Rossin Connection: Lehigh University Engineering

Hosted by Lehigh University - College of Engineering

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Latest episode

May 2025

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About the show

Rossin Connection is a podcast about all things Lehigh Engineering, and comes to you from the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science at Lehigh University. It's a show for students, alumni, faculty, and staff—current, former, and future—and for anyone interested in the many creative ways that engineers are solving the world’s problems.

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31 recent

May 8, 2025Episode 3111 min

Lehigh Engineering: What's your why? with Prof. Dhruv Seshadri

When Dhruv Seshadri hires a student, he doesn’t care about their GPA. He wants to know their why, that intangible thing that fuels their passion and stokes their curiosity and drive to solve real world problems. For Seshadri, an assistant professor of bioengineering who works with wearable devices to improve patient outcomes, the why is personal.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk to us @RossinPodcast.

January 21, 2025Episode 3017 min

Lehigh’s STEM Squad: Helping kids discover the wonder of engineering

Chayah Wilburs has a knack for getting young kids excited about all things engineering. She’s the program manager for the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, and the head of the college’s newest outreach initiative, the STEM Squad. In this episode, Chayah talks about how she turns preschoolers into little coders, gets middle schoolers amped up about careers in space, and how she’s helping Lehigh students develop educational tools that will help local teachers meet new requirements in STEM education. Plus, you’ll hear from Lehigh faculty who bring their research into area schools and science fairs, and a sixth-grade science educator who sees huge potential in having Lehigh students visit his classroom.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk to us @RossinPodcast.

September 10, 2024Episode 2918 min

Lehigh Engineering: Engineering for the real world

Her focus is on fundamental science, but everything Whitney Blocher McTigue does in the lab is aimed towards applications in the real world. As an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, Blocher McTigue is working toward a future where innovative wound care and shelf-stable medicine lead to healthier lives. And for her, the drive to make that happen is personal. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

April 11, 2024Episode 289 min

Lehigh Engineering: Making the Internet a Safer Place with Prof. Dominic DiFranzo

Like a lot of kids, Dominic DiFranzo spent loads of time on the internet when he was growing up. It was where he could connect with other people who shared his passion for “nerdy things” like science fiction and Japanese anime. Pretty soon, the web itself captivated him–how it worked technologically, and eventually, how people built online communities. Today, he researches how to make the internet more “pro-social,” and a safer space for kids, older adults, and really, for all of us. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

October 31, 2023Episode 2712 min

Lehigh Engineering: Towards a More Resilient Energy Future with Prof. Javad Khazaei

Javad Khazaei came to the U.S from Iran. He was the first member of his family to leave the country, and at first, the transition was a tough one. But he pushed through what he calls, “the challenge that every international student has to overcome.” Today, he’s an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. In this episode, he talks about an influential trip he took as a kid with his dad, how the encouraging words of his advisor changed the course of his career, and how his research will help make our power system more robust–and will contribute to the global effort to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

July 12, 2023Episode 2614 min

Lehigh Engineering: The "Holy Grail" of Materials with Prof. Siddha Pimputkar

Growing up, Siddha Pimputkar spent summers at his grandparents’ house, which meant spending lots of time figuring out how to maintain an old house and a large garden. That love of problem solving stayed with him, and he eventually turned it into a career in materials science, a discipline that, he says, connects to all the others in some shape or form. Today, he’s researching a novel method of growing cubic boron nitride, a material that has the potential to–among other things–solve the very big problem of energy efficiency in electronics, and in the grid itself. It’s so promising, he often calls it the “holy grail” of materials.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

January 24, 2023Episode 2534 min

Lehigh Engineering: Smart Water Systems with Prof. Farrah Moazeni

When Farrah Moazeni started out as a chemical engineering student in Iran, she figured she’d end up working for her country’s petrochemical industry. But the environmental impacts of the business made her change course. She came to the U.S. to study renewable energy and got her PhD in civil engineering. After an invaluable (and memorable!) experience working in industry, she came to Lehigh where she’s now an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering researching ways to make smart water systems safer and more efficient. In this episode, she talks about working toward equitable access to resources like water, what it was like leaving everything she knew behind in Iran, how she pushed through when things got tough–and how she’s helping her own international students do the same. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast

December 5, 2022Episode 2428 min

Lehigh Engineering: Combating Antibiotic Resistance with Prof. Angela Brown

According to the Centers for Disease Control, antibiotic resistance is a global public health threat that was associated with nearly 5 million deaths worldwide in 2019. In this episode, associate professor Angela Brown explains why these powerful, important drugs can also do harm, how her research has influenced how and when she takes them, and the work her lab is doing to develop new strategies to fight bacterial infections. We also learn why she never intended to become an engineer in the first place, why she calls bacteria “amazing,” and the surprising part of her job that she loves (ok, and sometimes hates) the most.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

November 9, 2022Episode 2327 min

Lehigh Engineering: The Fluid Mechanics of Fish Schools with Prof. Keith Moored

It's really, really hard to make something swim like a fish. But understanding just how these animals move can help in a range of applications–from the design of renewable energy devices, to underwater vehicles, and forecasting the impact of climate change on fish populations. In this episode, associate professor of mechanical engineering Keith Moored talks about how his childhood love of the ocean led him to diving with manta rays as a grad student, and eventually to a career researching bio-inspired locomotion, specifically, the fluid mechanics of fish swimming.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

July 5, 2022Episode 2212 min

Lehigh Engineering: The "Magic" of Materials Science with Prof. Nick Strandwitz

Chances are, you’ve never given much (if any!) thought to the films that coat things like your phone charger. But without them–and without their exact dimensions of thickness and hardness–the technology we rely on every day would be useless. In this episode, associate professor Nick Strandwitz explains what he calls the “magic” of atomic layer deposition, a thin film growth technique that, among many other things, helps our computers and smartphones do what they do–and do it fast. He also talks about what makes the discipline of materials science particularly satisfying.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.