Utah is entering a new era of battery powered air travel with electric air taxis expected to take to the skies in the next few years. In this episode, we join the launch of Project Alta, known as Air Logistics Transportation Alliance, a partnership between Utah aerospace industry organization 47G and aircraft manufacturer Beta Technologies. Guests Emma Davis, a flight test engineer with Beta Technologies and Utah Senator Chris Wilson discuss the new aircraft and the future of electric aviation in Utah.

Emma Davis is a flight test engineer at Beta Technologies based in Burlington, Vermont. She is a Utah State University graduate in mechanical engineering and for fun she flies helicopters. Davis has loved planes since she was a child and says the coolest thing about flying in the new electric aircraft, Alia, is the view. Chris Wilson (Republican Party) is a member of the Utah State Senate representing District 2 since 2023. Sen. Wilson grew up in Logan and worked at his family car dealership, Wilson Motors, and purchased the dealership in 2009

Hydrogen energy systems can provide clean, efficient and reliable power with the potential to reshape the U.S. power generation structure. On this episode, guest Joseph Hartvigsen, founder of OxEon Energy, tells his story of how he got his start from driving a tractor on his family’s farm and flying a crop plane to becoming a leader in the hydrogen energy industry while also contributing to outer space missions.

1. Joseph Hartvigsen, founder and Chief Executive Officer of OxEon Energy, grew up in northern Utah and spent his summers working on a family heritage farm in Idaho. He earned his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Brigham Young University and his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University of Science and Technology.

He has produced hundreds of micro-hydro and small-hydro turbines which are currently generating megawatts of clean power for customers around the world.

Sophia Zhang and Dalia Habib want to make the world a better place and they are already being recognized for their work. On this episode they discuss their Thermo Fisher JIC, a program of Society for Science, projects that tackle water conservation and biofuels.

Sophia Yuxin Zhang is a competitive chess player and has been listed in the top 100 Women and Girls Player lists by the US Chess Federation. She’s also a competitive swimmer. “I love the feeling of challenging myself by pursuing my best time and the sense of belonging when competing for my team and cheering for or being cheered for by my teammates,” she says. She was selected as a Kid Reporter for Time for Kids in 2023 and wants to be an aeronautical engineer.

Dalia Habib loves to dance, especially hip hop and jazz. “I find delight in learning numerous choreographies and practicing them in my room, often dedicating hours to practice dance,” she says. Dalia also loves languages and is trying to become fluent in both Arabic and Japanese. She recently took up pottery and finds it both relaxing and challenging. Dalia would like to become an environmental engineer. “I aspire to… enhanc[e] human well-being on a global scale,” she says.