“Mark Rober: The Engineering Wizard Behind CrunchLabs’ Magic”

Nick Schifrin: This evening, we present a Brief But Spectacular perspective on being astonished by the world surrounding us.

Mark Rober found his enthusiasm for engineering while he was young, experimenting with devices and constructing inventions. Currently, the former NASA engineer is a YouTube sensation who operates CrunchLabs, igniting curiosity and creativity in young minds.

Mark Rober, Founder, CrunchLabs: The most remarkable aspect of engineering is that if something isn’t available and you desire it to be, you can just will it into existence.

I believe that for many individuals, perhaps during their high school years when they took a math or science course, they struggled to comprehend it. Consequently, they develop a negative association with math and science and with physics. That truly frustrates me.

I’m preparing to connect this fan to determine if blowing on this sail will propel the boat ahead.

This is an area designated for an egg just prior to my attempt of the world’s highest egg drop.

The channel currently boasts 58 million subscribers. So there are others similar to you who claimed they weren’t proficient in science and didn’t find enjoyment in it, whom I and other creators like myself have managed to convince that there is indeed a part of your mind that does appreciate this.

They just never approached it from this perspective.

Wow, this is unbelievable. What am I about to do?

I think the secret to truly absorbing something is to not present it as learning. Therefore, on my YouTube channel, I like to practice what I term hiding the vegetables. So, you might encounter a striking thumbnail of a 15-ton Jell-O pool, and you say, well, that’s fascinating. I’m definitely going to click on that.

This is the very first genuine pool of Jell-O.

Before you realize it, you’re exploring the scientific method and chemistry. I have a few educators who not only influenced my own learning journey but also shaped how I teach now.

Hold on a moment. When you ask me about my teachers, I honestly become a bit emotional.

Shout-out to Mr. Malloy, my AP high school statistics educator. Undoubtedly, educators are my favorite profession. I believe they are tremendously vital. At some point, I intend to retire from all of this and become a volunteer high school physics instructor. That would be my ideal job.

After completing high school physics, I pondered what career most aligns with this. It just feels exceptionally satisfying in my mind. I decided on mechanical engineering because you could also see electrical engineering or chemical engineering. An electrical engineer cannot craft the world’s largest Nerf gun. That requires a mechanical engineer.

Right after graduating, I started working at NASA, where I spent nine years, seven of which were focused on the Curiosity rover. Following that, I worked for around five years at Apple within their special projects division and signed a substantial collection of NDAs, indicating that I am not authorized to discuss it.

However, I did acquire one patent of which I was the main author regarding the use of virtual reality and self-driving automobiles. That information is public. Don’t sue me, Apple.

Initially, my objective was simply a creative outlet. Back in those days, nobody realized you could monetize YouTube. Over time, as I observed the reactions, particularly from young individuals, I accepted this role of wanting to make engineering and science not just reachable, but also captivating and engaging.

My favorite aspect of the job is recognizing that I am a total nerd. I mean, I discuss science. And society is actually saying, hey, we enjoy this.

Two for two, baby. Two for two!

My name is Mark Rober, and this was my Brief But Spectacular perspective on simply being astonished by the marvelous physical world surrounding us.

Nick Schifrin: For more Brief But Spectacular videos, visit PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.