January, 2017
Vanderbilt’s Camp is new TSPE president; dual focus will be membership growth, licensing
Jan. 17, 2017— Candy wrappers and reports littered the conference table, evidence of hours of debate among the 14 engineers seated around it. At issue: Growing membership and covering costs for the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers. Janey Camp listened as the suggestions flowed and then the chatter grew silent. “I know we’re on the fence, but...
VECTOR earns portion of $7M grant for maritime, multimodal transportation research
Jan. 14, 2017—Vanderbilt’s Center for Transportation and Operational Resiliency (VECTOR) will receive $1 million of a total $7 million, five-year U.S. Department of Transportation grant aimed at preserving and optimizing the nation’s transportation system. VECTOR was selected as part of a consortium headed by the University of Arkansas, and researchers will study maritime and multimodal transportation with...
Study applies game theory to genomic privacy
Jan. 13, 2017—It comes down to privacy — biomedical research can’t proceed without human genomic data sharing, and genomic data sharing can’t proceed without some reasonable level of assurance that de-identified data from patients and other research participants will stay de-identified after they’re released for research. Data use agreements that carry penalties for attempted re-identification of participants...
DNA duplicator small enough to hold in your hand
Jan. 12, 2017—Imagine a “DNA photocopier” small enough to hold in your hand that could identify the bacteria or virus causing an infection even before the symptoms appear. This possibility is raised by a fundamentally new method for controlling a powerful but finicky process called the polymerase chain reaction. PCR was developed in 1983 by Kary Mullis,...
McCabe named associate dean of Graduate School and director of Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Jan. 6, 2017—Clare McCabe (Vanderbilt University) Clare McCabe, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, has been appointed associate dean of the Graduate School and director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Mark Wallace, dean of the Graduate School, announced today. The appointment was made effective Jan. 1. “I am delighted to have Clare joining the Graduate School...
Researchers’ sensor integrates inflammatory bowel disease detection into colonoscopy procedure
Jan. 5, 2017— Vanderbilt researchers have developed the first sensor capable of objectively identifying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and distinguishing between its two subtypes. The device represents a substantial achievement toward a more personalized approach to diagnosing and treating IBD, a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract affecting more than 1 million Americans. Current diagnostic and treatment...
Vanderbilt School of Engineering offers new master of cyber-physical systems degree
Jan. 3, 2017—A new master’s degree from the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering is designed to prepare students to meet the dramatic rise in workforce needs in such high-profile fields as the Internet of Things – the advanced connectivity of devices and systems – the security of cyber domains, the smart grid and defense. The new Cyber-Physical...