In September, members of Vanderbilt University and Nissan North America gathered for a dynamic showcase at Vanderbilt University’s Student Life Center. The event highlighted the collaborative work over the past year between Vanderbilt and Nissan.
The Wond'ry team, represented by David A. Owens, PhD, Evans Family Executive Director, and Mandy Lalrindiki, PhD, Assistant Director of Innovation and Design Strategy, along with Nissan partners Derek Kramer and Sean McNamara from Nissan Product Planning, presented an insightful overview of the projects developed in collaboration. These initiatives demonstrated the power of blending industry-driven challenges with academic expertise, focusing on innovation in health and wellness, vehicle seat configurability, and the use of AI for customer insights. Key outcomes included enhanced creativity, collaboration, and the development of practical solutions poised to meet Nissan’s future product needs. The presentation also showcased prototypes and real-world scenario-based analyses that validated customer needs.
This year-long collaboration continues to push boundaries, developing new strategies to foster innovation and creativity within Nissan’s teams, preparing them for the rapidly evolving automotive landscape. The Wond'ry also prepared an illustrative brochure representing the past year’s collaborations, highlighting the depth and variety of the projects, which was unveiled and distributed to all event attendees.
