Research Category
Karl Zelik receives distinguished Goel Award for translational research in biomechanics
May. 31, 2023—Karl Zelik, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering and physical medicine and rehabilitation, is being recognized for his contributions to the field of biomechanics with a prestigious Goel Award from the American Society of Biomechanics. The award recognizes outstanding accomplishments in translational biomechanics research, entrepreneurship, and societal benefit. Zelik co-directs the Center for Rehabilitation...
Vanderbilt part of coalition awarded $1M engine development award to advance sustainable manufacturing and supply chain innovation
May. 30, 2023—Vanderbilt University, in partnership with other institutions across Tennessee and Kentucky, has been awarded $1 million from the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, program. The team’s proposal, “Advancing carbon-centric circular economy technologies for advanced manufacturing solutions (KY, TN),” is led by a coalition named Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change...
Discovery Vanderbilt invests in two engineering faculty-initiated startups: HeroWear and Virtuoso
May. 29, 2023—A university leadership committee has approved Discovery Vanderbilt investments into three faculty-initiated startups—HeroWear, IDBiologics and Virtuoso Surgical Inc.—as part of its mission from the offices of the chancellor and provost to boost innovation across the university. “These three initial investments will fuel discovery and accelerate the translation of our research into real-world benefits,” Chancellor Daniel...
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT: Nuclear fusion and the future of clean energy
May. 25, 2023—History was made in December when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility successfully produced a nuclear fusion reaction resulting in a net energy gain. And a Washington-based start-up backed by hundreds of millions of dollars of venture capital announced a few months later that it expects to have a fusion power plant built...
Little Sphere, Big Power: Students work to build miniature fusion reactor
May. 19, 2023—By Amy Wolf It all started late one night in a first-year residence hall. A group of students were brainstorming ideas for an innovative project to collaborate on, and amid all the ambitious suggestions getting tossed around, one engineering major’s idea stood out: What if they built a miniature nuclear fusion reactor? In typical Vanderbilt...
Vanderbilt joins NSF-funded coalition to shape the future of mobility in Tennessee
May. 18, 2023—Vanderbilt University will serve as a core partner in a statewide coalition to help shape the future of mobility and usher in a new era of economic prosperity in Tennessee. The effort is being funded by the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines program. The $1 million Advancing Technology-Enabled Mobility Solutions (ATEMS-TN) Regional Innovation Engines...
Nanotechnology repaves the path for cancer-fighting T cells
May. 8, 2023—Vanderbilt researchers are bolstering the fight against cancer with technology that enhances the effectiveness of T cells that attack tumors. The cutting-edge research was recently published in the high-impact journal Science Immunology. Cancers co-opt both the immune and cardiovascular systems to fuel their own growth, researchers say. They do this in part by forming new...
Engineering student awarded extended DOE residency at Savannah River National Laboratory to continue doctoral research
May. 1, 2023—Nicole Moehring, a fifth-year graduate student in interdisciplinary materials science, has been selected for an extended residency to continue her doctoral research at the Savannah River National Laboratory. She is one of just 87 awardees selected by the Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research program this year. Nicole Moehring (Anne Rayner) At...