What can wastewater tell us about the spread of disease? Could the coronavirus’ signature RNA sequence tip public health officials to where the next COVID-19 outbreaks will occur? In this episode, we’ll talk to two researchers who are leading the effort to monitor Oregon’s wastewater streams for coronavirus, in partnership with treatment facilities throughout the state.
https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-10-pandemic-puzzles/tracing-virus-through-sewers-s10e2
What’s life like for long-haul truck drivers in a COVID-19 world? We’ll get behind-the-wheel perspectives from driver (and musician) Paul Marhoefer and from Associate Professor Sal Hernandez who’s looking into how drivers have adapted to demanding conditions caused by the pandemic and the resiliency of the nation’s freight system.
https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-10-pandemic-puzzles/trucking-through-covid-s10e1
Self-driving cars and planes are in our future. What are we doing to make them safe? Assistant Professor Houssam Abbas uses tiny race cars to test autonomous driving systems. And Oregon State graduate Robert Rose is using his past experience with SpaceX to develop a safe system to automate existing aircraft.
https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-9-robotics-and-ai/age-autonomous-vehicles-s9e7
What will it take for robot assistants to become more integrated in our daily lives? Assistant Professor Naomi Fitter thinks they’ll need to master the physical aspects of social interactions, while Associate Professor Cindy Grimm cautions against programming them to behave just like us.
https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-9-robotics-and-ai/little-help-my-robot-friend-s9e6
Will robots someday replace farm workers? Do we want them to? Assistant Professor and agricultural robotics expert Joe Davidson talks about the potential benefits of using robots in agriculture, and what goes into designing the perfect robotic apple picker.
https://engineering.oregonstate.edu/season-9-robotics-and-ai/and-farm-he-had-robot-s9e5