Gresham Smith and Vanderbilt University Announce Collaboration to Explore Future of Design

Strategic Initiative to Build on Past Collaborations

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Gresham Smith is excited to announce that the firm has entered into a collaboration agreement with Vanderbilt University to explore the future of innovation and design.

Earlier this month, the collaboration officially kicked off with a series of meetings between firm leadership and representatives from Vanderbilt University, including individuals from the School of Engineering, the Institute for Software Integrated Systems, the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization, as well as Government and Community Relations, and the Wond'ry. Topics included background on past collaborations and new opportunities for broader campus collaboration.

The new agreement focuses on innovation and design, and the two organizations have agreed to collaborate on research and development initiatives moving forward. The strategic initiative builds off previous collaborations between both parties over the past few years.

"We're thrilled to formalize this collaboration with such a respected partner in Vanderbilt," said Mike Sewell, director of innovation at Gresham Smith. "We have worked together for years on a variety of projects dealing with the future of infrastructure design and mobility. This new initiative allows us to bring our multidisciplinary expertise to work alongside Vanderbilt's world-class research and innovation team."

"Vanderbilt and Gresham Smith share a passion for innovation and collaboration," noted Chris Rowe, executive director for industry collaborations in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. "By formalizing our historic relationship in this way, we have a clear path forward for an even more comprehensive initiative. Our world-class researchers are eager to continue working with Gresham Smith's engineering and design professionals to translate solutions into the real world for the direct benefit of our communities."

"Our collaboration with Gresham Smith on previous projects has demonstrated the unique fit our two organizations have in developing innovative, decision-support tools that are practical, efficient and affordable," said Mark Abkowitz, professor of civil and environmental engineering and Vanderbilt team lead. "We are excited about the future opportunities that will emerge from this relationship."

Most recently, the firm collaborated with faculty from Vanderbilt University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to undertake a campus safety study utilizing advanced information technology. For the study, Gresham Smith used MPATH: Empathic Insights, the firm's award-winning pioneering platform that quantifies and aggregates how people feel in different spaces. MPATH's patented approach leverages geolocation data and novel stress measurements from smartwatches to identify places that cause stress and then proactively improve design using this information.

Using data collected from student volunteers between February to May 2023, the project team captured over 190,000 data points from 62 unique activities recorded throughout the study. The analysis concluded that several intersections should be considered for future infrastructural improvements. The results of the study were published in the Journal of Transportation Technologies, a peer-reviewed academic journal.

In addition, Gresham Smith collaborated with Vanderbilt on the design and operation of I-24 MOTION, a first-of-its-kind testbed implemented by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and launched in 2022. Officially known as I-24 Mobility Technology Interstate Observation Network, this groundbreaking active testbed runs along the busy and often congested I-24 corridor. It was designed to allow TDOT and researchers to study how vehicles interact with one another and with the state's infrastructure, advancing efforts to address congestion and improve mobility. In essence, I-24 MOTION functions as an "MRI for traffic" by providing an environment for testing advanced traffic management strategies and automated vehicle technologies in real-world freeway conditions.

About Gresham Smith: 

We are a top-ranked architecture and engineering consulting firm with $328 million in annual gross revenue and 26 offices across the United States. We provide full-service solutions for the built environment with a focus on the aviation, building engineering, healthcare, industrial, land planning, life and work places, transportation, and water and environment market sectors. Throughout all of our work, we are united in our Core Purpose: to plan, design and consult to create healthy and thriving communities. Consistently ranked as a "best place to work," we are committed to creating a culture that fosters diversity of experience combined with a common goal of genuine care for each other, our partners and the outcome of our work. Learn more at GreshamSmith.com. 

SOURCE Gresham Smith