ASME播客

Engineer, consultant, and author Joshua Plenert talks about Lean Six Sigma and what makes the problem-solving mindset of mechanical engineers uniquely suited for Lean Six Sigma.

Manufacturing has seen a resurgence over the last decade, and the adoption of digital technologies has transformed the industry. But now, engineering education must also adapt and find a way to ensure that the workforce of tomorrow has the right skills and can take full advantage of advanced manufacturing platforms. Tom Kurfess, professor at Georgi…

Engineer, consultant and author Peter Atherton talks about burnout and what makes mechanical engineers susceptible to this medical syndrome newly recognized by the World Health Organization.

The Earth's core provides a tremendous amount of heat. Tapping that heat to produce electric power or to use directly in industrial processes could be a way to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Jamie Beard, founder and executive director of Project InnerSpace, a geothermal advocacy group, discusses a recent report on the prosp…

Caltech research scientist Austin Fikes talks about capturing solar energy in space with a satellite that would relay the power to Earth.

Sara Hendren, associate professor of arts, humanities and design at Olin College of Engineering discusses the importance of keeping engineering students engaged in social and ethical issues throughout their education.

Cyber security and data protection are two hot button topics in an ever-changing technological society. In this installment, Tom and his co-host Katlyn Coolbaugh, speak with Caitlin Sarian, who goes by the name “CyberSecurityGirl” on social media. Caitlin shares her career story and the trio delve into the finer points of how businesses and individ…

Paul Fakes, director of ASME's government relations education and outreach programs, talks about engineering and science policy in a new Congress.

It’s been quite a year, and technology has been part of the headlines all 12 months. Listen as Mechanical Engineering magazine’s Jeffrey Winters and John Kosowatz discuss their top engineering stories on 2022 in this special edition of ASME TechCast.

An electrical grid reliant on renewable power will require building new transmission, distribution, and storage capability, often in places that have layers of existing infrastructure. Nabil Hitti, the vice president of U.S. Offshore Wind for National Grid Ventures, talks about the enormous promise of offshore wind power in the New York region and …

David Wrenn, the SpinLaunch's head of engineering, talks about the novel kinetic system developed to hurl satellites into space.

Tom is joined by ASME Chief Operating Officer Jeff Patterson, as they learn the story of long-time volunteer and current ASME Governor Andy Bicos. This episode entitled “The Engineer’s Lifelong Journey” explores some of the different ways a career in engineering can evolve and is told through the lens of Andy’s unique experience and perspective.…

Beyond Precision Agriculture

The climate impact of long-distance air travel is more substantial than most people realize. But the power requirements of jetliners are difficult—if not impossible—to meet without resorting to kerosene-based jet fuel. Writer Michael Abrams discusses the paths that researchers and entrepreneurs are exploring to develop a greener form of aviation an…

Tom and Roy interview Seurat Technologies CEO and co-founder James DeMuth to discuss how he is transforming the additive manufacturing process to enable a future that is better for our people and planet.由ASME's Unconventional Engineering

As more people around the world move from the countryside to cities, the climate effects of urbanization become increasingly important. One of these is the urban heat island effect, where unshaded concrete and asphalt absorb sunlight and radiate heat, warming the surrounding areas by several degrees. Moncef Krarti, a professor at the University of …

Rockwell Automation’s John Miles talks about electric vehicles and how to charge them, along with upskilling the current workforce.

Greg Boerschig heads TVA’s Clinch River nuclear project. He talks about TVA’s nuclear options and the development of small modular nuclear reactors.

The Jetsons promised viewers from the 1960s and beyond that the future would see robots that could cook, clean, and basically run the household. However, developing those sorts of multi-capable robots for real households has been a challenge. Writer Kayt Sukel discusses the promise and future direction of this field.…

In the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, European nations declared their intention to find alternatives to Russian natural gas. One nation that could become a strategically important supplier of gas to Europe is the United States, which has more gas than it can use thanks to the exploitation of its shale gas reserves. Energy economist Morg…

Battelle’s Neeraj Gupta talks about the state of carbon capture and sequestration.

The International Space Station has been the main site of human exploration in orbit for the past 20 years. Crews have been shuttling back and forth for missions as short as a couple of weeks or as long as a year. But the ISS can't last forever. Matt Ondler, chief technology officer and director of spacecraft development at Axiom Space, a space har…

Doug Gudenburr, COO of DMI Companies, talks about the manufacturer's digital transformation.

In North America, wind power has been developed almost entirely on land, often 1,000 miles or more from the power-hungry Atlantic coast. But it turns out that there’s an even better, even windier place that’s much closer to the New York City–the waters off of Long Island. Listen as Georges Sassine, vice president for large-scale renewables at the N…

Tom and Roy interview Kaemen Lefleur (@Kaemen.the.Creator) and Libby Brooks (@LibbyBontheLabel) to learn how they are each using their social media platforms to inspire and encourage the next generation of mechanical engineers.由ASME's Unconventional Engineering

NREL’s Greg Stark talks about hydropower’s impact on the evolving electric grid.

With electric vehicles receiving so much popular culture love and governmental support, could the days of the internal combustion engine be numbered? Kelly Senecal, co-author of the book, Racing Toward Zero, contends that despite the rush to mandating EVs, there are many use cases where ICE- and hybrid-powered vehicles make the most sense. In this …

Tom and Roy interview engineer Tony Nelson and planetary scientist Nina Lanza from Los Alamos National Laboratory to discuss space exploration and life on Mars.由ASME's Unconventional Engineering

Self-driving cars are some of the fastest and smartest computers today. They are equipped with advanced cameras, lidar, smart sensors, machine learning, and AI-voice recognition software. However, an autonomous vehicle cannot operate alone. Secure and smart infrastructure is needed to support these robots on wheels. Kevin Vincent, director of the C…

Women in mechanical engineering are poorly represented. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only eight percent of working mechanical engineers are women. Low retention numbers are caused by multiple factors, including a lack of support among institutions and a lack of role models. Sonya Smith is a professor at Howard University and preside…

As the pace of development in engineering and technology take place, so too do questions about ethics in the workplace. Michael Loui, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois has concentrated on ethics throughout his career. In this episode, he talks about ethics in the workplace.…

Tom and Roy interview StoneAge CEO, Kerry Siggins to discuss how her personal struggles led to her professional success, how to be a strong leader and how to encourage more women to join STEM fields.由ASME's Unconventional Engineering

The so-called Nuclear Renaissance of the 2000s may have fizzled, but the small modular reactor concept is still going strong. Jose Reyes, co-founder and chief technology officer at NuScale Power, has been working on SMRs for almost 20 years, and his company is making progress toward building the first commercial SMR before the end of the decade. In…

Industry 4.0 has been on a continuous evolution over the last century. Design and manufacturing companies leverage connected networks, additive manufacturing, and digital engineering to become faster, more efficient, and flexible. These advances are helping companies overcome supply chain disruptions and labor shortages that have plagued the indust…

Teaching future engineers to think about the possible ramifications of their work comes through a series of classes in ethics that universities require of their students. Andrew Katz is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. In this podcast, he talks about the importance of ethics in education and the pr…

Tom and Roy interview aerospace engineer, baker, presenter and producer Andrew Smyth to discover the art of bakineering and discuss Andrew’s Netflix Show Baking Impossible.由ASME's Unconventional Engineering

The advancements of robots as everyday tools are driving them out of the factory floor and into public spaces. Delivery bots, social bot companions, and automated household assistants are just some examples of how robots interact with people daily. In this episode of ASME TechCast, we speak with Tom Ryden, executive director of Mass Robotics, a non…

Picking up where we left off the last episode, the editors of ASME.org and Mechanical Engineering magazine dive back in and discuss some of the top engineering stories from the past year. Listen to editor in chief Jeffrey Winters, senior editor John Kosowatz, and special projects manager Carlos González as they continue their talk about the latest …

The editors of ASME.org and Mechanical Engineering magazine discuss some of the top engineering stories from the past year. Listen to editor-in-chief Jeffrey Winters, senior editor John Kosowatz, and special projects manager Carlos González as they talk about biotechnology, electric vehicles, engineering education, and more.…

Tom and Roy interview roboticist and professor Hod Lipson to discover if machines can self-reflect, ask questions and even be creative.由ASME's Unconventional Engineering

Medical experts estimate there are 160 million people around the world with an unruptured intracranial aneurysm. When it breaks, more than half of those people die. The situation is frustrating for surgeons because the location of those blister-like lesions are in arteries too thin and too difficult to reach. That may change with the development of…

Engineers focus more on their technical abilities than soft skills. Like in any other job, soft skills are essential for engineers to succeed in their careers. But soft skills might not come naturally to everyone and have to be developed and improved. In this episode, Nader Mowlaee, the founder of Engineer Your Mission and the creator of The Job Se…

Hydrogen is the simplest atom there is – just a proton and an electron – and when you burn it, not only do you release a lot of power per pound of fuel, but the byproduct is simply water vapor. Jeffrey Goldmeer, Emergent Technology Director for Decarbonization at GE Gas Power and one of their resident experts on hydrogen talks with Jeffrey Winters,…

Tom Costabile and Roy Firestone interview mechanical engineer Ian Davis to discover how he used 3D printing to create his own prosthetic hand.由ASME's Unconventional Engineering

Generative computer-aided design is typically compared to how nature creates. When a tree grows, it will naturally find the strongest footing and the best path toward sunlight. The tree doesn’t grow unnecessary limbs; it is efficient in the way it expands outward. Generative design operates in the same way. Engineers designate their material and th…

Dr. Lonnie Love is a corporate fellow and section head over precision manufacturing and machining at the U.S. Dept of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He leads many of the large-scale additive as well as advanced manufacturing for defense programs at the lab. His team has demonstrated advanced manufacturing technologies on several high-profi…

The electric vehicle is positioned to become the vehicle of tomorrow. Major manufacturers such as Ford and GM are now joining the ranks of Tesla, debuting new fleets of electric cars. According to BloombergNEF, by 2030, the electric vehicle fleet will reach 116 million across the globe, up from an estimated 8.5 million units in 2020. BloombergNEF’s…

In any industry, understanding how to apply computer modeling toward practical installation solutions is a challenge. To help engineers, simulation software can help anticipate the design requirements for proper installation. Concluding our three-part series, Doug Fast, technical leader for industrial mineral wool, and Alec Cusick, a technical serv…

As NASA plans to returning astronauts to the Moon and future long-duration exploration missions, additive manufacturing will continue to play a greater role in the future of space. One of additive’s most exciting areas is bioprinting of living cells. Indiana-based aerospace company TechShot’s Chief Scientist Eugene Boland, who is currently leading …

With a lack of clear understanding of the industry standards and the difficulties in laboratory testing, engineers have had many challenges when designing acoustic insulation for piping systems. The engineers at Owens Corning look to solve the problem by introducing a new method of modeling and simulation that can accurately predict a piping system…