10. Vsauce
Both informative and entertaining, Vsauce is a great place to hang out to learn little nerdy snippets of information. Though each video has a theme and seems to have a sense of flow at the time, the random grab-bag topic signature of Vsauce can make it difficult to remember which video contains the fact you want to find. For that reason Vsauce starts off our list at number 10.
9. ENGINEERING.com
Not to toot our own horn, but with over 300 videos, some with views in the hundreds of thousands, it is fair to include ENGINEERING.com on the list. From the DIY show “Some Assembly Required”, to “The Product Design Show”, our channel has something for every engineer.
8. Khan Academy
Though very educational, Khan Academy could use a little bit more polish to make it higher on our list. Khan Academy feels like a video you would watch to get the initial understanding you need for a school project, not something you might watch during your lunch break. However, for sheer number of videos (nearing 4000) Khan Academy still deserves a cushy number 8 rank.
7. CGP Grey
Though not often science or engineering based, an engineer would be hard pressed to turn off a CGP Grey video. His information is sound and his visuals are cute without being annoying. His focus on social and political issues, however, like the debt limit and how to become Pope, rounds him off at number 7. If you want to see Grey’s scientific mind in motion, I suggest his video on Nocebos, the opposite of Placebos (yes it is a thing).
6. thebrainscoop
Though not for those with a weak stomach, the Brain Scoop, hosted by Emily Graslie, is informative, entertaining, funny and heartwarming. Who would have thought that watching someone dissect a wolf would be adorable? Not all of her videos are questionable for workplace viewership, so I suggest you check her out, especially if you have a love of biology. Just not during lunch, okay?
5. engineerguy
If you like the idea of watching an engineering professor explain how a microwave works while taking it apart right in front of you, then let me introduce you to Bill Hammack. The engineerguy conducts his lessons the way you wish your professors conducted them during your undergrad: explaining each component bit by bit, taking a hammer to it, and tossing what remains to the class for inspection.
4. StarTalk Radio
There is nothing like learning Astrophysics from a man with a voice so dreamy you could imagine it incorporeally living among the stars, such as in an Asimov short story. In StarTalk Radio, Niel deGrasse Tyson and his team of comedians help answer the science questions of their viewership with a grain of salt and a sense of humour. Though the subjects and content are quite entertaining (spanning the science of the Kites in Marry Poppins to why there are no green stars), the lack of visuals, save the gang goofing off in a sound stage, bring Tyson and his team to number 5. If Tyson’s partnership with our number 2 spot were to grow to more episodes, though, they would easily take number one place.
3. Veritasium
One of my favourite memories of elementary school was when the science teacher would bring in a representative of Mad Science to show us some whacky, kooky science. If you still dream of those days then check out Derek Muller. He will show you some crazy science experiments that will keep you guessing and even stump many of his fellow science-loving youtubers.
2. MinutePhysics
There is a reason ENGINEERING.COM shares many of Henry Reich’s videos. He knows what he is talking about and he can explain the tides in 18 seconds. If you like his meatier videos, however, which usually clock in under 4 minutes, you can learn about a vast array of physics concepts like Parallel Universes and the Higgs.
1. CrashCourse
It was very hard not to put all of Hank and John Green’s Vlogbrother channels on this list. Though it would be great for Nerdfighteria (their fan base), it would not be productive as a top ten list. In Crash Course, the entrepreneurial and science loving Hank, with his brother (and NY Times bestselling author) John teach Chemistry, Biology, US History, World History, Literature, and Ecology. They are highly entertaining, informative and lovable. I would also suggest their other videos like SciShow, and their partnership with Mental Floss. “Don’t forget to be awesome.”
Honorable Mentions
SmarterEveryDay, AsapSCIENCE and IFLScience.
ENGINEERING.com will be starting a series of top ten lists about society, pop culture, the profession and anything else we can think of. To start off we will give you our picks. Then you can vote and give us yours. We will report back on the results in a later article. To vote on your favorite YouTube channel click here.