May, 2014
Russell the Robot goes to Washington
May. 16, 2014—Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) interacts with Russell while Profs. Sarkar and Warren, look on. Fattah is the ranking Democrat on the appropriations subcommittee that funds the National Science Foundation. (Charles Votaw/APA) On May 7, Russell the Robot was engaging the movers and shakers on Capitol Hill. Normally, the two-foot humanoid robot acts as the front...
Robotic leg featured in new NIBIB “Bionic Man” web tool
May. 15, 2014—Two of the 14 different bionics research projects featured in “The Bionic Man,” an interactive website developed by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, are from Vanderbilt University. One is the first lower leg prosthetic with powered knee and ankle joints, developed by Michael Goldfarb, the H. Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering,...
High school students squeeze electricity from a blackberry
May. 12, 2014—Northwest High School students from Clarksville, Tenn., learned to make solar cells out of blackberry juice and measure the electrical power produced by the juice during an April 24 educational outreach program sponsored by the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (VINSE). Small groups of students from several Tennessee high schools participated in daylong...
Prize-winning rocket and demonstrations wowed audience at STEM festival
May. 8, 2014—Vanderbilt’s prize-winning rocket and fun hand-on demonstrations wowed kids and parents alike at the third annual USA Science and Engineering Festival April 25-27 in Washington, D.C. Admission to the gigantic expo, aimed at promoting STEM education, is free and officials estimated 325,000 people visited during the four-day festival. A team of 20 graduate and undergraduate...
Dean presents annual engineering faculty, staff awards
May. 6, 2014—The School of Engineering recognized faculty and staff members for their exemplary research, teaching, and professional service during the 2013-2014 academic year. At the final faculty meeting of the year Dean Philippe Fauchet announced faculty promotions, recognized emeritus professors, and he presented four annual awards during a reception following the May 6 meeting. Xenofon Koutsoukos...
Vanderbilt Motorsports senior is racing the clock
May. 6, 2014—As Vanderbilt University engineering students race around Featheringill Hall working to complete undergraduate classes, a handful of them have scheduled time in a ground-floor shop. One in particular knows he’s on the last lap to getting a degree and he’s gunning to get back on a racetrack. The Vanderbilt Motorsports Club works intensely and aggressively...
School to bestow honors on 2014 graduating seniors
May. 5, 2014—Awards and honors were presented by Dean Philippe Fauchet to seniors at the School of Engineering’s annual Commencement Reception at the University Club, May 8. Kasey Rebecca Hill, from Huntsville, Ala., is the recipient of the 2014 Founder’s Medal for the School of Engineering. She graduated with a bachelor of engineering in electrical engineering. Hill...
Engineering alumnus elected to Vanderbilt’s Board of Trust
May. 1, 2014—Technology entrepreneur Jeffrey J. Rothschild has been elected to a five-year term as one of the newest members of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust. His term begins July 1. Rothschild, of Los Altos, California, is vice president of infrastructure engineering at Facebook. He is also a consulting partner with Accel Partners, an international venture...