Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Before the film, Harvard astronomy professor Dr. Avi Loeb will sign copies of his latest book, the New York Times bestseller Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, and discuss the latest developments in the search for extraterrestrial life.
Director Steven Spielberg's classic sci-fi adventure stars Richard Dreyfuss as a power repairman who experiences something out of this world in the skies above his Muncie, Indiana home. His close encounter sets into action an amazing chain of events that leads to contact with the benevolent aliens and their Mothership. Featuring, spectacular special effects, John Williams' outstanding score, and memorable performances from Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, and legendary director Francois Truffaut.
About the Speaker
Abraham (Avi) Loeb is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University, chair of Harvard's Department of Astronomy, founding director of Harvard's Black Hole Initiative, and director of the Institute for Theory and Computation (ITC) within the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. He also chairs the Advisory Committee for the Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, and serves as the science theory director for all Initiatives of the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, as well as chair of the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies. Author of four books and over 700 scientific papers, Loeb is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Physical Society, and the International Academy of Astronautics. In 2012, Time selected Loeb as one of the twenty-five most influential people in space.
