Stellar Video Has Marin Teen In Running For $400K Prize

MILL VALLEY, CA –Even the best telescopes money can buy can only tell us so much about the cosmos.

Once you hit the 46-billion light-year mark, things get a bit murky. Get much past there, and it becomes a crapshoot.

And until more powerful lenses can show what lurks behind the shadows, astronomers are left to theorize based on scattered clues the universe has left behind.

These mysteries have dogged Ari Katz since he was a young child, and the Tamalpais High School senior remains stuck in the rabbit hole that is the mind-bending study of the unobservable universe.

“I learned that from cosmology to particle physics, there are parts of our world that live in the shadows - unobservable phenomena that leave their fingerprints in the subtlest of ways,” Katz told Patch.

“Ever since, I have been dreaming of a world that lives in front of our eyes, yet we can’t see.”

The stellar world Katz has been dreaming about has led him to the very real world of stellar academic accomplishment.

The Mill Valley teen earlier this month was a semifinalist for a prestigious award.

The international Breakthrough Junior Challenge is a global science video contest that encourages students to create engaging and imaginative videos that demonstrate difficult scientific concepts.

Katz created an original science video that has him in the running for $400,000 worth of prizes including a college scholarship and a new science lab for his school.

The semifinalists’ videos are already up on YouTube and Facebook. Voters have until Monday to select the “people’s choice” winner.

Katz’s video focuses on physics and the shape of the observable universe.

Along with his tiny, animated ant pal, “Antonio,” Katz describes in relatable terms how spacetime interacts with gravity and dark energy, and how mass reacts to the two depending on their balance.

“The physical theory behind the shape of the universe, General Relativity, requires math that is very hard to master,” Katz explained.

“I decided that presenting a mathematical framework for space-time curvature in only three minutes wasn’t going to serve the viewer’s understanding. Instead, I made it my goal to create a narrative that answered a beautiful question in a simple way, while at the same time, fostering an embrace for the viewer’s curiosity of the unknown.”

Katz’s video aims to bring a better understanding of complex theory to those who aren't as well-versed in technical scientific terminology.

“Although empirical evidence suggests the existence of these unobservables, the mind can only imagine what they might look like. It’s a part of physics that engages the minds of scientists and artists alike,” Katz said.

Katz said he hopes to shed light on the under-reported narratives of physics.

“I believe that by studying the unobservable universe, one must tap into a deep part of their imagination,” Katz said.

Particles behaving as waves, dark-energy stretching our cosmos, and space-time stretching in a black hole; all these unobservable topics spark the imaginations of learners in a unique and creative way.”

Katz expects to keep that spark going.

He is considering a future in physics, and said the Breakthrough competition has provided encouragement.

“There are so many talented students in this competition; it’s truly an honor for me to be considered among the same ranks of them,” he said.

“I am humbled that my video will even be seen by such an inspiring panel of judges. A truly unforgettable experience.”