In 1958, the National Science Foundation built the Green Bank Observatory and the Federal Communications Commission established the National Radio Quiet Zone, a 13,000-square-mile area restricting the transmission of radio waves. Back in the 1950s, radio technology posed a minor threat of interference. Today – when over 95 percent of U.S. adults own a cell phone – some people find these restrictions a nuisance, while others see them as the defining way of life in Green Bank.
For many, it’s what attracted them to Green Bank in the first place.
The film “Small Town Universe” paints an intimate and captivating portrait of life in Green Bank, home to the world’s most sensitive radio telescope and the only U.S. town where Wi-Fi and cell phones are either severely limited or basically useless. In this uniquely radio-quiet community, scientists use the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) to search for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence and advance the field of radio astronomy while residents navigate through pivotal moments of existence, forming deep connections with the universe, science and one another.
Capturing the life of a town when it was on the verge of change and facing the potential loss of federal funding that could have led to the closure of the Green Bank Telescope, the film takes an intimate and forward-thinking approach, following four main characters: a young woman aspiring to become an astrophysicist, a retired engineer nearing the end of his life, a hobby farmer with a long family history in Green Bank, and a new resident looking to escape the challenges of a hyper-connected world.
Through the lens of these personal stories, “Small Town Universe” explores the scientific impact of the Green Bank Telescope and the profound human connections it fosters within this unique community. Apart from its scientific significance, the GBT serves as the town’s economic backbone, providing up to 140 local jobs and attracting 50,000 visitors annually.
The local premiere will take place Saturday, August 3, at 6 p.m. in the Green Bank Science Center Auditorium.
A public reception will follow with Emmy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker and commercial director Katie Dellamaggiore. Her feature directorial debut, “Brooklyn Castle,” won the SXSW Audience Award, was a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and was nationally broadcast by PBS’s acclaimed POV series.
Green Bank Observatory is a facility supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and is operated by Associated Universities, Inc.