College of Science Distinguished Speaker: Following Faraday's Hint: The Search for Quantum Gravity
College of Science Distinguished Lecture
Following Faraday’s Hint: The Search for Quantum Gravity
Dr. Sylvester James Gates Jr.
Clark Leadership Chair in Science
National Medal of Science Awardee
Former President, National Society of Black Physicists and the American Physical Society
Abstract:
The power of visualization is important to the advancement of theoretical physics. For example, it is possible Michael Faraday's discovery of electromagnetic induction occurred due to his inference that magnetic fields about wires must be as wheels about a spoke. Nowadays, physicists and mathematicians use computers to translate this powerful way of thinking into images that further our understanding. In this dynamic talk, world renowned physicist Jim Gates describes his efforts to follow such a path and create a clearer understanding to a theory of quantum gravity using images named 'adinkras/adynkras.'
Speaker Bio:
Sylvester James Gates Jr. holds the Clark Leadership Chair in Science. During his decades with the UMD Department of Physics, he was named a Distinguished University Professor, University System of Maryland Regents Professor and John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland. Known for his pioneering work in supersymmetry and supergravity, areas closely related to string theory, Gates was also an affiliate mathematics professor. Gates earned two Bachelor of Science degrees (in physics and mathematics) and his Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1984, Gates co-authored Superspace: One Thousand and One Lessons in Supersymmetry, the first comprehensive book on supersymmetry, and joined the UMD faculty as an associate professor. Four years later, he became the first African American to hold an endowed chair in physics at a major U.S. research university.
The author of more than 200 research papers and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, Gates has been featured in dozens of video documentaries, including five in 2015. For his contribution to science and research, he received the National Medal of Science from President Obama in 2013. Gates has served on the U.S. President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, the National Commission on Forensic Science, and the Maryland State Board of Education. He is a strong advocate for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. He has served as president of both the National Society of Black Physicists and the American Physical Society.
Reception to follow in the Gosnell A-level atrium.
Intended Audience:
All are Welcome!
To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu
Intended Audience:
All are Welcome!
Event Contact: Rebecca Day | rjdsps@rit.edu
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