The fall symposium celebrates the
centennial of some of the most important scientific theories
developed by probably the most influential scientist of the last
century.
Most people know
Albert Einstein for his unique appearance and/or the famous equation
relating energy to mass (E = MC2). But, 100 years ago in
1905, while working in a Swiss patent office, Einstein published
three epoch-making papers: on Special Relativity, the Photo-electric
Effect, and Brownian Motion. Although his papers were published in
1905, Einstein did not receive the Nobel Prize in Physics until
1921, and his prize was for his explanation of the photoelectric
effect, not for special relativity.
The year 2005 has been declared the
100th Anniversary of Einstein’ Miraculous Year by the
American Physics Society. Einstein also has become something of a
cultural icon, not just for the United States but the world in
general. He is certainly one of the most recognized human beings
from the 20th Century.
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September 21,
2005
“Einstein's
Miraculous Year and Legacy”
Dr. Stephen Barr
Professor of Physics, University of
Delaware
7:30 p.m., Barclay Lecture Hall, Heim
G-11.
As the keynote speaker for the symposium, Dr.
Barr will explain the importance of Einstein's
famous 1905 papers, showing how Einstein’s work
fit into the great centuries-long movement of
scientific theory towards an ever more unified
conception of the physical universe.
Dr. Barr received his undergraduate degree
from Columbia and his graduate degrees from
Princeton. After post-doctoral work at the
University of Pennsylvania, he became a research
assistant professor at the University of
Washington (1980-85) and associate physicist at
Brookhaven National Laboratory (1985-87). He
joined the faculty of the University of Delaware
where he is now a professor of physics.
His research has spanned many areas of
theoretical particle physics, but with special
emphasis on grand unified theories.
October 12, 2005
“Listening
for Monsters in the Cosmic Sea:
Black Holes and Einstein's Astrophysical Legacy”
Dr. Shane Larson
Postdoctoral Scholar in Gravitational
Wave Astrophysics
Center for Gravitational Wave Physics, P.S.U.
7:30 p.m., Barclay Lecture Hall, Heim
G-11.
Dr. Larson is a postdoctoral scholar in
gravitational wave astrophysics, in the Center for
Gravitational Wave Physics at Pennsylvania State
University.
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December 1, 2005
“100 Years of Relativity:
Anecdotes, Facts, History and Opinions”
Dr. Ezra T. Newman
Professor Emeritus, University of
Pittsburgh
7:30 p.m., Barclay Lecture Hall, Heim
G-11.
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Dr. Newman is Professor Emeritus at
the University of Pittsburgh Department
of Physics and Astronomy and IPT, and
comes as a distinguished expert on
Gravitational Relativity Theory, winding
up this fall's symposium on Einstein.
He will provide a brief summary of the
history of the Theory of Relativity and
his own contributions to it, with
anecdotes and some less-known facts and
opinions. His research centers on
general relativity - the Einstein
equations for gravity - looking
specifically at the properties and
behavior of light-rays in the presence
of gravitational fields, and how
gravitational fields can be
reconstructed from the properties of the
light-rays. He received his Ph.D.
from Syracuse University and has had an
outstanding career in physics.
Dr. Newman’s presentation is hosted
by Kappa Mu Epsilon, the math honor
society at Lycoming College. The
public is invited! |
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