This post was inspired by a similar blog post by Beth Marshall from the start of 2024, so I’ve had this layout sat in my drafts for a good while! This month, I’ve come across a few cool articles, books, events and tools that I wanted to share, and also bookmark things for my future self, so I figured now was the perfect time to write this style of blog post! Everything in this list is related to science and engineering, since that’s what I love. If you find anything listed below interesting, cool or useful – let me know! Lets get into it.

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Article: The Blue Origin Flight

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/apr/15/blue-origin-flight-american-feminism
April was a significant month for human spaceflight. We celebrated the International Day of Human Spaceflight on the 12th, and just a few days later, on the 15th, Blue Origin launched an all-women crew into space. The mission generated considerable media attention, and a fair amount of controversy. I considered dedicating an entire blog post to the flight itself, but this article by Moira Donegan articulates many of my frustrations and thoughts about the event from a feminist perspective far more eloquently than I could.

Personally, I find myself questioning who this mission was truly intended to inspire – if inspiration was even the goal at all. It certainly succeeded as a marketing stunt for Blue Origin, and it has got people talking about the space tourism industry. However, the engineering and scientific elements of the mission were largely overshadowed by the media focus on the women’s fame, hair, and make-up.

Despite the presence of at least two crew members with relevant STEM backgrounds, as highlighted in Tim Peake’s LinkedIn post, the mission did little to highlight their expertise or any scientific contributions. The spotlight remained firmly on spectacle rather than substance. As Katy Perry rather flippantly put it, these women were: “Putting the ass in astronaut.” Moira sums this up well in her article, writing:

“It is not misogynist to say that these women do not have their priorities in order. Rather, it is misogynist of them to so forcefully associate womanhood with cosmetics and looks, rather than with any of the more noble and human aspirations to which space travel might acquaint them – curiosity, inquiry, discovery, exploration, a sense of their own mortality, an apprehension of the divine.”

Article: The Conway Knot

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/08/20/magazine/math-problem-stumped-experts-50-years-this-grad-student-maine-solved-it-days
Shared with me by a good friend (hi Gary!), this article is a brilliant read on the pure joy of intellectual discovery. It tells the story of how graduate student Lisa Piccirillo from Maine solved a 50-year-old mathematical mystery, the Conway Knot problem, in just a few days.

It took me a while to understand the maths of the problem she was trying to solve, but actually what was far more important than the technical details was Piccirillo’s approach to solving the problem. She took knowledge she had from other areas, and used it to try a new approach. As an engineer, I’m a big fan of interdisciplinary and creative thinking. This story serves as a great reminder that fresh perspectives can crack even the most daunting problems.

Book: White Holes by Carlo Rovelli

https://www.amazon.co.uk/White-Holes-Horizon-Carlo-Rovelli/dp/0241628970
I was completely swept away by this book. Rovelli’s passion is infectious! White Holes rekindled my love of physics, weaving poetic prose with deep scientific ideas. I couldn’t stop talking about it for with anyone who would listen after finishing it. It blew my mind, and gave me some fun ideas to think about, like what if dark matter is made up of white holes?! Its a short, delightful read about what black holes are, white holes might be, and a beautiful delve into the unknown.

Code: The Hiero Project

https://hiero.org/
The Hiero Project is the open source release of the Hedera Hashgraph Distributed Ledger under the Linux Foundation Decentralised Trust. This is a Ledger I’ve been looking at for a while as part of my PhD research, and think this is a fantastic move for the project. The Hashgraph Protocol is really interesting, and unique among Distributed Ledgers, and so having more opportunities to dive into its inner workings is really exciting. I absolutely love seeing projects like this go open source – it’s a huge step for transparent, distributed systems and tech accessibility. Maybe I’ll end up contributing one day, who knows?!

Video: I Did a Thing

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJLZe_NoiG0hT7QCX_9vmqw
This YouTube channel is delightfully chaotic – full of absurd experiments and engineering mishaps that somehow end up working (kind of). Created by Alex Apollonov, this channel sees the Aussie engineer build whatever crazy (and usually dangerous) contraptions come from his imagination. He tends to re-use parts from other machines, and openly admits he isn’t a professional when using tools like a band saw or lathe. It’s a great reminder that engineering is built on trial, error, and a bit of silliness. It’s clever, accessible, and makes you want to try building something weird yourself. Plus, its very funny!

Video: Why Can’t ChatGPT Show Me a Full Glass of Wine?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=160F8F8mXlo
A fascinating breakdown of how AI models interpret image prompts, the impact of training data in limiting an AI’s capabilities, and why getting them to do something as simple as show a full glass of wine can be surprisingly difficult. Insightful and well-explained, especially if you’re curious about how generative AI actually works behind the scenes.

Event: First Tech Challenge UK

https://firstuk.org/
I had the pleasure of volunteering as a robot inspector at the Glasgow event earlier this month, and it was absolutely brilliant. It brought back memories of watching Robot Wars as a child. Seeing student teams test, fix, and compete with their robots was such a joy. The energy, creativity, and teamwork were infectious. Truly a hopeful glimpse into the future of engineering. If you’re looking to volunteer at a STEM event in the future, I couldn’t recommend this enough. There are events across the UK and even worldwide! It was a really fun and rewarding day, and I’ll be back next year!