Latest news with #SmallTownUniverse
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
'Small Town Universe' plays at WVU Tech on screening tour
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — An award-winning documentary set in West Virginia is currently making its way through the state on a screening tour. WVU Tech hosts regional math field day Small Town Universe is a documentary focusing on the town of Green Bank in Pocahontas County, and the observatory nestled in its farmland. Surrounded by mountains, Green Bank was the prime location for the now world-famous radio telescope as the peaks are great for keeping out radio waves that could interfere with the ones coming in from outer space. As the only town in America where cellphones and Wi-Fi are not allowed, the radio-telescope can do its work easily. Ellie White, a former Green Bank employee featured in the documentary, has a history with the observatory that goes back to her high school years. 'The [National Science Foundation] was going through a process of considering what level of funding the Green Bank Observatory was going to receive and so, these options ranged from full funding to demolition. So, my family and I got involved doing advocacy work to try and get people to write letters to the NSF in favor of full funding for the observatory,' said White. White was just a volunteer at the observatory at that time and after graduating with her bachelor's, she became a data analyst for them. During her volunteering, work on the documentary began. Katie Dellamaggiore was first intrigued by how Green Bank was devoid of the modern technology we use every day and wanted to explore that through film. She said her focus changed quickly though, once she arrived in town. 'But once I travelled to Green Bank and spent time there and really got to know the folks at the observatory, the scientists, the residents, the film really became a larger exploration of like, community and connection, and how science can really bond a community together,' said Dellamaggiore. Is solar energy an option for West Virginians amid rising utility costs? Dellamaggiore said she is thrilled at how the film has been received, especially during the screening tour at different universities. She hopes the documentary inspires the younger generation to consider careers in scientific fields and of course, the film industry. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WVU names 71st Mountaineer mascot for 2025-26
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — West Virginia University has officially named is 71st WVU Mountaineer Mascot for 2025-26. According to a release from WVU Today, Cade Kincaid, a Junior accounting major from Fayetteville, was chosen to wear the buckskins and coonskin cap on Saturday evening during the men's basketball game. Kincaid said he is proud to be carrying on his family at WVU as mother and sister are both alumni. One of his fondest WVU memories was attending the Backyard Brawl with his father at Milan Puskar Stadium in 2023 as the 'Student of the Game'. 'To be able to sit back in great seats and watch the Mountaineers beat Pitt that day with my dad — who is an alumnus — was an awesome experience.' Life beyond the cosmos? WVU holds screening of 'Small Town Universe' documentary Kincaid expressed his gratitude and excitement about becoming the 71st mascot, saying 'This role means so much to me. From age 4 to 20, I was a Mountaineer fan, but in the past two years, it really dawned on me that, if I were to pursue this role, I could really make a change and influence people and our state in a good way.' Kincaid will officially accept the rifle and responsibilities of the mascot from Braden Adkins, the 2024-25 mascot, during the 'Passing of the Rifle' ceremony on April 4 at 6 p.m. in the Mountainlair. The alternate mascot will be announced at a later date. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Life beyond the cosmos? WVU holds screening of ‘Small Town Universe' documentary
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — The West Virginia Alliance for STEM and the Arts hosted a screening of Small Town Universe at WVU Friday night as part of its new STEAM Stories series. Small Town Universe delves into themes of love, loss, resilience, hope, scientific discovery and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, all set in Green Bank, home to the renowned large telescope within the radio quiet zone. Prior to the screening, 12 News spoke with Marshall University Master's Student and Physics Graduate Assistant Ellie White on if she believes there's life beyond our universe. 'I don't know the answer and I'm trying to find out and a lot of my colleagues are trying to find out and we're really excited to see what's coming next in the next few years, what we might find. We're searching harder than ever, which means we have better chances than ever finding something and so I'm just delighted to be a part of that,' White said. This exclusive screening, co-sponsored by the West Virginia University Departments of Physics and Astronomy, English and the Center for Gravitational Waves and Cosmology, was free and open to the public. Directed by Emmy-nominated Katie Dellamaggiore, the film premiered at the 2024 Cleveland International Film Festival at the Mimi Theater, where it won the Global Health Award. That day was also when the total solar eclipse happened in 2024, which Dellamaggiore described as 'perfect.' WVU student leader concerned after Trump threatens 'illegal' protests on college campuses 'I knew nothing about radio astronomy at all. I knew that was astronomy before making this film,' Dellamaggiore said. 'I learned how radio astronomy works, why it matters what we're looking for, what we know, what we don't know, and that the search for extraterrestrial intelligence is actually like a legitimate field of science. That was something I wasn't fully aware before.' After the screening, attendees delved into a discussion on community, compassion and our place in the universe. Dellamaggiore joined a panel of local scientists, scholars and experts to take the conversation beyond the cosmos. 'The really cool thing about like seeing a film in person with people like this as opposed to just watching it at home on your TV is that like you get to talk about it afterwards. And so, for me like I know the process of being creative doesn't stop like when I finish the film it's like it continues by actually sharing it with people and seeing their reactions and having conversations and so like this is as much my favorite part of the process as making a film,' Dellamaggiore said. The film will have screenings at more locations across the Mountain State over the next several months. Dellamaggiore hopes to have the film seen nationwide at science centers and planetariums. 'The importance of a facility like Green Bank is just, it would take me an hour to list all the reasons why that's important but you know kind of sums up to a couple different areas you have education, engineering, science, and the economy,' White said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Documentary on life in Green Bank to screen in Morgantown
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — Emotional stories from the residents and scientists living in Green Bank, West Virginia will be coming to the big screen in Morgantown in an award-winning documentary this March. 'Small Town Universe,' directed by Emmy-nominated Director Katie Dellamaggiore, is about 'stories of love, loss, resilience, hope, scientific discovery, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence in Green Bank, WV, a small town with a big telescope.' The exclusive screening of the documentary will take place on March 7 in Ming Hsieh Hall, room G20 on West Virginia University's downtown campus. The event is free for anyone to attend but is limited by the amount of space available. A reception starts at 6:30 p.m. with the documentary screening scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. A panel discussion will be held after the documentary where Dellamaggiore will join local scientists, humanity scholars, and other experts to discuss the film and take questions. Green Bank, West Virginia is a truly unique place in America due to its location inside the National Radio Quiet Zone (NRQZ), which strictly regulates electromagnetic waves in the area. Everyday electronics like computers, Wi-Fi and even microwaves are limited or outright banned, resulting in a community abnormally detached from technology in a world that becomes more and more digital with each passing year. The real locations behind West Virginia's appearance in 'Captain America: Brave New World' In the trailer for the documentary, interview subjects discuss how the unique environment of Green Bank shapes the lives of the residents and scientists that live there. Although the NRQZ can pose many challenges, like reduced access to emergency services, residents in the trailer say they prefer a life that is more separated from technology. In 2014, Dellamaggiore was nominated for 'Outstanding Coverage of a Current News Story – Long Form' at the 2014 Emmys for her documentary, 'Brooklyn Castle,' which dives into the story of a junior high school's champion chess team. You can find directions to the screening here, or you can visit the WVU Department of Physics and Astronomy website for more details on the documentary screening. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
10-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Boston Science Fiction Film Festival celebrates 50 years
As usual, the mysteries of the cosmos will be on full display at this year's Boston SciFi, beginning with the opening-night film, 'Small Town Universe.' A feature-length documentary from director Katie Dellamaggiore, the film explores the tiny village (pop. 141) of Green Bank, home of the Green Bank Telescope, the world's largest telescope of its kind. Advertisement Scientists have been conducting experiments in radio astronomy in Green Bank for decades, and the observatory has become a hub for researchers seeking signs of extraterrestrial life. Because of the facility's electromagnetic sensitivity, cellphones and other radio transmissions are Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up That's how Dellamaggiore found the place. In 2015, having just lost her mother and given birth to her second child, she Googled, 'Is there a town without cellphones?' 'It was a really emotional period,' she recalls. 'And my brain kind of exploded with all of the science happening there. I thought, 'Wow, there are these big, existential questions that really speak to me right now.'' Dellamaggiore's film turns out to be more about the people affected by the observatory — the aspiring scientists who find their passion there, and the locals who fight for its survival when defunding is threatened. (The National Science Foundation has 'We're in a period of time in our society when science is being belittled,' he said. 'And the people belittling it don't realize how important it is. Advertisement 'One thing that has driven me to keep this festival alive and kicking is the community,' he said. 'I love these people. They're smart and caring human beings.' Highlights of this year's milestone program include several national and world premieres, a conversation about the search for aliens with theoretical physicist Avi Loeb, and, of course, the festival's renowned Marathon, a 24-hour blitz of notable sci-fi films that kicks off at noon on Sunday. This year's Marathon includes 'Barbarella' (1968), the original 'Clash of the Titans' (1981), and 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' (1951), the flying saucer classic that kicked off the first Boston SciFi a half-century ago. Ticket from a previous Boston Science Fiction Film Festival. Boston Science Fiction Film Festival The festival's origins date back even farther, Daly says: Four years before it began, This year, they're expecting around 600 people to attend the Marathon. About half of them, Daly says, will make it through the whole thing, give or take a nap or two. As a genre, science fiction is sometimes treated with disdain, Daly says — 'bug-eyed monsters and '50s creepy-crawlies. But it's also about serious people discussing serious topics.' With its emphasis on a community that has rallied around science, he says, 'Small Town Universe' embodies the theme of the 50th Boston SciFi. Before taking it out on the festival circuit, Dellamaggiore hosted a premiere screening for the residents of Green Bank last summer. After the screening, one local woman told her how much she liked the film. Advertisement 'I generally dislike other humans, and I'm pessimistic about the world,' she said. 'But this film made me feel better.' BOSTON SCIENCE FICTION FILM FESTIVAL Feb. 12- 17. Somerville Theatre, 55 Davis Square. James Sullivan can be reached at .
