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posted 12. September 2002 22:14
DIRAC CENTENARY CONFERENCE
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
September 30 - October 2, 2002
http://www.baylor.edu/Dirac
This year marks the centenary of the birth of one of the most important theoretical physicists of the twentieth century, Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac (August 8, 1902 - October 20, 1984). Longtime Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge (Isaac Newton's Chair), Dirac shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with Erwin Schrödinger in 1933 for his "discovery of new fertile forms of the theory of atoms, and for its applications." One of his earliest accomplishments was to demonstrate the equivalence of the Heisenberg and Schrödinger pictures of quantum mechanics and introduce the mathematical formalism that is still used. His relativistic equation for the electron led him to predict the existence of anti-matter. Along with Fermi, he laid the foundations for the quantum statistical description of matter. He made seminal contributions to the formulation of quantum field theory, the primary vehicle of expression in modern particle and condensed matter physics. His mathematical innovations and his theoretical exploration of the idea of magnetic monopoles opened fertile ground at the interface of theoretical physics and mathematics. His work on the reconciliation of general relativity with quantum theory was influential in the development of the canonical approach to quantum gravity.
For these and many other reasons, Baylor University is proud to honor the memory of Dirac on the centenary of his birth with an interdisciplinary conference exploring the continued fecundity of his contributions to physics, mathematics and the heuristics of physical theory. More about the conference can be found at: http://www.baylor.edu/Dirac
Speakers at the conference will be:
John Baez, University of California, Riverside
Laurie Brown, Northwestern University
Richard Dalitz, Oxford University
Michael Dickson, Indiana University
Gordon Kane, University of Michigan
David Olive, University of Wales, Swansea
Don Page, University of Alberta
Roger Penrose, Oxford University
John Polkinghorne, Cambridge University
John Roberts, University of Rome
John Roe, Pennsylvania State University
Simon Saunders, Oxford University
Cumrun Vafa, Harvard University
SCHOLARSHIPS are available for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as postdocs, until funds run out. Preference will be given to those presenting in the poster and paper sessions at the beginning of the conference. Minority students are especially encouraged to apply.
Faculty are invited to make presentations as well on research in any area of theoretical physics or the history and philosophy of physics. Those interested in doing so are asked to send short talk abstracts to Bruce_Gordon@baylor.edu; you'll be notified quickly regarding acceptance.
For more information about ONLINE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION and STUDENT/POSTDOC SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS, please consult the conference website: http://www.baylor.edu/Dirac.
This conference is supported by Baylor University, The National Science Foundation, and the Texas Dirac Consortium. See the conference website for further information about the sponsors.
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