The Engineer's Journey: Spaceflight and STEM with Lehigh University Professor Terry Hart

The Engineer's Journey: Spaceflight and STEM with Lehigh University Professor Terry Hart

In this episode of Mind Over Molecules, I sit down with Professor Terry J. Hart—a former United States Air Force pilot, NASA astronaut, and current professor of mechanical engineering at Lehigh University—for a conversation about exploration, engineering, and the future of humanity in space. Selected by NASA in 1978, Professor Hart flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger during mission STS-41C, where he helped deploy and repair satellites in orbit during one of the most ambitious eras of human spaceflight. Beyond his work in orbit, he has spent decades contributing to engineering education and innovation. He mentors the next generation of scientists and engineers both through his Lehigh University courses and his TikTok account, @ihartaerospace. In this episode, we discuss his journey from engineering student to astronaut, the mindset required to work in high-pressure aerospace environments, and his perspectives on leadership, teamwork, and resilience in STEM. We also dive into the Artemis II mission and what humanity’s return to deep-space exploration means for the future. Most importantly, we reflect on the Challenger disaster and the lessons it continues to teach us about engineering ethics, organizational culture, communication, and the human cost of exploration. Professor Hart shares thoughtful insights on risk, innovation, and what young engineers and scientists must understand as they shape the future of technology and discovery!!

The Biology Behind the Battle: Understanding Cancer

Cancer. It’s a word we all know, but few of us truly understand. Unlike viruses or bacteria, cancer doesn’t come from the outside; it’s a disease of self, where your own cells go rogue and break every rule of biology. In this episode, we dive deep into what cancer actually is, why it’s so hard to treat, and how it constantly evolves to outsmart our immune system and therapies. From the “brakes and gas pedals” of your DNA, to the hostile tumor microenvironment that protects cancer like a fortress, to the incredible new treatments that reprogram the immune system itself--this is the story of one of biology’s toughest battles. By the end, you’ll see cancer not just as an illness, but as a high-stakes evolutionary game happening inside the body. PS: I was beyond exhausted while recording this, so you might hear a few mispronunciations. If something sounds like a “C” instead of a “T,” I meant “T”. Thanks for bearing with me!

Inside Modern Medical Innovation: A Conversation with Stryker Associate Project Manager John Hess

In this episode of Mind Over Molecules, I sit down with John Hess, an Associate Project Manager working in the medical technology field. Behind every device used in healthcare is a massive team of engineers, researchers, and project managers working to bring innovations from concept to reality. In our conversation, John shares what it’s like to work in the med‑tech industry, how projects move from early design to real clinical use, and the skills needed to coordinate large teams working on complex healthcare technologies. We also talk about the intersection of engineering, healthcare, and business, and how students interested in STEM can begin exploring careers in medical technology. If you’re curious about how medical devices are developed, what it’s like to work in the med‑tech industry, or how science turns into real‑world solutions that improve patient care, this episode is for you!!

AlphaFold and the Blueprint of Life

For years, one major question haunted biology: how do proteins fold? These tiny molecular machines run every part of life, from memory to immunity, but their shapes were a mystery locked away in complexity. Then, almost overnight, artificial intelligence cracked the code. In this episode, we’ll explore how AI like AlphaFold solved the protein puzzle, why it matters for medicine, and how algorithms are now designing entirely new proteins that evolution never dreamed of. Enzymes that eat plastic, drugs built in weeks instead of decades, even proteins tailored to your DNA! This isn’t science fiction, it’s happening right now. But what happens when machines become better than nature at writing the rules of life?

Through the Looking Glass: Mirror Life Explained

What if life had evolved backwards? In this episode, we explore the frontier of mirror life, a version of biology built from molecules that are the exact opposite of ours. From drugs that could last forever in the body, to organisms resistant to every virus on Earth, to the mind-bending question of why life chose left-handed molecules in the first place, mirror biology pushes the limits of science and imagination!