August, 2013
Robot uses steerable needles to treat brain clots
Aug. 8, 2013—Professor Robert Webster and his team have developed a new image-guided surgical system that uses steerable needles to essentially suck out clots. Watch a video demo of the system in action and read the full story.
Engineers, designers show off creativity at Make-a-Thon
Aug. 7, 2013—A velcro-clad Motorola van full of the latest prototyping tools was parked outside of Featheringill Hall for the Make-a-Thon Aug. 2-4. (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt) Vanderbilt’s Featheringill Hall was the site of a three-day Make-a-Thon sponsored by Motorola and hosted by the Vanderbilt Institute for Software Integrated Systems Aug. 2-4. (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt) Local engineers and designers,...
Size matters in nanocrystals’ ability to adsorb/release gases
Aug. 6, 2013—The technique, which was developed by Vanderbilt University Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Rizia Bardhan, is described in a paper published online Aug. 4 by the journal Nature Materials. In the last 30 years, there has been a tremendous amount of research studying nanocrystals – tiny crystals sized between one to 100 nanometers...
Vanderbilt engineering grad student wins NASA fellowship
Aug. 5, 2013—Vanderbilt graduate student Electa Baker is one 65 individuals that NASA has selected for its 2013 class of Space Technology Research Fellows. Electa Baker (John Russell / Vanderbilt) The fellowship will enable Baker to create new visualization methods that allow robot operators to assess the large amounts of information that they need to supervise...
Nautilus: Team’s tiny robot called medical science ‘breakthrough’
Aug. 2, 2013—A miniscule robotic surgical tool created by engineers and surgeons at Vanderbilt University and Columbia University is singled out by Nautilus science magazine with four other remarkable developments as “unlikely breakthroughs” in medical science with potentially widespread applications. The Nautilus article, released today, is part of a monthly package of articles on a single topic. ...
Students to design smartphone of the future at Music City Make-a-Thon
Aug. 2, 2013—Area high school and college students, including a group from Nashville’s Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet School, will convene on the Vanderbilt University campus Aug. 2-4 for a Make-a-Thon sponsored by Motorola and hosted by the School of Engineering’s Institute for Software Integrated Systems. Participants will be invited to take apart unlocked Droid Razr...
Tracie Prater emerges as space leader with selection into International Astronautical Federation program
Aug. 1, 2013—Tracie J. Prater has been selected to participate at the 2013 Emerging Space Leaders Grant Program during the 64th International Astronautical Congress in October in Beijing. The 2012 graduate who earned a doctorate in mechanical engineering is the only American-born invitee of 12 chosen by the International Astronautical Federation out of more than 130 student...