Public Health in Pop Culture
This 2011 film depicts the rapid spread of a deadly virus and the global public health response, featuring stars like Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, and Kate Winslet.
What is Contagion?
Harvard University or the United States of America?
What is Harvard University?
(Harvard University founded in 1636; and United States of America in 1776)
This iconic song is famously played during the eighth-inning at every Red Sox home game at Fenway Park.
What is “Sweet Caroline”?
Each November, Harvard faces off against this Ivy League rival in “The Game,” a football tradition dating back to 1875.
What is Yale?
If you want to make Wafaie’s favorite meal, be sure to include pita bread, cheese, and this salty Mediterranean ingredient.
What are kalamata olives?
In this 2000 film, Julia Roberts portrays a legal assistant who investigates water contamination in Hinkley, California, exposing the health risks faced by residents due to a utility company’s negligence.
What is Erin Brockovich?
Oxford University or the Aztec Empire?
What is Oxford University?
(Oxford University founded in 1249; and the Aztec Empire in 1428)
Which color line of the MBTA is the oldest continuously operating subway line in America, originally opening in 1897?
What is the Green Line?
This hit 2001 film starred Reese Witherspoon as a sorority president who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her boyfriend.
What is Legally Blonde?
When not working, Wafaie is most likely to be found enjoying one of these three classic leisure activities: name any one.
What is listening to classical music, reading, or walking?
This 1977 hit is famously used in CPR training, since its tempo of around 100 beats per minute matches the ideal rate for chest compressions during cardiac arrest.
What is Stayin’ Alive?
Bonus: Name the musical group
The invention of the bicycle or the discovery of Antarctica?
What is the discovery of Antarctica?
(Discovered 1820; modern bicycle invented 1839)
This tiny Boston bakery, famous for its cannoli, has sparked a decades-long rivalry with a nearby competitor, both located in the North End. Name either bakery.
What is Mike’s Pastry or Modern Pastry?
This famous U.S. president, who served from 1961 to 1963, graduated from Harvard in 1940 with a degree in international affairs.
Who is John F. Kennedy?
Wafaie was born on November 23, what is his (Western) astrological sign?
What is Sagittarius?
Fun fact: Sagittarians are known for being optimistic, open-minded, intellectually curious, and lovers of travel and big ideas!
The 1976 non-fiction book The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, later adapted into a TV miniseries, tells the true story of the origins of this deadly virus near Washington, D.C.
What is Ebola?
Sharks or Trees?
What are sharks?
Sharks: 450 million years old
Trees: 400 million years old
This Celtics legend and Hall of Famer holds the record for the most NBA championship rings won by a single player, with 11, all with the Boston Celtics.
Who is Bill Russell?
This is the Latin motto printed on the Harvard shield, meaning “truth” in English.
What is “Veritas”?
Name the two cities that are Wafaie’s favorite places that he has visited:
Name both cities for double points.
What is Beirut, Lebanon and Amsterdam, Netherlands?
In this 1973 dystopian sci-fi film starring Charlton Heston, a detective investigates a murder and uncovers a horrifying truth about the ingredients in a food product sustaining an overpopulated, polluted New York City.
What is Soylent Green?
The Sahara Desert or the Amazon Rainforest?
What is the Amazon Rainforest?
Amazon Rainforest: 55 million years old
Sahara Desert: 2-3 million years old
First developed at MIT in 1969, this digital creation changed the way people communicate forever and is now used billions of times daily.
What is email?
This all-female college, which began as the “Harvard Annex,” merged with Harvard in 1999 but still maintains its own distinctive identity, seal, and graduation ceremony.
What is Radcliffe College/The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study?
Wafaie's dog, Ravi, is thought to be a mix of these two popular breeds—name one for the points.
What is golden retriever or German shepherd?
Bonus: If you’re on a Zoom call with Wafaie, Ravi is most likely hanging out where?