Beers with Engineers

BONUS #1 - Jen Uschold: She can engineer your pain away Jen is my sister and an awesome physical therapist Jen is a physical therapist – let’s call it a body engineer. She is an “engineer” because she fixes problems you didn’t know you had using methods you don’t understand. Psychotic pain and being sedimentary? Jen knows a lot about pain science. It is very complex Some is mechanical, some is “software” It is 1/3 biology. 1/3 psychology, and 1/3 sociology Pain is normal and sometimes good. You need to understand it to treat it. Jen and I overanalyze what happens on a six-mile run Your brain makes morphine! Exercise is great for pain relief Brain processes 11 million pieces of information per second If you have a good relationship with your health care provider, you will get better faster. Place-bos are crazy! Climb rating system - https://www.14ers.com/difficultyratings.php She loved my wedding gift. Reach Jen at 180therapyandwellness.com iriseforme.com www.dexterityeng.com

#18 - Dave Honan: Engineers are dogs, designers are cats Dave is an industrial designer for Technimark, LLC Like the title says, engineers are like dogs and designers are like cats Dave was very detailed in the models he made as a kid. He still is. IDSA is Industrial Designers Society of America. Have the rookies design your next product Many design firms are under molders instead of being independent. Making the customer and the manufacturing guys happy Highs and lows of product development Avoid the “not invented here syndrome”, be open to new things Don’t take design negotiations personal Everyone has a customer Book idea “Design-asty” Have an inexperienced person in your brainstorm. Story telling is a big part of presentations and sales. Show your best design second to last. Ideas are easy. Picking and executing the good ones is tough. “This Old House” – gold for d.i.y. remodelers. Horsehair plaster is old time, composite, home construction AI won’t take your job: people who know how to use it will. Bert is owner of Dexterity Engineering, www.dexterityeng.com

#17 - Heidi Mehrzad Fun with hashtags Her favorite beer is Bitburger, from her hometown in Bitburg, Germany. The thing about German lightbulbs... Heidi is autistic and ADHD. Her work uses her creative and analytical side Investment banker to software engineering to pilot to aeronautical engineer to human factors scientist (with a stint as an EMT) Redesigning a cockpit layout a lot of fun. Human factors is not just about design, it is applied psychology. To develop something new, you must define what is wrong with the old. Heidi’s company - HFUX Research. Same services as other companies but with more experience and better Visiting Scotland. (It wasn’t Drumnadrochit) Heidi can really be herself with strangers Making friends in Europe. Chicken nuggets and toast as comfort foods. Look for Vernor’s ginger ale How to reach Heidi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manijehmehrzad/ https://www.hfuxresearch.com/ https://www.safeeffectivepodcast.com/ Link to her workshop will be added when available How to reach Bert www.dexterityeng.com

#16 - Mike Warznie: When in Germany, Be Like Mike Mike is an engineer for Nissan outside of Detroit. Mike is right 95% of the time He became an engineer to be cool. Decided he liked engineering only three years ago. Fatigue failures – find your own k factor and are tough to solve Don’t trust your memory – write everything down. Evaluating silicone seals can be unexpected. Doing lab reports in college is actually a useful skill Physics doesn’t lie Working in the shop is great experience Rockets, salts, and airbags – all at one company Everything is more complex and harder than it seems. Applying FEA to playground equipment. Engineering is a 24/7 job. If a Japanese engineer says it may be difficult, it is probably impossible. How to out German the Germans. It is good to do no-thing. Fictional engineering characters – How many can you name? Bert's Company www.dexterityeng.com

#15 - Tom Kenney - He makes jet engines cool. Literally. Tom is an engineer at GE Aerospace Vocational schools aren't what they used to be. From Porsche 911 dreams to Miata reality to Bughatti dreams. Or maybe just an MG. Jet engineer or rocket scientist? You decide. Jet engines are hot, Tom makes them cool. Material science and better cooling have made jets are way more efficient than they used to be. Solving problems is AWESOME! If you are a young engineer, don’t be afraid to open your mouth and make a suggestion. It might not be a dumb idea. Just being an engineer is good for Tom (and Bert) A temporary move out of aviation was a good move. Keeping your eyes open and being opportunistic is more important than career planning. GEs practice of moving new engineers around is a good thing. Why Bert liked Busch Stadium. RVing and the 2024 eclipse. If he wasn’t an engineer, he’d be a pilot. It’s not too late… You got to make your own path and happiness in your job. More about Bert and for your alt-code card, go to www.Dexterityeng.com.

#14 - Robert Kropiniewicz: You can't drill holes from the inside out First guest outside of US. Before becoming an engineer, he was going to go into religious life. Started in engineering in quality but didn’t want to wear safety shoes. In Solidworks, just because you can do it one way, doesn’t mean you should. It is critical to design the part for the process. Also, build the part to convey design intent. For the engineer, the drawing is your finished product. Tap into the knowledge of the guys on the shop floor. Don’t be proud. Engineer’s aren’t boring, they just have a different sense of humor. Great books Product Design for Manufacturing by James Bralla Theory of Constraints and The Goal by Eli Goldratt The Draftsman/Designer/Engineer hierarchy is gone. Analysis is the key to engineering. Favorite movies about persistence The Pianist and Not Without My Daughter. Make sure you have a passion for what you are trying to do. Bert’s website www.Dexterityeng.com

#13 - Cherie Duddridge: Retirement and ROUSs Cherie is retired after many years at BP. Topics of Conversation: Oil companies are not all bad. - they invest a lot in green technology in various ways. Bert’s crazy solution to recycling. Cherie’s experience with autism and neurodiversity. Any individual is neither unique or universal Benefits on including non-experts Your local chamber of commerce can help you in your business. Yoga is good for fitness – physical and mental Be careful saying “Do you have a minute to talk?” Movies - “Reservoir Dogs”- bad. “Princess Bride” – good Inigo Montoya actor is Mandy Patinkin Bert’s company – www.dexterityeng.com

#12 - Dave Smith: He plays games and asks questions. Dave is a manufacturing engineer that I worked with at Avery Dennison. We talk about: How those little things that hold the tag to your clothes are made (by Avery Dennison) It is pretty cool and the reason Dave still works there. Manufacturing is hard. Book reference - “Zero Marginal Cost Society” and 3D printing tractors Space Exploration by self-replicating probes or worm holes. Board games – Settlers of Cataan changed everything. Complex games vs simple games and sports The game Bohnanza – Dave’s rules are better Some stuff is fun to do, but not for 40 hours a week. Variety is the spice of engineering. Starting at the ground floor can be the start of a great career. College isn’t as necessary as it used to be. Getting into Harvard is just as good as graduating from Harvard. Ask questions and do design reviews. Some good movies to consider: “Life is Beautiful” very unique. In Italian with subtitles. “F/X” John Krasinski/Matt Damon movie we mention is “Promised Land” Bert's website is www.dexterityeng.com.

#11 - Rafael Diana: Wait a minute? He's an engineer? Sorry, no joke this time. Learn by doing and helping others Land the little fish before the big fish. New projects and interviews are like a first date. Read a lot and learn from many different sources. Mentoring - it’s important and worth it to take the time teach people. Mentoring – people at all levels need it. Loss aversion and the strange psychology of buying things from friends. Risk analysis and confidence. Humility is a good thing. Three E’s – efficiency, effectiveness, and education. Engineers aren’t cheap – they just always optimize for low cost. Cost control drives creativity. The wastefulness of spend it or lose it. Building an energy efficient house. Bert's website - https://dexterityeng.com/

#10 - Charlie Sears: Are some engineers becoming a commodity? CAD – from the beginning Scotch in bourbon barrels 3D printing – from the beginning Medical Device approval Concurrent engineering and FDA approval Rise and fall(?) of product development firms. Engineering vs software development Being good at CAD vs being a good engineer. Design Engineer vs mechanical engineer. Don’t get cute designing– you’ll regret it. Looking done well before you are done. Vacationing in the Caribbean Home ice rinks Engineer’s Toolbox is a useful website. Sneezing at the sun. Advice for new engineers, especially in consulting world Be a self-starter The Go-Getter by Peter B. Kyne

#9 - Frank Uschold: An engineer or an intellectual rapper? Today's guest is my nephew, a recent graduate of Clarkson University. Some of our topics include: Double engineering major and a minor in history. Why do it and how to accomplish it. Working on intellectual rap What he looks for in a job Skillshare as a music teacher The Colorado River The Great Wall of China How to ruin eggnog Can a chemical engineer cook? Rick Beato is the music YouTuber I mentioned. Here is his channel. Bert's website - Dexterity Engineering, LLC

#8 - Mike Marcoux: Buying your wife auto parts. For Christmas. Today's guest is Mike Marcoux, Director of Engineering at Boston Engineering. (As of 4/2024, he is a senior engineer at Physik Instrumente) Here is a couple of links to videos of the robotic tuna, link 1 and link 2. We also talk about a robotic pterodactyl. Here is a video, but maybe not the one we discussed. Mike's career advice: If you can't find something you love, find something you like. If you can't find something you like, find something you tolerate. Try autocross with your wife if you want to buy her auto parts next Christmas. Bert's company, Dexterity Engineering, LLC.

#7 - Jeff Turk: We can’t all be engineers Today’s guest is an engineer but he is a recruiter who helps engineers get jobs. Recruiters are sometimes like lawyers or salesman. They can be annoying until you need one, but when you need one, you want a good one. Jeff is one of the good ones. Our conversation covers: Recruiters: good one vs bad ones. Are recruiters working for the worker or the company? Some of Bert’s interview experiences – good and bad. Interview tips: Be Friendly Be confident Don’t be subordinate Rehearse your answers beforehand If someone asks you for three things you are most or least proud of, it might be the last one that is the most significant for you. How to avoid messing up an interview. Jeff’s email is [email protected] Bert’s website is www.dexterityeng.com.

#6 - Brian Smith: Agility and character: for work and for play. Brian coaches agility development for BigBear.ai. Our conversation starts in Guam, includes the Wright brothers, and ends with family karate. We also discuss: - managing vs coaching - listening to and learning from your employees - efficient employees vs. high value employees - the cost (and benefit?) of standing by your principles - decisions from long ago that affect decisions we make today - The Goal by Eli Goldratt (two thumbs up) - Mike's Pastries in Boston Bert’s company is Dexterity Engineering, LLC

#5 - Nate Rollins: his network is his most valuable resource. Nate is a design engineer and independent contractor. Among our topics are: - his motto – “my network is my most valuable resource” - 3D printed sugar snacks - buying cyanoacrylate by the gallon - the end of mechanical designers - having your coop employer pay for college - design engineer vs mechanical engineer - why his company is still just one man - comparing ourselves to Richard Branson and Elon Musk His company is Bearsfeat, Inc. Bert’s company is Dexterity Engineering, LLC

#2 - Jay Julian: Did hew say ramen spectroscopy? Today's guest, Jay Julian, is founder of Accelerate Design in Charlton, MA. Out topics include: specialist vs. generalist, remote teams, mentoring, rock and ice climbing, big vs small company employment, and race cars. Here is a link to Jay's company, Accelerate Design. Here is a link to Bert's company, Dexterity Engineering, LLC. While I am getting no payment, here is a link to the brewery Jay mentioned, Treehouse. If you are in Massachusetts, you have probably heard of them. If you are not, you might consider a visit if you are in the area.

#4 - Ken Stuber: When engineers go camping. My guest today is Ken Stuber, a friend I met when I lived in Kentucky. He worked for a few years as an engineer for RCA but most of his career was at a non-profit called the Christian Appalachian Project where he did home repair. We talk about some of the things we built while camping, how his job and Kentucky have changed during his career, and different methods of positioning large wooden beams. Here is a link to the trebuchet business card. Here is a link to my company, Dexterity Engineering, LLC.

#3 - Ralph Thibodeau: This one is for moose. Ralph is a program manager at Jabil Healthcare in Clinton, MA. We discussed some similarities between our colleges and how we decided what kind of engineer to be. advantages of trial by fire and doing a little of everything as a young engineer learning from everyone you work with big salaries can have bad consequences companies and cultures can change Finally, we discuss Ralph’s son Josh, aka Moose, and the foundation in his name that provides AED to numerous organizations in central Massachusetts. If you would like to donate, here is a link. I will match the first $250 in donations. Josh Thibodeau Helping Hearts Foundation Please leave a comment on the podcast if you donate so it can be matched. Dexterity Engineering

#1 - Joe Paraschac: I am glad I didn't kill him. The first Beers with Engineers podcast talks with Joe Paraschac, a very experienced medical device engineer that I have known for over thirty years. Among our topics are: - the importance of design - serving customers - knowing when to say when at a job - second chances in engineering - changes in engineering management - a little about playing ukuleles. Yes, ukuleles. Fortunately, we just barely mention the time I almost killed him – and me, too. Here is the book Joe mentioned. Power of Habit by Charles Duhig. Here is a link to Bert's company, Dexterity Engineering, LLC.