Physics professor John Popp is retired, but he hasn't stopped educating people.
Every Saturday for the past three years, Popp has set up a scale model of the solar system in Alpine.
Starting at Alpine Boulevard and Tavern Road, Popp lays out a model of the sun and the nine planets in the solar system along a 4.6-mile stretch of road that culminates inside the San Diego East Visitor's Bureau at the Viejas shopping center.
Popp constructed the model to help people understand the wonders of the solar system.
Each planet along the path is represented by a model that is measured in size and distance proportionally to the dimensions of the actual solar system.
At every site, interesting planetary facts accompany the models, and free brochures of the Alpine solar system project are available.
Popp taught physics for 28 years at Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois. He has also taught at Cuyamaca College; Torah High School in La Jolla, a Jewish girl's school; Alpine Academy, a junior high charter school; and on board the frigate Nicholas for eight weeks in 2001.
Popp has always wanted to see how things operate. At age 8, he received a fishing reel for Christmas and immediately took it apart to see how it worked.
But in high school, Popp struggled with physics.
“It didn't come easily and I wondered if I was cut out for physics,” he said. He enjoyed math and found that he could visualize the next step of an equation before the instructor finished working it on the board.
While studying engineering at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., Popp discovered his passion for physics.
“It's amazingly powerful in its ability to take a small number of concepts and, with a little bit of math, help us understand life and how things work,” he said.
Popp earned an undergraduate degree in physics from Northern Illinois University and continued his study in the Air Force. Then he obtained a master's degree in physics at the University of Illinois in Urbana.
The idea for his solar system model originated when Popp watched the television program “Nova” a few years ago about a man who put up a solar system model in Boston. On the show, the man biked from station to station.
Popp solicited help from a friend, Alan Dadisman, who made movie props for Universal Studios in the mid-1980s. The two collaborated on the solar system concepts, and Dadisman built the planet models.
Dadisman supports Popp's vision.
“He's making it an educational prop,” Dadisman said. “It'll let everyone know about the solar system and how big it is.”
Popp's goal is to create more realistic and colorful planets and add interactive features with moving parts. He is trying to obtain approval from San Diego County to make his model a permanent fixture in Alpine.
He has taken his idea to the County Board of Supervisors and has won the support of the community development committee, a subcommittee of county Supervisor Dianne Jacob's revitalization committee.
“I think it's a good project that would generate foot traffic and link downtown Alpine with the Viejas casino and shopping outlet,” subcommittee Chairman Joe Forlenza said.
Popp believes his solar system model has many benefits.
“It attracts people to Alpine, it's family-oriented and it encourages people to walk,” Popp said. Besides, he said, “I really like to do something for my community.”
Ray M. Wong is a freelance writer in El Cajon.
