Mechanical Engineering

With the flick of a tiny mechanical wrist, a team of engineers and doctors at Vanderbilt University’s Medical Engineering and Discovery Laboratory hope to give needlescopic surgery a whole new degree of dexterity. Needlescopic surgery, which uses surgical instruments shrunk to the diameter of a sewing… Read More

Karl Zelik (Vanderbilt University) In his effort to develop better prosthetic limbs, Karl Zelik had to start with deciphering more clearly how muscles function in walking. His path not only led to a better way of quantifying human locomotion, but also to the discovery that muscles around… Read More

Vanderbilt University mechanical engineer Leon Bellan is working to create artificial human capillary blood vessels using cotton candy and gelatin. His goal is for researchers to use these man-made capillaries to help keep artificial organs and other tissues alive, which could dramatically impact the field of regenerative medicine. Vascular… Read More

Montgomery Bell Academy students enjoy a demonstration of Vanderbilt Aerospace Club's 2014-2015 entry (far left) in NASA's Student Launch Competition. Vanderbilt students are (L-R) William Emfinger, Pranav Kumar, Conner Caldwell, Alex Goodman, Cameron Ridgewell, Fred Folz, Chris Lyne and Jacob Moore. A robotic arm moves directly over a Vanderbilt Aerospace… Read More

Pietro Valdastri is convinced that the clever application of magnetic force can make minimally invasive surgery easier and more effective. “In 2007, a team of University of Texas researchers did some basic experiments using magnets in laparoscopic surgery,” said Valdastri, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and director of Vanderbilt… Read More

Race car driver and engineering alumnus Brad Jaeger can be seen very briefly in a 90-second Nissan commercial during the 2015 Super Bowl on Feb. 1 featuring the relationship between a race car driver and his… Read More

A Vanderbilt University researcher credited with pioneering work in robotics has earned one of electrical engineering’s highest honors, being recognized for innovations involving flexible, minimally invasive surgical robots. Robert Webster, associate professor of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, otolaryngology, neurological surgery and urologic surgery, will collect his Institute of Electrical and… Read More

It’s just a typical Wednesday, but mechanical engineering senior and Naval ROTC Midshipman William Bearden arrives for an interview in a pressed suit, red tie and black patent leather shoes polished to a mirror shine. If you ever see him wearing jeans, he jokes, the day is not going well. Read More

Former standout linebacker Jonathan Goff will be saluted as Vanderbilt’s legend as part of Southeastern Conference Championship activities this weekend in Atlanta. A product of St. John’s Preparatory School in Lynn, Mass., Goff was a two-time all-conference middle linebacker for Bobby Johnson-guided Vanderbilt squads. He earned four letters from… Read More

The 2014-15 Vanderbilt Aerospace Club team for the NASA Student Launch Challenge: (L-R) Dexter Watkins, William Emfinger, Pranav Kumar, Ben Gasser, Brian Lawson, Myles Lacy, Conner Caldwell, Jacob Moore, Mitchell Masia, Andrew Voss, Fred Folz, Cameron Ridgewell, Chris Lyne and Alex Goodman. The Vanderbilt Aerospace Club, defending champions in the… Read More