Sylvester James Gates Jr. to Give Physics Talk on 'Superstring/M-theory: A Lathe for Physics?' at Brookhaven Lab, January 24

December 14, 2004

UPTON, NY - Sylvester James Gates Jr., Director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland at College Park, will give a BSA Distinguished Lecture titled "Superstring/M-theory: A Lathe for Physics?" in Berkner Hall at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory on Monday, January 24, at 4 p.m. BSA Distinguished Lectures are sponsored by Brookhaven Science Associates, the company that manages Brookhaven Lab, to bring topics of general interest before the Laboratory community and the public. All visitors to the Laboratory age 16 and over must bring a photo ID.

Sylvester James Gates Jr.

For the last 30 years of his life, Albert Einstein struggled unsuccessfully to find a way to unite the newly established view of the smallest object, the quantum world, with the force that unites the furthest reaches of the universe: gravity. In recent years, physicists have developed a new theory — Superstring/M-theory, which encompasses both the infinitesimal and the unimaginably large. Essentially, the theory views all matter as vibrating strings. These strings operate in a universe with 11 dimensions — the four familiar ones of time and the three dimensions of space — and seven that are too small to be seen with current experimental techniques.

Physicists are fascinated with Superstring/M-theory because of its reach, but frustrated because of its mathematical difficulty. Gates, a pioneer in the development of the theory, sees it as a 21st century lathe - a machine capable of remarkable precision and versatility, but requiring a skilled and experienced operator for its success. In his lecture, Gates will discuss the mind-bending concepts behind the theory, as well as the astonishing successes it has achieved thus far.

Sylvester James Gates Jr. received bachelor's degrees in both mathematics and physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1973, and he earned a Ph.D. in physics from MIT in 1977. He started his postgraduate studies as a junior fellow of the Harvard Society of Fellows at Harvard University, 1977 to 1980, and ended postgraduate work as a research fellow at the California Institute of Technology, 1980 to 1982.

Gates was a member of the faculty at MIT from 1982 to 1984, then joined the University of Maryland in 1984. In 1998, he attained his current position as John S. Toll Professor Physics, becoming the first African-American to hold an endowed chair in physics at a major research university in the U.S. On leave of absence from the University of Maryland from 1991 to 1993, he served as physics professor and chair of the Physics Department at Howard University. In 2002, Gates also became Director for the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland.

A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Physical Society (APS), and the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), Gates also was the first recipient of the APS Bouchet Award and was a past president of NSBP. Gates has been featured on three PBS television series: "Breakthrough: The Changing Face of Science in America," "A Science Odyssey," and "The Elegant Universe." His next scheduled NOVA/PBS appearance will be in the fall 2005 presentation of "E = M c-squared: The Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation.''

Gates has received the MIT Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award (1997), the College Science Teacher of the Year of the Washington Academy of Sciences (1999), an honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Georgetown University (2001) and the Klopsteg Award of the American Association of Physics Teachers (2002). The author or co-author of over 120 published research papers, Gates speaks at numerous national and international scientific meetings. In 2005, many of his talks will be given in recognition of the World Year of Physics (see this link, for example).

Call 631 344-2345 for more information about the lecture. The Laboratory is located on William Floyd Parkway (County Road 46), one-and-a-half miles north of Exit 68 of the Long Island Expressway.

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