Engineering Out Loud

May 06 2024 76 ep. 18 mins 247

Engineering Out Loud Podcast artwork

From the College of Engineering at Oregon State University, this is "Engineering Out Loud"—a podcast telling the stories of how our research and innovation here are helping change the world out there.

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How will the Klamath River transform? S14E2

May 06 2024 23 mins

The removal of four dams from the Klamath River was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to capture the interplay of science, engineering, and culture. Desirée Tullos, professor of water resources engineering at Oregon State University assembled a collaborative team that unites Western science and traditional ecological knowledge of Indigenous people. BONUS CONTENT: What it Tak

What is behind the Klamath dam removals? S14E1

Apr 03 2024 13 mins

This is a historic year on the Klamath River, where the biggest dam removal in the U.S. is underway. The hope for the monumental engineering project is that it will restore some balance to a damaged ecological system. We hear from Mark Bransom, who is overseeing the demolition and restoration, about why and how it’s happening and some of the challenges of the project. Bonus conte

NEWS: How many robots can a single human supervise? S13E1

Dec 20 2023 26 mins

Will swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles be able to aid humans in wildland firefighting or package delivery? Research summarized in a new paper in Field Robotics represents a big step towards realizing such a future. In this interview, Professor Julie A. Adams describes the research showing that one person can supervise more than 100 autonomous ground and aerial robots.

Graduation day, S12E4

Mar 28 2023 20 mins

The final episode of the season occupies a time of transition, as spinoff company Espiku ramps up. We get an update on two systems that received patents and a third that could provide an environmentally benign technology for extracting lithium. We also hear from four graduating students who reflect on their experiences. Bonus content: Tapping technology to ensure the world has e

And so, it flows, S12E3

Mar 21 2023 15 mins

The pandemic didn’t stop Bahman Abbasi’s desalination research. In this third episode, we learn about the successful lab-scale demonstration of his team’s technology and the next steps toward its commercialization. Plus, the team takes on a new project to clean up wastewater from oil and gas production. Bonus content: Espiku, OSU spin-off company Turning freshwater into

Building the foundation, S12E2

Mar 14 2023 13 mins

In the second episode of this four-part season, we travel to Bend, Oregon to visit the Water and Energy Technologies Laboratory and meet the team that is inventing a new technology to desalinate water. Bahman Abbassi, associate professor of mechanical engineering, talks about building the lab from the ground up, and graduate student Mohammed Elhashimi demonstrates their system to d

Turning seawater into sweet water, S12E1

Mar 07 2023 16 mins

Can turning seawater into drinking water be a cost-effective way to provide clean, fresh water for the growing numbers of people facing water scarcity? Bahman Abbasi, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is taking up that challenge with a mobile, modular, solar-powered, desalination system. This is the first episode in a four-part season. Bonus content OSU-Cascades re

Preparing for nature’s worst, S11E8

Mar 29 2022 26 mins

What is Oregon doing to prepare for earthquakes, tsunamis, and wildfire? Researchers at Oregon State University are working with the state Legislature to help them make informed decisions about how to prepare for natural hazards. BONUS CONTENT: “A Song for Japan” project Japan 2011 Earthquake Japan quake: Infrastructure damage will delay recovery. BBC News, March 17, 2011

Dune erosion solutions, S11E7

Jan 25 2022 25 mins

Can plants fortify Oregon’s coastal dunes against storm surge? Meagan Wengrove, assistant professor of coastal and ocean engineering, built scale versions of dunes in one of the world’s largest wave flumes to find out. BONUS CONTENT: Protecting coastal regions with natural defenses New faculty members bring expertise in wave energy, structural and coastal engineering Four C

RAPID reconnaissance: Capturing data in the aftermath of a disaster, S11E6

Nov 30 2021 15 mins

After a major disaster, hidden amid the rubble and debris are precious clues about the extreme forcesstructures were subjected to, and exactly what caused them to fail. How can researchers collect this perishable data before it’s swept away? Michael Olsen, professor of geomatics and technical director of the NHERI RAPID Facility, talks about a major effort to get crucial technolo