ASME TechCast

Sara Hendren, associate professor of arts, humanities and design at Olin College of Engineering discusses the importance of keeping engineering students engaged in social and ethical issues throughout their education.

Paul Fakes, director of ASME's government relations education and outreach programs, talks about engineering and science policy in a new Congress.

It’s been quite a year, and technology has been part of the headlines all 12 months. Listen as Mechanical Engineering magazine’s Jeffrey Winters and John Kosowatz discuss their top engineering stories on 2022 in this special edition of ASME TechCast.

An electrical grid reliant on renewable power will require building new transmission, distribution, and storage capability, often in places that have layers of existing infrastructure. Nabil Hitti, the vice president of U.S. Offshore Wind for National Grid Ventures, talks about the enormous promise of offshore wind power in the New York region and the challenge of building the energy infrastructure to support it.

David Wrenn, the SpinLaunch's head of engineering, talks about the novel kinetic system developed to hurl satellites into space.

Beyond Precision Agriculture

The climate impact of long-distance air travel is more substantial than most people realize. But the power requirements of jetliners are difficult—if not impossible—to meet without resorting to kerosene-based jet fuel. Writer Michael Abrams discusses the paths that researchers and entrepreneurs are exploring to develop a greener form of aviation and describes some fixes that could reduce the warming potential of flying.  

As more people around the world move from the countryside to cities, the climate effects of urbanization become increasingly important. One of these is the urban heat island effect, where unshaded concrete and asphalt absorb sunlight and radiate heat, warming the surrounding areas by several degrees. Moncef Krarti, a professor at the University of Colorado and an expert on urban heat islands, discusses steps that cities can take to turn down the heat on their microclimates.

Rockwell Automation’s John Miles talks about electric vehicles and how to charge them, along with upskilling the current workforce.

Greg Boerschig heads TVA’s Clinch River nuclear project. He talks about TVA’s nuclear options and the development of small modular nuclear reactors.