Exploring the boundaries of engineering & design

Discover the dangers of overfitting in engineering design and everyday life! From "lucky" paperclips and Thanos's flawed logic to Clippy's demise, learn how optimizing too narrowly can lead to unexpected failures. Mark McDonald reveals why robust solutions require simplification and real-world validation, avoiding the perils of over-optimization.

Ansel Adams's iconic landscapes weren't just pretty pictures; they were masterworks of design. This article reveals how Adams's revolutionary principles—from empathy to composition and vision-driven innovation—offer invaluable lessons for engineers seeking to craft impactful solutions.

Explore the science and engineering behind captivating fireworks displays. From their historical origins to cutting-edge innovations, learn how customizable shells create the brilliant colors, sounds, and patterns that light up our celebrations.

Journey to Cambodia with Dr. John Salmon to discover the krama, a traditional Cambodian scarf, and its surprising versatility. Learn how this single item, rich in cultural meaning, offers a variety of practical uses, from sun protection to carrying essentials. Explore how the power of design blends beauty, meaning, and utility.

BYU's Capstone Program reveals how thoughtful design transforms ideas into impactful realities. Learn 14 principles for product designers to create solutions that exceed expectations, from decoding customer needs and embracing systems thinking to iterating early, guarding against scope creep, and designing for manufacturability.

Flight! People have wondered about it since the beginning of time. Paul MacCready was one of those people deeply interested in flight. What follows is a story of Paul MacCready, and what we can learn from him in the engineering design process.

If you’re like me, you might find yourself yearning to be a better designer but not sure where to start! I’d like to share with you some mindsets and actionable exercises we can use to grow in our design strength. 

Learn from Dr. David Parsi, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. from Brigham Young University, as he discusses his research on overcoming technical challenges in reconfigurable radio frequency instruments. He emphasizes core engineering principles such as intuition, strategic experimentation, and efficient research methodologies. Dr. Parsi's journey showcases how interdisciplinary training and a problem-solving mindset can lead to significant advancements.

Natural problems make your work challenging—and valuable. But many of the headaches in engineering and design come from mistakes we create ourselves. In this article, Dr. Chris Mattson shares how to spot and eliminate self-induced problems to work smarter, not harder.

Discover the dangers of overfitting in engineering design and everyday life! From "lucky" paperclips and Thanos's flawed logic to Clippy's demise, learn how optimizing too narrowly can lead to unexpected failures. Mark McDonald reveals why robust solutions require simplification and real-world validation, avoiding the perils of over-optimization.

Ansel Adams's iconic landscapes weren't just pretty pictures; they were masterworks of design. This article reveals how Adams's revolutionary principles—from empathy to composition and vision-driven innovation—offer invaluable lessons for engineers seeking to craft impactful solutions.

Explore the science and engineering behind captivating fireworks displays. From their historical origins to cutting-edge innovations, learn how customizable shells create the brilliant colors, sounds, and patterns that light up our celebrations.

Journey to Cambodia with Dr. John Salmon to discover the krama, a traditional Cambodian scarf, and its surprising versatility. Learn how this single item, rich in cultural meaning, offers a variety of practical uses, from sun protection to carrying essentials. Explore how the power of design blends beauty, meaning, and utility.

BYU's Capstone Program reveals how thoughtful design transforms ideas into impactful realities. Learn 14 principles for product designers to create solutions that exceed expectations, from decoding customer needs and embracing systems thinking to iterating early, guarding against scope creep, and designing for manufacturability.

Flight! People have wondered about it since the beginning of time. Paul MacCready was one of those people deeply interested in flight. What follows is a story of Paul MacCready, and what we can learn from him in the engineering design process.

If you’re like me, you might find yourself yearning to be a better designer but not sure where to start! I’d like to share with you some mindsets and actionable exercises we can use to grow in our design strength. 

Learn from Dr. David Parsi, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. from Brigham Young University, as he discusses his research on overcoming technical challenges in reconfigurable radio frequency instruments. He emphasizes core engineering principles such as intuition, strategic experimentation, and efficient research methodologies. Dr. Parsi's journey showcases how interdisciplinary training and a problem-solving mindset can lead to significant advancements.

Natural problems make your work challenging—and valuable. But many of the headaches in engineering and design come from mistakes we create ourselves. In this article, Dr. Chris Mattson shares how to spot and eliminate self-induced problems to work smarter, not harder.

Discover the dangers of overfitting in engineering design and everyday life! From "lucky" paperclips and Thanos's flawed logic to Clippy's demise, learn how optimizing too narrowly can lead to unexpected failures. Mark McDonald reveals why robust solutions require simplification and real-world validation, avoiding the perils of over-optimization.

Ansel Adams's iconic landscapes weren't just pretty pictures; they were masterworks of design. This article reveals how Adams's revolutionary principles—from empathy to composition and vision-driven innovation—offer invaluable lessons for engineers seeking to craft impactful solutions.

Explore the science and engineering behind captivating fireworks displays. From their historical origins to cutting-edge innovations, learn how customizable shells create the brilliant colors, sounds, and patterns that light up our celebrations.

Journey to Cambodia with Dr. John Salmon to discover the krama, a traditional Cambodian scarf, and its surprising versatility. Learn how this single item, rich in cultural meaning, offers a variety of practical uses, from sun protection to carrying essentials. Explore how the power of design blends beauty, meaning, and utility.

BYU's Capstone Program reveals how thoughtful design transforms ideas into impactful realities. Learn 14 principles for product designers to create solutions that exceed expectations, from decoding customer needs and embracing systems thinking to iterating early, guarding against scope creep, and designing for manufacturability.

Flight! People have wondered about it since the beginning of time. Paul MacCready was one of those people deeply interested in flight. What follows is a story of Paul MacCready, and what we can learn from him in the engineering design process.

If you’re like me, you might find yourself yearning to be a better designer but not sure where to start! I’d like to share with you some mindsets and actionable exercises we can use to grow in our design strength. 

Learn from Dr. David Parsi, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. from Brigham Young University, as he discusses his research on overcoming technical challenges in reconfigurable radio frequency instruments. He emphasizes core engineering principles such as intuition, strategic experimentation, and efficient research methodologies. Dr. Parsi's journey showcases how interdisciplinary training and a problem-solving mindset can lead to significant advancements.

Natural problems make your work challenging—and valuable. But many of the headaches in engineering and design come from mistakes we create ourselves. In this article, Dr. Chris Mattson shares how to spot and eliminate self-induced problems to work smarter, not harder.