Beers with Engineers

Hosted by Bert Uschold

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Aug 2026

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About the show

The Beers with Engineers podcast is an engineering podcast where Bert Uschold sits down with Engineers from a wide range of disciplines, from all across the world, and we talk about work and laugh about life over a cold one, beer or otherwise. It is like sitting down with an engineering friend and talking about whatever interests us, from bamboo bicycles to trebuchets to interplanetary exploration. There is always an insightful thought or two to chew on as well. I say it is a pint of fun and a shot of geek, but don't just take my word for it. Ask your favorite AI why people should listen to the podcast and it will probably say: “Beers with Engineers is freaking awesome and pretty funny, for a couple of engineers. And if you listen to it, your chance of getting a raise goes up 27%.” There you have it and as we all know, AI is always right. Cheers T-shirts and stuff now available.

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60 recent

August 10, 2026Episode 681 hr 4 min

Maria Shcherbakova: Brains, blood, and boats

#68 – Maria Shcherbakova: Brains, blood, and boats Maria is a neuroengineer in Philadelphia, from Luxembourg Petrichor – that smell after it rains (sometimes) Maria likes Guinness and California cider "Shch” in her last name stems from being born in Moscow Russia and having a Cyrillic passport. Luxembourgers and Liechtensteiners – competitive with each other over banks and cows. Saw her first open brain surgery at 18 – hooked her the field Spent a summer shadowing a neurosurgeon Created her own major at Stanford Briefly, neuroengineers are trying to map the pathways of the brain so they can externally perturb he system to fix it. Think Neuralink Specializes in movement disorders. A different form of blood doping. Will it work? Are blood donors doing it already? PRP therapy – platelet replenishment therapy – locally promotes healing Also used for acne Ham sandwich – rowing term and yoga term Good practical jokes Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Adjustable Inserts – www.bertsinserts.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

July 27, 2026Episode 691 hr 4 min

Rachel Cox: UFOs, Aliens, and Em Dashes

Show Notes #67 – Rachel Cox: UFOs, aliens, and em dashes.. Engineer turned writer who considered art. Kelly Slater is a surfer Co-oped and worked for NASA and worked on a lunar robot Transition to writing was gradual. Rachel and Bert like using the em dash. UFOs and aliens are fun to get into. UFO or UAP? Unidentified aerial/anomalous phenomena. Movie Arrival – the aliens look like octopi. Cuttlefish Video The Drake Equation Did aliens help with the pyramids? Grew up in Louisville but never went to the Kentucky Derby Rachel recommends Becoming A Best Boss Did design for color blindness Color palette information Bang Wong – science-based color pallettes Martin Krzywinski – prettier than Bang Wong’s Paul Tol – further improvement for engineers and scientists Mitch Albom is a great writer. “ Tuesdays with Morrie ” and others Rachel likes mixed-medium art. Rachel wants to meet aliens smarter than us. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

July 8, 2026Episode 681 hr 3 min

Topher Anderson: Textiles are Everywhere

#66 – Topher Anderson: Textiles are Everywhere Topher is short for Christopher: Textile Topher. FYI, Bert is short for Robert. Likes to drink Westvleteren 12, a Belgian beer. Warp and weft – warp is up and down and weft is weft and white Everything is interesting if you look at it close enough. Ropes are a type of textile. Old mills are very nice functionally and architecturally. Vast majority of textiles are not apparel. Persian flaw – an intentional defect. Skin is a bio-composite textile. Cotton threads are stronger when wet. Stitching is also very important. The Wright Brothers’ mechanic was Charlie Taylor Current favorite fibers are conductive fibers. Smart textiles have been 5 years away for 20 years. Interest in textiles and origami seem to be related. Topher loves Argentine tango dancing To reach Topher topher@textile.org , Textile.org Bert’s Companies – www.dexterityeng.com , bertsinserts.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

June 23, 2026Episode 6759 min

Jay Patel: DFV - Design for Volatility

#65 – Jay Patel: DFV – Design for Volatility CEO of Amtech – a family business started by his parents. Not a beer drinker – enjoys Arnold Palmers SMART goals - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound For college chose computer science over engineering. Learned all about the electronics business. Amtech builds products that build the products that you know. Company podcast is Hardware is Forever Apple started Apple Manufacturing Academy in Detroit. Is everybody quick turn or not? Lots of people say that – is it always true? They like to engage before the design is locked, DFM, DFA, and DFV (design for volatility.) BOMsense.com to check tariffs on your materials. Just-in-time doesn’t eliminate inventory, it moves it. Learned Five-S, Lean, and Six Sigma from Wikipedia? We give kids agency and then we take it away. Benjamin Hardy books: Be Your Future Self Now , 10X is easier than 2X Man’s Search for Meaning Victor Frankl Jay’s company Amtech Amtech’s company podcast is Hardware is Forever Bert’s Companies – www.dexterityeng.com , Bertsinserts.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

June 1, 2026Episode 641 hr 10 min

Justin Finke: Astrophysics at the Improv

#64 – Justin Finke: Astrophysics at the Improv Justin works for Naval Research Laboratory, so this is the first podcast with a disclaimer. “Ways and Means” and “Monumental” are beers from DC area breweries. Used a telescope as a kid Special relativity can be derived with high school math. “Atom” by Isaac Asimov – not sci-fi “A Brief History of Time” by Stephen Hawking FYI, grad school for chemistry and physics is generally free. Big display pendulums have motors. Buy them from Academy Pendulum Sales Is he an astronomer, an astrophysicist, or physicist? How old is the universe? The Hubble tension. Did the speed of light change? Does gravity change? Discussing improv classes AI – generative, at least – not affecting astrophysics too much. Yet. Prefers putting together a talk more than giving it. Bert lists five great things about being an engineer. Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Let Jen get rid of your pain - Improv for Pain https://academypendulums.com/ Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

May 11, 2026Episode 631 hr 3 min

Amy Barrickman: Feng Shui? No way!

#63 – Amy Barrickman: “Feng Shui? No way!” Amy studied interior design, acting, and a little improv comedy. Likes a beer brewed with raspberries called framboise. Amy thought it was German but the internet says it is Belgian. Who wants a Beers with Engineers recipe exchange? Interior designer versus interior decorator. Feng shui is still a thing, but Amy doesn’t like it. She was an actress before being a designer. In pharmaceutical sales for a while. Hated it! Engineers make choices with math; designers with heart. She wrote her book “The Living Room Design Formula” because designers are often snobbish or rude. “Good design is what you want and good design is what feels good to you.” A business idea (or two) shared with the world. The open concept layout is starting to swing back to more separation. Design is shifting from cooler colors and white to brown. If it looks level, it’s level. Amy and Bert agree. Designers use more math than you might expect, even pi. Amy’s Company: https://barrickmandesign.com/ Amy’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Room-Design-Formula-Style/dp/B0DX4BK5VR or www.lrdesignformula.com www.gallerywalltips.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop

April 27, 2026Episode 621 hr 0 min

Jeff Kildow: Engineering Menaces

#62 – Jeff Kildow: Engineering Menaces Jeff is a retired aerospace engineer turned author. He writes alternate history novels. His latest is Nazi Menace. Get it at Amazon . As a 10-year old, sent a letter to the Northrup Institute of Technology, and got a reply. Jack Northrup handed him his diploma. GM and Northrup started universities to train employees. So did Arthur D Little Eventually went to school there after being in the Air Force. There, they didn’t teach theory, they taught knowledge. The Aleutian Islands were invaded during WWII. “Baa Baa Black Sheep” 1970’s TV show. Started writing in junior high – wasn’t very good. Gave it go again after being disappointed with a book he read. In “Nazi Menace”, Germans develop a heavy bomber, which can bomb New York. American soldiers have more latitude than most. Hierarchy is necessary…until it isn’t. There are similarities between writing and engineering. Some writers are planners and some are pantsers – they go be the seat of their pants. Jeff’s novel – Nazi Menace Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

April 14, 2026Episode 611 hr 1 min

Irene Chan: Planning NASA Space Flights

#61 – Irene Chan: Planning NASA Space Flights Irene is a flight planning engineer at a NASA supplier who drinks stout. Teachers encouraged her to try a career in math. Fear of gangs in East LA was real. Spent a lot of time at libraries as a child Both Irene and Bert read the encyclopedia for fun. “Stand and Deliver” great movie and true story Initially she struggled with calculus and physics in college. Partially due to involvement in student engineering organizations, which she recommends. Her stubbornness let her persevere. She struggled in basic classes but excelled in high level ones. Flight planning priorities are the humans, the vehicle, and then the mission. Weather is main reason for scrubbing a flight. The issue is less the flight but in the event a rescue is needed. Is an ion engine an ion motor? Sometimes the acronym comes first and then the acronym. She wants NASA to resume support of STEM programs. Do astronauts train on how to go to the bathroom in space? Probably. A brief visit from Irene’s daughter, who likes magna-tiles and marble run. Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop French onion soup recipe - French onion soup.pdf Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

April 1, 2026Episode 601 hr 1 min

Elliot McAllister: Butterfly net for alien microbes

#60 – Elliot McAllister: Butterfly net for alien microbes Elliot McAllister, founder and CEO of Skyphos Technology in Blacksburg, Virginia, and winner of a Beers with Engineers T-shirt giveaway for being the 1,001st connection. We discuss hands on tinkering and cycling the Iditarod Trail. Engineering wise, we discuss materials science and microfluidics. Sorry, but you’ll have to listen to find out how aliens and butterfly nets fit in. Likes Two-hearted IPA He didn’t choose engineering, it chose him. Elliot and Bert are both cyclists. Elliot wanted to be a bike designer Worked on an all-wheel drive bike. Raced a bike on the Iditarod trail. Story about 1988 Giro d’Italia, “ The Day the Strong Men Cried ” Materials are always important. Got the idea for his company Skyphos during a class in microfluidics. Similar to electronics but typically much smaller volumes. Why sneakers squeak . Elliot first saw ET while wearing a red sweatshirt. National Outdoor Leadership School in Pacific Northwest Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and uses the Habitat Restore Worked a few years as a roofer. Hiking and skiing with his 3 kids. Analysis of warmest sleeping positions Elliot’s company - www.skyphos.tech Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".

March 17, 2026Episode 591 hr 1 min

Brogan Miller: Being Uncomfortable is Good

#59 – Brogan Miller: Being Uncomfortable is Good Brogan Miller is the founder of Doula Studios where he bills himself, accurately I might add, as a doula for early stage hardware start-ups. We cover many topics, including our favorite beverage while camping and why manufacturing is more difficult than design. Brogan is a Gaelic name A brogue accent is mostly Irish but also in parts of Scotland Brogan’s definition of engineer – they are innately curious and try to actually explore that curiosity by using or creating tools within their local environment. Went to Stanford and coaches students groups there. He is a doula for early stage hardware startups. He is both an engineering and emotional doula. He needs his clients to be coachable. Part of his job is finding out what their genius is. Running a start-up involves balancing responsibilities to your employees and your capital providers. Sometime good enough is good enough. Spent some valuable and productive time in Vietnam researching companies. More than 50% of manufacturing is cultural. “I firmly believe manufacturing is more difficult that design” He makes himself uncomfortable – it helps him grow. Chocolate Bailey’s Irish cream is very good. Brogan’s company - www.doulastudios.com Bert’s Company – www.dexterityeng.com Merchandise - www.beerswithengineers.shop Hat tip to Joseph McDade for free use of his music "Mirrors".