Destin Sandlin
{{Short description|American engineer, science communicator, and YouTuber}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Destin Sandlin
| image = Destin sandlin.jpg
| caption = Sandlin in 2014
| birth_name = Destin Wilson Sandlin
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|09|17}}
| birth_place = Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.
| spouse = Tara Sandlin
| children = 4
| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality
| website = {{url|www.smartereveryday.com/}}
| channel_handle = SmarterEveryDay
| years_active = 2006–present
| genre = Educational
| subscribers = 11.6 million
| views = 1.21 billion
| associated_acts = {{hlist|Brady Haran|CGP Grey|Mark Rober|MinutePhysics|Steve Mould|Veritasium}}
| silver_button = yes
| gold_button = yes
| diamond_button = yes
| ruby_button = no
| stats_update = 21 December 2024
| embed = yes
}}
| occupation = Rocket engineer
YouTube personality
| alma_mater = University of Alabama (B.S.)
University of Alabama, Huntsville (M.S.)
| known_for = Educational YouTube videos{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/user/destinws2|title=SmarterEveryDay|work=YouTube|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105063943/https://www.youtube.com/user/destinws2|archivedate=January 5, 2015}}
}}
Destin Wilson Sandlin{{cite web |title=Capstone Engineer (Fall 2003) |url=http://eng.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/capstone_engineer_fall2003.pdf |url-status=dead |accessdate=January 7, 2015 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107231534/http://eng.ua.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/capstone_engineer_fall2003.pdf |archivedate=January 7, 2015}} (born September 17, 1981) is an American engineer and science communicator who produces the video series Smarter Every Day{{cite web|url=http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/07/huntsville_engineers_youtube_c.html|title=Huntsville engineer's YouTube channel, 'Smarter Every Day,' in running for best entertaining, educational videos|work=AL.com|date=July 15, 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914021911/http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/07/huntsville_engineers_youtube_c.html|archivedate=September 14, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/smarter-every-day-teaches-science-lesson-by-blowing-things-up/|title="Smarter Every Day" teaches science lesson by blowing things up|date=April 25, 2011|work=cbsnews.com|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914001006/http://www.cbsnews.com/news/smarter-every-day-teaches-science-lesson-by-blowing-things-up/|archivedate=September 14, 2014}} on his YouTube channel 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.{{cite web|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-dumb-questions/id1204701206?mt=2|title=No Dumb Questions|date=February 14, 2017|work=iTunes|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215022603/https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/no-dumb-questions/id1204701206?mt=2|archive-date=February 15, 2017}}
In early 2016, Sandlin was one of three YouTube personalities chosen to conduct a one-on-one interview with then-president Barack Obama{{cite web|title= YouTube Star Talks Space With President Obama |publisher= NPR |first= Rachel |last= Martin |date= January 17, 2016 |url= https://www.npr.org/2016/01/17/463332635/obama-on-youtube |url-status= live |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20160131221422/http://www.npr.org/2016/01/17/463332635/obama-on-youtube |archivedate = January 31, 2016}} after his final State of the Union address.{{cite web |title= Meet The YouTubers Interviewing President Obama After The State Of The Union Address |author= P. Claire Dodson |work= Fast Company |date= January 12, 2016 |url= http://www.fastcompany.com/3055403/fast-feed/meet-the-youtubers-interviewing-president-obama-after-the-state-of-the-union-addre |url-status= live |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160201230448/http://www.fastcompany.com/3055403/fast-feed/meet-the-youtubers-interviewing-president-obama-after-the-state-of-the-union-addre |archivedate = February 1, 2016}}
Background
Destin Wilson Sandlin was born September 17, 1981, in Huntsville, Alabama, to Darryl and Teri Sandlin. He was raised in nearby Morgan County, and attended Hartselle High School.{{Citation |title=The Secret Power of Your High School Yearbook - Smarter Every Day 284 | date=March 31, 2023 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLWUGumz1dI |access-date=2023-03-31 |language=en}} Sandlin has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Alabama and an MS in aerospace engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville.{{cite web|url=http://www.uah.edu/news/people/uah-alumnus-is-making-people-smarter-every-day|title=UAH - News|work=uah.edu|date=March 31, 2014|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150108000556/http://www.uah.edu/news/people/uah-alumnus-is-making-people-smarter-every-day|archivedate=January 8, 2015}} While an undergraduate, he was awarded the University of Alabama's Outstanding Senior Award. He also minored in Business Administration while at the University of Alabama.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvVigAr4hZcHe|title=Q&A with Destin - Smarter Every Day 148|website=YouTube |date=December 25, 2015 }} Sandlin was, until late 2018, a full-time Missile Flight Test Engineer at Redstone Arsenal.{{cite web|url=http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/07/huntsville_missile_engineer_in.html|title=Huntsville missile engineer in YouTube spotlight for Smarter Every Day channel|work=AL.com|date=July 28, 2011|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018204912/http://blog.al.com/huntsville-times-business/2011/07/huntsville_missile_engineer_in.html|archivedate=October 18, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://m.theredstonerocket.com/around_town/article_c01df9e0-c583-11e3-aa32-0019bb2963f4.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140914214810/http://m.theredstonerocket.com/around_town/article_c01df9e0-c583-11e3-aa32-0019bb2963f4.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 14, 2014|title=Test engineer making people Smarter Every Day|work=The Redstone Rocket}} He is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Alabama Huntsville advised by Kavan Hazeli.{{cite web|url=https://mmee.uah.edu/people|title=Dr. Kavan Hazeli's lab group as of December 29, 2018|access-date=December 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229171638/https://mmee.uah.edu/people|archive-date=December 29, 2018|url-status=live}}{{Needs update|date=March 2024|reason=Hazeli appears to no longer work at the University of Alabama; did Sandlin join Hazeli there or did he switch advisors?}}
YouTube channels and podcast
=''Smarter Every Day''=
File:Destin Sandlin Skepticon 8.jpg in November 2015.]]
Sandlin began posting educational videos in 2007.{{cite web|last1=Sandlin|first1=Destin|title=Chicken Head Tracking - Smarter Every Day|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dPlkFPowCc|website=YouTube|date=June 15, 2008 |accessdate=January 7, 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106031920/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dPlkFPowCc|archivedate=January 6, 2015}} 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,"{{cite web|last1=Sandlin|first1=Destin|title=Detonation vs Deflagration - Smarter Every Day 1|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OvywNsWWd4|website=YouTube|date=April 24, 2011 |accessdate=January 7, 2015|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141216060421/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OvywNsWWd4|archivedate=December 16, 2014}} which became the title format for subsequent videos and the sole focus of his YouTube channel.{{citation needed|date=August 2018}} 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.{{cite web|title=The Backwards Brain Bicycle - Smarter Every Day 133|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFzDaBzBlL0|website=YouTube| date=April 24, 2015 |url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502154205/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFzDaBzBlL0|archive-date=May 2, 2015|access-date=June 27, 2018}}
=''No Dumb Questions''=
In 2017, Sandlin began a podcast with his best friend from Wyoming, Matt Whitman, who runs his own YouTube channel about the Bible and Christianity. {{cite web |last1=Whitman |first1=Matt |title=Matt Whitman |url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3vIOVJiXigzVDA2TYqaa0Q/about |website=YouTube |accessdate=May 11, 2023 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017200512/https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3vIOVJiXigzVDA2TYqaa0Q/about |archive-date=October 17, 2019 |url-status=live}}
Personal life
Sandlin was born and raised in Huntsville, Alabama,[http://www.waaytv.com/tech_alabama/smarter-every-day-host-destin-sandlin-to-interview-president-obama/article_83c83bf4-ba0a-11e5-9224-8744a739e0eb.html 'Smarter Every Day' host Destin Sandlin to interview President Obama | Tech Alabama | waaytv.com]{{Dead link|date=July 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} Retrieved November 19, 2016. and currently lives there with his wife Tara, their two daughters, and two sons.{{Cite web|title=Marriage Advice - Smarter Every Day 181 - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPX1OLGU5-s|access-date=2020-12-21|website=www.youtube.com| date=November 19, 2017 }}{{cite web|last1=Sandlin|first1=Destin|title=WE HAD A BABY!! - Smarter Every Day 132|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aS45u_K_T8|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404212048/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aS45u_K_T8|archivedate=April 4, 2015|accessdate=April 1, 2015|website=YouTube|date=March 31, 2015 }} 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.{{cite web|last1=Sandlin|first1=Destin|title=OPERATION LEVERAGE - Not Forgotten - Smarter Every Day 74|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNwC2da8fhA|website=YouTube|date=December 17, 2012 |accessdate=August 7, 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107141159/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNwC2da8fhA|archive-date=November 7, 2017}}{{Cite web |title=Not Forgotten |url=https://www.notforgotten.org/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Our Response {{!}} Not Forgotten |url=https://www.notforgotten.org/?page_id=375 |access-date=2023-03-25 |language=en-US}}
Sandlin is an avid fan of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.{{Cite web|title=Roll Tide - NASA style - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz4YBJ64kgA|access-date=2020-12-21|website=www.youtube.com| date=December 13, 2007 }}
Sandlin is a devout Christian.{{cite web|last1=Belew|first1=Duncan|title=Interview with a Rocket Scientist and YouTube Science Educator|url=http://whenyouwere24.blogspot.nl/2014/09/interview-with-destin-sandlin_26.html|website=Where were you when you were twenty-four?|accessdate=January 6, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150106213258/http://whenyouwere24.blogspot.nl/2014/09/interview-with-destin-sandlin_26.html|archive-date=January 6, 2015|url-status=live}} Sandlin spoke at the 2015 Skepticon on his personal reconciliation of the search for scientific truth with his faith.{{cite web|title=Riding the Backwards Bike: A Christian at Skepticon|url=https://www.patheos.com/blogs/secularspectrum/2015/12/riding-the-backwards-bike-a-christian-at-skepticon/|date=December 1, 2015|accessdate=January 13, 2019|publisher=Patheos|first=Galen|last=Broaddus|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190113232153/https://www.patheos.com/blogs/secularspectrum/2015/12/riding-the-backwards-bike-a-christian-at-skepticon/|archive-date=January 13, 2019|url-status=live}}
Sandlin is an amateur radio operator with the callsign WS4RKT.{{cite web | url=https://www.qrz.com/db/ws4rkt | title=WS4RKT Callsign Page }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Twitter}}
- {{YouTube|user=destinws2|Smarter Every Day}}
- [https://www.nodumbquestions.fm/ No Dumb Questions], the podcast Sandlin co-hosts with Matt Whitman
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandlin, Destin}}
Category:21st-century American engineers
Category:Articles containing video clips
Category:People from Huntsville, Alabama
Category:American science communicators
Category:University of Alabama alumni
Category:University of Alabama in Huntsville alumni