Office Hours · by EXPLR & the National STEM Festival

Careers, unfiltered.

Ever wonder what the job's really like? Ask someone who does it. Free sessions with the people building the future — science, tech, design, aerospace, health.

Always free · Stream any time on EXPLR.

Made possible by

AmgenAutodeskBooz Allen HamiltonCarolina ScienceDisney Imagination CampusGE AerospaceGMIF/THENIndyCarLockheed MartinNestléNokiaProject Management InstituteSeraf

The Latest.

Lydia Denton

Inventing a Safer Car Seat

teen inventor

Lydia Denton shares how she turned a real-world safety problem into a working prototype, tested her invention more than 100 times.

Joe Rohner

Building the AI-Powered Future

Booz Allen Hamilton

Joe Rohner explores how organizations are putting AI to work, what responsible leadership looks like as intelligent technologies evolve, and how AI is reshaping the way people work.

Justin Page

Justin Page

Booz Allen Hamilton

On cybersecurity, AI research, and defending the systems we rely on.

Science Communication.

Translating science and helping wider audiences understand STEM.

Emily Calandrelli

Turning Science into Adventure

MIT · Netflix

Emily Calandrelli shares how she turned a passion for science and engineering into a career built around exploration, storytelling, and making STEM feel exciting and accessible.

Jacob Wycoff

Forecasting the Future

WBZ-TV Boston

Jacob Wycoff takes students behind the scenes of meteorology, explaining how forecasts are built, how science becomes a story, and what it takes to communicate clearly when conditions are changing fast.

Dr. Frederic Bertley

Turning Curiosity into Discovery

COSI

Dr. B shares how curiosity took him from vaccine research to public science leadership — and why asking bold questions is at the heart of every discovery.

Dr. Erin Macdonald

Bringing Real Science to Star Trek

Star Trek Franchise

Dr. Erin Macdonald shares how she became a science advisor for the Star Trek franchise, how real astrophysics helps shape believable fictional worlds, and what it takes to communicate complex ideas to creative teams.

Creative + Tech.

Where technology, design, art, storytelling, and games collide.

Tyler Hobbs

Coding Creativity

Generative Artist

Tyler Hobbs joins Kari Byron to unpack algorithmic art, computational aesthetics, and the balance between structure and unpredictability in digital creation.

Jacoby DuBose

Designing Your Own STEM Path

Howard University

Jacoby DuBose shares how an interdisciplinary path can open unexpected STEM careers, why creativity belongs at the center of engineering, and how students can build an identity in STEM without fitting into a single box.

Michael Perl

Designing Worlds Through Games

Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation

Michael Perl shares how games are imagined, designed, and built — from understanding different genres to solving creative challenges and developing the skills that bring an idea to life.

Fon Davis

Building Imagined Worlds

Fonco Studios

Fon Davis shares how he built a career in visual effects, what collaboration looks like on major productions, and how technology, storytelling, and hands-on problem solving come together to create believable imagined worlds.

Yamilée Toussaint

Where Dance Meets STEM

STEM From Dance

Yamilée Toussaint shares her non-linear path from engineering to education, how coding and performance can work together, and why representation, joy, and self-expression matter in technical learning.

Design, Make & Build.

Turning ideas into physical products, places, systems, and infrastructure.

Noel Joyce

Designing for Real-World Impact

NYU Shanghai

Noel Joyce shares how a life-changing injury, a love of bicycles, and a background in the military led him toward industrial design and adaptive technology.

Karin Hanson

Engineering Disney Magic

Disney Imagineering

Karin Hanson takes students behind the scenes of Imagineering, exploring how animatronics and complex mechanical systems are designed, tested, and brought to life.

Charles Jackson III

Charles Jackson III

CMTA

A licensed engineer and sustainability expert on greener, smarter buildings.

Clara Rivero-Baleine

Materials Made for Space

Lockheed Martin

Clara Rivero-Baleine reflects on her global career journey, the role curiosity and resilience have played along the way, and why materials science is such a powerful field for students who want to build what comes next.

Cliff Cole

Building the Future with Data

The PENTA Building Group

Cliff Cole takes students inside the fast-changing world of construction, from Building Information Modeling and reality capture to drones, lasers, and AI.

Juan Gandarilla

Building the Cars of Tomorrow

GM

Juan Gandarilla takes students inside the world of advanced manufacturing, from automation and vehicle assembly to the problem-solving that keeps modern factories moving.

Aerospace, Space & Mobility.

Rockets, aircraft, IndyCar and F1 -- engineering at the edge of motion.

Dr. Erin Macdonald

Bringing Real Science to Star Trek

Star Trek Franchise

Dr. Erin Macdonald shares how she became a science advisor for the Star Trek franchise, how real astrophysics helps shape believable fictional worlds, and what it takes to communicate complex ideas to creative teams.

Rowan Palmer

Engineering Life on Mars

Lockheed Martin

Rowan Palmer shares how inflatable space habitats are designed and what it takes to build for extreme environments.

Silvia Karlsson

The Science of Speed

GM

Silvia Karlsson shares how fluid dynamics shapes everything from combustion systems to vehicle performance, and how tools like wind tunnels, simulation, and data help teams solve complex problems.

Angela Ashmore

Engineering the Indy 500

Chip Ganassi Racing

Angela Ashmore shares what it takes to engineer a race car at the highest level, from analyzing data and solving problems under pressure to making critical decisions on race day.

Carla Herrero

Engineering Formula One

Mercedes-AMG F1

Carla Herrero helps design and test the high-performance rear suspension systems that keep Formula One cars performing at the limit.

Christine Andrews

Engineering the Future of Flight

GE Aerospace

Christine Andrews shares how a love of math grew into a career in aerospace engineering, what it takes to lead complex engineering teams, and how technologies like hybrid-electric flight could change aviation.

Joe Vinciquerra

Joe Vinciquerra

GE Aerospace

Leading R&D strategy for the near- and long-term future of flight.

Nikhita Penugonda

Making Sense of the Universe

Caltech

Nikhita Penugonda shares how science helps her understand the universe, how failure became part of her learning process, and why communication, organization, and project management are essential skills in research and leadership.

AI, Cyber & Digital.

The systems changing how we work, communicate, and protect information.

Anne Lee

Engineering the Future of Connectivity

Nokia Bell Labs

Anne Lee shares how her career has spanned 5G, IP systems, and decades of communications innovation — and why technologies like 6G, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing could transform how the world connects.

Vic Pellicano

From Coding to AI

Seraf

Vic Pellicano breaks down what artificial intelligence really is, how it’s changing the way people work, and how students can start building skills in coding and AI today.

Leslie Shannon

Predicting the Future of Tech

Nokia

Leslie Shannon shares how she spots emerging trends, why predicting the future requires both curiosity and critical thinking, and how her unconventional path — from neuroscience and art history to Jeopardy!

Michael Eggleston

Inventing the Next Generation of Tech

Nokia Bell Labs

Michael Eggleston explores everything from biosensors that can read the body without touching it to quantum technologies and new ways of combining light with electronics.

Health & Human Potential.

Medicine, biomedical science, and technologies for human wellbeing.

Dr. Owais Durrani

The Future of Medicine: Dr. Owais Durrani

STEM City

Dr. Owais Durrani shares what working in emergency medicine really looks like, how new technologies are changing patient care, and how interests in areas like journalism and public policy can strengthen a medical career.

Future Food.

Food science, agriculture, sustainability, and the science of what we eat.

Joanna Yarbrough

Engineering the Future of Food

Nestlé

Joanna Yarbroug takes students inside the world of food science, from taste-testing and product development to generative AI and functional foods.

Leadership & Careers.

How work gets done -- project leadership, strategy, and careers.

Karla Eidem

Making Big Ideas Happen

Project Management Institute

Karla Eidem breaks down what project managers actually do, why project management matters in nearly every industry, and how skills like planning, communication, leadership, and adaptability can turn ambitious ideas into real-world results.

Lauren Dunford

Making Factories Smarter

Guidewheel

Lauren Dunford explains how simple technology, real-time data, and fresh ideas can make factories more efficient, productive, and sustainable.