We’ve introduced the 0th and 1st laws of thermodynamics, so now it’s time to move on to the second law and how we came to understand it. We’ll explain the differences between the first and second law, and we’ll talk about the Carnot...

Engineering helped make this video possible. This week we’ll look at how it’s possible for you to watch this video with the fundamentals of signal processing. We’ll explore things from Morse Code, to problems like bandwidth capacity and...

Today we’re going to start thinking about materials that are used in engineering. We’ll look at mechanical properties of materials, stress-strain diagrams, elasticity and toughness, and describe other material properties like hardness,...

Plants don’t have brains or muscles, and yet some of them can perform such feats as eating insects or following the sun. Scientists haven’t completely figured out how this happens, but they do have some pretty strong leads.

If you were a jackrabbit in the desert, you'd be glad to stumble across a cactus: the flesh of these plants is a water source for many animals. Known for their spines and succulent stems, cacti of all shapes and sizes have evolved to not...

Today we’re looking at silicon, and how introducing small amounts of other elements allow silicon layers to conduct currents, turning them into semiconductors. We’ll explore how putting two different types – N and P semiconductors –...

Today we’re talking all about fluid mechanics! We’ll look at different scales that we work with as engineers, mass and energy transfers, the no-slip condition, stress and strain, Newton’s law of viscosity, Reynold’s number, and more!

Despite water covering 71% of the planet’s surface, more than half the world’s population endures extreme water scarcity for at least one month a year. Current estimates predict that by 2040, up to 20 more countries could be experiencing...

In today’s episode we’ll explore thermodynamics and some of the ways it shows up in our daily lives. We’ll learn the zeroth law of thermodynamics, what it means to reach a thermal equilibrium, and define the first law of thermodynamics....

This week we’re headed out to sea for some marine engineering. How do we design ships to handle aquatic environments? How do we deal with marine life and corrosion and all of the other problems that come with engineering in the ocean?...

A lot of work goes into managing our impact on the environment and its impact on us. That work is the work of environmental engineers. In this episode we’ll explore water quality, air quality, noise pollution, waste management, and more.

Today we’re talking about heat transfer and the different mechanisms behind it. We’ll explore conduction, the thermal conductivity of materials, convection, boundary layers, and radiation.

Transportation is a big part of our world and engineers play a big role in making it happen. Today we’ll explore how transportation systems are designed and some things transportation engineers have to take into consideration, like...

Cycles are a big deal in engineering. Today we’ll explain what they are and how they’re used in heat engines, refrigerators, and heat pumps. We’ll also discuss phase diagrams and the power of using renewable energy resources

Today we’ll dive further into fluid flow and how we can use equipment to apply our skills. We explain Bernoulli’s Principle and the relationship between speed and pressure in certain flowing fluids. We’ll also discuss how to apply the...

Have you ever wondered how to tell fruits and vegetables apart? Learn how to with Jessi and Squeaks!

For life to evolve on Earth, a bunch of complex organic molecules had to evolve a way to assemble into cells. So how did those proto-cells get cell membranes? Some researchers have a new hunch. Also, scientists are borrowing a trick from...

We’ve talked about different materials engineers use to build things in the world, but there’s a special category of materials they turn to when building things to go inside our bodies. In this episode we’ll explore the world...

As engineer, sometimes lives will be in your hands, so this week we’re exploring safety and its impact on engineering. We’ll discuss the difference between occupational safety and public safety and how to analyze and review a process for...

Paul Andersen explains how asking questions is the first step in both science and engineering. Questions allow scientists to direct inquiry with a goal of understanding the phenomena in the Universe. Questions allow engineers to define...

While you unwrap that luscious truffle, let Hank explain the science of chocolate -- where it comes from, what its active ingredient is, and how it works. Also learn the difference between chocolate, cocoa, cacao and coca, so you really...

Paul Andersen explains how nutrients and water are transported in plants. He begins with a brief discussion of what nutrients are required by plants and where they get them. He shows you dermal, vascular and ground tissue in monocot and...

Hank introduces us to one of the most diverse and important families in the tree of life - the vascular plants. These plants have found tremendous success and the their secret is also their defining trait: conductive tissues that can...

Squeaks has a Valentine's surprise for Jessi: a bouquet of flowers! Flowers are beautiful and they smell great, but did you know that flowers also do a very important job?