Whhhhheeeeee! I am so excited... Why?
Okay story time.
Once upon a time, I went to a large public high school which was chosen to be part of a research project produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. (This was due largely to proximity. The high school was blocks away from Harvard's campus.) I was one of two dozen students from my class to be questioned about the changing of the seasons and the orbit of the Earth. All because my mom signed my permission slip. Did I mention they filmed all our answers?
Well, that was the end of it. Until, as a senior in high school, I was stopped on the street by a very academic looking man (tweedy coat, glasses, slightly distracted looking) wanting to know if I'd been in a 'movie'. I said, "No." (Visions of adult type movies flashed through my suspicious mind.) But my mom said... "Well, there was that research project when you were a freshman.."
It turns out that research project, A Private Universe, had become famous in academic circles. In fact, it is still used for fundraising and for science education programs. I am, in very, very small circles, famous for my part in the film. Yes, that's me as a young'n in the photo.
What I haven't mentioned is that my answers that I gave in the program are wrong. Outrageously wrong. So incredibly wrong that the researches developed theories about my wrongness.
What brings all this to mind? Today I recieved an email inviting me to a 20th anniversary event for the documentary. (Wheeeeee!!) I am on cloud nine! This is so cool. If it really goes through (there was talk a couple of years ago about filming a sequel that never materialized), I will go to Boston in March to attend a National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) conference.