Anyone who has seen CNBC’s hit series, Make Me a Millionaire Inventor knows who George Zaidan is. He is the co-host of the show. What you may not know is that there is much more to this man than just co-hosting the show. He has so much going on in his life that it will make you wonder how he finds the time.
He Keeps Busy When He’s Not Working
George has more hobbies than most people. It is amazing that he can even find the time to enjoy his favorite hobbies. George is an avid rock climber, a beginning tennis player, a former single-digit handicap golfer, and he even loves to cook. Whenever he has a little bit of downtime, he is out doing the things that he loves.
He Encourages Education and Learning
George loves to help and because of this, he has advised many non-profit organizations and business on the best media strategies to suit their individual needs. George is also a member of the American Chemical Society, he has served as a trustee of the Washington International School, and he is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Education. When it comes to teaching and education, George is a giver.
He is Extremely Creative
George is a creative person and that shows in the work that he has done. He is well known for not only creating, but he also writes and hosts an upcoming National Geographic web series called Ingredients. He is also known for co-writing and directing another web series called Science Out Loud. George has also created, written, and hosted shows for The Weather Channel, The Pentagon Channel, and for TED-Ed. The videos that he has produced have been viewed millions of times.
George’s Recognition
George’s work has been recognized by many and his work has been featured in publications such as Science, Gizmodo, Business Insider, Forbes, The Salt, The Boston Globe, and Cosmic Log. He also holds the title of New Media Consortium Emerging Leader. Finally, George won the Khan Academy Talent Search.
George’s Education
George holds an S.B. In Chemistry from the very prestigious school, MIT. While teaching there, he was recognized for his efforts, and he won the F.D. Greene Teaching Award. This is considered to be a huge honor.
His Claim To Fame Was With “Make Me A Millionaire Inventor”
Those in the science and educational world all know who George Zaidan is. For those who are not familiar with this world, it is Make Me A Millionaire Inventor who made George Zaidan a household name. The show airs on CNBC, and it is a docuseries that is considered a combination of Shark Tank and Mythbusters. George and his cohost, Deanne Bell, are looking for the best inventions that have not yet been made. George says that this show gives him a chance to help people out there who have really good ideas for products, but don’t know how to get them made.
He Tried to Create His Own Toothpaste
George is a chemist among other things, and he loves a challenge. George decided to create videos in which he tries to make common household products, such as toothpaste, shaving cream, lipsticks, and many other products using only natural ingredients and he has absolutely no recipe to follow. This was an exciting challenge for George because he loves to participate in any activity that really makes him think. The videos of his attempts can be found online.
His Love of Chemistry
George found his love of chemistry when he was in high school. His teacher was very stubborn, so when he got to college, he says that he didn’t explore any other majors. After he finished his 4 years of college with excellent grades, he began questioning whether or not he wanted to go to grad school. In the end, he decided to try his hand in science media. It took him a while and a few dead ends and a few false starts, but he did what he set out to do.
George’s Fears
Like everyone in the world, George has fears. He says that his biggest fears are spiders and of heights. Most people who are afraid of heights stay as close to the ground as physically possible. If they are afraid of spiders, they try to avoid nature as much as possible. George’s feelings regarding fear are different than most people’s. In order to overcome his fears, he started hiking in areas where he would be likely to encounter a spider or two. To conquer his fear of heights, he took up rock climbing. This hobby gets him high off the ground, and there is always a chance that a wolf spider will jump out of a small cave in the rock onto his hand. He believes that if you are going to have fears, you should conquer them. Doing these things has not diminished his fears, but at least he can say that he faces them like a man.
Craters of the Moon National Preserve Documentary
If you ask George what his favorite project has been, he would tell you that it is the Craters of the Moon documentary. This project has him following MIT, ISU, and NASA engineers and scientists to the national preserve in Idaho. The project had him flying drones, using giant sledgehammers to smash rocks, and had him hiking through fields of lava. Anything that you could encounter on the moon or anything that you would need to know to make an amazing film, George has experienced it during this documentary. He said that the experience was like no other and if he had the chance to do it again, he would in a second.
Many people hear that a person is a chemist and they think that the person is a nerd. According to George Zaidan, this is often true and he is proud of it. He is proud to say that he is more than a nerd, the is an inventor, a writer, a director, a creator, and a host. This man wears so many hats, you could never classify him as boring or a nerd.
Follow Us
