Young scientist Matteo Paz made a big discovery in high school, one that astronomers and astrophysicists can use in their research. Paz developed a new AI algorithm that allowed him to detect more than a million undiscovered objects in outer space. His research landed him first place at the 2025 Regeneron Science Talent Search, which comes with a $250,000 cash prize. In this episode, Paz discusses his project and how both a mentor and motivation inspired him to learn and innovate. Matte...

The U.S. workforce landscape is changing as technologies advance and Artificial Intelligence continues to impact job and education territories. The education technology company, YouScience, is keeping up with the times, guiding students on how to prepare for college and advanced careers, while re-skilling and up-skilling a workforce for industries needing to fill jobs. On this episode, YouScience Co-founder Edson Barton and Joseph Watt, Vice President of ECMC Group, discuss how the two organi...

Utah is entering a new era of battery powered air travel with electric air taxis expected to take to the skies in the next few years. In this episode, we join the launch of Project Alta, known as Air Logistics Transportation Alliance, a partnership between Utah aerospace industry organization 47G and aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies. Guests Emma Davis, a flight test engineer with Beta Technologies and Utah Senator Chris Wilson discuss the new aircraft and the future of electric a...

Hydrogen energy systems can provide clean, efficient and reliable power with the potential to reshape the U.S. power generation structure. On this episode, guest Joseph Hartvigsen, founder of OxEon Energy, tells his story of how he got his start from driving a tractor on his family’s farm and flying a crop plane to becoming a leader in the hydrogen energy industry while also contributing to outer space missions. Joseph Hartvigsen, founder and Chief Executive Officer of OxEon Energy, gre...

Sophia Zhang and Dalia Habib want to make the world a better place and they are already being recognized for their work. On this episode they discuss their Thermo Fisher JIC, a program of Society for Science, projects that tackle water conservation and biofuels. Sophia Yuxin Zhang is a competitive chess player and has been listed in the top 100 Women and Girls Player lists by the US Chess Federation. She’s also a competitive swimmer. “I love the feeling of challenging myself by pursuing...

In this special episode of How'd You Think of That, Temple Grandin talks with two winners of the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair - Natasha Kulviwat (Jericho High School, NY) and Saathvik Kannan (Hickman High School, MO) about their projects and the experience that lead them to STEM. Natasha and Saathvik both took unconventional paths that ultimately led them to their dream research projects. In this episode they share their novel approaches towards a career in STEM....

Matthew Wappett is executive director of the Utah State University Institute for Disability, Research, Policy, and Practice. Grandin and Wappett discuss the institute's accomplishments and ongoing efforts to create a more inclusive society and education system.

Dr. Tess Guy recently moved from Salt Lake City and is excited to be back near the ocean. She did her undergraduate degree at the University of California, San Diego, and has spent the last 18 years in Utah waiting for a chance to get back to sea level. Tess graduated with her DVM from Washington State University/Utah State University in 2021. This is her second career after spending 10+ years as an environmental research chemist. Her special interests include radiology, sports medicine and o...

In this episode of How’d You of That, Grandin and Streb illuminate the process of machinery design and how it inspires dreams and brings out skills and innovations. They also share their insights on how to open doors to careers and opportunities. MacArthur “Genius” Award-winner, Elizabeth Streb has dived through glass, allowed a ton of dirt to fall on her head, walked down (the outside of) London’s City Hall, and set herself on fire, among other feats of extreme action. Her popular boo...

In this conclusion of Maker space Gurus, Kathleen White and Mauro Devlin-Clancy discuss some of the challenges educators are facing in this new uncharted era of Chat GPT - and why maker spaces should be geared for everyone, from all backgrounds, genders and colors. Maura Devlin-Clancy is Coordinator of MakerSPHERE and Faculty in Computer Networking & Information Technology at City College of San Francisco. Her work focuses on hands-on teaching and learning strategies that support n...

U.S states face a shortage in qualified STEM/CTE instructors to effectively prepare high school and community college students for careers. Long-time educators Maura Devlin-Clancy and Kathleen White have developed Makerspace experiences and new ways of teaching to help recruit and grow a diverse teaching workforce. They join Temple Grandin to discuss their NSF funded project, Growing CTE/STEM Teachers. Maura Devlin-Clancy is Coordinator of MakerSPHERE and Faculty in Computer Networking ...

John Luft, Great Salt Lake Ecosystem Program Manager with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, talks to Temple Grandin about the Division’s longtime monitoring of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem and its successes working with the lake’s brine shrimp industry. They also discuss how one individual can set a cascade of positive environmental changes. John Luft, along with avian and aquatic biologists, have developed a partnership with the brine shrimp industry to monitor and manage the c...

Scientists Bonnie Baxter, Founder of Great Salt Lake Institute at Westminster College and Jaime Butler, Great Salt Lake 'Nerd', discuss the bounties and struggles of the Great Salt Lake. Dr. Baxter studies the photobiology of halophiles (salt-tolerant bacteria) and microbial diversity of Great Salt Lake (GSL)with her undergraduate students. She is interested in the astrobiology applications of extremely hypersaline ecosystems, in particular resistance to ultraviolet light and desiccation by...

On this episode, Grandin and Banfield discuss the importance of checking sources and designing scientific experiments that can be replicated. They also discuss the growing influence of AI on education and the increasing value of hands-on learning with projects like GRRATE (Guitars, Robotics, Rocketry Advanced Technical Education). Shellie Banfield is the Director of the Davis and Perry Center, Principal Investigator for GRRATE Grant (Guitars, Robotics, Rocketry Advanced Technical...

Observation tools like the Hubble and James Webb telescopes have fueled deeper explorations of the universe. In this episode, NASA’s James Webb Telescope discoveries and implications for STEM education and technology. And what comes next, the search for habitable planets. Joining us is Dr. Mark Clampin, astrophysics division director at NASA’s headquarters in Washington DC. Dr. Mark Clampin is the Astrophysics Division Director in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquart...

Carel Brest Van Kempen is an internationally recognized wildlife artist and has won numerous awards of excellence. He depicts seldom illustrated species in extremely detailed works that tell a story about our natural world. He is also the author and illustrator of Rigor Vitae: Life Unyielding, and illustrator of many other books including Biology of Gila Monsters, and Dinosaurs of Utah. In this episode, Brest Van Kempen and Grandin blend art, science, ecology and education. As a result,...

Miklos is the Executive Director of the Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor. He started his career in education by teaching high school teachers to clone genes and started the Learning Center in 1988. His book DNA Science was published in 1990 and he won the Charles A. Dana Award. Now he blends his worlds of biology, journalism, education and the social sciences to design modern DNA experiments for teachers, parents and young people.

The story of North America's first vertical hydroponic greenhouse that not only grows vegetables, but people's abilities too. An accomplished architect by training, Nona Yehia pioneered a way to feed an entire community with fresh produce, while also providing employment for people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities. She accomplished this alongside her co-founder Caroline Croft-Estay. Yehia conceived the company based on her experiences growing up with a brother with deve...

Temple Grandin talks to cybersecurity expert Dr. Diego Tibaquirá about the increasing demand to fill cybersecurity jobs and the challenges of balancing cyber security and convenience in a digital world filled with hackers. Dr. Diego Tibaquirá is a professor of computer science with a focus on cybersecurity and cloud computing at Miami Dade College. His experience in the field includes working for the Federal Government in Washington, DC as an Information Security Specialis...

Sara Freeman, an Assistant Professor Neurobiology, studies the biological underpinnings of social behavior and monogamy. Studying social behavior in a variety of species helps scientists better understand the core of the social brain, and how neurological circuits work for humans. She is currently working on studies to decipher how the hormones of the brain, like oxytocin, may vary in neurodivergent individuals. This episode concludes Series One of How'd You Think of That? with Temple Grandi...