A small group of students attended MESA Movie Night in the Planetarium Oct. 8 and watched “The Man Who Knew Infinity.” The Math, Engineering, Science and Achievement program, sponsored the event and provided snacks for those who attended.

Most students who came in were part of the MESA program and were excited to socialize. Shaelynn Cyr, a Biology Major who is a MESA member, came into the movies with her friends.

“I would like to learn something new and have an enjoyable time with everyone,” Cyr said. Only a few interested MESA students came in and watched the movie; some came and left, while others stayed until the end.

While watching the movie, students learned about the real-life Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, who came to Britain from India before World War I to publish his mathematical theories with the help of G.H. Hardy. Throughout the cinematic journey, students remained silent, attentive, and enjoyed snacks.

After the movie, students left with knowledge about Ramunjan’s achievements. One of the students who learned from the movie was Janice Perkins, a biology major in the MESA Program.

“(I learned) just about his life and it kind of brought up further questions of wanting to look into more of his life and these names and the impact that has come from it,” said Perkins. She and most of the students left the Planetarium with a deeper understanding of STEM academia and Ramanujan’s contributions.

Simpson planned the event to teach students about a historic figure in STEM while making it fun for them. He came across “The Man Who Knew Infinity” after researching a couple of dozen STEM movies and decided to use it for the Movie night.

The event was planned and coordinated by Michael Simpson, who is the MESA Program Coordinator.

“I ultimately settled on ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity,’ because it focused on an underrepresented student population that contributed greatly to the field of mathematics,” said Simpson. Simpson thought that the event turned out well and noticed that the students who attended the movie had a good time and enjoyed it. He hopes that students found the event meaningful.

“I hope the students got out of this a desire to continue to explore the field of STEM and for LMC to understand the contributions that marginalized populations have contributed,” said Simpson.

MESA also has some upcoming events, including a Latinx and STEM event on Oct. 15. Overall, the movie night was quiet, relaxing, and a calm way for students to gather and watch an educational film.