The Alder Grove

"In my sleep thought that I was standing in an alder grove of the straightest and fairest trees which the heart of man could think of or imagine."

New York Inspiration

So... this year for vacation (as anyone who remotely knows me has heard about for a while) I decided to spend my vacation time attending and volunteering at The World Science Festival in NYC.
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The WSF is run by Brian Greene and his wife Tracy Day...and it's pretty amazing. All over the city with both ticketed and free events bringing all different branches of science to the public.  I couldn't wait to be a part of it.
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I came to Brian's work a little late - not when he published The Elegant Universe - but after I had seen him as part of one of Lawrence Krauss' Origins panels, The Storytelling of Science. Prof. Krauss introduced him with "I feel like he's a long-lost son" and Brian came out and proclaimed, "Papa!!" and hugged him until he was told to knock it off.
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I liked him immediately.  :)
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Since then I have watched everything of his on YouTube, read his books and articles, and even taken classes from him via World Science U online.  He's a wonderful teacher...he gets you so involved in the classes that it's hard to believe that you aren't in the room with him.  And when he puts on that boyish smile...he can even make me do *math*.
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I've seen so many panels and productions from the past WSF years and it looked amazing with such a wide range of programming. I got to work the two events that I most wanted to, as well but more on that later.

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I just have to say that the festival is run so wonderfully. In the volunteer handbook, they talk about the volunteers all being a family with Brian and Tracy as the "proud parents" (which always makes be think of the moment that I discovered him). It's really true too. Everyone is so professional and so welcoming.</p>

Now...I want to do this every year!!  Maybe next time I will even have a chance to thank Brian for everything that he has taught me, in  person.

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