News Stories

For more than 20 years, Jake Socha, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, has sought to measure and model the biomechanics of snake flight and answer questions about them, like that of aerial undulation’s functional role. For a study published by Nature Physics, Socha assembled an interdisciplinary team to develop the first continuous, anatomically-accurate 3D mathematical model of Chrysopelea paradisi in flight.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia Tech researchers and scientists initiated numerous research projects in an effort to support the local community and to affect humanity on a global scale.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Anand Vadlamani, a biomedical engineering and mechanics postdoctoral researcher, joined efforts to respond. Working with his peers in the department to collect 3D printers and adapt lab space, Vadlamani took part in a coordinated Virginia Tech effort to produce personal protective equipment.

One mission drives Jessica Gannon. She is focused on finding a cure for pancreatic cancer. During her freshman year at Virginia Tech, Gannon's father passed away from the disease. As she prepares for her senior year as a Hokie, her father’s story continues to inspire her.

Among the many skills possessed by Dubik is ingenuity in applying engineering design to an unusual question: How well-crafted is your homemade pasta dough?

A Virginia Tech team is looking for volunteers who own or have access to 3D printers to help make headpieces for face shields. The shields will be delivered to hospitals in the Roanoke and New River valleys and to local emergency responders. This team includes biomedical engineering and mechanics students and faculty and many others in the College of Engineering.

A research team led by Mollenhauer and Doerzaph at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute will explore how to configure automated driving systems to address situations involving first responders and construction zones in a safe, reliable manner. The study is funded by a $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation

**Note: Although BEAM faculty and students are not directly named, they have contributed to engineering solutions -- joining these COVID-19 response efforts.** “Across the university, we’re seeing researchers from a variety of fields quickly shift their focus to join these COVID-19 response efforts,” Friedlander said. “It has been important to connect our colleagues at Carilion Clinic, who can relay their clinical expertise and firsthand experience with treating these patients, with our research faculty, who have been working around the clock to address clinical needs. The world is looking to science right now to address the pressing global health challenge, and it is humbling to see our Hokie community rising to the occasion.”