Wond’ry Team Wins 3rd Place at Global Map the System Competition
We are so proud of the Wond’ry team – Ai Jing, Lan Yao and Xingzhi Cheng – for winning 3rd place out of over 1,000 teams at the Global Map the System Competition!
The team competed in Oxford, England at the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. Their topic was Schoolsick: Educational Support for Children w/ Chronic Diseases in Nashville, Tennessee.
Map the System is “a global learning program and social innovation competition that equips students to use systems thinking to tackle social and environmental challenges.” The competition works to promote tackling systemic issues with teamwork, diverse perspectives, and unique approaches with the end goal to teach the leaders of tomorrow how to dismantle unjust systems at their root and create a better future for all.
Read more about the team and their experience here.
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Vanderbilt Team Wins Grand Prize for the 2023 TOM Global Innovation Challenge
TOM GIC is “a competition to design, engineer, and create affordable technology that will help a person with a disability live a more independent, fulfilling life.” All teams must address a real challenge faced by a real person with a disability or their family.
The team worked with 8-year-old Jameson, who has a rare autoimmune disorder and must consume food through a feeding tube. Traditionally, he has needed help from his parents or a nurse to eat. However, this summer, Jameson wanted to go to a camp that doesn’t have a registered nurse. The team worked with Jameson to make a device that allows him to independently feed himself. The project was submitted to the 2023 TOM GIC and was one of four grand-prize winners.
The team included undergraduates Eliza Hill (Class of 2025, Chemical Engineering major), Erica Guelfi (Class of 2024, Biomedical Engineering major), and Elizabeth Walther (Class of 2026, Mechanical Engineering major).
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Wond’ry’s Yesenia Sevilla to Give Keynote Speech at Women’s Leadership Conference
Yesenia Sevilla, Director of Strategic Engagement & Ecosystem Development at the Wond’ry, will give the keynote speech at the Annual Women’s Leadership Conference hosted by Williamson, Inc.
The theme of this year’s conference is “A Day in the Life of a Woman” and will host discussions about work-life balance, positive mindsets, building your personal brand, and more.
The conference will take place on August 31 from 8:30 – 11:00 AM CDT at the Franklin Marriott Cool Springs in Franklin, TN. Follow the link below for more information.
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Adaptive Fashion Workshop with No Limbits
The Wond’ry FAB Lab and No Limbits, an adaptive clothing brand, discovered via the Wond’ry’s Sullivan Family Ideator customer discovery process that a partnership could effectively create adaptive, inclusive apparel solutions. We partnered for the first time on July 9 to host a design workshop with a goal to develop adjustable sleeves for people with upper limb difference, as none exists on the market.
At the workshop, No Limbits presented the fundamental aspects of clothing needs for people living with upper limb difference. The students then conceptualized and produced a range of inspired, adaptive sleeve prototypes.
The No Limbits team commented on their appreciation for working with the FAB Lab. “We are so impressed with your students’ attention to detail and how they really focused on the ‘end user.’ We cannot express how grateful and excited we are about the end results!”
One of the Vanderbilt student participants, Grace Xu, had been to a Sewing Fundamentals workshop at the FAB Lab last year and loved the opportunity to work on this design challenge. She said, “It provided context and meaning to my process of learning and applying my new-found sewing skills.”
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THTR 1001 Sustainable and Adaptive Fashion Design and Production – Adaptive Raincoat
The Spring THTR 1001 Commons Seminar — Sustainable and Adaptive Fashion Design and Production — partnered with Alicia Searcy, founder and director of the Fashion is for Every Body fashion show, to share her experience living with a physical disability. The students then designed an adaptive raincoat for her, using the human-centered design process.
Through interviewing Alicia, the students learned that she wanted a bright, shiny coat — to guarantee visibility — with a unique Japanese element. The students created several sketches and muslin mock-ups throughout the design and fitting process to ensure that the finished garment suited Alicia's aesthetic preferences and practical needs.
The adaptive features of the coat include magnetic closures to suit diminished hand dexterity, extra volume in the skirt to accommodate sitting in a wheelchair, and careful tailoring to fit Alicia's shorter proportions due to her cerebral palsy. To fit Alicia’s aesthetic preferences, the students added an Obi-style belt.
Alicia plans to highlight her collaboration with the class and the FAB Lab by wearing her new raincoat to the fall Fashion is for Every Body launch party on July 29, hosted by the Wond’ry.
This project was sponsored by a Vanderbilt Curb Center Faculty and Staff Creativity grant, as part of the FAB Lab Adaptive Fashion Outreach Project, with a goal of producing adaptive, wearable products for community members with limited arm and hand function.
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Explore “Molecule Muse,” an art exhibit located at the Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery and throughout the biomedical research space.
This exhibit showcases the efforts of talented undergraduate artists from across the country in the VI4 Artist in Residence program, led by Dr. Kendra Oliver. These emerging artists embarked on a journey to convey the profound elegance found within the pursuit of knowledge and scientific discoveries. The displayed works range from intricate delicacies of cellular architecture to the breathtaking vastness of knowledge, encapsulating the diversity and complexity of research within the VI4 Research Space, the School of Medicine Basic Science research laboratories, and beyond.
Additionally, viewers can engage with augmented reality throughout the exhibit.
The exhibition was curated by Rio (Xueyuan) Jia, graduate student in Data Science Institute, Debbie Wang, graduate from College of Arts and Sciences, and Kendra H. Oliver, Ph.D., M.P.S., Director of Design for School of Medicine Basic Sciences.
The show opens August 7th and closes November 17th.
The Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery is open Tuesday–Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more details, please contact the Fine Arts Gallery.
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Wond’ry’s Fiber Arts Build Lab Director on Raising Kellan Podcast
Alexandra Sargent Capps, Fiber Arts Build (FAB) Lab Director at the Wond’ry, joined disability advocate and consultant Allie Schmidt and Stella Barron on Episode 92 of the Raising Kellan podcast, hosted by Marsh Naidoo.
Raising Kellan is a podcast for families with children with disabilities, and this episode centered on adaptive fashion and inclusive design.
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That's a Wrap for our Climate Innovation Interns
Experiential learning is highly encouraged here at Vanderbilt University, especially at the Wond'ry. Five students who participated in the Wond'ry's inaugural Climate Innovation Accelerator this past spring semester continued their work with local, minority-led organizations who also participated in the accelerator. We absolutely love to connect our students with local small businesses and prepare them to make innovative social impact in the community.
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What is the Climate Innovation Accelerator?
The Climate Innovation Accelerator is a first-of-its-kind Nashville initiative that engages an inclusive network of local universities, small businesses, and nonprofits to advance the city’s leadership initiatives toward a climate positive future through a 10-week, no-cost, cohort learning journey.
Take a look at these videos to feel the impact of CIA from the participants' point of view!
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Notable Highlights: We love getting to celebrate the success of our ventures, students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
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The Wond’ry Congratulates Two Tennessee Finalists in the National Institute for Aging Startup Challenge
The challenge invites those who “have innovative ideas for science-driven technologies and products that have the potential to increase the diversity of NIA-funded small business research and development” to apply for the chance to pitch for $60,000 of non-dilutive funds.
Best of luck to Erika and Karrie! Stage 2 Winners will be announced February 2024.
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Upcoming Events: Check out all of the exciting initiative in the Wond'ry areas!
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Calling all Makers and Creators
Do you or someone you know have a project or hands-on activity you'd like to share?
This is your time to shine! Showcase your project for the community to see at our TN Maker Fest hosted at the Wond’ry, Saturday, October 7th, 10am-4pm. You just need to register your project and tell us about it.
Remember, your project can be anything from art, science, engineering, design, craft, or anything else you can think of.
Just want to attend? Come on by! This is an indoor event with over 45+ exhibits ranging from art to candle making, to fabrication, to robotics, and more. There will also be some interactive exhibits as well as booths that have takeaways. Parking and admission are free.
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Whether you are working on a project, looking to build your network, or just looking for general advice, filling out this guided form will help the Wond’ry serve your needs. All you need to do is answer our multiple choice questions about the type of mentorship and areas of expertise you are interested in (with optional short response questions to provide additional detail).
When you submit this form, a Wond’ry staff member will facilitate an email introduction between you and a mentor who suits your interests and has expressed interest in working with you. All individuals and teams with at least one member affiliated with any university are eligible as mentees.
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The Wond’ry Internship Network (WIN) is a startup-centric platform that provides undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to reach their inner innovator, while providing startups with the best talent. Students can explore invaluable experiences in a variety of disciplines all while learning the operations of a startup company. Expect to wear many hats and learn cross-disciplinary skills! Through each project, interns will make a lasting impact by assisting in trailblazing work. To learn more and apply, visit our Work at the Wond'ry page.
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Support Our StudentsBy making your tax-deductible gift to our Wond’ry Student Project Fund, you help us award students with the funding they need to turn their ideas into reality. Donate here.
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