March, 2017
Grad student receives leadership award at Cuninggim Women’s Center ceremony
Mar. 28, 2017—Ghina Nakad, a doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, was recognized for her leadership and contributions to the advancement of women during the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center’s annual Cuninggim Lecture and awards ceremony March 23 at the Student Life Center. Nakad was honored with the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center Leadership Award. The award...
ASCE team wins 3 contests at civil engineering conference
Mar. 27, 2017—In a cornhole tournament, 1/16th of an inch can make all the difference. Especially when the board is made of concrete and the players take their game seriously. The Vanderbilt chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) handily won the concrete cornhole challenge at 2017 ASCE Southeast Student Conference, hosted recently by Florida...
Inaugural DIVE Boot Camp immerses participants in human-centered design
Mar. 27, 2017—The inaugural DIVE Boot Camp brought undergraduate and graduate students, staff members and faculty to the Wond’ry March 25. (Susan Urmy/Vanderbilt) More than 40 students, staff and faculty gathered at the Wond’ry March 25 to learn about human-centered design and put it into practice through a series of exercises. The half-day event was the inaugural...
Top STEM scientists, educators, alums share struggles, wisdom
Mar. 24, 2017—Kimberly Bryant, a national leader in technology education, had no female professors in her four years as an undergraduate at Vanderbilt School of Engineering. Bryant earn her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1989 and then worked at international tech and pharmaceutical companies before founding Black Girls Code. She’s been recognized by Business Insider, The Root 100...
Institute to review military avionics software for high standards
Mar. 22, 2017—U.S. military avionics software may get into the field faster and at less taxpayer cost with rigorous scrutiny from Vanderbilt University’s Institute for Software Integrated Systems. The institute is the conformance authority for the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE) Consortium and will operate a registry of aviation software that can be used across military aircraft. Although each type...
Flying saucer’ quantum dots hold secret to better, brighter lasers
Mar. 21, 2017—This computer-generated model shows the spherical core of the quantum dot nanoparticle (in red) along with the ‘flying saucer’ shape of the outer shell (in yellow). The tension in the core induced by the shell affects the electronic states and lowers the energy threshold required to trigger the laser. (Alex Voznyy/University of Toronto) Fresh insights...
Engineering school announces 2017 alumni honorees
Mar. 17, 2017—Vanderbilt engineering alumni Kimberly V. Bryant and Christopher J. Wiernicki are the newest members of the School of Engineering Academy of Distinguished Alumni. Bryant will be inducted into the academy at a special event March 21 at Vanderbilt University. Wiernicki will be inducted at a special event March 28 in Houston. “Kimberly and Chris are...
CS senior lauds entrepreneurship training at The Wond’ry
Mar. 17, 2017—Michael Umenta, a CS senior, believes networking events can be more meaningful. He developed an app, called CNCT (for Connect), that allows those attending conferences and other professional events to connect before they arrive and begin to build relationships. As he prepares for his post-Vanderbilt life, Umenta is weighing a software engineer job offer at...