SeanChron | Bill Nye, From Stylish Scientist to Cause Model for Prostate Cancer Awareness

February 9, 2020. Bill Nye the Science Guy proved once again that scientists can be stylish. Nye took part in the 4th Annual Blue Jacket Fashion Show hosted by the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The event invites designers to reinvent the traditional men's blue jacket and brings together the fashion, entertainment, sports, and media worlds to raise awareness and funding for prostate cancer research. Nye is wearing a design by Nick Graham.

Read the full story here:

• Kacala, A. 2020. Bill Nye struts down catwalk in viral video. Today

Futurazzi | 21st Century Smart Set at 2017 Breakthrough Prize

The Futurazzi are buzzing! Great to see celebs and scientists mixing and mingling at the 2017 Breakthrough Prize event. Emceed by Morgan Freeman and co-hosted by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan; Yuri and Julia Milner; Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki; and Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter, the event saw over $25 million going to some of the most amazing minds in life sciences, physics, and math.

Celebrities from the entertainment world included Vin Diesel, Alicia Keys, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Dev Patel, Samantha Vincent, and will.i.am. Athletes in the house were Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Durant. There was also a healthy group of venture capitalists such as Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Sergey Brin, Chris Sacca and Ron Conway.

Jump to Vanity Fair's Hive article, Watch Zuck, Brin, A-Rod, K.D., Dev Patel, and Vin Diesel Party in the Name of Science, to get more info and lots of great photos of the 21st century smart set.

Vanity Fair essentially called the even the Cannes Film Festival of brilliance. We agree and can't wait to see more.

High Style for Highest Honor in Science

May-Britt Moser and Matthew Hubble. Image credit: Geir Mogenand/NTNU.
Back in 2006, Future-ish set out to, among many other things, make scientists celebrities on par with actors and athletes. There has certainly been a lot of evidence of exactly this happening since that time but a recent development may be the best realization of this dream yet...a scientist and fashion designer collaborated to create a stunning gown worthy of any red carpet. Indeed, worthy of a Nobel Prize winner.

In December 2014, University College London's John O’Keefe and Norwegian University of Science and Technology's May-Britt and Edvard Moser (why yes, they are married) were awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering neuron "grid cells" that serve as a system in the brain for spacial positioning, essentially the brain's GPS system.

With this news, British engineer turned fashion designer Matthew Hubble, saw an opportunity to create a special couture gown for May-Britt Moser. Hubble approached Moser with the idea, she agreed, and the resulting Grid Cell Dress is a peace of sartorial art that both rises to the Nobel Prize Ceremony occasion and serves as a unique communication tool that is sure to engage whole new audiences in groundbreaking science.

In the video interview in Manaster's article list below, Hubble comments on the collaboration:

"if we can get more fashion communicating more science to more people and widening the talent pool that might be interested in a career in science or engineering, then its a great thing to know that I can inspire people, as well as role models such as May-Britt."

Read more about Moser and Hubble's collaboration in the linked articles below.

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• Ash, S. 2014. Today, Dr. May-Britt Moser from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) accepts her Nobel Prize in true startorial style. The STARtorialist.
• Boyle, A. 2014. Neurons Inspire Nobel Laureate May-Britt Moser's Dress. NBC News.
• Manaster, J. 2014. Glittering Nobel Gown Represents Scientists Work. Scientific American.
• McNally, V. 2014. One Nobel Recipient Accepted Her Prize Wearing A Gown Covered In Neurons That She Discovered. The Mary Sue.

Futurazzi | Danica McKellar at 2014 Billboard Music Awards

Our favorite math maven, Danica McKellar caught the attention of many a fashion photographer when she arrived to the 2014 Billboard Music Awards in this bright poppy sleeveless cutout gown from BCBG. The dress has a very futuristic vibe overall but we also adore the fact that there are some great geometric lines in the front and back cutouts as well.

Emilie Crewe's "Making Circles"

Here at Future-ish we love when ancient technology meets the modern, digital world. Case in point, this March 2014 Emilie Crewe digital art installation of Chilkat weaving for the City of Vancouver as a public artwork for the Year of Reconciliation.

>> More on Making Circles: The Chilkat Dancing Blanket here.

Futurazzi | Māori Moment for William and Kate

Here at Future-ish, we love when worlds collide. That's precisely what happened with Prince William and Princess Kate visited New Zealand in April 2014. Like many guests, William and Kate participated in a traditional Māori greeting ceremony, or pōwhiri. The cross-cultural exchange was particularly striking given the couple's Western attire juxtaposed with the traditional Māori attire which can include face and body tattoos and painting.

The ceremony included the hongi, a traditional Māori greeting in which participants presses noses and forheads together to exchange ha (the breath of life). Both Prince William and Princess Kate took part in the hongi with local Kaumatua (Elder), Lewis Moeau and others.

Image credit: Tim Rooke

Futurazzi | Rachel McAdams in Future-ish Roksanda Ilincic

We're always on the watch for fashion with a future-ish flair. Our latest find is actress Rachel McAdams at the August 2013 premier of her movie, About Time, at Somerset House in London. The pale lavender gown is by Serbian designer, Roksanda Ilincic and features a very futuristic hologram belt along with surprise blue and aqua stripes on the back of the dress.

Futurazzi | Jessica Mauboy on Ellen

Our futurazzi spotted a photo of one of our favorite Future-ish "it girls", Jessica Mauboy, arriving for her appearance on the Ellen show that aired April 18, 2013. Mauboy made several appearances on Ellen while the show was down unda more in Spring 2013 but she was on the show this time to promote her the movie she both starred in and recorded multiple songs on the movie soundtrack for, The Sapphires (which Ellen happens to be a big of). Jess just keeps getting more and more fabulous!

Brad Pitt Expands Repertoire to Furniture Design

Here at Future-ish, we often get excited when a celebrity has a newsworthy science connection, whether it is a science background, an interest in promoting science, or even when they play a scientist on TV or in the movies. It seems to be much less rare that we report on celebrities with a design connection. Sure there are the occasional fashion lines and perfumes, but other design fields are a rare find indeed.

So we were very excited to read in the Architectural Digest's December 2012 Issue about Brad Pitt's new project...designing furniture with the renowned Frank Pollaro. The full website for the collaboration, www.pitt-pollaro.com will launch on November 11, 2012.

Dining table with signature 'continuous line' element. Image credit: Ellen McDermott
Pitt first tested his design chops back in 2007 with his post-Katrina nonprofit project, Make it Right, that designed and built healthy homes, buildings and communities for people in need. Pitt and Make it So embraced green building full-on and the results were affordable and inspiring creations that were a significant part of healing the community.

Given his past interest in architecture and furniture design and the fact that he's been imagining his own furniture concepts since the 1990s, we expect to be introduced to many new pieces in the line going forward.

Futurazzi | Nick Cannon Loves on Lexus Hybrid

10.19.12 - Actor, comedian, rapper, and TV host Nick Cannon recently plugged the Lexus LF-LC Blue Hybrid that debuted at the Australian International Motor Show. Apparently, we was a bit smitten. In Cannon's words, "Being environmentally conscious never looked so sexy". In a follow up tweet, he showed even more love..."Being green never looked so fly".

Futurazzi | Dr. Danielle N. Lee at 2012 SACNAS

10.13.12 | The fabulous Dr. Danielle N. Lee (who happens to be #2 on our 2012 Stylish Scientist List) and Future-ish founder Sean Schmidt at the 2012 SACNAS conference in Seattle.

SeanChron - John Malkovich's Technobohemian

Back in 2009, I coined the term "Progress Chic" as a new design style that encompasses the best of contemporary science, design, and culture within its parameters by building on the learning and advances of our past while at the same time inspiring an even more exciting future. I can't think of a better example than John Malkovich's new clothing line, Technobohemian. In his own words,

" I am inspired by the appearance of a bohemian of the new millennium. I thought it was necessary to update the figure of the bohemian but not in the traditional way, it was necessary to make it a cosmopolitan present and fully engaged in the technological world we live in today."

Malkovich has succeeded in doing just that, wearable designs that offer great style. The Spring/Summer 2011 collection, produced primarily in Italy with jeans from Japan, has been catching the eye of the fashion world since it debuted in the Fall of 2010. Now that it is in stores, fashionistas and garmentos around the world are praising the line as well. Colorful dress shirts, jackets, and ties make up the largest part of the collection but jeans, sport shirts, and sporty coats also make appearances. The essence of Bohemianism is an unconventional lifestyle, Malkovich's Technobohemian offers exactly that with emphasis on both unconventional and style. Bravo!

Futurazzi | Science Day for Suri Cruise

In a Vancouver Sun article, Katya Holloway fills us in on a February 2011 outing for Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, and daughter Suri...a visit to Science World in Vancouver, BC. Cruise and family are in Vancouver while Cruise films Mission Impossible: 4. While most of the press were interested in what Katie and Suri were wearing, we here at Future-ish are thrilled to see a Hollywood supercouple on a science-inspired field trip.