The second centennial assembly of the year is deemed a success do to the speaker’s engaging tactics and clarity. Both his insight and humor made the presentation applicable and appealing to students. Photo by Eliza Crowder.

Eliza Crowder | Copy Editor & Lauren Yang | News Editor 

In the second centennial assembly of the 2015-16 school year, astrophysicist and UC-Berkeley professor Dr. Alex Filippenko gave an insightful and humorous talk that kept students engaged despite the complexity of the topics at hand.

Filippenko’s presentation was well received by the student body, as it was praised for its clarity, humor, and content. Many thought that the presenter did an excellent job catering to middle and upper schoolers alike. “Filippenko does a great job of making the more complex ideas of science seem manageable and certainly very interesting,” senior Alyssa Chao said.

Students felt engaged and entertained because of the humor that was weaved into the presentation. “I thought his jokes were out of this world,” sophomore Atreya Iyer said. From explaining the difference between cosmetology and cosmology to pointing out that the scientifically-accurate Star Wars adage should be “May the net force be with you,” Filippenko incorporated numerous puns into his talk that enhanced the overall quality of the presentation.

Engaging content was another factor that defined the presentation. “I think the biggest highlight of the assembly was definitely seeing some of the photos he presented. It really put into perspective our planet- and, well, me,” junior Nolan Jimenez said. In addition to photos, Filippenko utilized demonstrations and models to supplement his ideas.

Filippenko explained how he and a team of scientists theorized that we live in an accelerating universe. Contrary to popular belief that the universe is going to collapse upon itself, Filippenko stated that the space between galaxies is increasing. By observing different galaxies periodically, he and his team realized that cosmic bodies were moving further away from Earth than expected. Scientists call the force that is causing the galaxies to accelerate apart dark energy.

Filippenko concluded his address by leaving the students with the notion that one day they will be the ones answering these large and important questions. Filippenko instilled a “can-do” attitude into the students by offering inspiration and he stated that there is still so much unknown out there for us to discover.

Overall, Filippenko’s address impressed much of the Menlo community and left almost everyone feeling inspired by the end. Senior Makena Lambert expressed an admiration and appreciation for his presentation and how it was relatable to all students, no matter the differing areas of interest. “I think he was one of the best speakers we’ve ever had during my time here at Menlo. Even as someone who prefers the humanities over sciences, I loved his presentation and left [assembly] wishing I could take his Intro to Astrophysics class at [UC-Berkeley].”