Being an Engineer

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Mark Farber has worked as a physician consultant helping medical device manufacturers develop their products for over 20 years. He is Chief surgeon within the Division of Vascular Surgery at the University of North Carolina (or UNC for short), Program Director of the Vascular Surgery Fellowship, and a Professor of Surgery at the UNC School of Medicine. Join our conversation in...

Send us Fan Mail Filip Valica is a mechanical engineer, product line manager, and former co-host of another wonderful podcast you should know about called The Product Startup podcast, where they specialize in talking about taking ideas from invention to shelves. Filip no longer co-hosts the podcast, because he sold it, but he shared valuable insights from his personal experiences interviewing doze...

Send us Fan Mail Chris has worked in medical devices for most of his career, much of which has been spent managing and leading engineering teams. He has a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue and has helped commercialize over a dozen products from the ideation stage, many of which being multimillion dollar projects that lasted several years each.  The Being An Engineer podcast is brought t...

Send us Fan Mail Thomas Rinaldi is an architectural designer. He has degrees from Georgetown and Columbia Universities and has written several architecture books and his photographs have been published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and New York Post. He has lectured widely, including at the New York Public Library and the Society of Architectural Historians. Book link: Patented: 1,000...

Send us Fan Mail Johno is an Experienced Design Engineer with over 100 satisfied freelance clients. He does freelance design and specializes in Solidworks, 3D CAD. He was born in Yorkshire, England and trained as helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force. Following this he studied Sustainable Product Design, before driving a London Black Cab around the world, setting two Guinness World Records. He c...

Send us Fan Mail William is an applications scientist at Shimadzu where they provide analytical measurement and testing instrumentation for various industries including foods, pharmaceuticals, life science, environmental, clinical, material science, and forensics. Ever wondered how some of these instruments work? How does X-ray fluorescence characterize a material? How do medical device OEMs know...

Send us Fan Mail Chris has spent his career solving problems in the oil and gas industry. His company, ADV Integrity , builds and performs testing on large diameter pipelines (sometimes placing millions of foot pounds of torque in bending tests). Along with running, reading, and podcasting Chris has learned to navigate the business element of engineering along with the technical side of the indust...

Send us Fan Mail Mark began his career as a machinist and counts that role as one of the most important experiences he has had in becoming an engineer. Likely in no small part due to that time of his life, Mark as an empathy & appreciation for the machinists and the builders of our engineering world that is taken for granted by so many of us. Listen to this episode to hear our conversation abo...

Send us Fan Mail Brian claims that he isn’t a superstar engineer – we don’t know about that, but what was clear from his interview was that he most certainly is a superstar people person. Brian gets people. He knows how to communicate with them. He knows how to mentor them. He knows how to motivate them. Consider this episode a master class in people skills and emotional intelligence.  The Being A...

Send us Fan Mail Joe Moak shares his experience with the podcast working at high-profile companies such as Apple & Sonos, and also gives us a glimpse into “the best place he has ever worked” ( Maestro PD ). Companies are always looking for those elusive “A” players to join their teams, and it is very clear that Joe qualifies under that definition. Check out this wide-ranging discussion from wh...

Send us Fan Mail Despite his many years of experience in engineering and engineering leadership roles, Jeff Perry had reached a point in his career where he just wasn’t feeling the motivation he knew he should be. After some soul searching and advice from his wife, he decided to start More Than Engineering, a coaching service aimed at engineers and technology professionals. Since then he has been...

Send us Fan Mail Nick grew up building tube radios and cars – it’s no wonder he became an engineer. In high school be completely rebuilt a 2001 Dodge Dakota, before that he had an eBay store building tube radios.  Never the analytical-type engineer, Nick loves getting his hands dirty and is at his best when thrust into a chaotic environment where things need to happen quickly without the support o...

Send us Fan Mail Russell, Alex, and Dylan all love science, and they all love comedy. Hence, Science! The Show was born. They’ve been promoting scientific literacy for over three years now through their show, sharing subject matter from dark matter to cognitive psychology. Check out their Facebook page for links to videos on YouTube and other information about their show. The Being An Engineer pod...

Send us Fan Mail Robert grew up thinking he wasn’t any good at math. He would do anything to avoid further exposure to mathematics curriculum from grade school all the way through high school. Then one professor drew a picture, paired it with y=x^2, and changed everything for Robert. In the course of a few weeks he began truly understanding math for the first time, and decided he could, in fact, b...

Send us Fan Mail I first found James on his personal website and immediately realized this is an engineer who truly loves design. Why else would one spend the countless hours of personal time required to design one’s own, teenage mutant ninja turtle action figures , GameBoy cartridge cases , and, of course, the infamous Robo kitty . A few years ago I invited James to lunch and we’ve kept in touch...

Send us Fan Mail Nate has a disarming way about him. You’ll hear it in the interview. It’s a big part of why he has been able to create such a safe environment for his team to operate in, both from a physical standpoint as well as a psychological standpoint. From his role as a new product introduction manager to his side hustle handmaking artisanal cutlery at Blue Collar Blades , the care and atte...

Send us Fan Mail Guna has worked in academia for over 30 years. Though not always a popular topic within the academic community, Guna has pushed for curriculum that includes more relevant learning objectives, often drawing from feedback from professionals working in industry for inspiration. Having worked in industry himself before beginning his academic career, Guna understands the importance for...

Send us Fan Mail Tracy is a Flight Systems Engineer working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Over her 20-year career, she has helped to develop, test and operate a variety of robotic spacecraft to explore our Solar System. A life-long learner herself, she loves encouraging people of all ages to nurture their curiosity and explore the wonders that are all around us every day. Update - Tracy as...

Send us Fan Mail I.T. grew up in Nigeria solving problems such as having to plan for getting water, and only having access to electricity during certain times of the day. Coupled with a rigorous educational system, it’s no wonder this environment helped him become the insightful problem solver (engineer) we hear from on this episode. From fixing broken fuses in TVs to qualifying process performanc...

Send us Fan Mail Phnam grew up in France, became an industrial designer, and eventually moved to the United States to pursue her career. She is a designer in the truest sense, having a mastery over topics such as color, material, form, & texture. What makes her so valuable to product & engineering teams, though, is not simply her mastery over these subjects, but her ability to understand t...

Send us Fan Mail Six months after graduating with his degree in industrial design Ryan Eder entered his senior thesis project, a novel piece of fitness equipment, into the International Design Excellence competition, along with 1700 other entries from 35 countries. And then he won. That begun the journey that has taken him (and his company IncludeHealth ) from a beautifully designed piece of hardw...

Send us Fan Mail Over his 40 year tenure working at Battelle , Bill has worked on a multitude of different projects, been named on dozens of patents, and developed skills using a wealth of design tools. In the process he has been named inventor of the year (2013) and a Battelle Distinguished Inventor. Join us during our conversation as we discuss what one learns working 40 years at the same compan...

Send us Fan Mail Liz may have ended up an interior designer had it not been for a suggestion from her high school math teacher that she check out engineering, which has ended up being a perfect fit for her personality and innate skills. Join us as we talk about a wide range of subjects from how animal testing lead her to becoming a vegetarian to the most important skills for engineers and many top...

Send us Fan Mail Work/life balance is a big topic these days, and for good reason. We need balance in our lives. However, can this focus sometimes obscure the fact that sometimes we just need to put in the hours and get things done, even if it’s after 5pm? Paxson Matthews demonstrates this ethic especially well as he shares his background with us, including how he coped with and has found solution...

Send us Fan Mail Darin has been an application engineer supporting SolidWorks users since 1997, and as a result has a plethora of experience and practical tips for using the software. He is also a prolific content creator who has found innovative ways of not only showcasing the value of the software, but how it can be implemented in users personal lives, as well. After his company was acquired by...