The Lab Beat

Cutting-edge science and engineering labs
  • 5.0 (10)
  • SCIENCE

The Lab Beat is an inside look at cutting-edge science and engineering labs at UC Irvine. Award-winning journalist Natalie Tso visits the labs, interviews professors and presents their innovations and inspirations in cool short features. From biomedical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, materials science and engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering to computer science, The Lab Beat gives a fascinating look into the newest research at the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering.

Episodes

  1. JAN 15

    Methalox Rockets

    The UCI Rocket Project Liquids team is one of the few undergraduate teams that launched a methalox rocket in 2023. Methalox is the leading-edge fuel companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are using to get to Mars. Join this visit to the rocket lab as they prepare to launch their second-generation methalox rocket.   (Season 1, Episode 10)

    6 min

  2. 12/20/2025

    Becoming Invisible

    Alon Gorodetsky is creating materials that mimic the camouflage capabilities of squids that can change color, transparency and temperature. Learn how he figured out the secret of their skin and how it can be used for medicine, the military, smart fabrics and more.   (Season 1, Episode 9)

    6 min

  3. 12/12/2025

    Hydrogen Fueling the Future

    Can hydrogen energy change the world? UCI Clean Energy Institute Director Jack Brouwer thinks so. His institute is creating sustainable hydrocarbon fuels for aviation and shipping. Listen as he shares his vision for how hydrogen energy can bring more equity and peace to the world.   (Season 1, Episode 8)

    8 min

  4. 11/26/2025

    Can a Robot Love?

    Top roboticist Magnus Egerstedt explores whether robots can love in the UCI Robot Ecology Lab, where his altruistic robots take cues from animals. Egerstedt is the dean of the UCI Samueli School of Engineering and the creator of the SlothBot, RaccoonBot and the Robotarium, a swarm robot lab which has been used by over 7,000 researchers.   (Season 1, Episode 7)

    7 min

  5. 11/12/2025

    The Power of Glowing Color

    Stacy Copp's lab is using glowing light and color to see deep inside human tissues which could replace the need for X-rays. Listen to Copp, an associate professor of materials science and engineering, share her inspirations and ground breaking work at her UCI lab.   (Season 1, Episode 6)

    4 min

  6. 10/31/2025

    National Fuel Cell Center

    National Fuel Cell Research Center Director Iryna Zenyuk is striving to enable clean hydrogen to power everything from Olympic buses, trucks, the cement industry and more. A former chess champion, Zenyuk is a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UC Irvine.   (Season 1, Episode 5)

    4 min

  7. 10/22/2025

    Upcycling EV batteries

    Diran Apelian found a way to recycle EV batteries and co-founded the billion-dollar company Ascend Elements, one of TIME'S America's Top Ten Green Tech companies of 2024. Find out about the cutting-edge technology his lab uses to upcycle metal at UC Irvine's Samueli School of Engineering.   (Season 1, Episode 4)

    6 min

  8. 09/25/2025

    The 100 Year Starship Project

    Ronke Olabisi is healing wounds without scars and making bone grow from seashells as she works on the 100 Year Starship Project which aims to enable travel beyond our solar system. Learn how Olabisi, UCI associate professor of biomedical engineering, is helping humans stay healthier in space and on Earth.  The 100 Year Starship Project was launched by the U.S. Department of Defense.   (Season 1, Episode 3)

    6 min

  9. 09/25/2025

    From Flush to Future

    David Kisailus is turning urine into medical-grade material for bone and teeth implants and water purification. Learn how Kisailus is making bone implants more affordable through this new process of producing calcium phosphate from urea. Kisailus, a UCI professor of materials science and engineering, is the director of the well-known Biomimetrics and Nanostructured Materials Lab.   (Season 1, Episode 2)

    3 min

  10. 09/25/2025

    3D Stem Cell Engineering

    Quinton Smith's 3D approach to stem cell engineering could revolutionize how we test drugs and do organ transplants. Learn about his innovative approach and why Popular Science named him a top 10 scientist on the cusp of changing the world in 2023. Smith is an  assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and the director of The Smith Lab @ UCI.   (Season 1, Episode 1)

    4 min
  • 10 Episodes

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

The Lab Beat is an inside look at cutting-edge science and engineering labs at UC Irvine. Award-winning journalist Natalie Tso visits the labs, interviews professors and presents their innovations and inspirations in cool short features. From biomedical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, materials science and engineering, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering to computer science, The Lab Beat gives a fascinating look into the newest research at the UC Irvine Samueli School of Engineering.

Information

  • Creator
    Cutting-edge science and engineering labs
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    10
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    The Lab Beat