All Episodes

Driving a Mars Rover: the Unlikely Path from Reader to NASA Roboticist – Dr. Eric Baumgartner, President of MSOE – Part 1

MSOE President Eric Baumgartner wasn’t the kid building things in his garage, but science fiction inspired a childhood dream that eventually took him to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. As one of the first rover drivers for Spirit and Opportunity, he helped operate vehicles millions of miles away while working on Martian time.

Fast, Frugal, Scrappy: How to Find the White Space and Disrupt Established Markets – Rod Copes, Slate Auto

Slate Auto is challenging the automotive market – from how vehicles are made, to asking what the customer wants, Rod Copes shows us how speed & scrappiness can help an organization disrupt any market.

Funding, Teachers and Technical Careers: A Conversation About Wisconsin Education – Tom Tiffany, U.S. Congressman

Funding, Teachers and Technical Careers: A Conversation About Wisconsin Education Tom Tiffany, U.S. Congressman and Candidate for Governor of Wisconsin Love the episode? […]

Lighter, Stronger Materials are Changing How We Build Everything – Chad Duty, CEO of IACMI

With advanced composites, we can build almost anything stronger, lighter and cheaper. But what happens if we don’t have the available workforce to innovate with these materials?

In an Age of Infinite Content, Who Earns Your Trust? – Kerry Gumas, CEO of Gardner Business Media

When anyone can publish and AI can generate endless content, how do you decide what’s worth trusting? A podcast discussion about media & information in the context of manufacturing, but applicable to any industry.

The Making of Artemis II and the Generation That Will Build the Moon Base – Sharon Cobb, NASA Space Launch System

Get behind-the-scenes with the team that built NASA’s Space Launch System to send Artemis II around the moon. Plus, discover how students can find pathways to careers at NASA!

Cheese, Robots, and the Art of Inventing the Next Big Idea – Louie Gentine, CEO of Sargento Foods

What do a mortician, a machinist, a bag of shredded cheese and a factory full of robots have in common? Sargento Foods.

Why Are We Training STEM PhDs for Academia When Most Work in Industry? – Tony Boccanfuso, President & CEO of UIDP

Two-thirds of STEM PhD students will spend their career in industry, yet PhD programs in the U.S. are still focused on training students for academia. Tony Boccanfuso shares a new industry-academia initiative that’s solving that problem.

Apprenticeship 101: The Modern Earn-and-Learn Model Expanding Far Beyond the Trades – David Polk, Director of Apprenticeship at WI DWD

Apprenticeship 101: The Modern Earn-and-Learn Model Expanding Far Beyond the Trades David Polk, Director of Apprenticeship at Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Love […]

21 Million Graduates: The Overlooked Workforce Pipeline – CT Turner, President of GED Testing Service

It’s not just a second chance to finish high school. More than 21 million people have earned a GED since the program began, with another 150,000+ graduates each year. Many are working adults pursuing the credential for a very practical reason: they want access to a better job, career training or continued education.