MythBusters co-hosts will open 2006-07 Speaker Series
The annual Speaker Series at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, kicks off Thursday, September 7, with a lecture by Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, hosts of the Discovery Channel hit MythBusters.
The pair will speak in Junker Center beginning at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
It’s a tough job, separating fact from urban legend, but Savage and Hyneman have served admirably since the show’s 2003 debut. Using a mix of science and sophomoric sensibility, the duo investigates yarns such as, Can a person illegally immigrate to the United States via slingshot and mattress landing-pad? After experimenting with much surgical tubing and Buster, their trusty crash-test dummy, the answer is no, or in show parlance, the myth is “busted.” However, experimentation proved that using ping pong balls to lift a sunken ship is a “plausible” idea. And to the relief of mothers everywhere, there’s no reason to fear mixing Pop Rocks candy with soda, lest your child’s stomach will explode. It’s another tested—and busted—myth.
Savage, a sculptor by training, has designed props and special effects for more than 100 television commercials and a dozen feature films, including the recent Star Wars prequels, Terminator 3, and the Matrix trilogy. He began building his own toys at age 5, and has worked in the research and development divisions of several toy companies. In addition to co-hosting MythBusters, he currently teaches advanced model-making at the San Francisco Academy of Art.
Jamie Hyneman took a circuitous route to the visual-effect industry, having first worked as a Caribbean charter boat captain, diver, Russian linguist, machinist, animal wrangler, and chef. Now owner of M5 Industries Inc., he manages the fabrication of models and special effects for movies, television, and advertising. M5’s niche is unusual or problematic props, and those that involve animatronics.
“Since we’re welcoming 1,000 freshmen to Behrend earlier that week, we’re offering something a little different from our usual speaker lineup,” Kris Motta Torok, the college’s director of student activities and series coordinator, said. “What Adam and Jamie do, in essence, is think critically about a problem, and apply a unique line of inquiry to explore the issue to its conclusion. Still, we expect they’ll offer the audience a lot of laughs along with their lessons.”
The other speakers booked for Penn State Behrend’s 2006-07 Speaker Series are:
- David Hale, expert on China’s economy, Thursday, October 26
- Harry Paul, management consultant, Wednesday, December 6
- Martin Luther King III, humanitarian, Thursday, January 18
- Zanny Minton Beddoes, global economist, Thursday, February 22
- Lisa Ling, host, National Geographic Ultimate Explorer, Monday, March 26
- Christopher McKay, NASA planetary scientist, Tuesday, April 17