Alex Parrish
-
Video ItemCategory: impact A helping hand for wheelchair users , video
A group of undergraduates in the senior design program of the Department of Mechanical Engineering have worked with Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy to create a new robotic hand that provides valuable assistance. As the team reaches the end of their design cycle, they look back with the sponsors over the year of victories and challenges.
Date: May 01, 2025 -
Video ItemCategory: research Turning materials into music , video
In the lab of Pinar Acar, the team has created a new way to observe the materials they customize: not with their eyes, but with their ears.
Date: Feb 06, 2025 -
Video ItemCategory: impact Ut Prosim: Bike rides and broken water mains , video
First-year engineering student Ewan Macdonald was on an evening bike ride when he came across a plume of water shooting high into the air. He called Virginia Tech Facilities, who responded to fix the problem. Macdonald's fast thinking and commitment to help saved critical time during a boil water notice following flooding in the New River Valley.
Date: Oct 29, 2024 -
Video ItemCategory: impact John Bobbitt III and IV: a legacy in mechanical engineering , video
John Bobbitt III came to Virginia Tech just as a Formula SAE team was starting in the 90's, and his son has followed in his footsteps.
Date: Sep 12, 2024 -
Video ItemCategory: academics Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Senior 2024: Spencer Macturk , video
Spencer Macturk has used his time at Virginia Tech to spend time both in the classroom and in industry co-ops and internships. As he graduates, he's headed to SpaceX to scale up the work he's done on the orbital launch team.
Date: May 09, 2024 -
Video ItemCategory: campus experience Spencer Leach: Engineering crosswords , video
Spencer Leach is a mechanical engineering major with an unique skill: creating crossword puzzles. After trying and failing a few times, their puzzles have now been featured in the New York Times a total of four times.
Date: Apr 24, 2024 -
Video ItemCategory: research Bringing together rigid and soft electronics , video
In the lab of Michael Bartlett, new developments are being made in the realm of integrating rigid and soft electronics. The electrically conductive liquid metal adhesive is so good, you can run over it with a car and it still works!
Date: Jan 30, 2024 -
Video ItemCategory: research Researching supersonic jet noise at afterburning conditions , video
Assistant Professor Joseph Meadows talks about his team's research into jet noise, conducted at the Advanced Power and Propulsion Lab.
Date: Nov 28, 2023 -
Video ItemCategory: research Student team builds a new garden tool for a veteran , video
Army veteran Tammy Landeen wanted to be able to work more easily in her garden, something that was difficult from her wheelchair. A team of seniors from the Department of Mechanical Engineering worked for a year, including starting all over at the halfway point, to get her what she needed. Sponsorship came from QL Plus.
Date: Jun 27, 2023 -
Video ItemCategory: research Stronger tape engineered through the art of cutting , video
Michael Bartlett’s team at Virginia Tech has adapted kirigami, the ancient Japanese art of cutting paper, into a method for increasing the adhesive bond of ordinary tape by 60 times.
Date: Jun 12, 2023 -
Video ItemCategory: research Bartlett lab tests strong adhesive bond with a brick drop , video
Michael Bartlett's lab has created a way to dramatically enhance the adhesive strength of tapes by making cuts inspired by kirigami. In this demonstration, they drop a brick on two different boxes to test the difference in the adhesive bond.
Date: Jun 12, 2023 -
Video ItemCategory: academics Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Senior: Audrey Abadilla , video
Audrey Abadilla made the trip across the US to Virginia Tech without knowing a soul on this side of the country. Now having completed her degree, she stands out among her classmates.
Date: May 22, 2023 -
Video ItemCategory: research Bart Raeymaekers talks about Everesting , video
Bart Raeymaekers took on the task of sifting through data submitted by cyclists who have completed an Everest challenge, where they bike to a total elevation equal to that of Mount Everest. Here, he breaks down those results. Published in Scientific Reports.
Date: Apr 19, 2023 -
Video ItemPi Day Baking Battle: ME vs. ECE , video
What better way to spend Pi Day than challenging our friends over in the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering to a pi bakeoff? That's just what we did, and five representatives from each department brought their best baked goodness to the table to compete.
Date: Mar 13, 2023 -
Video ItemCategory: research Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering partners with Carilion Clinic for a robotic glove , video
Pinhas Ben-Tzvi, a professor and researcher in mechanical engineering, is partnering with Dr. Cesar Bravo of the Carilion Clinic to develop a new tool for those who have suffered a brachial plexus injury.
Date: Dec 05, 2022 -
Article Item
In memoriam: Leon Arp, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering , articleAn avid inventor and holder of more than 25 patents, his signature innovation was an infant respirator inspired by his infant son’s struggle with respiratory distress syndrome. He was also instrumental in an effort to raise giant sequoias in Montgomery County.
Date: Jul 29, 2021 -
Article Item
Category: research To de-ice planes on the fly, researchers aim to control rather than combat ice formation , articleResearchers in mechanical engineering are teaming up with Collins Aerospace to control ice formation on airplanes, even when they're in flight. In this novel approach, the team created a de-icing method that exploits principles of ice formation to control it: They used pillar structures that suspend ice as it forms into a layer that’s easier to remove.
Date: Jul 23, 2021 -
Article Item
Category: research Microstructure found in beetle’s exoskeleton contributes to color and damage resistance, researchers find , articleLing Li, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, has joined colleagues from six other universities to investigate the interplay between mechanical and optical performance in beetle exoskeletons. Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Date: Jun 28, 2021 -
Article Item
Category: research Unbroken: New soft electronics don’t break, even when punctured , articleA team of Virginia Tech researchers from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Macromolecules Innovation Institute has created a new type of soft electronics, paving the way for devices that are self-healing, reconfigurable, and recyclable. These skin-like circuits can also be recycled to generate new circuits at the end of a product’s life.
Date: Jun 25, 2021 -
Article Item
Category: impact Darrell Roberts ‘89: connecting pieces of music and nuclear engineering , articleRoberts, deputy executive director for operations for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has followed a love of music to find a sense of deeper meaning and order in the world.
Date: Jun 03, 2021 -
Video ItemCategory: culture First in your family at college? So is Liah. , video
Hear the story of Liah Strouth, who would be the first person in her family to graduate from college.
Date: Jan 13, 2020 -
Video ItemCategory: campus experience Hokie Ambassadors , video
What's so great about Hokie Ambassadors? A few of the students who volunteer their time for this program give their take.
Date: Feb 12, 2019 -
Video ItemCategory: campus experience Why I chose Virginia Tech: Rebecca , video
Why choose Virginia Tech? For Rebecca, it came down the the kindness she was shown when she visited campus.
Date: Dec 10, 2018 -
Video ItemCategory: campus experience What can you do at Virginia Tech? Eat well. , video
Virginia Tech has some great options for dining on campus and frequently achieves national recognition for the options offered.
Date: Nov 20, 2018