Discovery Channel "Secrets of the Universe" Retreat

During the week of June 12th, I traveled to Gateway, CO to photograph events at the Discovery Retreat "Secrets of the Universe".  It is the first of a series of retreats developed by the founder of the Discovery Channel, John Hendricks, and held at his Gateway Canyons Resort. The goal is to offer a learning experience along with resort accommodations and amenities for those who like to get a lot more out of their vacation than simply lounging by the pool.  Of course that was an option as well, but in addition there were lectures by cosmologists, particle physicists, and local experts, along with hikes and excursions to learn more about the area.

Because I was taking photos, I got to tag along, which was wonderful.    Initially, I thought the lectures would go like this for me, "Blah, blah, blah, black holes, blah, blah, atom, blah, Big Bang...." but the presenters were down-to-earth (pardon the pun), interesting, and funny.  They all presented the subject matter in a way that was exciting to experts and laymen alike.   I am definitely in the layman category.  

I am a perpetual student, but have always focused on art and psychology for the most part.  As an adult, I have begun to realize how cool and amazing "hard" science is and wish I had studied it more.  I have always wanted to take astronomy classes, but somehow it never fit in to my class schedule in my hurry to get my degrees.    Someday I would love to go back to school and take classes that simply interest me and see where that leads with no destination in mind. 

These presenters made string theory sexy (and that's saying something).   I watched people around me in the audience respond to the information with excitement and a thirst for more knowledge.  I had conversations with attendees in which we all talked about wanting to learn more now that we had a glimpse of what was out there.   Literally and figuratively.   

While taking photos I began to get to know these people, and I think that level of comfort strengthened the photos because I became a person, not a camera following them around, and they became Sigrid, Linda, Martin, etc. to me rather than faces of anonymous students.    I loved hearing where everyone was from and stories about their travels and experiences and families.     I hope the photos convey the connections and excitement for learning that characterized this experience.  Here are a few from the week.   (And, by the way, when I got back I went the the library and checked out a book by one of the presenters,   Jennifer Ouellette. It is called The Calculus Diaries: How Math Can Help You Lose Weight, Win in Vegas, and Survive a Zombie Apocalypse - isn't that the best title ever?)