Thursday, September 26, 2013
FREEMAN DYSON: Dreams Of Earth And Sky
FREEMAN DYSON
Dreams Of Earth And Sky
September 27-28 2013
The Institute For Advanced Study
Freeman Dyson is being honored by the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) on September 27-28, to celebrate his 90th birthday and 60th year at the Institute, with a two-day wide-ranging academic conference addressing his interests and profound contributions to physics, mathematics, astronomy, and public policy.
POST CONFERENCE NOTE
VIDEO AND OTHER INFORMATION
ABOUT THE TALKS IN THIS CONFERENCE
ARE AVAILABLE AT
Freeman is one of the most distinguished scholars in the world, whose advice is constantly sought after, and whose ideas have sparked an incredible number of fields. It is amazing how often you read an article about... (well) ... an astonishingly large selection of important ideas and find Dyson mentioned at the outset as one of the earliest contributors to the subject.
Starting as a mathematician as a young man, then becoming interested in physics, Freeman studied three new seemingly incompatible (and almost incomprehensible) approaches to making accurate calculations about the behavior of charged particles and photons (by Americans Julian Schwinger and Richard Feynman, and Japanese physicist Sin-Itiro Tomonaga). He synthesized their approaches into one single coherent and convenient technology for making incredibly accurate and precise calculations, raising quantum physics to a new level, and launching tremendously important progress in science.
But quantum electrodynamics (and other topics in theoretical physics) were hardly the only fields that Dyson illuminated. As noted in the conference section titles, topics in mathematics, astronomy, and public policy have also attracted the attention of Freeman Dyson, and been recipients of major contributions from him.
And, in addition to being a singularly brilliant thinker, he is a terrific writer and speaker. And a very nice, friendly, and supportive person.
The conference being held at the Institute is hosting talks by some of the worlds major contributors in fields of interest to Freeman, and the IAS is making this conference available to the public, live, over the web.
The two day conference at the Institute For Advanced Study will be streamed live!
To access the conference go to the Institute For Advanced Study (IAS) home page:
A link there will show the address of the webcast, and the program for the conference.
Some links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson
FREEMAN DYSON'S BOOKS -- ON AMAZON
FREEMAN DYSON
FREEMAN DYSON -- SELECTED PAPERS
Here's Freeman Dyson giving an academic lecture on the importance of being heretical!
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Labels: Dreams Of Earth And Sky, Dyson Dreams, Freeman Dyson, IAS, Institute for Advanced Study, quantum electrodynamics
