The Walk of Wond'ry:
The Wond'ry is Vanderbilt's Center for Innovation, and is a resource that is available to staff, faculty, and students. On May 12th, from 2:00 - 4:00 PM, you can meet and greet some of the Wond'ry staff, and learn about the different practice areas that are housed within the Wond'ry. There will be a table for each area and you can enter a giveaway to win some really cool Wond'ry swag! We will be on the Sidewalk at 2415 Garland Avenue. (Rain location: Engineering and Science Building, Suite 102)
May 12th from 2:00 - 4:00 PM
Sidewalk at 2415 Garland Avenue
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Wond'ry Hour Updates:
VUIT Genius Bar:
Tuesday: 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
If you have any questions for VUIT, you can also contact
Michael.hollifield@vanderbilt.edu or call 615-936-8530.
Makerspaces:
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Working at the Wond'ry:
Current Full Time Positions:
The Program Coordinator for Social Innovation works in the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt University’s Innovation Center. The ideal candidate embodies a demonstrated commitment to, and interest in, social and/or environmental change and innovation. The Social Innovation Program Coordinator will help lead the coordination and facilitation of core programming, event planning, and communication with Social Innovation program participants and key partners, with a focused emphasis on programs including Map the System, Tools for Social Innovation, Social Venture Think Tank, and Design Challenges.
The Program Coordinator for Biomedical Innovation works in the Wond’ry, Vanderbilt University’s Innovation Center. The ideal candidate embodies a demonstrated commitment to, and interest in entrepreneurship and innovation in the biomedical life sciences. The Biomedical Innovation Program Coordinator will support the day-to-day and long-term management, implementation, evaluation, and growth of core programming for the Wond’ry’s exciting new biomedical innovation initiative and facilitation of NSF I-Corps. The Program Coordinator will play a key collaborative role in working with the Director to design program strategy, content, and implementation of I-Corps and biomedical innovation that leads to meaningful, measurable outcomes for all involved.
Upcoming Student Positions:
Students, are you interested in learning how to use and teach the equipment in our Makerspaces? Are you passionate about making a social impact in our Social Innovation area? Do you want to help others take their ideas and make them into full fledged ventures in Entrepreneurship? Or maybe you are passionate about social media, graphic design, or web. No matter what your area of interest is, we have a place for you at the Wond’ry. Fill out our interest form to learn more!
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Entrepreneurship Highlights
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Wond’ry Mentors are professionals who volunteer to meet with Vanderbilt innovators for one-on-one personalized guidance in their areas of expertise. By encouraging the pursuit of meaningful connections, Mentors provide opportunities for learning outside the classroom and support for independent entrepreneurial and creative endeavors.
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We hosted our first BioTech Meet Up:
The Wond'ry hosted its first BioTech Meet Up alongside S Phase BioFund. It was an impactful event that showcased how student lead endeavors, focused on a strategically important industry, can positively influence relationship building and cross-country collaboration.
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Sullivan Family Ideator and Builder Program Microgrants:
The Wond'ry finished up its Ideator and Builder programs for the semester. The programs culminated in a pitch competition, resulting in 11 Sullivan Family Ideator Microgrant recipients Congratulations to everyone who participated.
Sullivan Family Ideator Microgrant Recipients:
Barhop, EZread, IN3, Magaani App, Parachute, STEMilk, Systems Biomedicin, TalentED, The Ultimate Back Massage Board, VitaSleev, and Court Tool Reminder System
Builder Microgrant Recipients:
Eupalinos Innovations - Arteriogenic Hydrogel, Optomar Technologies, MAGGI, Squared Tool, DashQuill, and ESG Impact (ESGi)
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Major Venture Highlights: Our ventures have been accomplishing some major achievements, both professionally and personally. Check out some of our latest highlights:
Zeno Power raises $20 million in Series A: Learn More
Vanderbilt graduate students clinch 2022 SEC Student Pitch Competition with their startup, ESG Impact: Learn more
ESG Impact exits beta, seeks capital, opts for VU Wond'ry Founder: Learn More
Rock-climbing student duo pursues scientific, business and Olympic dreams - Learn More
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Social Innovation Highlights
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Map the System Team Wins Trip to Oxford for Project on Educational Inequity in Nashville
Social Innovation at the Wond’ry hosted the Vanderbilt University Map the System Finals. Map the System is a global systems thinking competition that challenges students to analyze the root causes of a complex social challenge and identify meaningful opportunities to help address it. This year, a team of graduate students from Peabody College took away the crown and won a trip to the Global Finals hosted by Oxford University’s Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in June 2022. Their project, “City on the Rise, Students Left Behind: Education Inequity in Nashville,” revealed the interacting social, economic, and political factors that prevent some students in our city from having equitable access to educational opportunities. It also provided project sponsor, the Oher Foundation, with valuable insights into the ways in which different solutions could be enacted or supported by their organization to help resolve the problem in the future. Join us in congratulating team members Sam Angileri, Andrew Gardner, Juliana Hoover Potash, Fariha Hossain, and Caitlin Scheder and please, stay tuned for more as they prepare to showcase their research on the Global stage on June 17-19, 2022.
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Coffee Equity Design Challenge Announces Winners
The Coffee Equity Lab wrapped up the inaugural Design Challenge with an in-person demo day. The Coffee Equity Design Challenge is a new Wond’ry program that brings together Vanderbilt students and coffee sector professionals to co-create meaningful innovations that help advance a more sustainable and equitable coffee sector for all coffee actors. At the event, six finalist teams presented their prototypes for educational resources that help advance shared understandings in the global coffee sector about timely social, economic, and environmental sustainability challenges. Team Gesha, comprised of undergraduates Sally Kim, Alasdair Payton and Emily Doehring, won the challenge for their idea “From Field to Your Cup,” a zine series that raises awareness among coffee consumers about timely social and environmental challenges in the sector. Second place went to Ryan McIntyre and Joseph Kang of Team Pacas for their idea, “The Pillars of Sustainability,” an infographic highlighting interacting social, economic, and environmental sustainability priorities across the global sector. Over the coming weeks, the Wond’ry will provide ongoing content and graphic design support to the top two teams in hopes that their final prototypes can be shared with global coffee professionals and consumers.
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Wond'ry Makerspaces Workshops:
The Wond'ry hosted 13 workshops this semester, all with the express purpose of letting students, staff and faculty learn new skills in a variety of areas. This semester we learned how to make a glow cloud, molding and casting a variety of different objects, how to thermoform a custom name plate, canvas stretching and painting, and even how to make your own electromagnetic field sensor. All workshops are led by our very own Maker Fellows, who come up with and execute their ideas each semester.
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Adaptive Fashion, Design and Production:
Calla Reed and Becka Baker designed garment prototypes that conceptualize stress-relieving garments that provide compression based on the body's natural acupressure points. In the Adaptive Fashion, Design and Production class, they are partnering with Shannon North, Director of Design Technology from Workwear Outfitters, as well as Kelly Aldrich, Associate Professor of Nursing Informatics, to design garments that serve the general population as well as nurses in their daily work.
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Class Presentations:
Professor Kevin Galloway’s course, "How to Make (Almost) Anything and Make it Matter", wrapped up another semester combining maker skill building and human-centered design, and using these superpowers with external clients. This year student teams worked with partners from Fort Campbell 626 Brigade Support Battalion, Fort Campbell 3-320 Field Artillery, Del Fuego Project, Dr. J. Ryan Martin MD with VUMC Orthopaedic Surgery, and the Susan Gray School.
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We explored the Metaverse:
Professor Ole Molvig, founder of the Emerging Technology Lab at the Wond’ry, hosted a wide-ranging discussion and hands-on demonstration of the “Metaverse.” Topics included the origins and future intersections of technologies such as spatial computing, virtual and augmented reality, and the blockchain.
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Challenges and Opportunities:
- VI4 Artist in Residence Program - Learn More
Jun. 13 - Aug. 19 | Deadline: May 6 - BME-IDEA International E-Team Grant Program- Learn More
Fall | Deadline: May 11 - Diverso (Remote and Paid Positions) - Learn More
2022-2023 | Deadline: May 31 - Innovation Open Mic Night - Learn More
2022-2023 | Deadline: May 31
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Support Our Students:By 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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