Fundamental Forces
Witten is the Charles Simonyi Professor of Mathematical Physics in the School of Natural Sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study, a private, independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. Founded in 1930, the institute’s first professors included Albert Einstein and John von Neumann.
Witten has more in common with Einstein than his association with the institute. Renowned for his contributions to String Theory - the framework physicists have sought to unify the four fundamental forces of nature - gravity, electromagnetism, the strong force and the weak force - into one mathematical picture. He is considered by many to be the successor to Einstein.
String Theory unites quantum mechanics - the basis for understanding the world of individual particles, protons, neutrons and electrons - with general relativity or Einstein’s theory of gravity, the basic theory for understanding the universe at large. If successful, String Theory would provide the much sought after complete unification of physics, the so-called “Theory of Everything.”
String theorists propose that tiny, high-dimensional strings, closed into loops, vibrate to produce the various components of matter. Many physicists believe the mathematics describing these strings may one day prove to be the key to one of the main puzzles of physics: the relationship of gravity to other known natural forces.
Witten is the recipient of many honors and awards, including mathematics’ highest prize, the Fields Medal, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Einstein Medal, the Dirac Medal and the Alan T. Waterman Award of the National Science Foundation. Last November, he received the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest honor for researchers in fields of science and engineering.
He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Physical Society, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a board member of Americans for Peace Now. The author of nearly 200 scientific papers, Witten is also a co-author of “Superstring Theory” (Cambridge University Press).
A native of Baltimore, Witten was born in 1951 and earned his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1976. He was a fellow at Harvard University (1976-1980) and a professor at Princeton University (1980-87) before becoming a member of the permanent faculty at the Institute for Advanced Study in 1987.
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Los Angeles ran an op-ed by Bill Deverell of the USC College about looking to the past in order to move on to the future. “You can do better, Los Angeles. You’ve heard it before: admonishment from the lecture hall pulpit or the pages of a book or magazine. History matters. You should pay closer attention,” Deverell wrote. “The history of Los Angeles reflects and illuminates American and world history all at once. With a little effort, something powerful happens: historical sensibility provides perspective on the here and now. Who wouldn’t want that?” The column is the first in a series for the magazine’s new CityThink section, L.A. Observed reported.
SoCal Minds featured the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, in which USC faculty and staff donate money for programs benefiting the neighborhoods surrounding the USC campus. The program was launched under the direction of USC President Steven B. Sample in reaction to the Los Angeles riots, the story noted. The campaign raised a record-breaking $1.2 million in donations this past year, despite tough economic times, the article stated. The story reported that several university units had 100 percent participation, including the USC Rossier School, KUSC-FM, the USC Fisher Museum of Art, the Office of the Treasurer, the Office of the Senior Vice President, Administration, the Health Sciences Libraries and USCard Services.
CNN cited research conducted by Adam Rose of the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development for USC’s Homeland Security Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events. Rose’s study found that the standard economic costs of the 9/11 attacks, estimated at $25 billion, were exceeded by the costs of behavioral reactions far from the site of the attack (for example, an additional $85 billion due to a decrease in demand for air travel).
Variety reported that the 22nd annual USC Libraries Scripter Award was given to “Up in the Air” novelist Walter Kirn and to USC alumnus Jason Reitman and Shelton Turner, who adapted Kirn’s book for the screen. In his acceptance speech, Reitman noted that his father, Ivan Reitman, used USC’s Doheny Memorial Library as a stand-in for the New York Public Library in “Ghostbusters.” The Wrap noted that Catherine Quinlan, dean of USC Libraries, emceed the ceremony.
National Public Radio’s “13.7” ran a commentary by K.C. Cole of the USC Annenberg School about the role of science in diplomacy. “We all know that the technology produced from scientific research can make international conflicts more deadly than ever. But can science help stop war?” Cole said. She mentioned that she recently took part in a USC Center on Public Diplomacy conference on science diplomacy and the prevention of conflict.
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