Unprofessional Engineering

What do the flying car, the Stanley Steamer, and the Titanic all have in common? These inventions were all ultimately responsible for the death of their inventors! We have gathered up some of the most interesting, and often times extremely sad, instances of an inventor being killed by their inventions. Whether it was the result of an unknown side-effect from groundbreaking research, as in the case of Marie Curie, or an oversight in calculation when dropping from a barrel off of the top of the Houston Astrodome, these are all interesting stories in their own right.

It is time for more crazy units of measure! A dash, a pinch, a shake... they are phrases that we use, but they all have actual measurable amounts to quantify them. Join us for the second part of our Wacky Units of Measure series (is two a series?) to learn about some of the craziest units of measure that have ever been invented, most of which are actually in use today.

Depending on where you live, you might feel that the Metric system or Imperial units of measure are rather strange, but those don't even scratch the surface by a BB, or even a Gillette! In the first of two episodes on wacky units of measure, we explore some of the craziest measurements around and how they originated. From the beard-second to the micromort, there is a standard unit for just about anything that you can think of!

Hewlett-Packard, perhaps better known as simply HP, has taken an interesting journey to get to where they are today. We might know them for their laptops and printers that never seem to work when we need them to, but this wasn't always the way for Hewlett-Packard. William Hewlett and David Packard (picking which name came first on a coin flip) started the company with a drill press and a few dollars in a rented garage. Years later, their first customer, Disney, got them well on their way to success. The two men had a storied existence from building this iconic company, to serving in World War 2, and even helping to serve in the United States government. All this while building out one of the leading tech giants in the world. Sit back and enjoy the history of Hewlett-Packard and learn what a significant impact HP has had on the world.

On April 15, 2019, one of the world's most recognizable structures, the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, caught on fire, suffering significant damage. A restoration project has been underway ever since, with hopes of the cathedral reopening in some capacity by 2024. We dove in to try and understand what caused the fire to start in the first place, the hurdles that have to be overcome in the Notre Dame restoration project, and better understand the technology and engineering used to restore this amazing cathedral to its formal glory.

Wheat is a common ingredient in many of our favorite foods, and although it is easy to head to the store and pick up a loaf of bread or a doughnut, the grain production process isn't as simple. The wheat production process, when boiled down, hasn't changed a lot over the centuries. Threshing, winnowing, and grinding all still occur, but to do so on a large scale is really where technology and engineering have made their mark. Learn the basic process from the time wheat is planted to hitting the supermarket shelves and everything in-between.

When it comes to engineering, the material that you choose goes a long way in how your design is going to function. The same holds true for the materials used in our favorite movies, video games, and books! Even if they don't exist in real life... We've decided to explore some of the amazing materials that exist in some of these fictional universes that we could only wish exist here on Earth, and of course, ranked our top 10! See where your favorites like adamantium, vibranium, mythril, and more rank on the official top 10 fake materials list.

When you think about Apple, obviously you think of Steve, right? No, not that one. Steve Wozniak, lovingly known as Woz. You have probably heard of Woz, but do you know how important his role with Apple was? Some might argue that he was more important than his more well known counterpart, Steve Jobs. Sit back and enjoy this brief walkthrough of Steve Wozniak's life (thus far), how he got started with Apple, or how Apple really started with him, his other inventions like the universal remote, and so much more!

There is a lot of debate about GMOs being healthy, as well as if GMOs are actually a sustainable method of food production. We're not here to debate if they are good for you or not (science has no conclusive evidence to say they are not), but we are here to discuss what they are, how they work, the method to make it happen, and the impact that GMOs are having on the agriculture industry!

What do the names Andrew Carnegie, Elbert H. Gary, Charles Schwab, and J.P. Morgan have in common? They are the key players in the creation of US Steel! With the acquisition of the Carnegie Steel Company in 1900, together with a number of other smaller steel operations, US Steel was formed, becoming the first billion dollar corporation in United States history. Join us to learn about the history of US Steel, what caused the various ups and downs over time, how the different wars impacted the industry, and how US Steel is doing today.

We have talked about nuclear reactors and how they work, nuclear fission and fusion, and maybe even some nuclear weapons, but what happens to all of that nuclear waste once it is no longer needed? Well, there really isn't a solution just yet, but it is being worked on! Fortunately for us, the amount of nuclear waste around the world is relatively small. Currently, it can be stored in large storage pools, much like Olympic swimming pools, while a better solution is made. Some countries rely on nuclear fuel refinement, basically recycling of nuclear waste, but this is a very costly processes. The current solution in places like Yukka Mountain or Onkalo, Finland, is to dig a big hole under a mountain and hope for the best. OK, a little more goes into it than that, but you'll have to listen to learn more.

Are you thinking about a career in engineering or just curious what they do all day long? You've come to the right place! In this episode, we explore Marine Engineering, including the best universities to attend, how much money you will make, who will hire you, and more! Come on-board (see what we did there?) to learn more about this niche, yet very interesting, option for engineers.

I'm sure everyone realizes that there is all sorts of oil underneath the ocean, but do you know how we manage to get that oil out without getting all of the water, sand, and other stuff along with it? We've taken a look into how deep-sea drilling works, from satellite imagery to understand where the most oil can be found to the process of extracting it from the ocean floor. Take a listen to better understand why this extremely expensive process can still make a company big money, as well as some big money for the people working on the oil rigs.

As an engineer, you probably know Texas Instruments (TI) as the maker of your favorite calculators in the world, such as the TI-85. Who doesn't love expensive graphing calculators that help make difficult math easy? Well, maybe not easy, but slightly easier. It turns our that calculators are only a small part of what Texas Instruments does! In fact, they are one of the top 10 semiconductor producing companies in the world, with analog chips and embedded processors accounting for over 80% of their revenue. Join us to learn all about how Texas Instruments got started, what else they do other than make amazing calculators, and of course, war time connections!!

Wireless electricity isn't all that new. In fact, our old friend Nikola Tesla proved that it could be done in the 1800s! Was it done well? No. Was it done safely? Not really. But wireless electricity was possible!! That is all starting to change! In fact, New Zealand is about to start testing out wireless electricity to provide power to a remote island 19 miles off shore! Energy provider, PowerCo, is teaming up with the startup Emrod to make this happen. Take a listen to learn how these companies are going to make wireless electricity safe for us to use, as well as what the technology is behind this engineering marvel.

We often mention the colleges and universities that are doing great things for STEM, but it isn't every day that we get to talk to one of them to understand how they are changing the way their students learn to help them excel in the field. That is where Dan Brateris comes in. Dan is the Director of Experienced Based Learning at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (Newark College of Engineering). Under his supervision, NJIT has become a leader in STEM education, running a massive makerspace, participating in Baja SAE, Aero SAE, robotics clubs, and more. All of these have helped to make NJIT a top choice for those looking at a degree in a STEM field.

As we continue exploring the lives of the world's great inventors, we've made it to George Eastman, founder of Eastman Kodak. Or Kodak. Or Eastman... well, you get the point. Although he didn't start inventing as early as some of the inventors that we have looked at, but a trip to Santo Domingo with heavy photography equipment was all it took to get him started. From there, the rest is history! Join us to learn how George Eastman launched his photography company, how Kodak changed the the camera game forever, and what some of their biggest contributions to photography were throughout the years.

What if I told you that there is a nearly endless source of nearly clean energy available for the world to use? It sounds too good to be true, right? Well, that's because it is. But fusion reactors could make that change very soon! Currently only achieved in any large capacity in stars, we decided to look into how nuclear fusion reactors work to better understand just how close we are to making this a reality. Take a listen to learn how lasers and magnets are being used to get us closer to the reality of nuclear fusion, and how this will change energy production forever.

Most of us are never more than a couple of feet away from our cell phones, if even that far. Many of you could even be listening to us on your cell phone right now! But it wasn't really all that long ago that a car phone was crazy cool technology, and pay phones were a much needed device. We explore how the cell phone came to be, going all the way back to Zack Morris and his sweet brick phone, up to 5G and even 6G, if you believe that to be a thing.

Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! Where else can you travel the city on a romantic gondola ride and not be troubled by things like cars, traffic, bicycles, or really any other form of transportation? But all that beauty comes with a price. Thanks to being built almost at sea level, coupled with plate tectonics and general ground compaction thanks to being built on top of pillars in a swamp, Venice is at risk of being under water in the not so distant future. Learn what Venice is doing to help this problem, such as the MOSE floodgate system, why the problem exists in the first place, and what the impact of MOSE and other solutions could be. Warning, it involves poop!