“Genius Gala 2.0″ Honors Sir Richard Branson, Garry Kasparov, & Dr. Cori Bargmann, with Special Appearance by David Blaine

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Jersey City, NJ – April 30, 2013 — Liberty Science Center will hold its Genius Gala 2.0 on Friday, May 24, 2013, with three distinguished honorees: entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson; master strategist and famed chess player Garry Kasparov; and leading neurobiologist Dr. Cori Bargmann. LSC’s Magician-in-Residence, David Blaine, will once again “wow” attendees with feats of magic.

Sir Richard Branson built the Virgin Group, a global network of over 400 companies, starting with a student magazine he launched at the age of 16. Dedicated to helping consumers achieve more balanced and sustainable lifestyles, he is well-known for his adventurous spirit and recently established Virgin Galactic, a space tourism company.

Garry Kasparov began playing chess at the age of 5. At 22 years old he became the youngest ever World Champion and continued in that role for two decades until his retirement in 2005. A master of strategy, he now offers logical thinking and a unique perspective to his work as a teacher, speaker, author and strong voice in Russian politics.

Dr. Cori Bargmann unlocks secrets of the brain, and has discovered molecules that direct nerve cell connections in developing and mature brains. She was awarded the 2013 inaugural $3 million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, the largest monetary award in the sciences, and was tapped by President Obama as a co-leader of a Grand Challenge planning group to map the human brain.

David Blaine, the celebrated performer and endurance artist, is Liberty Science Center’s magician-in-residence, combining science with magic to create even more astonishing feats. After spending three days and nights bathed in the continuous one-million-volt blast of seven Tesla Coils at New York City’s Pier 54, Mr. Blaine donated two Tesla Coils to LSC

Gala attendees will enjoy remarks from the honorees, a book signing opportunity with Sir Richard Branson, a screening of The Magic of Flight in the nation’s largest IMAX Dome Theater, displays of tremendous skill by talented young people, and, of course, dinner and dancing.

Tickets start at $750 per guest with options for table sponsorship. All proceeds benefit Liberty Science Center’s exhibitions and programs, which offer exceptional experiences designed to expose learners of all ages to the excitement of science and technology. For more details, please visit lsc.org/gala.

About Liberty Science Center
Liberty Science Center (LSC.org) is a 300,000-square-foot learning center located in Liberty State Park on the Jersey City bank of the Hudson near the Statue of Liberty. Dedicated to bringing the excitement of science to people of all ages, Liberty Science Center houses 12 museum exhibition halls, a live animal collection with 110 species, giant aquariums, a 3D theater, the nation’s largest IMAX Dome Theater, live simulcast surgeries, tornado and hurricane-force wind simulators, K-12 classrooms and labs, and teacher-development programs. More than half a million students, teachers, and parents visit the Science Center each year, and tens of thousands more participate in the Center’s offsite and online programs.