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November, 2019

Structural monitoring pioneer Douglas Adams named AAAS Fellow

Nov. 26, 2019—Douglas Adams, Daniel F. Flowers Professor, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for extraordinary research contributions in experimental nonlinear dynamic systems with societal impacts in the energy, national security and manufacturing sectors. AAAS also cited Adams, Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, for influential academic leadership....

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Eminent molecular theorist Clare McCabe named AAAS Fellow

Nov. 26, 2019—Clare McCabe, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for sustained excellence and novel contributions to molecular theory and simulation and for distinguished service to the field of chemical engineering. In research, McCabe is one of the most visible members of the molecular...

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Microelectronics master Dan Fleetwood named AAAS Fellow

Nov. 26, 2019—Daniel M. Fleetwood, Olin H. Landreth Professor of Engineering, has been named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for distinguished contributions to the field of microelectronics reliability, particularly for enhancing the understanding of defects, radiation response and low-frequency noise. He is considered one of the first scientists to identify the...

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Researchers advance image-guided robotic surgical tools for delicate eye procedures

Nov. 21, 2019—Molecular, gene and cell-based therapies targeting eye diseases could prevent and potentially reverse cell degeneration that leads to loss of sight. However, delivering injections safely and accurately into targeted ocular layers remain concerns that affect the advancement of life-changing new treatments. To address the safety and reliability challenges, researchers in the Vanderbilt Institute for Surgery...

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A four-way switch promises greater tunability of layered materials

Nov. 19, 2019—A scientific team from Vanderbilt University and the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has made the first experimental observation of a material phase that had been predicted but never seen. The discovery breaks new ground in the study of ferroelectricity, a characteristic of certain dielectric materials used in high-technology applications. The team made...

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Students tap engineering and empathy skills to help kids with special needs

Nov. 18, 2019—Inspired to make a child’s life better through engineering and design, students from Vanderbilt, occupational therapists and professional engineers worked for three days straight—with little sleep—to build inventions that would make life a little easier for a child with special physical needs. Seven teams from diverse backgrounds took part in Vanderbilt’s third annual TOM Makeathon...

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Webster to serve on new VURC Subcommittee for International Research and Engagement

Nov. 18, 2019—Robert J. Webster III, Richard A. Schroeder Professor of Engineering, has been selected to serve on a Subcommittee for International Research and Engagement established by the Vanderbilt University Research Council to provide governance for the TIPs-funded GlobalVU initiative. The GlobalVU initiative aims to improve international research and engagement, bring more international scholars and graduate students...

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New interdisciplinary initiative recasts computers as classroom partners

Nov. 18, 2019—A group of interdisciplinary researchers from across Vanderbilt University are leading a new effort to recast computers as integral knowledge partners across a range of subject areas, not simply as monolithic tools reserved for high-level programmers. Corey Brady (John Russell/Vanderbilt) The Computational Thinking and Learning Initiative, one of five new Trans-Institutional Programs announced this year,...

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