Engineers Explain Everything

The Intersection of Buildings and Behavior

Malachi Rein explains his work as director of the Building Energy Exchange St. Louis and how architectural engineering blends technical design with human behavior, history and the ways people interact with buildings.

World Champs: Missouri S&T’s Mars Rover Design Team

What does it take to build a world-champion Mars rover for the annual University Rover Challenge? Chase Stem, CEO of Missouri S&T’s Mars Rover Design Team, discusses the team’s work, what the challenge includes and why the experience is so valuable for students.

Flying Cars Are Coming — And They’ll Be Electric

Set in 2062, The Jetsons imagined a future with flying cars. Engineers today are working to make these vehicles a reality sooner than the Jetsons timeline may suggest. Dr. Xiaosong Du explains how AI-driven design is being used to develop electric aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing, how they work and when we might start seeing them in the skies with passengers.

Liquid Gold: Extracting Metals with Water-Based Solutions

You combine crushed rock with water and cyanide. You double-check your notes, built on the wisdom of generations past. Eventually, you have liquid gold — and you have the power to turn it into solid gold whenever you want. Are you a wizard? No — even better. You’re a hydrometallurgist. Dr. Michael Moats explains what hydrometallurgy is, how it differs from traditional furnace-based methods and why it is a crucial process for producing the metals we rely on every day.

Everything You Didn’t Know About Glass (and Why It Matters)

When most people think about how glass can be used, storing nuclear waste probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But it’s a major part of Dr. Charmayne Lonergan’s research. In this episode, she explains what glass is and some of its most fascinating uses, such as in extreme environments, wound care and cancer treatments.