Message sending has come a long way since the days of Morse code's dots and dashes. Young scientists study the research of optical physicist Anthony Johnson and his work in fiber optics, lasers, and the principle of total internal reflection, all of which make sending messages almost instantaneous. The lesson begins with information about Johnson's education through the Cooperative Research Fellowship Program (CRFP) at Bell Labs at its support of minorities in science. The lesson then continues with a demonstration of the total internal reflection phenomenon.