Award from the American Society of Biomechanics. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in translational biomechanics research, entrepreneurship, and societal benefit. Zelik co-directs the Center for Rehabilitation... Read More

A university leadership committee has approved Discovery Vanderbilt investments into three faculty-initiated startups—HeroWear, IDBiologics and Virtuoso Surgical Inc.—as part of its mission from the offices of the chancellor and provost to boost innovation across the university. “These three initial investments will fuel discovery and accelerate the translation of our research into real-world benefits,” Chancellor Daniel... Read More

A university leadership committee has approved Discovery Vanderbilt investments into three faculty-initiated startups—HeroWear, IDBiologics and Virtuoso Surgical Inc.—as part of its mission from the offices of the chancellor and provost to boost innovation across the university. “These three initial investments will fuel discovery and accelerate the translation of our research into real-world benefits,” Chancellor Daniel... Read More

By Amy Wolf It all started late one night in a first-year residence hall. A group of students were brainstorming ideas for an innovative project to collaborate on, and amid all the ambitious suggestions getting tossed around, one engineering major’s idea stood out: What if they built a miniature nuclear fusion reactor? In typical Vanderbilt... Read More

By Amy Wolf It all started late one night in a first-year residence hall. A group of students were brainstorming ideas for an innovative project to collaborate on, and amid all the ambitious suggestions getting tossed around, one engineering major’s idea stood out: What if they built a miniature nuclear fusion reactor? In typical Vanderbilt... Read More

Joshua Caldwell (Vanderbilt University) Josh Caldwell, director of the Interdisciplinary Material Sciences program and professor of mechanical engineering, has been awarded a grant from the Office of Naval Research’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative. The five-year grant, which provides up to $1.5 million in funding annually, will be shared among Vanderbilt University, the University of Iowa,... Read More

Joshua Caldwell (Vanderbilt University) Josh Caldwell, director of the Interdisciplinary Material Sciences program and professor of mechanical engineering, has been awarded a grant from the Office of Naval Research’s Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative. The five-year grant, which provides up to $1.5 million in funding annually, will be shared among Vanderbilt University, the University of Iowa,... Read More

A team of engineering seniors has designed an embedded thermoelectric generator to convert that wavy shimmer of heat that rises from hot asphalt—waste heat radiation—into electrical energy. To protect soldiers’ hands from heat burns while rappelling from helicopters, another team has created ‘fast rope’ insertion gloves. These design projects and 52 more will be on display at the Vanderbilt School of Engineering’s Design Day 2023, Monday, April 24. Read More

By Lucas Johnson When Robert J. Webster III was working on an engineering project for his Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, he was struck with an unnerving thought: The technology he was helping create seemed interesting, but it wouldn’t reach patients for at least 20 years. “And that’s only if everything went well,” he recalls.... Read More

Project will be led by Mechanical Engineering Professor Nabil Simaan, a globally renowned expert in robotic surgery A multidisciplinary team from the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery and Engineering has received a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract to develop a low-cost simulation tool to train medical personnel in Kenya to perform minimally invasive laparoscopic procedures. The project will... Read More

Vanderbilt University and the School of Engineering offer undergraduates numerous summer research opportunities to expand their classroom knowledge and gain valuable practical experience. The Institute for Software Integrated Systems is hosting a virtual open house for interested students on Feb. 22 from 3 to 6 p.m. The registration deadline is Feb. 21. The School of... Read More

A company co-founded by Robert J. Webster III, Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Mechanical Engineering and associate professor of medicine and urology at Vanderbilt University, has received a breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that could open the door for new diagnostic and therapeutic applications of flexible endoscopy. The designation given... Read More

A company co-founded by Robert J. Webster III, Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Mechanical Engineering and associate professor of medicine and urology at Vanderbilt University, has received a breakthrough device designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that could open the door for new diagnostic and therapeutic applications of flexible endoscopy. The designation given... Read More