Outside of the Box
Check out the award-nominated podcast featuring host Christine Giver talking to guests spanning the combat robotics and STEM communities as well as a little nerdy talk with friends in entertainment and gaming. We have many segments including Bot Buddies, Robot Roundtables and both BattleBots and NHRL breakdowns featuring special co-host Ashley Beckman! If you love nerding out about robots, STEM, gaming and more, this channel is for you!
Episodes

Thursday Mar 20, 2025
Thursday Mar 20, 2025
We've got some heavy hitters in this episode as we talk about the upcoming NHRL Round 3 event happening on April 5th! It will be the 2025 debut of Chainsaw Kitty and the return of fellow Sleepy Anime Girl bot Usawgi whose builders Kezia and Mint are hoping not to face each other until deep in the bracket. I also talked to BattleBots veterans Matt & Jason Vasquez who are bringing a couple of robots that have the NHRL community buzzing including Lil Lash which is a 30lb Whiplash. Finally, I was once again joined by the Robojackets from Georgia Tech to talk about their swarm of robots coming to this event. Some great discussions you won't want to miss!

Sunday Mar 16, 2025
Sunday Mar 16, 2025
It is time to recap Round 2 of NHRL where we saw some amazing fights and underdog wins! In this episode, Christine chats with Dwight of Master Control Bot, Ben of The Wall Pt 2 and Ryan of Count3r Punch and ARES about all of their incredible runs in the bracket. Check out some great discussion from these amazing and talented builders!

Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
Wednesday Mar 12, 2025
On this final STEM Spotlight ahead of the National STEM Festival, I chatted with Ishaan Kunwar - a high school student who was able to use AI to develop a better way to detect cataracts. His project could help many in less developed countries or in underserved communities where it would be difficult or a financial burden to obtain this diagnosis and get treatment.
Please check out https://www.nationalstemfestival.com/ for more information!

Monday Mar 10, 2025
Monday Mar 10, 2025
I had the pleasure of being joined by the amazing Jenny Buccos with EXPLR Media who has been running the National STEM Festival going on its second year. We talked about the surprising and exciting amount of kids whose projects centered on using AI tech for good to help people, what kids attending the festival get to experience while there and the importance of kids having mentors to help get them more engaged. You can watch the livestream of the National STEM Festival on March 22nd. Check out the cool things these kids are doing at nationalstemfestival.com and EXPLR's amazing content and initiatives at explr.com.

Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Wednesday Mar 05, 2025
Check out another STEM Spotlight and this time Christine talks to Bryan Hijam whose project focuses on prostate cancer research for better treatment and management of this disease that impacts so many. Hear him talk about his passion for this area of research, his plans for future career paths and what he is looking forward to when attending the National STEM Festival.
You can check out more info about the festival at https://www.nationalstemfestival.com/

Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
It feels like we just wrapped up Round 1 of NHRL and we are already so close to Round 2 of more exciting robot fights!
Join Christine as she talks to a number of builders about their plans and predictions for March's loaded event. We talk to Zech Matthews about the hype surrounding his beetleweight Fragment X, chat with Peter and Destiny Garnache about their respective robots and getting to attend an event together again, and lastly we break down all of the weight classes with Tyler, Ian, Kekoto, Mark, Will and Nik including strong thoughts on the beetleweight class coming down to a possible victory by Knuckle Sandwich/Repeater or Eruption builder Brian Boxell. Lots of exciting stuff!

Monday Feb 24, 2025
Monday Feb 24, 2025
It is Monday and that means it is time for a new episode featuring three NHRL builders who all had amazing runs deep into the bracket at the Round 1 NHRL event. I chatted with Alex from Pinevictus about the win against Coldsnap that surprised even him, Zack Knight talked about having to face friends and teammates in the bracket and Justin of Undertaker talked about his amazing path to the finals against powerhouse Chonkiv.

Wednesday Feb 19, 2025
Wednesday Feb 19, 2025
We are back with another STEM Spotlight and this time Christine talks to National STEM Champion Jerry Yao about the tactile tech he has developed to help those with sight impairments to "see" art. The discussion highlights the importance of using technology to help people as well as dives into other potential applications for this type of technology. Please check out https://www.nationalstemfestival.com/ for more information on the Festival and how you can get involved!

Monday Feb 17, 2025
Monday Feb 17, 2025
This episode is all about family as I chatted with the Siegels who run Turnabot out of Georgia. They have created a company that gets people into combat robotics at an affordable price point and has been an amazing resource within the community. The family talks about what they have accomplished so far as well as things to come. Check out turnabot.com for more information!

Thursday Feb 13, 2025
Thursday Feb 13, 2025
It is almost once again time for the National STEM Festival and on this episode I talked to Ashrita Gandhari, a high school senior, who developed an AI that helps determine embryonic health during the IVF process. She talks about her passion for the OBGYN field and her process for researching her project and proving her hypothesis. Please check out https://www.nationalstemfestival.com/ for more information on the Festival and how you can get involved!