Outside of the Box

STEM Spotlight | National STEM Challenge Champion Jasmine Lima

It is time for the final spotlight on the National STEM Challenge Champions leading up to the National STEM Festival coming up here in mid-April. This time I spoke to Jasmine Lima who has had a longtime passion for STEM and has been working on her project for years which focuses on Tsunamis and T-Sound. She was inspired by a trip to Hawaii which potentially put her in the path of a tsunami and she is working to prevent this terrible disaster from occurring in the future. She is excited to get to attend the Festival with friends who are also Champions and network with all of the amazing young people who will be headed to Washington D.C. for this event. Please check this episode out to hear about Jasmine's amazing project.

April 1st Special on Outside of the Box

After two years of the podcast, it seemed like it might be time to try out some new segments. Check out these amazing segments I did with Tom Farkas, Corey Nason and J Lee. It is sure to be an episode you won't forget!

Talkin' Nerdy w/ Sunnie Allen from FOX TV's The Floor

It is Floor Friday and time for another clip with one of the most vibrant personalities on the show - Sunnie Allen! We talked about how auditioning for a different show led her to eventually be cast on The Floor, a really cool wildcard idea that Sunnie has for a potential next season of The Floor, and the excitement and challenge of taking Steve out of the game who was a well-liked contestant on The Floor. Hear more about Sunnie's experience on the show as well as what she's been up to since the filming!

STEM Spotlight | National STEM Challenge Champions Ananya & Advika Vuppala

This is a very special STEM Spotlight episode as I had the opportunity to speak with two sisters who are both National STEM Champions. Ananya and Advika Vuppala decided to pursue projects that help with early detection and diagnosis of Anemia and MS which are conditions that impact many people globally. Advika's project uses an app prototype to assist with detection of anemia while Ananya's project uses machine learning to diagnose MS without an MRI. They talk about their passion for innovation and how they are looking forward to networking with other STEM Champions.

TWO Year Anniversary of Outside of the Box!!! BIG Giveaway Announcement!!

I cannot believe it has been TWO years since I took a leap and started this show to put a well-deserved spotlight on the combat robotics community, especially all of the wonderful people in it. In this video, I share some thanks for the people who have helped and supported me along the way, included highlights of some great episodes we've done and a teaser for my BIG Giveaway that is coming in April. Thank you all for the continued support and I look forward to so many more amazing stories and robot fights!

Talkin' Nerdy w/ Stephanie Ross from FOX TV's The Floor

It is time for another Floor Friday and this time I sat down with Stephanie Ross who went on quite a hot streak early on during her time on The Floor. We talked about how her real specialty is horror movies, which is why she had to adjust her strategy and challenge Tom, her experience in getting case for the Floor and Stephanie talked about they honeymoon she planned with her winnings from The Floor. Stephanie was a delight to talk to and I hope you all enjoy this one!

STEM Spotlight | National STEM Challenge Champion Shiv Vinodshankar

This episode was a very exciting STEM Spotlight as I got to talk about robots with STEM Champion Shiv Vinodshankar whose background in VEX robotics helped him come up with a new option for mobility as an alternative to a wheelchair. He has come up with a quadruped design that can make navigating things like stairs and rough terrain much easier for people like his sister who rely on a wheelchair to get around. We talked about his project as well as his future aspirations in this really spirited discussion.

BattleBots Proving Grounds Discussion on Outside of the Box

For any fans who have asked about Destruct-A-Thon and Proving Grounds and wondered, is it worth going to Vegas for - this is the episode to listen to. Join me for several segments including an opening discussion with Craig Danby and Jason Rogers who have seen massive success at Proving Grounds with Slammo, Chad New who has been making his opponents quake with his new robot Magnitude and finally an amazing discussion with BattleBots co-creator Trey Roski who not only talked about the current Vegas show, but wants competitors to start getting ready for World Championship VIII which may be coming sooner than you think! Catch it all right here! #battlebots #combatrobotics #vegas

Talkin' Nerdy w/ Gene Magee from FOX TV's The Floor

In this new recurring interview series which I am now calling "Floor Fridays", I chatted with Gene Magee who was dubbed "King of the Floor" and went on one of the greatest runs seen on the show. We talked about how being acquaintances with a fellow Floor contestant led him to being on the show, how being a natural entertainer impacted his performance on the show, a big debate about the level of specificity required in the answers during some of the duels, plus a very cool story about a chat Gene had with Host Rob Lowe on how he came up with his character on Parks and Recreation. Very insightful and fun discussion!

STEM Spotlight | National STEM Challenge Champion Tushar Mehta

I've got another episode with one of the amazing National STEM Challenge Champions - Tushar Mehta. Tushar has been able to channel his passion for the environment into creating an app that can help identify whether items are recyclable. He talked about his passion for wanting to help make recycling accessible to more people and wanting to pursue a STEM career in the future. Check out this great discussion with another amazing Champion!