On April 26th, juniors at Newburyport High School had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Alan Lightman, bestselling author and MIT professor in both physics and humanities.

All juniors received a copy of Dr. Lightman's book "Probable Impossibilities," made possible through the generosity of the Charles and Marianne Small Charitable Foundation and the Newburyport Literary Festival.

In preparation, students read selections of the essays in the book, which detail both physics and metaphysical musings, and had the opportunity to have a question and answer session with Dr. Lightman.

Questions from students ranged from physics--about the speed of light, black holes, and the reality of the physics in the movie Interstellar--to the philosophical--what might happen if we implant a computer in every person's brain.

Students were so engaged, they didn't want to stop talking to Dr. Lightman. Students said, "Definitely bring someone like him again. Philosophy and physics. Very eye opening and interesting." And, "I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dr. Lightman speak! I liked the structure of the session— being able to ask questions as opposed to it being more lecture-based."

Activities such as this help us to make Newburyport the place where tradition and innovation converge.