Bill Hammack follows in the illustrious footsteps of Don Herbert ("Mr. Wizard"), Carl Sagan and Bill Nye the Science Guy (and, to some extent, Alton Brown of the Food Network) as one of the explainers of the universe.
While the aforementioned individuals developed a following on television, Hammack, an engineering professor at the University of Illinois, has reached millions via public radio and YouTube by being able to explain complicated things in a way we can all understand.
His new book, "The Things We Make," continues Hammack's efforts to explain the engineering method. As he told Steve Tarter, the book is accompanied by four 12-minute companion videos on YouTube. You can find all kinds of videos on engineeringguy.com that offer views on everything from an aluminum beverage can to the steam turbine.
When asked about artificial intelligence, Hammack responded, "I can only give you an attitude but I think it's been incredibly overhyped."
As an example, he cited the development of self-driving cars as one that would take "a very long time" to fully replace human-driven models but that we might experience an incremental use of autonomous activity sooner with self-driving vehicles that could operate between O'Hare Airport and the 18 largest hotels in the area, for example.
Hammack delves into plenty of history while reviewing engineering principles. He points to the power of "the rule of thumb" in explaining why cathedrals built in the Middle Ages remain intact.
Among the numerous awards that Hammack has received over the years is the 2021 National Science Board Public Service Award.
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