Waste management scientists perform life cycle analyses in order to understand the complex process behind manufacturing a product – from design to disposal. Reporter Andrea Vasquez learns more from environmental consultant Jeffrey Morris via Google Hangout.

In this Innovators segment, learn about Mental Canvas - a graphical media design system that lies between 2D digital draw-and-paint systems and 3D computer-aided design systems.

A trip to the doctor can be confusing for patients unfamiliar with medical industry terms. In Southern California, doctors and educators are committed to bridging this divide by studying the science behind clear communication.

From main street to the interstate, technology is illuminating our roadways. A company from New York is on the forefront of manufacturing LED streetlights that can change the way a town feels after dark.

We take a step inside the Suncoast Science Center in the Sarasota, Florida area, designed for both children and tech savvy adults. The center provides access to unique tools used by engineers, designers and scientists, fostering a community where creativity and science merge.

An abandoned trolley terminal on New York’s Lower East Side is being transformed into one of the world’s first underground parks, called the Lowline. The park’s creator, James Ramsey, joins Hari Sreenivasan to talk about the park’s cutting edge technology that will bring sunlight underground to help the park flourish.

As our Earth’s climate changes, consequences are playing out in some surprising ways. At Crater Lake National Park in Oregon, surface water temperature is on the rise to the benefit of an invasive crayfish that is putting the lake’s clarity and native creatures in jeopardy.

Liquid Galaxy is a panoramic display that engages users in an immersive viewing experience.

Thousands of schools across the country are using the video game Minecraft to engage students of all ages on topics ranging from career readiness to archaeology.

Floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean are three marine garbage patches comprised of tiny pieces of plastic and manmade debris. Scientists are focused on cleaning up these concentrations of litter. Amy Uhrin, Chief Scientist for the Marine Debris Program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), joins Hari Sreenivasan to discuss the effort and why it’s important.

It’s floating around you all the time: a wafting cloud formed by billions of bacteria that fall off your body with every movement you make. At the university of Oregon, researchers have revealed that, not only can they detect and catalogue this personal microbial cloud, but each person’s cloud is unique.

Multi-rotors, more popularly known as drones, are being outfitted with video technology to place people in the pilot’s seat. This technology allows users to experience the thrill of flight without the risk of injury. We introduce you to a racing league with local chapters around the world.

A university in Potsdam, New York is teaching student entrepreneurs how to use science and technology to develop inventions and grow a business in today’s marketplace.

From hoverboards to cars, counterfeit microchips are cropping up in many electronic devices that permeate our daily lives. These chips are so small that they’re easily overlooked by consumers, but as more and more faulty parts infiltrate the market, Carnegie Mellon professor Ken Mai advises it’s time to take notice.

As more universities offer degrees in gaming sciences, students like those competing at a college computer game showcase in Southern California see a future and a career in video game design.

Can technology help solve a Revolutionary War mystery? We take you to Greensboro, North Carolina, where archaeology students and faculty are harnessing ground-penetrating radar to unearth facts at the site of an 18th century battle.

Robots are being used in classrooms to allow virtual teaching. But what are the benefits, and is virtual instruction really the future of education? Nichole Dobo, education reporter at the Hechinger Report, joins Hari Sreenivasan to talk about one school where robots in the classroom are a reality.

Clams and oysters are considered delicacies, but soaring prices have created an incentive for poachers to steal shellfish, sometimes from polluted beaches. Earthfix reports on the story from the state of Washington, where fish and wildlife detectives are trying to take down this international black market.

For decades, studies have shown that certain people across languages associate words with shapes. Science Friday investigates what makes a word seem round or spiky.