The Engineering Commons Podcast

Adam, Brian and Jeff discuss highlights and back stories from episodes of The Engineering Commons podcast released in 2015. Brian started work the Monday after he graduated from college, and now wishes he had taken a little time off before beginning his professional career. Listener Joel suggests we invite Karl Stephan to participate in a … Continue reading Episode 99 — Review 2015 →

Mechanical engineer Jim Heilman returns to The Engineering Commons to cover questions engineers should ask before relocating to advance their careers. Adam moved for his current job, but had to abandon the high-speed internet connection he enjoyed at his previous residence. Our guest for this episode is Jim Heilman, a mechanical engineer who spent two … Continue reading Episode 98 — Relocation →

Adam, Brian, and Jeff discuss where the podcast should venture during its second hundred episodes. Adam claims to be better at long term than short-term planning. Listener feedback is encouraged as we try to sort out what topics to cover in upcoming episodes. Tutorial episodes (for example, Nuts and Bolts) seem well-received, but require substantial … Continue reading Episode 97 — Next Hundred →

This episode of The Engineering Commons finds the gang discussing how engineers are perceived by those outside the engineering field. Jeff accidentally reveals the plot of a well-known fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin, while sharing a childhood recollection. At the end of 1981, when Jeff graduated from college, inflation in the U.S. was around 10%, six-month certificates … Continue reading Episode 96 — Perceptions →

Brian, Carmen and Jeff discuss the role of details in engineering projects, and how one goes about evaluating, managing, sharing, and documenting critical minutia. In the introduction, Jeff misses the detail that this podcast is published in November, not October. Carmen doesn’t mind sweating the details, but reviewing documentation for typographical errors is not his … Continue reading Episode 95 — Details →

This epiosde of The Engineering Commons finds Adam, Brian, and Jeff discussing what it means to be relevant, and how engineers can increase their relevance on the job. Brian is not entirely sure what a thought leader is, but he’s pretty certain he doesn’t want to be one. However, Brian invents the perfect term for … Continue reading Episode 94 — Relevance →

Electrical engineer James Lewis stops by to share his insights on the surprisingly complex world of capacitors. Carmen introduces the show as covering “passives.” This refers to passive electrical devices that have no control over voltage, current, or signal gain. Our guest for this episode is electrical engineer James Lewis, a Marketing Director for capacitor … Continue reading Episode 93 — Capacitors →

Adam, Brian, Carmen and Jeff discuss tools they use for utility and enjoyment at home, where the cost-to-quality evaluation is slightly different than in the workplace. Jeff’s collection of tools is rather ancient, as suggested by his 35 year old corded Craftsman drill, and his 20 year old cordless Mikata drill with rapidly fading batteries. … Continue reading Episode 92 — Garage Gear →

This episode of The Engineering Commons finds the guys discussing the technologies, toys, and tribulations associated with wiring one’s home to the internet. Carmen is holding off on constructing his own JARVIS (Just A Rather Very Intelligent System) personal assistant until he can construct it using nothing but solder and transistor-transistor logic (TTL). Fermilab’s Main … Continue reading Episode 91 — Home Automation →

Adam leads us through some key concepts related to traffic engineering in this episode of The Engineering Commons podcast. Brian has some practical reason for looking forward to self-driving cars. During 2013 the United States experienced 32,719 motor-vehicle related fatalities. Self-driving cars may have a disruptive effect on the auto insurance industry. Our guest for … Continue reading Episode 90 — Traffic Engineering →

In this episode of The Engineering Commons, we discuss the lessons we learned during our first two or three years of working as engineering professionals. Adam considers himself a fast learner, although he finds that pain occasionally increases the rapidity of his learning. In this episode, Adam, Brian, Carmen, and Jeff discuss lessons learned early … Continue reading Episode 89 — Early Lessons →

With Brian away on vacation, Adam, Carmen, and Jeff address issues and questions found on the “Engineering,” “Ask Engineers,” and “Ask Electronics” sub-Reddits. Carmen is off on an immediate rant about finding brown M&Ms in his trailer this week, which is apparently a violation of his appearance rider. We discuss needing custom-printed M&Ms for the … Continue reading Episode 88 — Reddit Questions 2 →

Mechanical engineer Jack Reid joins Adam, Brian, Carmen and Jeff to discuss the philosophical aspects of engineering, and to review Samuel Florman’s book, “The Existential Pleasures of Engineering.” Jeff is pretty sure his life is not a syllogism, although he’s not completely sure what the term means. Our guest for this episode is Jack Reid, … Continue reading Episode 87 — Existential Engineer →

Brian, Carmen, and Jeff discuss movies and TV shows they find inspiring or entertaining (or maybe just awful) from an engineer’s perspective in this episode of The Engineering Commons podcast! Carmen recently “unplugged” his cable service, and will soon be using a Tablo device to record over-the-air TV programs. The Martian is a soon-to-be-released movie … Continue reading Episode 86 — Idiot Box →

Adam, Brian, Carmen, and Jeff discuss the values and ideals that often guide engineering decision making, even if these policies are rarely written down or mentioned in academic settings. Brian finds that Dilbert cartoons help him develop a “befuddlement with life and others.” Scott Adam’s book, Dogbert’s Top Secret Management Handbook, provides guidance on how … Continue reading Episode 85 — Unwritten Rules →

Chemical engineer Aaron Spearin chats with Jeff and Adam, sharing insights on workflow balance, value stream mapping, and the importance of interdepartmental communication. Adam gets frequent complaints about traffic backups at this time of year, as many of his employer’s road construction projects are in full swing during the summer. Our guest for this episode … Continue reading Episode 84 — Workflow Balance →

We talk with aeronautical engineer Patrick Riordan about the challenges of developing and navigating a career road map, Archimedes’ lever, and the Star Trek method for being perceived as a miracle worker. Although he’s enjoyed his career, Jeff isn’t ready to claim that he’s changed the world in any meaningful manner. Jeff points out that … Continue reading Episode 83 — Career Planning →

We talk with mechanical engineer Tim Quinn about advances being made in the world of photonics, wave–particle duality, and optical computing in this episode of The Engineering Commons. Carmen is pleased that Google Fiber is coming to his neighborhood. Our guest for this episode is Tim Quinn, a design engineer who works for Thorlabs in … Continue reading Episode 82 — Photonics →

Our conversation with mechanical engineer Jim Heilman delves into exciting advances being made with plastic materials, the types of molding equipment used to manufacture high-volume plastic parts, and whether or not the movie industry can be trusted to provide good career advice. Dustin Hoffman appeared in his first staring role as twenty-year old Benjamin Braddock … Continue reading Episode 81 — Plastics →

During this episode, we chat with researcher Jonathan Wai about the strong spatial skills exhibited by many engineers. We also discuss why standardized tests don’t measure spatial abilities, the manner in which highway clover leafs are designed, and how one particular co-host would go about reconfiguring his local deli counter. Adam describes the process of … Continue reading Episode 80 — Spatial Reasoning →