Steve Spangler

Steve Spangler

Steve Spangler speaking at the Colorado Convention Center
Born (1966-12-08) December 8, 1966
Denver, Colorado
Nationality American
Occupation Television personality
Author
Science teacher
Known for Celebrity science teacher
Science Guy for The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Founder and CEO of Steve Spangler Science
Founder of Be Amazing Toys
YouTube personality
Website http://www.SteveSpangler.com

Steve Spangler (born December 8, 1966) is a television personality, author and science teacher.[1] Spangler founded Steve Spangler Science and its wholesale division, Be Amazing Toys.[2][3][4] He serves as CEO of Steve Spangler Science and the creative director of Be Amazing Toys.[2] Both companies develop science education teaching tools and toys.[4][5] Spangler posted the first Diet Coke and Mentos video on YouTube in September 2005 and his 2002 televised demonstration of the eruption went viral launching a chain of several other Diet Coke and Mentos experiment viral videos.[3][6] He earned two Heartland Emmy Awards and a total of five Emmy nominations. Spangler holds a Guinness World Record for the largest physics lesson and is an inductee of the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame.[7][8][9]

Career

Education work

Steve Spangler igniting methane-filled bubbles in the hands of a young teacher at Science in the Rockies 2011.

Spangler's career began as a science teacher in the Cherry Creek School District in Colorado.[4] As part of a science outreach program, Spangler created a traveling science show targeted to elementary and middle school students in an effort to increase interest in science. In 1991, Spangler began traveling throughout Colorado and the surrounding states to present school assembly programs and teacher training workshops focused on using more inquiry-based science activities in the classroom.

Spangler presented over 4,500 science shows for students and teachers at approximately 900 schools throughout the U.S. from 1991-2003 when the tour ended.[4]

In 1992, Spangler began working as an adjunct faculty member at the Regis University in the Department of Chemistry.[10] He served as the Executive Director of the National Hands-on Science Institute until 2001.[10] The institute combined professional development for elementary and middle school teachers with an authentic lab experience for teachers to test out best practices and hands-on learning strategies with Denver-area children who attended an afternoon science camp.[1][10]

Television work

During his first year of teaching, a producer from the Denver, Colorado NBC affiliate offered Spangler a position as a science host on News for Kids[4] after seeing him perform a science demonstration show at a public event.[4] News for Kids premiered in 1991 and was picked up for national syndication in 1993, airing in 185 cities every Saturday morning.[4] After six seasons, Spangler produced 220 segments that featured simple science experiments that viewers could easily recreate at home. Spangler received a Heartland Emmy Award for his work on News for Kids in 1997.[7][8]

In 2001, Spangler joined the Denver NBC affiliate, KUSA-TV 9NEWS as their Science Education Contributor. His weekly science segments feature science demonstrations and experiments that encourage viewers to learn more about science. Denver, Colorado NBC affiliate, KUSA-TV 9News.[6][11]

Spangler has also been featured on Food Network, Discovery Channel, HGTV, NBC Nightly News, History Channel, Today Show, Good Morning America, The Weather Channel, VH1, QVC, Modern Marvels, The Doctors and DIY.[6]

The Diet Coke and Mentos eruption experiment was first televised by Spangler and became popular on the internet in November 2002.[6] More than a thousand videos appeared online replicating the experiment.[6] Spangler was nominated for the Time 100 in 2007 because of the experiment.[3] He signed a licensing agreement with Perfetti Van Melle, the maker of MENTOS, in 2006 and developed a line of toys to be used with the experiment.[1][11][12]

Spangler made his first appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2007. One of his show demonstrations, Walking on Water, consisted of mixing 2,500 pounds of cornstarch and 500 gallons of water into a large container to create a Non-Newtonian fluid.[13]

Other work

Spangler founded Steve Spangler Science and Be Amazing Toys, the wholesale division of Steve Spangler Science.[2] He is the CEO of Steve Spangler Science and serves as the creative director of Be Amazing Toys.[2]

Spangler is the author of seven books: Down to a Science, Taming the Tornado Tube, Bounce No Bounce, Fizz Factor, Secret Science, Naked Eggs and Flying Potatoes, Fire Bubbles and Exploding Toothpaste.[14]

Spangler is also known for the Sick Science! YouTube channel, which received 100 million views by 2013. The channel contains instructional videos on simple at home or classroom science experiments.[15]

Awards

Spangler received a Heartland Emmy Award in 1997 for his contribution the television program News for Kids. In 2010, he received a Heartland Emmy Award for Spangler Science - Weather and Science Day at Coors Field.[7][9] Spangler also received a Guinness World Record for the largest physics lesson.[7][11]

Spangler was inducted into the National Speakers Association's Speaker Hall of Fame in 2010.[16]

In October 2011, Spangler was selected as one of 100 initial partners[17] for the YouTube Original Channel Initiative and received funding for the production of new original programming.[18] Spangler's YouTube show, The Spangler Effect, debuted February 1, 2012.[19][20]

Personal life

Steve Spangler was born to Kitty and Bruce Spangler on December 8, 1966 in Denver, Colorado.[21] Bruce Spangler was a magician and consultant to other magicians including David Copperfield, Doug Henning and Mark Wilson.[2] Bruce Spangler's frequent live television performances influenced Steve's career.[21]

Steve Spangler graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a dual degree in chemistry and humanities in 1989.[14][22]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tim Hyland (April 2012). "Meet the new Mr. Wizard". Speaker Magazine. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Julia Ann Charpentier Steve Spangler Science Has the Magic Touch Retrieved January 5, 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 Clayton Neuman (20 April 2007). "The TIME 100 — Are They Worthy?". TIME. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Steve Spangler on Science Magic and Why You're losing Booking to Non-Magicians". MUM. September 2006.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to Be Amazing! Toys". Be Amazing! Toys. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Steve Spangler". 9 News. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Susan Wells (18 February 2014). "New Sick Science! Kits Honored with Family Fun Award at New York's Toy Fair". Steve Spangler Science. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  8. 1 2 "1997 Winners". The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 1997. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  9. 1 2 "List of Winner and Nominees". The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 "Winter Science Workshop". National Hands-on Science Institute. 2003. Archived from the original on October 18, 2003. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 Al Lewis Mentos-soda mix a mint for scientist Retrieved January 2, 2007.
  12. ↑ Greg Sandoval (13 February 2007). "Toying with the Diet Coke and Mentos experiment". CNET. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  13. ↑ "Cornstarch Walk on Water". The Ellen Show.
  14. 1 2 Ron Davis (23 January 2011). "Science with flair: Q&A with educator Steve Spangler". The Times Tribune. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  15. ↑ "Videos". Steve Spangler Science. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  16. ↑ "CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame". National Speakers Association. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  17. ↑ YouTube Announces TV Initiative With 100 Niche Channels Retrieved November 21, 2012
  18. ↑ Amir Efrati; Lauren A.E. Schuker (29 October 2011). "YouTube Tees Up Big Talent". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "The Spangler Effect to Debut on New YouTube Channel February 1st". 26 January 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  20. ↑ Marc Hustvedt (28 October 2011). "YouTube Reveals Original Channels". TubeFilter. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  21. 1 2 "The Spanglers" (PDF). The Society of American Musicians. April 2014. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  22. ↑ "Mentos provide alum an "exploding" hobby" (PDF). The Coloradan. March 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
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