Destin Wilson Sandlin (born September 17, 1981) is an American

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

and

science communicator Science communication encompasses a wide range of activities that connect science and society. Common goals of science communication include informing non-experts about scientific findings, raising the public awareness of and interest in sci ...

who produces the video series ''Smarter Every Day'' on his

YouTube channel YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in San B ...

of the same name, which was launched in 2007. Sandlin also runs the YouTube channels ''The Sound Traveler'', ''Smarter Every Day 2'', and a podcast called ''No Dumb Questions'' with his friend Matt Whitman. In early 2016, Sandlin was one of three YouTube personalities chosen to conduct a one-on-one interview with then-president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

after his final State of the Union address.

Background

Destin Wilson Sandlin was born September 17, 1981, in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

, to Darryl and Teri Sandlin. He was raised in nearby Morgan County, and attended Hartselle High School. Sandlin has a BS in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

and an MS in

aerospace engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

from the

University of Alabama in Huntsville The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is a public research university in Huntsville, Alabama, United States. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and comprises eight colleges: arts, humanities ...

. While an undergraduate, he was awarded the University of Alabama's Outstanding Senior Award. He also minored in

business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...

while at the University of Alabama. Sandlin was, until late 2018, a full-time missile flight

test engineer A test engineer is a professional who determines how to create a process that would best test a particular product in manufacturing and related disciplines, in order to assure that the product meets applicable specifications. Test engineers are als ...

Redstone Arsenal Redstone Arsenal is a United States Army base adjacent to Huntsville, Alabama in the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. A census-designated place in Madison County, Alabama, United States, it is part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistica ...

. He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Alabama Huntsville advised by Kavan Hazeli.

YouTube channels and podcast

''Smarter Every Day''

Sandlin began posting educational videos in 2007. His first video reached one million views on July 10, 2009. Sandlin formally launched the ''Smarter Every Day'' series on April 24, 2011, with a video titled "Detonation vs Deflagration - Smarter Every Day 1," which became the title format for subsequent videos and the sole focus of his YouTube channel. Episodes of ''Smarter Every Day'' feature Sandlin as the host and narrator, and revolve around scientific exploration and discovery. Sandlin's primary interest and educational background is in flight and space, which appear frequently in his videos. Other notable topics have included the submarine USS ''Toledo'' (SSN-769), the effects of hypoxia on the human brain, the Prince Rupert's drop, the physics of potato guns, the usefulness of snatch blocks, and a nearly-impossible to ride bicycle whose wheel steers in the opposite direction of its handle bars.

''No Dumb Questions''

In 2017, Sandlin began a podcast with his best friend from

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, Matt Whitman, who runs his own YouTube channel about the Bible and Christianity.

Personal life

Sandlin was born and raised in

, and currently lives there with his wife Tara, their two daughters, and two sons. Destin and Tara previously lived in nearby Cullman. Sandlin's family often appears in his videos. Since 2012, Sandlin has supported and partnered with "Not Forgotten", a charity that cares for orphaned boys in Peru. Sandlin is an avid fan of the

Crimson Tide. Sandlin is a devout

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

. Sandlin spoke at the 2015 Skepticon on his personal reconciliation of the search for scientific truth with his faith. Sandlin is an

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

operator with the callsign WS4RKT.

References

External links

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No Dumb Questions
the podcast Sandlin co-hosts with Matt Whitman {{DEFAULTSORT:Sandlin, Destin 1981 births 21st-century American engineers Amateur radio people American Christians American podcasters Articles containing video clips Living people Online edutainment People from Huntsville, Alabama American science communicators University of Alabama alumni University of Alabama in Huntsville alumni Science-related YouTube channels YouTubers from Alabama American YouTubers