The Conrad Foundation asked us to provide all requirements for audio, video and lighting for their annual Spirit of Innovation Awards program held at NASA Ames in Mountain View, Ca. As part of the festivities, we also provide sound and camera work for the musical group, Ozomatli and magician, Larry Wilson.

The Spirit of Innovation Awards program challenges teams of high school students to create innovative products using science, technology, and entrepreneurship to solve 21st century, real-world problems.

Eligible students may compete on teams in any of three Challenge Categories:

• Aerospace Exploration
• Clean Energy
• Cyber Security

More on the Conrad Foundation:

The Conrad Foundation is a non-profit, 501.c.3 organization built upon astronaut Charles “Pete” Conrad’s history of innovation and entrepreneurship. Pete Conrad’s accomplishments spanned three decades of manned space flight. Although Pete passed away in 1999, his legacy continues through the Conrad Foundation’s rich programs that combine science, education, and entrepreneurship in a revolutionary model of incentivized competition.

A prestigious high school expelled young Pete Conrad because he couldn’t read or spell. They didn’t recognize dyslexia at that time. In a new school, a perceptive headmaster saw Pete’s spark of genius and gave him the confidence he needed. Pete went on to earn a scholarship to Princeton and a ride to the moon as Commander of Apollo 12.

As an explorer and entrepreneur, Pete founded four companies to work on the commercialization of space travel — so one day all of us might have the chance to leave the Earth’s atmosphere.

In Pete’s honor, the Conrad Foundation gives talented young students their moon shot. By providing students the opportunity to design, develop, and commercialize innovative products using science and technology that solve 21st century problems, we connect the most creative students with real-world entrepreneurial ventures.

About G Love and Special Sauce

G. Love & Special Sauce are a trio from Philadelphia, PA. Their laid-back, sloppy blues sound is quite unique, as it encompasses the sound/production of classic R&B and recent rap artists (the Beastie Boys, in particular). The group — G. Love (born Garrett Dutton) on guitar/vocals/harmonica, Jeff Clemens on drums, and Jim Prescott on upright bass — released their self-titled debut in 1994 on Okeh/Epic. It received enthusiastic reviews and nearly went gold on the strength of the MTV-spun video for “Cold Beverage.” The group toured heavily, also landing a subsequent spot on the H.O.R.D.E. tour, and found a receptive young audience. They followed up this success with the more mature Coast to Coast Motel in 1995. Although it didn’t sell as well as the debut, it was definitely a stronger album. On tour, the group nearly broke up due to bickering over finances. They decided to take a break from each other, while G. Love worked on a new album with three different bands (All Fellas Band, Philly Cartel, and King’s Court) and special guest Dr. John. Soon, though, G. Love & Special Sauce made amends, and the next album featured Special Sauce plus combinations of the three other groups. Yeah, It’s That Easy was released in October of 1997, and it turned out to be a soul-inflected effort, more similar to the debut than their second album. G. Love & Special Sauce soon embarked on another world tour, returning in 1999 with Philadelphonic. 2001′s Electric Mile was another solid release, but it was also G. Love’s most schizophrenic yet, incorporating hip-hip, funk, psychedlia, blues, and soul in equal and ambitious measure. Ever the road band, Mile was follwed by extensive touring. By 2004 and the Hustle LP, G. Love had eased up a little on the kitchen sink approach, offereing instead a cohesive, dry groove reminiscent of his earliest efforts. Hustle was also the first G. Love release under Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records banner. It made sense; the two had been pals at least since Philadelphonic, which Johnson had guested on. His move off Sony spawned the Best of G. Love and Special Sauce, but G. wasn’t done. Special Sauce did a series of shows in 2004 with Johnson and fellow Brushfire artist Donovon Frankenreiter, and the trio also found time to issue a brief live EP. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide