‘Vanderbilt’
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...
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,...
Fresh from company launch and I-Corps, Webster passes lessons along
Dec. 15, 2016—Robert Webster III launched his first company, Virtuoso Surgical, in April. He completed the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program for new tech companies in early August. And by the start of classes, the associate professor of mechanical and electrical engineering was passing along the lessons he learned to eight young entrepreneurs in a new class....
Seven young faculty to watch
Dec. 5, 2016—Impressive grants, cutting-edge research hallmark of recent hires The School of Engineering is stepping up recruiting efforts to ensure a continued pipeline of talented young professors, with administration increasing its focus on creating a diverse faculty. This year, the school unveiled its Emerging Scholars in Engineering Lecture series, a recruiting tool for members of groups...
Undergrad takes top slot in NSBE research competition; topic was drug delivery
Nov. 28, 2016—Computer science major wins third in pitch competition Somtochukwu “Somto” Dimobi threw herself into research the minute she could after arriving from Lagos, Nigeria, to major in chemical engineering at Vanderbilt. Now, the sophomore is collecting national kudos for research in biomedical engineering, an accomplishment she attributes to the university’s cross-collaborative culture and a popular...
Mood ring materials: a new way to detect damage in failing infrastructure
Nov. 22, 2016—“Mood ring materials” could play an important role in minimizing and mitigating damage to the nation’s failing infrastructure. The American Society of Civil Engineers has estimated that more than $3.6 trillion in investment is needed by 2020 to rehabilitate and modernize the nation’s failing infrastructure. President-elect Donald Trump has promised to establish a $1 trillion...
Lippmann earns NARSAD grant to develop brain tissue models for schizophrenia research
Nov. 17, 2016—Ethan Lippmann Ethan Lippmann, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, recently won a NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. Lippmann seeks to improve drug screening processes by creating three-dimensional tissue models of the vascularized human brain using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The aim of the NARSAD grant is to develop...
VandyHacks draws 450 from across country for 36-hour invention marathon
Nov. 17, 2016—The hundreds of students beckoning passers-by to listen to invention pitches Sunday didn’t look as tired as one might have predicted. After all, they’d survived 36 hours of the VandyHacks invention marathon, teaming up to produce new apps, devices and other tech in a weekend. They grabbed naps on the floor of a quiet room...