Steve Spangler
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Steve Spangler is an author, professional speaker [1], Emmy Award winner, science teacher, founder of two companies, toy maker and a trained magician [1]. He is most famous for the hugely popular experiment of dropping a Mentos into a bottle of Diet Coke, with the end result being a huge geyser of Diet Coke.
Since starting his television career 15-years ago, Steve Spangler has appeared in over 240 television shows [2], featuring as an "authority on inquiry-based learning". Every week he is watched by over a million viewers on KUSA-TV (9News) as their "science guy". Spangler was also the science host on the nationally syndicated show, News for Kids. And, in 1997, Spangler won an Emmy Award for his role in the show. [2]
Spangler is the director of the National Hands-on Science Institute, based in Denver, Colorado. Spangler's role as director means he is responsible for the coordination of 850 staff training in the US. The institute also sponsors a summer camp in Aspen Creek School, Broomfield, for both teachers and children. The teachers are taught various fun type science experiments in the morning and then show the children those experiments in the afternoon. Spangler said: "This is the only teacher training model of its kind in the country." [3]
Spangler acts as a consultant for Littleton Public Schools, Colorado. There he helps students get motivated and more interested in the hands-on aspect of science.
He is the founder of, Englewood-based, Steve Spangler Science and Be Amazing! Toys, which is the wholesale division of Steve Spangler Science. He is the CEO of online and catalog based company, Steve Spangler Science and is the creative director of Be Amazing! Toys which has designed and developed more than 50 scientific toys and products for Scholastic, Discovery Channel, Toys "R" Us, Target, etc. [1] Steve Spangler Science has fifteen employees.
Spangler is the author of two books. One is titled: Fizz Factor: 50 Amazing Experiments With Soda Pop, sparked by the Mentos eruption. [3] And the other is called: Secret Science: 25 Science Experiments Your Teacher Doesn't Know About. [4]
In 2005 Steve Spangler sued award-winning Seattle-based company, Scientific Explorer Inc. for re-branding and reselling Spangler's products and for failing to meet contractual agreements. Steve Spangler Science and Scientific Explorer had previously had a contract together for Scientific Explorer to manufacture, package, market and sell various products developed by Spangler. But the contract finished three-years later in August, 2004 and was never renewed. In the contract, Scientific Explorer were to give Spangler 10% sales royalty each sales quarter, Spangler said that they failed to pay him on the last two sales quarters before the contract expired. On a plane to Denver, Colorado, Spangler opened a toy package he had bought at the airport called Growing Giant Dinos, the same toy that Spangler was selling called Test Tube Dinos. Fizz, Bobble, Erupt was resold by Scientific Explorer as Bubbling Potions, Extreme Glow re-branded Atomic Glow and Crazy Crystals was renamed Wild Crystals, according to Spangler. [4]
[edit] Mentos eruption
- For more information on the Mentos eruption, please go to Mentos eruption.
When Spangler was an elementary school science teacher in the 1980's he initially used Life Savers for the Mentos eruption experiment. Spangler initiated the huge Internet phenomenon when he appeared on 9News in 2002 and 2005, both times showcasing the experiment. A video of his 2005 appearance, which resulted in one of the anchors being drenched in Coke, was placed on their website and Spangler wrote a blog post about it.[5] Along with his Be Amazing Toys! company, Spangler created an easy way for kids to reproduce the experiment. The equipment was showcased at the 2007 American International Toy Fair 2007, along with regular Mentos geysers.[6] Insta-snow was also demonstrated at the Toy Fair.[7] Spangler described, in an interview, that the Mentos eruption isn't the best trick he knows but "It's the trick that got the most notoriety."[8] Spangler has demonstrated the Mentos eruption "...on television, talk shows, science conventions, teacher associations, for CEO's at huge motivational speaking rallies, for Nobel Prize winners and anyone else who might watch." [9] Spangler credits the Mentos eruption to retired high school teacher, Lee Marek.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Julia Ann Charpentier Steve Spangler Science Has the Magic Touch Retrieved January 5, 2007.
- ^ Steve Spangler Steve Spangler bio. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
- ^ Kathy Sabine Steve Spangler Science: Summer Science Camp Retrieved January 5, 2007.
- ^ Greg Griffin "A formula for frustration: 'Mad scientist' sues, alleging theft of concepts" Denver Post
- ^ Steve Spangler Blog post Retrieved January 2, 2007.
- ^ Caroline McCarthy: Toy Fair '07: Is it cool to like science now? by [CNET News.com]. Published February 13, 2007. Accessed February 15, 2007
- ^ Be Amazing!. Accessed February 15, 2007.
- ^ Al Lewis Mentos-soda mix a mint for scientist Retrieved January 2, 2007.
- ^ Steve Spangler Mentos Explosion. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
