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March, 2016

Engineering science alum working for NASA credits ‘Rosie the Riveter’ grandmother

Mar. 31, 2016—Amanda Stubblefield (ES’97) never believed women couldn’t do any job they wanted — a value she learned from her grandmother, a real-life “Rosie the Riveter.” After double-majoring in Engineering Science and Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University, Stubblefield went to work for NASA. Her current job is to help connect cargo vehicles to the International...

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Mahadevan wins SEC Faculty Achievement Award

Mar. 31, 2016—Sankaran Mahadevan (Vanderbilt University) Engineering professor Sankaran Mahadevan was named the Vanderbilt recipient of a 2016 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award, the SEC announced March 30. Mahadevan, John R. Murray Sr. Professor of Engineering, was recognized for his outstanding record in teaching, research and scholarship. One winner is selected each year from each SEC school....

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Senior Design team uses lasers to cut waste in credit card production

Mar. 30, 2016—Place the magnetic stripe on a new credit card a single millimeter too high or too low, and it’s worthless. Multiply that mistake by thousands of cards, and companies are stuck footing the bill for stacks of product headed for the trash bin. The problem is called magnetic float, and the answer, a winning Senior...

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Engineering science undergrad meets Buffett, learns investment great’s philosophies

Mar. 23, 2016—Her trip to meet investment genius Warren Buffett was a whirlwind, but Vanderbilt engineering science major Katherine Ferraro learned a lot from him. Her main takeaway: Pick a person you know and imagine you’ll get 10 percent of all his or her successes for life, and then list the person’s five best qualities. Choose to practice...

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Biomedical engineering undergrads retrofit car for toddler client’s needs

Mar. 15, 2016—The toy car’s body looks the same as when students in Amanda Lowery’s Material Manipulations course received it, but the features inside are virtually unrecognizable. The hard, angular seat is gone, replaced by one contoured to hold a toddler securely in place. Instead of a steering wheel, there’s a colorful drum with a handprint to...

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FDA approves Vanderbilt-designed Indego exoskeleton for clinical and personal use

Mar. 11, 2016—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given clearance to market and sell the powered lower-limb exoskeleton created by a team of Vanderbilt engineers and commercialized by the Parker Hannifin Corporation for both clinical and personal use in the United States. Michael Goldfarb (Vanderbilt University) “I’m really glad,” said H. Fort Flowers Professor of...

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Kimberly Bryant named one of 26 most powerful female engineers in 2016

Mar. 9, 2016—Kimberly Bryant, BE’89, founder of Black Girls Code, a nonprofit focused on teaching girls 6 to 17 programming skills, has been recognized by Business Insider as one of the 26 most powerful female engineers in 2016. The magazine listed Bryant at No. 17. Bryant was the keynote speaker for the School of Engineering’s E-Week in...

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Recent grad at VW is top young engineer in Chattanooga

Mar. 7, 2016—Less than a year after graduation, a Vanderbilt mechanical engineering alumnus and Volkswagen employee was named 2016 Gen. Robert Neyland Young Engineer of the Year on Feb. 25 by the Chattanooga Engineers Society during its national E-Week activities. Alexander Faupel (BE’15) started his VW career in Chattanooga as an engineering associate at the automaker’s new...

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