TN Maker Fest: October 7th
Come and join a celebration of innovation, collaboration, creativity, and curiosity, at the TN Maker Fest, on Saturday, October 7th, from 10 AM to 4 PM. This free and family friendly event, held at the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt’s Center for Innovation, will showcase novices and experts of all ages, with one major thing in common: a joy for making and creation. Previously known as the Nashville Mini Maker Faire, this beloved event has attracted over 4,000 curious visitors to its doors. We hope it will continue to inspire and challenge minds both young and old to explore the amazing and varied world of “making”, by sparking your creativity, sharing skills, and connecting participants to the people who are helping to shape our amazing state.
From tech enthusiasts to embroiderers to scientists to crafters and everything in between, this event will feature an incredible gathering of “makers” who will show off their hobbies, projects, experiments, and creations. We cannot wait to display their amazing talents and gifts to the Tennessee Community.
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Programs: Check out all of the exciting initiatives in the Wond'ry areas!
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Quantum Studio applications for the 2023/2024 school year are now open!
Are you ready to delve into the world of Quantum Computing? Vanderbilt University’s The Wond’ry Quantum Studio is excited to present an eight month course on Quantum Computing, starting in Fall of 2023. Throughout the eight-month journey divided into four cycles, students will get the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of quantum computing, understand the current technologies and trends from leading companies in the field, and work on advanced projects in a final industry-based learning cycle. Join us on this quantum journey and let’s explore the quantum world together. Apply now and unleash your “quantum” potential!
Application Deadline: September 10th
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Map the System Applications Close September 10th
Map the System is a global systems thinking competition that engages students in deeply understanding and working within complex social and environmental problems. Participating students meet weekly in person during the fall semester to complete a research project and prepare to present their findings to a panel of judges at the annual Vanderbilt University Map the System competition on January 24th. There is a total of $5,000 in cash prizes to be distributed among the top three teams.
Kickoff: Wednesday, Sept. 13th from 4pm-6pm (3rd floor Wond’ry). Applications are OPEN NOW and CLOSE on Sept 10th at midnight!
This year's topics include:
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Unlock your UX/UI potential.
Join the Wond’ry UX Studio today!
About the Program:We are excited to announce the launch of our new program called UX Studio.
Dates: Fall 2023 – Spring 2024
Location: Hyrbid (Virtual & In-Person the Wond’ry)
What to Expect:This program runs from Fall 2023 through Spring 2024. In the fall semester, you will complete self-paced training in a UX specialty of your choosing, and in the spring, you will put the skills you learned into practice working on high-impact design projects with community partners. Gain in-demand skills and real-world experience in the growing field of UX!
Who Can Apply:
All Vanderbilt University undergraduate & graduate students are eligible to apply. Apply now for our Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 cohort. Applications are due by September 15th at 11:59 PM CT.
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Social Innovation Bootcamp Registration
Explore social innovation through an introduction to the social innovation landscape from design thinking to field application. The application deadline is Wednesday, September 20th. Click here to apply!
The bootcamp will be Friday, September 29th, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM on the third floor of the Wond’ry. Lunch will be provided. Open to students, staff, faculty, alumni, and Nashville community partners .
- Session 1: Intro to Social Innovation
- Session 2: Intro to Systems Thinking
- Session 3: Intro to Power Dynamics
- Session 4: Social Innovation Canvas Model
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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 National Innovation Network Conference
Leaders from the Mid-South I-Corps Hub traveled to Washington, DC and Arlington, VA to join the NIN Annual Convening. The NIN is the National Innovation Network. The National Innovation Network is designed to be a tightly connected, highly functional organization of I-Corps Hubs, Nodes and Sites spanning the nation. Currently, Hubs, Nodes and Sites implement the Regional I-Corps Training programs in the research community. Hubs are consortia of eight institutions initially, while Nodes are comprising several universities responsible for providing Regional I-Corps training, and Sites are single universities providing I-Corps training and internal institutional support to scientists and engineers. Together, they form a network of institutions to help researchers translate fundamental research to the marketplace. At the NIN Convening, the Hub joined with the entirety of the network in person, building community, sharing best practices, and planning for future impact.
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TuneHatch, Inc. and Couture Technologies both named as 2023 NEXT Award Finalists.
The Nashville Entrepreneur Center (EC) announced the finalists for the 2023 NEXT Awards, an annual ceremony that recognizes entrepreneurs who are transforming industries and strengthening the Middle Tennessee community and beyond. Presented by Amazon, the 2023 NEXT Awards will be hosted at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Monday, October 23rd.
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Adaptive Fashion Resource Guide
Creating the Adaptive Fashion Resource Guide has been an exciting collaboration between Vanderbilt students, faculty, staff, and community partners. The project began in Alex Sargent Capps' fall 2022 THTR 3891 Sustainable and Adaptive Fashion Design and Production class as a research project for Trieu Vy Truong, ’26, and Zoe Sophia Potter, ’25. With the guidance of Alicia Searcy, founder and director of the Nashville Fashion is for Every Body organization, (whose mission is to “use fashion as a language to promote body-positivity and self-esteem, seeking inclusion for adults of all ages, races, sizes, gender identities, sexual orientations and physical abilities within society and the fashion industry,”) Trieu and Zoe, using the human centered design process, interviewed people with disabilities and their friends and family members about how this guide could serve their needs. Community friend to the Wond’ry Shannon North, Director of Design Technology at Workwear Outfitters, organized and formatted the students research into a cohesive manual (as an Internship project for her Fashion Design degree from Savannah College of Art and Design).
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Meet the Fiber Arts Lab HOD Captsone Interns
The FAB Lab is very lucky this fall to have two Vanderbilt HOD Capstone Interns who will tackle impactful projects focused on sustainable and dignity-centered fashion.
Tobi Akisanya will collaborate with Ryan Buckley, MD of the Wond'ry IDEA Lab, Vanderbilt medical student Noah Orfield, and additional students and medical personnel on and beyond our campus, while she furthers the Wond'ry spring 2023 Hospital Gown Re-Design project. Tobi will research the history of hospital gowns, and explore questions including how more dignity-centered hospital garments can help speed patient recovery and rehabilitation.
Ariel Yu will generate climate-protest dress designs focused on the connection of fast fashion to the environmental toll of synthetic textiles on our oceans, earth, and sky, while simultaneously building resources that allow students to conceptualize, render, and realize their fashion design ideas.
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3686 Ideator Immersive Cohort
The 3686 Ideator Immersive Cohort is from September 18th – September 21st. Our group of participants, which will include some members from the newly launched Jefferson Street Cohort, will have the opportunity to do customer discovery on-site at the 3686 Entrepreneurship Festival, the premier destination for dreamers, innovators, storytellers, and global thought leaders! Stay tuned next month for a recap of the event and to learn about the takeaways gleaned by participants.
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Upcoming Events: Our events are not only area-focused but also collaborative efforts with both campus-led and community partner initiatives.
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UX Speaker Series: September 11thCurious about user experience (UX) design and where it could take you? Join the Wond'ry for our exciting new UX Speaker Series to learn what it means to be a UX professional. In our kick-off session, you will hear from a panel of Vanderbilt alum thriving in various UX roles, and learn about their career paths in startups, design consultancies, and corporate product design. This event is open to the public. Click here to learn more and register.
Panelists:Aster Samuel (19), UX Designer at Google
Location: The Wond'ry, 3rd Floor Lounge
Date & Time: September 11th, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
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Prototyping with a PVC Pipe: Sept. 12th
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Innovation Open Mic: Sept. 13thThe Wond’ry hosts a monthly Innovation Open Mic event, where aspiring innovators are invited to practice presenting their ideas and projects to a panel of entrepreneurial experts and mentors. Click here to learn more.
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Sewing Fundamentals Workshop: Sept. 13th, 19th, & 27th
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Make a Smart Light Switch: Sept. 14thIn this workshop, we’ll show you how to make a smart light switch that activates with a clap. Registration is full. If you want to be placed on the waiting list, email lauren.carnahan@vanderbilt.edu.
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Upcycling Workshop: Sept. 14th & Sept. 20thRepair/renew/remake! Bring something to upcycle or choose from our supplies and samples to make a project that supports the circular economy. Required: One of the Sewing Fundamentals or hand and machine sewing skills. Click here to register.
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Make a Custom Coaster: Sept. 19thLearn about molding and casting and make your own custom beverage coasters in this fun workshop! Registration is full. If you want to be placed on the waiting list, email lauren.carnahan@vanderbilt.edu.
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Altium PCB Design Workshop: Sept. 26thPlanning a career using electronics? Get industry ready with this basic introduction to Altium Designer. Click here to register.
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Social Innovation Lunch & Learn: Nov. 1st
What’s social innovation? Come find out and enjoy some free food! Register here to learn more. You’ll also learn about upcoming spring programs like:
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Fashion is for Every Body: Sept. 9th
Are you ready for the biggest and best fashion show in Nashville?
Fashion is for Every Body’s 7th annual inclusive fashion show will take place on Saturday, September 9th at 7pm at Studio 615. The event features adult models ranging in age from 18 to 66 and sizes 00 to 3x wearing collections from local boutique This is The Finale and Nashville designers Article X, Rank & Sugar, A Lady of the Lake, Blue Dahlia and some special guests. Professional models will share the runway with BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQ+, age 40 and older, and models with a variety of disabilities. The Wond'ry will be highlighted during the fashion show, and Trieu Truong, Wond'ry Maker Tech and student collaborator on the Adaptive Fashion Guide, and Fiber Arts Lab Director, Alex Sargent Capps, will be working the show on Saturday evening backstage. They will be helping the designers with last-minute alterations and facilitating quick changes of clothes, hair, and make-up.
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Brock Family Center Healthcare Artifical Intelligence Sessions: Sept. 20th
The Brock Family Center for Applied Innovation invites the Vanderbilt Community and the general public to a FREE conference covering the newest developments in AI and Healthcare topics. The event takes place in Langford Auditorium and will feature 30-minute presentations from eight AI company executives and four VUMC AI experts. Click here for more information or to register.
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Challenges and Opportunities:
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What positive changes do you want to see in our city?
All across Nashville, yards are filled with signs promoting the names of candidates running for office – people with big ideas for the future of our city. In the coming weeks, voters will choose our new mayor and elect members of the Metro Council, which creates local policies and provides essential urban services. Elections are an important way for civic leaders to share their vision for progress.
But what is the future you see? What is one positive change you would make in Nashville if the voters put you in charge?
Maybe you envision a state-of-the-art public transit system. Maybe you see a new approach to relief for food insecure and unhoused Nashvillians. Maybe you have a plan to improve safety at your school. Maybe you see ways to make Nashville carbon neutral or hopeful approaches to climate resilience. Maybe you see green roofs, community gardens and civic art projects, expanded city parks, or stronger municipal recycling and composting programs.
Submit a visual representation of your idea using a range of 2-D media–drawing, painting, computer graphics, collaging, or photography–along with a brief description of 100-500 words explaining your idea and how it will affect our city. NOTE: You certainly do not have to be a fine artist to enter! You may use computer graphic programs like Canva—more on those below—or crayons. No AI generators are allowed. Click here to learn more and submit your ideas by September 22.
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More Opportunities:
- Start Up Semester at Berkley- Learn More
Aug. - Dec. | Deadline: Sept. 30th - Nashville Entrepreneur Center: Project Healthcare Accelerator- Learn More
Jan. 4th-June 28th, 2024 | Deadline: Oct. 13th
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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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