Sarah Ross

For the first time, VINSE is putting the choice in your hands! Throughout September, everyone can cast one vote per day to help decide the winners of the 2025 VINSE  Summer Image Competition. The winning images will appear in the 2026 VINSE calendar and each winner will receive… Read More

The Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) program held its annual Sales Pitch Competition, where students were challenged to deliver a three-minute research talk (no slides allowed) using only a single image or prop to engage the audience. Incoming students served as judges, and cash prizes were awarded to the top presentations. Read More

Vikash Khokhar, a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Materials Science working under the direction of Prof. De-en Jiang, recently presented his research at the ACS Fall Meeting 2025 in Washington DC. His talk, “Structure, Reactivity, and Dynamics of Amine Derived Polydentate… Read More

This issue features our 25th annual NanoDay, exciting faculty and student achievements, Pilot Funding success stories, and new cleanroom capabilities. Explore the highlights and register for upcoming events here:Read the Fall 2025 Newsletter… Read More

Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering Colloquium   Dr. Daniel Lopez Liang Professor of Electrical Engineering Director, Nanofabrication Lab, Materials Research Institute Founder, Mid-Atlantic Semiconductor Hub (MASH) Penn State University Ultrathin mechanical systems: an emerging field with new physics and unique applications. 10.22.25  | … Read More

Join us on Monday, October 13 from 4:00–6:00 PM for the 19th annual VINSE Fall Faculty Celebration. This annual tradition brings together the VINSE community to welcome new members, celebrate faculty promotions, and recognize outstanding accomplishments. Welcome New Members Andrea Locke Bryant… Read More

Mark your calendars! VINSE and Interdisciplinary Materials Science (IMS) are co-hosting a tailgate party on Saturday, November 8 before the Auburn vs. Vanderbilt football game. Kickoff time has not yet been announced, but we encourage you to save the date. Join us at Tailgate… Read More

Shannon Martello, a graduate student in Dr. Marjan Rafat’s lab, has been awarded an NIH F31 predoctoral fellowship, a prestigious award designed to support promising doctoral candidates in biomedical and behavioral research. F31 fellowships provide stipend support and resources to help students complete their dissertation research and develop into independent… Read More

VINSE graduate student Chris Whittington, a Ph.D. student in Interdisciplinary Materials Science at Vanderbilt University, received the Best Poster Presentation Award at the 2025 SPIE Optics + Photonics Conference, held August 17–21 in San Diego, CA. His poster, “Heterogeneous Integration of VO₂ Nanopatches on… Read More

Emily Rouse Graduate Student, Chemistry Tim Hanusa Research Group One of the primary synthetic techniques used in the Hanusa group is solventless synthesis, specifically, mechanochemistry. Mechanochemistry involves driving chemical reactions through the application of mechanical force. This approach offers a sustainable alternative to conventional synthesis by minimizing or… Read More