Karl Zelik

In the spring of 2017, Vanderbilt’s Sara Tsai suffered an Achilles injury during a routine workout. The injury would ultimately require surgery and force Tsai, a mechanical engineering senior, to miss her entire junior season as a distance runner at Vanderbilt. Tsai said that setback challenged her both emotionally and… Read More

An assistant professor of mechanical engineering has been named an Emerging Leader by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and YP Nashville. Karl Zelik, who joined the School of Engineering faculty in 2014, received the distinction in the Architecture, Engineering & Construction category. He was among 75 finalists in… Read More

Mechanical engineering PhD student Erik Lamers, center, demonstrates a low-profile ‘super-suit’ that helps prevent back pain by offloading stress on the lower back – one of a dozen demonstrations set up for National Biomechanics Day. For the second year, the School of Engineering’s biomechanics and assistive rehabilitation labs have received… Read More

Josh Fleck, a mechanical engineering senior, plans to pursue a PhD. (John Russell/Vanderbilt) a high school student in Bradenton, Florida, Josh Fleck knew he wanted to research and develop robotic prosthetic devices. At the time, however, he had no concept of what that research looked like. He’s more than resolved… Read More

TV infomercials offer a world of potential solutions for back pain, but most of them have at least one of three problems — they’re unproven, unworkable or just plain unattractive. A team of Vanderbilt University engineers is changing that with a design that combines the science of biomechanics and advances… Read More

Karl Zelik, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, has received top awards from the International Society of Biomechanics and the American Society of Biomechanics for early career research. Both awards recognize Zelik’s body of work on improving and unifying the understanding of human locomotion, and translating this understanding to advances… Read More

Team led by Vanderbilt researchers develops new, quicker method to measure energy transfer between assistive devices and people wearing them That robotic exoskeletons can improve mobility of people with disabilities and enhance human performance is widely understood. The same has not yet been true for how to best measure and… Read More

Vanderbilt University is one of 40 academic partners in a new robotics manufacturing institute in Pittsburgh that will be funded with $80 million from the Department of Defense and $173 million in matching funds from more than 200 participating partners, including companies, local governments, academic and nonprofit organizations. The Defense… Read More

  Castilho Karl Zelik, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is one of nine Vanderbilt faculty members who will participate in the 2016-17 SEC Faculty Travel Program. Now in its fifth year, the program provides support for selected faculty members to collaborate with colleagues at other Southeastern Conference member… Read More

Eric Honert and a model foot (Photo by John Russell/Vanderbilt University) Eric Honert ranked as Colorado’s best collegiate tennis player last year. He spent the summer climbing as many of the Colorado Fourteeners – mountains with peaks of 14,000 feet elevation or higher – as… Read More