When he’s not thinking about debunking myths, Anthony Paustian could be pondering storm chasing, outer space, building confidence, neuroscience or advances in digital music.

It’s not that Paustian endures a scatterbrained existence at the West Des Moines campus of Des Moines Area Community College. Far from it.

You have to be good at details — and have diverse interests — to land the lineup of speakers that Paustian books for DMACC’s annual Creative Innovation Week observances.

For example, Paustian, the provost at DMACC’s West Campus in West Des Moines, boldly signed LeVar Burton of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Roots” fame for the conference last year. Often speaking directly with the celebrities himself, Paustian has preached the value of the free event to students and the community to persuade astronauts, musicians, and computer giants to West Des Moines in the sometimes unwelcoming cold of winter.

Occasionally high speech fees get in the way, but a large number of these stars of tech and innovation stop in to inspire students, sign autographs and talk shop among people dedicated to startups, innovation and science, Paustian said. 

This year’s run, from Feb. 29 to March 4, will stage Homer Hickam, a former NASA engineer whose autobiographical novel, “Rocket Boys: A Memoir,” led to the movie “October Sky.” Also on the roster: “Xploration Outer Space” host Emily Calandrelli; “She Blinded Me With Science” singer Thomas Dolby; “Mythbusters” Build Team member Kari Byron; “Iowa Nice Guy” Scott Siepker; and confidence building author Jason Kiesau. Also “Storm Chasers” star Reed Timmer, dream coach Mitch Matthews and “The Walking Dead” makeup artist Howard Berger. 

The theme of this year’s Celebrate Innovation run: “Free to Dream.”

With the help of a booking agency, Paustian considers the speaker lineup a year or so in advance. He works his tech magic from an office just across a wall from DMACC’s 150-year history of communications museum, which is free and open to the public.

He’s had success in the initial seven years. 

The first year, DMACC staged Alan Bean, the fourth man to walk on the moon, and a man who gave up his long career as an astronaut to paint images he hoped would capture the rare views he enjoyed in space. 

He booked Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak, who not only is a legend of tech but also showed he wasn’t afraid to laugh at himself on “Dancing With the Stars.” Past speakers also included oceanographer David Gallo, the leader of a mission to the Titanic; John Gaeta, who was behind the visual effects in the “Matrix” trilogy; and Daymond John, co-host of ABC’s “Shark Tank”

For Paustian, the event is an everyman answer to the TED Conference, which can cost thousands of dollars to attend, or South by Southwest, which also is pricey.

“My philosophy has always been, if you can afford those kinds of numbers to go to a conference to be inspired, you probably are already inspired,” he said. “The people who want or need to be inspired are the people who can least afford it. So our event has always been free to the public.”

The week includes a reception attended by all the speakers, who will sign autographs. The celebs are required to be there. 

Why?

“It only takes one person,” Paustian said. “If I inspire one person to make the world better, it is worth it.”

It’s always an adventure rounding out the lineup. Students will ask Paustian why he doesn’t book Facebook Inc. co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. He replies that he doesn’t have the $250,000 speech fee. “He sets his rate so high because he doesn’t want to do this stuff,” Paustian said. 

‘“Steve Wozniak’s normal rate is probably $100,000,” Paustian said. “I got him for $20,000 because I talk to these people. I get to know them a little bit beforehand. I sell them on the concept. I sell them on the idea. I sell them on why this is a good thing for the community here and the students. How we aren’t charging for this. That this is to inspire people to do great things moving forward.” 

But usually the problem isn’t the money.

“Typically it’s more that they don’t have the time than the money being an issue,” Paustian said.

“I approached (founder) Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com Inc. He sent back a very polite email saying, ‘It sounds like a great event, but I just don’t have the time right now.’ It’s challenging every year to get a lot of speakers.”

“I’m not afraid to walk away if they keep pressing their fee,” Paustian said. “Here’s a case in point: Mayim Bialik of ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ I talked to her three years ago. She already has her Ph.D. in neuroscience. She plays a neuroscientist on the show, but she is a neuroscientist in real life. She could speak to women in STEM.”

There was, in this case, a money issue. “Back then, it was going to be $25,000 for her to come,” Paustian recalled. “She couldn’t at the last minute because the show asked her to write some episodes. I approached her last year for (2016), and her rate had gone to $40,000. I said, ‘That’s wonderful, but there’s no way I can pay you more than I paid two astronauts who walked on the moon, combined.’ ”

What about 2017?

“I’m thinking about maybe Jim Lovell, (commander of) Apollo 13,” the near-disastrous mission that developed problems and had to abort a moon visit. The heroics were recalled in the movie by the same name.

Paustian also is considering Felix Baumgartner, a world record holder who skydived from the stratosphere.

The conference has been popular and has moved even Paustian, the man reaching out to the stars.

“I walk away from this event inspired every year,” he said. “I get inspired just putting this together.”