
Eric Jankowski: Efficiency Expert, Whiskey Blender, 380-Mile Failure
From On a First Name Basis by Chris Saunders
May 15, 2026 · 1h 10m · Season 1 · Episode 9
About this episode
Dr. Eric Jankowski discusses themes of learning and collaboration through personal experiences in mountain biking and whiskey blending.
A 24-hour mountain bike race, a 380-mile bikepacking “failure,” and a custom whiskey blend might sound like unrelated stories, but they all point to the same theme: how we learn, how we collaborate, and how we get better without wasting effort. I’m joined by Dr. Eric Jankowski, director of the Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering at Boise State University, for a wide-ranging conversation that stays grounded in real moments, real trade-offs, and real joy. We talk about the Smoke...
People in this episode
Host: Chris Saunders
Guest: Eric Jankowski
Topics covered
- mountain biking
- collaboration
- learning
- efficiency
- whiskey blending
Keywords
- mountain bike race
- bikepacking
- whiskey blend
- learning
- collaboration
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Micron School of Materials Science and Engineering
Places: Boise State University
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