Mechanical Engineering

Soldiers from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, are known for their bravery, ingenuity and adaptability, but all those qualities take them only so far if they don’t have the equipment they need, fast. In the Army, it can take years to design, prototype and produce a device for a specific task. That… Read More

A biochemistry instructor curious about an enzyme discovered in the damaged neurons of people with multiple sclerosis made a leap toward a potential cure for countless neurodegenerative ills. Vanderbilt University’s Amrita Pathak, working with Bruce D. Carter, biochemistry professor and associate director of the Vanderbilt Brain… Read More

An assistant professor of mechanical engineering has been named an Emerging Leader by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville. Karl Zelik, who joined the School of Engineering faculty in 2014, received the distinction in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction category. He was among 75 finalists in… Read More

The race to produce safe, powerful and affordable solid-state lithium batteries is accelerating and recent announcements about game-changing research using a solid non-flammable ceramic electrolyte known as garnet has some in the race calling it revolutionary. “This is a paradigm shift in energy storage,” said Kelsey Hatzell, assistant… Read More

Mark Larson of Nissan North America inspects an over-under parts handler powered by gravity and designed by graduating senior mechanical engineering students in 2017. (John Russell/Vanderbilt University) For more than five years, Nissan North America has sponsored engineering senior design projects share the goal of improving safety, workflow and efficiency… Read More

Jillian Bremner is steering beyond her academic focus this summer to explore her passions for scuba diving and ocean conservation, with the aim of eventually combining engineering with a marine career. A rising junior mechanical engineering major from Colorado, Bremner is spending eight weeks volunteering for Global Vision International… Read More

The first team to finish the National Science Foundation’s National Innovation Corps program from Vanderbilt University’s new I-Corps site is planning to take its smart prosthetic ankle to market. Michael Goldfarb, H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Center for Intelligent Mechatronics,… Read More

Vice Provost for Research Padma Raghavan Vanderbilt University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are combining their expertise in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computation to explore transformative, interdisciplinary ways to study complex cellular processes to tackle some of the most pressing… Read More

Mechanical engineering PhD student Erik Lamers, center, demonstrates a low-profile ‘super-suit’ that helps prevent back pain by offloading stress on the lower back – one of a dozen demonstrations set up for National Biomechanics Day. For the second year, the School of Engineering’s biomechanics and assistive rehabilitation labs have received… Read More

It’s virtually impossible to know Mike Sasser’s left leg is a prosthetic one – after a decade of practice, he moves surely and swiftly through his busy days as a consultant and father. But when Sasser encounters uneven ground or a flight of stairs, he focuses very hard on balance,… Read More