The kitchen of the future might be completely pre-fabricated and delivered to the construction site ready to be installed. Joseph Wheeler says that these modular kitchens are far less expensive, have stringent quality controls, and can use the latest technologies to create a whole house integrated system. And: In a fortuitous accident, Chris Hughes and his students found a new way of attaching metal, in this case gold, to plastic. Chris believes that this breakthrough is a perfect example of his philosophy of teaching: that students often learn more by discovery and less by lectures. Hughes was named Outstanding Faculty of 2016 by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. Plus: Engineer David Lattanzi has nearly died three times while inspecting bridges, so he's now using drones and 3-D computer modeling to inspect the bridges, many of which are now reaching the end of their lifespan.

Later in the show: Sometimes all it takes to get kids excited about science is a bag full of eyeballs. Robert Tai has spent years studying when and why kids fall in love with science. Henry Alan Rowe uses fire and static electricity to draw students into chemistry. Plus: Science class matters even for kids who grow up to be writers or bankers. Tina Grotzer explains how science can help kids understand the causes of what’s going on around them.