For this year’s undergraduate Commencement ceremony, Stevens welcomes one of the most renowned and famous entertainers in the engineering field, Adam Savage.
Adam Savage can be described as nothing less than an engineering legend. Savage was a host of the Discovery Channel show MythBusters, a television series dedicated to testing scientific myths and rumors. Topics ranging from “Can a Penny Dropped Off the Empire State Building Kill Someone?” to more experimental episodes like “Do frozen chickens cause more damage than thawed chickens when shot at a plane’s windshield?” Truly, he can be seen as an explorer of the more “fun” side of science. The show had an impressive 16 seasons and nearly 300 episodes, running over the course of 13 years. For many kids who grew up watching the series, it was a source of inspiration and wonder that introduced millions to the world of engineering. Some of those people Savage has inspired may very well be in the audience during his commencement speech.
His talents do not end with his television career; he is a man of many trades. Savage has also run his own YouTube channel since 2009, creating over 7,000 videos and amassing 7.2 million subscribers. His YouTube channel, Adam Savage’s Tested, explores topics such as engineering, science, pop culture, behind-the-scenes movie effects, and workshop projects.
He has kept a very personal relationship with his audience, frequently answering fan mail and questions. Savage has a myriad of other achievements: being a special effects producer and prop maker for Star Wars films, hosting numerous TED Talks, and appearing on numerous other television shows. Through all his endeavors, he’s had one common goal: creativity and the scientific process.
Stevens takes great pride in its history of high-quality engineering education, but they also strive to put humanity in technology. If there’s anyone who can show the creative, artistic, and limitless potential of engineering, it would be Savage. In his over 20 years of making media—whether it’s making a rocket-powered swingset, hosting a TED talk, or making movie props—Savage is a paragon of how anything is possible in the engineering and science field.
