Release Date:

Dr Marsha Tufft is a mechanical, aerospace, and materials engineer who has had a fascinating career with GE Aviation, and is now working on helping kids succeed in STEM through outreach and her middle school fiction books about a young girl named Putney and her STEM adventures.

Join us as we talk about Marsha's engineering journey, Putney's World, and underwater hockey.

About Dr Marsha Tufft

Dr. Marsha Tufft is an engineer, author, speaker, and problem-solver. Her passion is helping kids succeed in STEM fields – science, technology, engineering, math. She brings 35 years engineering experience at GE Aviation and degrees in mechanical, aerospace, and materials engineering to the creation of STEM experiments and projects that can be done at home because there’s nothing like learning by doing. She writes middle grade fiction books with a STEAM (=STEM+art) theme because stories change attitudes. Visit her website, www.putneydesigns.com, for STEM experiments, videos, and information about her books.

Books

Books authored by or mentioned in our conversation.

Listen to the Podcast

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon Music, Castbox, Deezer, Goodpods, Overcast, Pocket Casts, TuneIn, Blubrry, Podcast Addict, Podchaser, JioSaavn, RSS, and other podcast platforms.

Apple PodcastsSpotifyiHeartRadioAmazon Music

Watch on YouTube

  • [00:01:04] Marsha's path to engineering.
  • [00:02:47] GATB vocational assessment.
  • [00:03:36] Progressing towards mechanical engineering.
  • [00:03:53] Summer engineer camp at Purdue University.
  • [00:04:38] Discovering an interest in coding.
  • [00:06:40] Different learning and teaching methods for yourself and at university.
  • [00:07:45] A rude awakening about her direction.
  • [00:11:48] Self-paced learning and independent study option at Purdue.
  • [00:13:34] Marker 8
  • [00:15:44] Summer jobs and working for P&G.
  • [00:17:14] The economics of engineering.
  • [00:20:46] Finding her way to GE Aviation.
  • [00:21:07] GE Aviation's engineering development program.
  • [00:22:59] Finding a team that was inclusive and encouraged learning.
  • [00:25:11] Working a redesign that is still standard practice decades later.
  • [00:27:02] Getting involved with technical education.
  • [00:28:42] Instructor development at a college level.
  • [00:30:34] Rediscovering the joy of learning and doing a PhD.
  • [00:31:01] Working on ball peening conditions for a new alloy.
  • [00:36:57] The challenges of working with proprietary information in academia.
  • [00:39:15] On being with a company that offered flexibility in professional development.
  • [00:41:28] On the skills needed for management.
  • [00:44:08] The Peter principle and deciding against management track.
  • [00:45:42] The cyclical nature of the aircraft engine industry and a PhD as a parachute.
  • [00:47:30] Volunteering and outreach programs through GE and STEM Summer Camp.
  • [00:51:15] The transition to writing middle school STEM books.
  • [00:52:19] The Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative and learning about the challenges in STEM.
  • [00:52:43] On showing how mathematics is relevant and interesting.
  • [00:56:13] The value of problem-solving skills.
  • [00:57:31] Introducing rapid prototyping in Putney's World.
  • [01:00:00] Thinking creatively and critically about a problem.
  • [01:01:19] Bonus Question 1: What hobby or interest do you have that is most unrelated to your field of work?
  • [01:01:29] Quilting and butterflies.
  • [01:02:31] The materials engineering side of butterfly gardening.
  • [01:04:21] Finding inspiration for her books through her other interests.
  • [01:06:17] Underwater hockey, snorkelling, and underwater photography.
  • [01:09:13] Planning a cardboard boat challenge for a group of engineers.
  • [01:12:50] Sea turtle conservation: Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head.
  • [01:15:51] Bonus Question 2: Which childhood book holds the strongest memories for you?
  • [01:15:58] Nancy Drew.
  • [01:16:23] Nancy Drew as a role model.
  • [01:16:42] Jules Verne.
  • [01:17:59] Bonus Question 3: What advice you would give someone who wants to do what you do? Or what advice should they ignore?

Topics/Resources/People Mentioned

Connect with Us

Support STEAM Powered

Review Us

Please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GoodPods, Podchaser, or your preferred podcatcher.

Become a Patron

Become a patron

Affiliate Programs

Start your own podcast or YouTube channel, or run panels and seminars with Riverside.fm. Record up to 8 people in a session with up to 1000 audience members. You can record in advance as I do, or you can livestream with the option to send it straight to Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, or Twitch. There's even a green-room for guests and live call in for audience members. Afterwards, get separate video (up to 4K) and audio (up to 48kHz) tracks per recorded participant for editing, none of that “active speaker only” limitation. You know you're in good hands with a service whose client-base includes some heavy-hitters. Check out Riverside.fm to see who else is on board. Use promo code STEAM25 to get 25% off the first three months of your subscription.

Music is “Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935” by Brett Van Donsel.
Loading...