Research
Vanderbilt engineers’ smart grid platform joins new Linux Foundation energy project
Jul. 27, 2018—Read the Vanderbilt Engineering story here. Vanderbilt University is the first academic partner to join a new effort by The Linux Foundation to advance open source innovation in the energy and electricity sectors, contributing both deep expertise and a platform for smart grid applications LF Energy also has support from Europe’s largest transmission power systems provider, a network...
“These could revolutionize the world” — Pint cracks code to cheap, small carbon nanotubes
May. 25, 2018—Read the MyVU story here. Imagine a box you plug into the wall that cleans your toxic air and pays you cash. That’s essentially what Vanderbilt University researchers produced after discovering the blueprint for turning the carbon dioxide into the most valuable material ever sold – carbon nanotubes with small diameters. Cary Pint (Vanderbilt University)...
Redesigned sustainability report expands focus to include holistic environmental efforts
Mar. 15, 2018—Vanderbilt displays a new emissions baseline in a redesigned version of its annual sustainability report that outlines the university’s environmental impact in 2016. The university’s GHG emissions come from three evenly split sources. Natural gas for the on-campus power plant and individual buildings represents 31 percent; 33 percent is power purchased from Nashville Electric Service;...
Symposium suggests ways to make environmental regulations more palatable
Mar. 8, 2018—Read the MyVU story here. A panel of law and environmental experts will discuss making environmental regulations more palatable to conservatives by limiting where they’re enforced and moving responsibility from the federal level to state and local governments. Blake Hudson, law professor at the University of Houston, will present his paper “Relative Administrability, Conservatives, and Environmental Regulatory...
Vanderbilt experts showcase research at second transit forum
Feb. 28, 2018—Read the MyVU story here. Approximately 110 students, faculty, staff and community members attended the second transit forum presented by Vanderbilt this semester. The forum, held Feb. 23 at the Student Life Center, featured a panel of Vanderbilt professors sharing research that brought further context to Nashville’s proposed transit plan. The event, titled “The Nashville Transit...
New recyclable resin makes wind turbines much more sustainable
Feb. 16, 2018—by Liz Entman | Feb. 15, 2018, 10:58 AM It generally requires a great deal of time and energy to cure the type of resin that makes the 150-foot-wide fiberglass turbines strong and durable. When they finally wear out after 20 or 25 years, very little of the material can be recycled.Doug Adams, Distinguished Professor of...
Gaps in required curricula may explain differences in climate change views among college graduates
Dec. 8, 2017—Read the Research News @Vanderbilt story. by Liz Entman | Dec. 7, 2017, 11:24 AM The average American college student has just a 17 percent chance of learning about climate change before graduation through required core courses. The finding may help explain why having a bachelor’s degree doesn’t always lead to increased acceptance of human-caused global warming, according...
Battery-switching device promises more road time for Tesla, Leaf drivers
Nov. 28, 2017—Read the Vanderbilt Engineering story here. Nissan Leafs, which go about 107 miles on a charge, often don’t graduate beyond commuter car status due to battery-life worries. The mass-market, standard Tesla Model 3 can travel double that distance, which is still limiting on long road trips. Both batteries could work about 50 percent longer with...
Ultrathin device harvests electricity from human motion
Jul. 25, 2017—Imagine slipping into a jacket, shirt or skirt that powers your cell phone, fitness tracker and other personal electronic devices as you walk, wave and even when you are sitting down. A new, ultrathin energy harvesting system developed at Vanderbilt University’s Nanomaterials and Energy Devices Laboratory has the potential to do just that. Based on battery technology...
TIPs funding awarded to 15 innovative interdisciplinary projects
Jul. 18, 2017—The 2017 recipients of Vanderbilt University’s Trans-Institutional Programs (TIPs) initiative,15 exciting interdisciplinary concepts, include an initiative related to understanding climate change effects. These research projects bring together more than 140 faculty members with graduate and undergraduate students from all 10 schools and colleges, creating multifaceted teams to approach complex challenges. “This innovative, cross-campus approach that creates...