Liberty Science Center “Genius Gala 3.0" Honors Dean Kamen, Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, and J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., with Special Performance by David Blaine May 9

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Jersey City, NJ – May 6, 2014 – Liberty Science Center will hold its Genius Gala 3.0 on Friday, May 9, 2014, with three distinguished honorees–inventor Dean Kamen, ocean explorer Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, and genomics pioneer J. Craig Venter, Ph.D. – and special guest Ernő Rubik. In addition, European Union President Jose Barroso and Academy Award-winning actress and activist Susan Sarandon will pay tribute to Ernő Rubik, creator of the Rubik’ Cube, and the three Genius Award winners. The “creative black-tie” evening, which begins at 6 p.m. at the Center in Jersey City, will be hosted by Science Center President and CEO, Paul Hoffman. LSC magician-in-residence David Blaine will be the featured performer, along with violin virtuoso Charles Yang, the Tesla-lightning show band ArcAttack, and LSC speedcuber-in-residence Anthony Brooks.

The Empire State Building will be illuminated like a Rubik’s Cube on May 8, the eve of Genius Gala 3.0. This year is the 40th Anniversary of the Rubik’ Cube and in celebration Liberty Science Center is hosting a world-premiere $5 million interactive exhibition called Beyond Rubik’ Cube. The exhibition, which runs through November 2014, highlights the profound influence the Rubik’ Cube has had on art, architecture, music, design, fashion, film, education, math, science, and society at large.

Dean Kamen and his company DEKA Research & Development Corporation invented the Slingshot™ water purifier, which is being distributed in partnership with Coca-Cola. Slingshot is a vapor compression distillation system capable of purifying any type of dirty water into clean drinking water. It delivers approximately 800 liters of clean water daily at the hourly electricity cost of less than a standard handheld hair dryer (1kWh). By 2015, Coca-Cola and partners plan to bring 100 million liters of clean, safe drinking water to 45,000 people across 20 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Dean and DEKA have invented numerous innovative medical devices, including the AutoSyringe™ infusion pump, the Baxter HomeChoice™ peritoneal dialysis system, and the iBOT™ mobility device for Johnson & Johnson as well as other advanced technologies, such as the Segway®, and the DARPA-funded “Luke” prosthetic arm.

Dr. Sylvia A. Earle, National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence, has led more than a hundred expeditions and logged more than 7,000 hours underwater, including leading the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970; participating in ten saturation dives, most recently in July 2012; and setting a record for solo diving in 1,000-meter depth. Her research concerns marine ecosystems, conservation, and the development and use of new technologies for access and effective operations in the deep sea and other remote environments. She is affectionately known as “Her Deepness” and “The Sturgeon General.”

J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., is regarded as one of the leading scientists of the 21st century for his numerous invaluable contributions to genomic research. In 1998, Dr. Venter founded Celera Genomics and he and his team became the first to sequence the human genome. Another groundbreaking advance by Dr. Venter and his team was the creation of the first self-replicating bacterial cell constructed entirely with synthetic DNA.

Venter is Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the J. Craig Venter Institute, a not-for-profit, research organization with approximately 300 scientists and staff dedicated to human, microbial, plant, synthetic, and environmental genomic research, and the exploration of social and ethical issues in genomics.

David Blaine, the celebrated performer and endurance artist, is Liberty Science Center’ 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’ Pier 54, Mr. Blaine donated two Tesla Coils to LSC.

Genius Gala 3.0 attendees will enjoy exploration of Liberty Science Center’ exhibitions, including the recently debuted Beyond Rubik’ Cube; a sneak peek at the Science Center’ upcoming Tesla Coil Show in which ArcAttack uses high-tech wizardry to generate a truly “electrifying” musical performance; remarks from the honorees; displays of tremendous skill by talented young people; and, of course, dinner and dancing.

Ticket prices start at $1,000 per guest with options for table sponsorship up to $100,000. All proceeds benefit Liberty Science Center’ 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 http://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.LSC is the most visited museum in New Jersey and the largest interactive science center in the New York metropolitan area.