Airplane Advertises Core Class

While some professors will go to great lengths to promote their courses, only a select few will go to great heights.

But when a paltry number of students showed up this Monday for the first meeting of Science A-17, "The Astronomical Perspective," the instructors decided they had to do just that.

To give their course a boost, Professor of Astronomy and the History of Science Owen J. Gingerich and Senior Lecturer David W. Latham hired a plane yesterday to tow a banner over Harvard that shouted, "A-17 NOON MWF SCIENCE CENTER HALLD TRY IT!"

"We work really hard to craft the course in terms of its various elements and thought, 'Gee, it would be nice if more people knew about it," said Gingerich of the aerial advertisement.

The plane circled around the com pus six times between 11:45 a.m. and 12:15 p.m.Latham said.

Jared J.D. Hohlt '94, said the banner was"bizarre." It didn't convince him to change hisstudy card.

"I saw it as I was walking to the ScienceCenter for Science B-15," Hohlt said. "I wasamazed [the professors] would have gone to suchlengths."

Some students who suspected the class wassuffering from poor attendance said they feltsorry for the professors for having to go to suchmeasures. "How sad," said one student.

But yesterday's attendance reached nearly theordinary class size of about 100, the professorssaid, suggesting that the publicity stunt may haveworked.

When Gingerich and Latham were deciding betweenvarious gimmicks to create interest in their coreclass, an airplane turned out to be the mosteconomically sound option, Gingerich said.

"Airplanes are a lot cheaper than fireworks,"Gingerich explained.

Gingerich said he and Latham first consideredskywriting for the promotion, but "skywriting forthe promotion, but "skywriting is no longer done,apparently... I guess it's too complicated."

"Skywriting is passe," he said.

Latham, who said skywriting would have been tooexpensive anyway, found a banner at a discountprice and bought it with his own money. Hedeclined to specify the exact amount.

Gingerich said Science A-17 might be the oldestcourse in the core program. Though there are othercores that have been around since the beginning,A-17 was a course in the General Educationdepartment long before the Core was instituted.

"It has its roots back in the days when[then-President James Bryant] Conant wasencouraging the study of science by the case-studymethod," Gingerich said. "It's a lone survivor,"he said.

"We've had lots of good times, lots of lore andstories, and we wanted to add a fresh piece,"Gingerich said.

Maggie S. Tucker contributed to thereporting of this article.

Jared J.D. Hohlt '94, said the banner was"bizarre." It didn't convince him to change hisstudy card.

"I saw it as I was walking to the ScienceCenter for Science B-15," Hohlt said. "I wasamazed [the professors] would have gone to suchlengths."

Some students who suspected the class wassuffering from poor attendance said they feltsorry for the professors for having to go to suchmeasures. "How sad," said one student.

But yesterday's attendance reached nearly theordinary class size of about 100, the professorssaid, suggesting that the publicity stunt may haveworked.

When Gingerich and Latham were deciding betweenvarious gimmicks to create interest in their coreclass, an airplane turned out to be the mosteconomically sound option, Gingerich said.

"Airplanes are a lot cheaper than fireworks,"Gingerich explained.

Gingerich said he and Latham first consideredskywriting for the promotion, but "skywriting forthe promotion, but "skywriting is no longer done,apparently... I guess it's too complicated."

"Skywriting is passe," he said.

Latham, who said skywriting would have been tooexpensive anyway, found a banner at a discountprice and bought it with his own money. Hedeclined to specify the exact amount.

Gingerich said Science A-17 might be the oldestcourse in the core program. Though there are othercores that have been around since the beginning,A-17 was a course in the General Educationdepartment long before the Core was instituted.

"It has its roots back in the days when[then-President James Bryant] Conant wasencouraging the study of science by the case-studymethod," Gingerich said. "It's a lone survivor,"he said.

"We've had lots of good times, lots of lore andstories, and we wanted to add a fresh piece,"Gingerich said.

Maggie S. Tucker contributed to thereporting of this article.