The Departments of Physics and Mathematics at Brandeis University are incredibly excited to announce that this year’s Eisenbud Lectures in Mathematics and Physics will be given Prof. James P. Sethna, a theoretical physicist whose work has often carved out new directions in condensed matter physics, in its broadest interpretation.
The Eisenbud Lectures are the result of a bequest by Leonard and Ruth-Jean Eisenbud, and this year marks the 100th anniversary of Leonard Eisenbud’s birth. Leonard Eisenbud was a mathematical physicist at SUNY-Stony Brook; upon his retirement he moved to the Boston area, as his son David was a member of the Mathematics faculty at Brandeis, and was given a desk here. The bequest is for an annual lecture series by physicists and mathematicians working on the boundary between the first two fields.
Prof. Sethna has tackled traditional and highly non-traditional topics in Physics. The title of one of his recent talks is “The Statistical Mechanics of Zombies”!. “Mosh Pit Dynamics at Heavy Metal Concerts” is another example where Jim uses the tools of statistical mechanics to understand a social phenomenon. Jim is a fascinating speaker, and these lectures promise to be enlightening and entertaining in equal measure. His playful enthusiasm for science is certain to draw you in. So, try not to miss this year’s series of three Eisenbud Lectures.
The first lecture on Monday, November 27 will be on “Sloppy models, Differential geometry, and How Science Works”, and is intended for a general science audience. This lecture will be held in Gerstenzang 121 at 4 PM. The second lecture on Tuesday, November 28 will be a colloquium-style lecture entitled “Crackling Noise” and will take place in Abelson 131 at 4 PM. The final lecture, “Normal form for renormalization groups: The framework for the logs” will be delivered at 10 AM on Wednesday, November 29 in Abelson 333.
Refreshments will be served 15 minutes prior to each talk. There will be a reception in Abelson 333 following Tuesday’s talk.
Additional information is available on the lecture’s website.
We hope to see you all at what promises to be an exciting series of talks!
