Mechanical Engineering

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

  Adam Bell poses with students from Elizabeth McGee's sixth-grade science class at John Early Museum Magnet Middle School. (Photos: Heidi Hall) Most visitors to John Early Museum Magnet Middle School see wide smiles and hear cheerful hellos while walking down hallways brightly decorated with… Read More

Ten years ago Vanderbilt researchers published a paper that has passed the test of time. This year, the Conference on Embedded Networked Sensor Systems (SenSys)  introduced a new Test of Time Award at its 12th annual  event held in Nov. 3-6 in Memphis, Tenn. SenSys is… Read More

Nilanjan Sarkar, mechanical engineering professor and professor of electrical engineering and computer science, has been elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, a distinction awarded to ASME members who have made significant engineering achievements. He is one of only 3,335 Fellows out… Read More

  Karl Zelik, assistant professor of mechanical engineering (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt) Karl Zelik’s BAT lab in Olin Hall has nothing to do with flying mammals or a caped superhero. The Biomechanics and Assistive Technology laboratory is dedicated to locomotion—in particular, to understanding the… Read More