NCSU grad puts engineering degree to work for new PBS show

Turn on your television Sunday morning and you're likely to catch Cary native and NC State grad Judy Lee hosting a new PBS Kids Go! series called "Design Squad Nation."

For the show, hosts Lee and Adam Vollmer team up with kids across the country -- and all over the world -- to make their imaginations come to life through engineering.

The aim of the program, according to PBS, is to show kids that engineering is everywhere, even where you least expect to find it.

During their U.S. travels, Lee and Vollmer work with NASA on a project involving the Flugtag competition in Miami, and also work with students from the Fashion Institute of New York and the Parsons New School for Design in New York, in a challenge inspired by designer Christian Siriano and Teen Vogue magazine. 

They also do shows from Nicaragua and London.

Producers say they want to demonstrate that "engineering isn't about hiding away in some lab, it's about being active in the world, taking risks, collaborating with interesting people, and using science, math and technology to solve real problems."

Lee graduated from NCSU with a bachelor's degree in engineering ('98) and a master's in industrial design ('04). The engineering and design degrees make her a natural for "Design Squad Nation."

In addition to hosting duties at PBS, Lee and Vollmer both work as a product designers for IDEO in San Francisco.

The 10-episode engineering and innovation series premiered on PBS back in January, but is just now making its way into the UNC-TV schedule.

'Design Squad Nation' airs on Sunday mornings on  UNC-TV at 10:30am (and again at 6:30pm), but you can also watch episodes online at the Design Squad Nation website. 

Here's a clip from the show.