It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize our future is a bit worrisome. But when you’re looking for solutions, you might turn to one for answers.

Actor/director/author Turk Pipkin did just that. In fact, when he came up short to questions his young daughters were asking about our world, he turned to rocket scientist Sir Joseph Rotblat and eight other Nobel Laureates, then made a movie of their conversations so everyone could benefit from their collective wisdom.

Pipkin was on campus in January for a showing of that critically acclaimed film, “Nobelity,” an event that marked the end of the “Think Purple, Live Green” theme semester. Pipkin is a bit of a renaissance man: The 6-foot 7-inch tall actor started out as a stand-up comic, then published eight books and wrote a hundred hours of primetime television. He also appeared in the third season of “The Sopranos.”

What was the overall message you got from the nine Nobel Laureates? 
One, that even if you know a good deal about the world and the challenges we face, the problem is probably larger than you think. And two, that the solutions to all of these problems are out there waiting for us.

What’s the best thing to come out of “Nobelity”?
Everywhere I travel, people introduce themselves to me and say, “I saw your movie and it changed my life.”  Because of “Nobelity,” they’ve changed their understanding of global warming and the role each of us play in it, they’ve changed their understanding of their own relationship with the world, and I think in many instances they’ve changed their understanding of themselves.

Since the 2005 release of “Nobelity,” your non-profit The Nobelity Project installed a well and a computer lab at a school in Africa. What is the Project tackling now?
We’re continuing to work with the Mahiga Primary School and are now planning to build an adjacent high school. We’ve also built a number of wells in Ethiopia, but the action projects are really secondary to our education work. The more you learn about the world, the more likely you’ll pick your own issue and get involved.

“One Peace at a Time,” your next movie, which chronicles successful solutions, opens across the country throughout 2009. How did you pick the projects to feature?
I wanted to focus on the possibility of providing basic rights — water, nutrition, healthcare, education and more — to every child on earth. Since 70 million people in Ethiopia lack access to clean water, I focused on A Glimmer of Hope, which has done 2,000 water projects there. The education story includes Kenya, Ethiopia and India. And the story on shelter took me from the Amazon to the Himalayas. It was a long shoot, almost all of it as a solo camera crew, carrying a mini film studio on my back.

What can I do? 
That’s the best question anyone can ask. One place to start is at Nobelity.org where we have a free streaming video library, or at the NobelityProject channel on YouTube. You can also get a copy of the DVD on the Web site. If you want to support water or education projects, we can put your donation to great use. If you want to be more active, Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams puts it best. “Pick an issue that’s important to you, then get off your butt and take action!”