Space-traveling scientist and business leader Greg Olsen, Ph.D., presented "From Entrepreneurship to Spaceship" at the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway to students, faculty, and community members.

Some topics at the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway (AOB) are literally out of this world. Case in point: the March 9 lecture featuring space-traveling scientist and entrepreneur Greg Olsen, Ph.D., whose presentation, "From Entre-preneurship to Spaceship," described his path to becoming the third private citizen in the world to orbit the Earth.

"The secret to life is three words: don't give up," said Olsen, part of NYIT's 21st-Century Leaders Speaker Series. Following a five-month training program at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Moscow, he joined cosmonaut Valeri Tokarev and astronaut Bill McArthur on the Russian Soyuz rocket TMA-7, which launched on Oct. 1, 2005. Olsen and the crew docked with the International Space Station and returned to Earth 10 days later after 150 orbits and logging nearly four million miles in zero-g gravity. He shared video highlights of his experiences, including drinking water in a weightless environment, using the Internet with his feet, and being strapped to a bed to avoid floating in his sleep.

Following his lecture, which was sponsored by the School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, NYIT students asked about today's high-tech market and business trends.

"If you have drive, you can start a business," said Olsen, who owned two high-tech companies, EPITAXX, a fiber-optic detector manufacturer, and Sensors Unlimited, a near-infrared camera manufacturer. "Take a good look at the trends, but ultimately, follow your dreams."

Today, Olsen is founder and president of Princeton, N.J.-based investment firm GHO Ventures. He regularly gives presentations, encouraging students to follow careers in the fields of science and engineering.

When asked about his entrepreneurial achievements, Olsen said his success is tied to the tireless efforts of his employees. "Business is not about technology or markets, it is about people," he said. "People are successful because of perseverance."

Speaking about issues closer to Earth, African-American author and activist Kevin Powell appeared at the AOB on Feb. 10 in honor of Black History Month and discussed how today's youth can serve as "change-agents" of society. The former U.S. congressional candidate and cast member of MTV's The Real World urged students to read everything related to their careers and attributed his success to an incredible appetite for learning.

Things got a bit lighter on Feb. 9 when film star, musician, and producer Nick Cannon performed his stand-up comedy act. Named one of the "Top Ten Most Successful Young People in Hollywood" by People magazine, Cannon joked about his childhood, his culture, and becoming a parent of twins with wife Mariah Carey. After the event, students had the chance to meet him and pose for photos.

Cannon was not the only Hollywood star to walk onto NYIT's stage in the past two semesters. Last fall, the Screen Actors Guild screened the comedy City Island and held a Q&A session with stars Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, and Raymond De Felitta. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone served as moderator. In addition, an interactive panel discussion featuring actor Michael Douglas, writer David Levien, and director Brian Koppelman accompanied a preview of the drama Solitary Man.

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