At the Society of Magicians, one of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's newest clubs, there are certain types of magic that members have found it best to avoid.
The goal of most magic tricks is to amaze the audience, and at a school that abounds with science and math geniuses, that can be challenging.
Sophomore Emily Staknis, the society's president, says magic based on physics doesn't work well at WPI. "I tend to avoid those kinds of tricks because people figure it out," she said.
Ms. Staknis, a robotics engineering major, has been doing magic 10 years, since receiving a magic kit as a child. She went on to get a larger magic kit that came with DVD instructions, and later she became a regular visitor at an area magic shop, learning tricks from the proprietors.
When she came to WPI in 2017 and found that there wasn't a magic club, she was disappointed, but didn't think of starting one until she met up with two other student magicians who had started the process. Together they created the Society of Magicians.
The society received final approval to become a student club earlier this year and has about 20 members.
What kind of tricks do the student magicians perform?
"I usually do card tricks. It is easier to amaze the crowd," said graduate student Vignesh Mano'j Varier, a robotics engineering major.
Ms. Staknis said she also likes to use card tricks, some involving math, explaining that practice is crucial to performing any of the tricks well.
One thing most magicians look forward to is the reactions.
"You really don't know how people will react," Ms. Staknis said, adding that some try to figure it out.
"People enjoy it when they are thoroughly fooled," she said.
Some want to find out how the trick works, said Mr. Mano'j Varier. "Someone offered me $50 to tell the secret, but I wouldn't tell," he said, explaining that it was a matter of principle.
Austin Jandrucko, a first-year student majoring in robotics engineering and psychology, said he likes to do "walk-around shows," which allow him to meet people and build an instant rapport. The magic itself might take only two or three minutes, but it can be made into an event that will be remembered for a long time, he said.
Students in the club perform on campus, and the club plans to do a show in the Goats Head restaurant at the end of the term.
While no public shows are in the works right now, down the road the club might invite a magician and have members perform a bit of magic as an introduction, Ms. Staknis said.
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As part of the Franklin M. Loew Lecture Series, "How To Get Your First Game Studio Job" will be presented at 6 p.m. Monday at the Colleen C. Barrett Center, 80 Williams St. The discussion will be led by Becker College graduate Brian Brannan, who is a lead game tester for Disruptor Beam. For more information, or to RSVP, call (508) 373-9460.
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In conjunction with Giving Tuesday, Nichols College marketing and leadership students created the #NC22Challenge, which runs through Nov. 27.
It consists of people doing 22 push-ups any way they can and donating $22 or more to the Warrior Connection, a Vermont-based nonprofit organization that helps military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The number 22 represents how many veterans commit suicide each day. Along the lines of the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS, each participant is to post a video of themselves doing the push-ups and nominate three others to take the challenge and donate. Social media posts must be tagged with #NC22Challenge.
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