Science, technology and art come together when creating special effects for live entertainment events. Every minute of entertainment represents many hours of work behind the scenes by specialists in engineering, materials science and mathematics.

NIU Professor of Theatre Tracy Nunnally has been one of our most popular STEAM Café presenters. At this STEAM Café, he’ll present an updated talk about how engineering and math help to keep people safe while making them feel as if they’ve been part of death-defying feats. Professor Nunnally will delve into the fascinating details of special effects planning and safety analysis as he walks the audience through the process of moving live theatrical effects from idea to reality.