Dreams of a Unified Theory: Einstein And Beyond
About the Lecture
Building upon his own revolutionary breakthroughs, as well as those of an earlier age, Albert Einstein dreamed of a single theory — perhaps encapsulated by a single mathematical equation — that would be able to explain all of nature’s forces. Einstein spent 30 years in valiant pursuit of the unified theory but came up empty handed. In the decades since, physicists have picked up where Einstein left off, and have made great strides, with some of their most well-developed approaches involving microscopic strings, extra dimensions of space, and possibly even other universes. In this dispatch from the frontier of physics, audiences go on a whirlwind journey across 300 years of thinking, to learn the state-of-the art in searching for the deepest laws of the universe.
About Dr. Brian Greene
String theorist and author of The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene is one of the world’s leading theoretical physicists and a brilliant, entertaining communicator of cutting-edge scientific concepts. The Washington Post described him as “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today.”
Green’s national bestseller, The Elegant Universe, which recounts the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics, transformed our understanding of the universe and introduced string theory, a concept that might be the key to a unified theory of the universe. The book sold over a million copies and became an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning NOVA special that Greene hosted.
Brian Greene’s illustrated novella, Icarus at the Edge of Time, retells the Greek myth in a futuristic light. Greene and David Henry Hwang adapted the story into a multi-media extravaganza. The Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra are teaming up to bring this one-of-a-kind event to Aggieland. More information can be found here.
