Electrical Engineering Is Shockingly Good: High-Voltage Demonstrations with David Ricketts

Описание: Professor David Ricketts brings high-voltage science to life in this live demonstration lecture hosted by NC State Electrical and Computer Engineering.

From simple sparks to a dramatic 100,000-volt display, Ricketts explores the physics behind charge, plasma and lightning through hands-on experiments. The presentation features spark generators, ion-powered motors, plasma toroids, the historic Gassiot Fountain and multiple Tesla coils — including a musical Tesla coil orchestra producing meter-long arcs.

Presented in the spirit of Michael Faraday, this talk is 100% demonstration-driven, offering an immersive look at how electrical engineering powers modern technology, aviation and advanced research.

Recorded Jan. 16, 2026, in Hunt Auditorium on NC State’s Centennial Campus as part of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Colloquia series.

Speaker:
David S. Ricketts, professor of electrical and computer engineering, NC State University

Ricketts received his Ph.D. from Harvard University and has developed more than 40 integrated circuits across mixed-signal, RF and power management applications. His research spans device physics, materials science and circuit design, with publications in Nature, Proceedings of the IEEE and more than 150 journals and conference papers. He is the author of Electrical Solitons: Theory, Design and Applications and The Designer’s Guide to Jitter in Ring Oscillators, and a recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, DARPA Young Faculty Award and NC State’s William F. Lane Outstanding Teaching Award.

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