BritGrav Einstein Centenary Public Lecture
A World Year of Physics 2005 Event
Was Einstein 100% right?
Delivered by Professor Malcolm A H MacCallum
Bernard Sunley Lecture Theatre, St Catherine's College Oxford
Thursday 22 September 2005, 6:00pm – 6:50pm
FREE ADMISSION – ALL WELCOME
A century on from the birth of Special Relativity, and 90 years from that of General Relativity, we explore how well these theories have stood up to experimental tests. The motivation for and nature of the two theories will be explained, and the predictions from each compared with modern day high-precision measurements. While some aspects can only be tested by astronomical observation, others have impact in terrestrial experiments and technology in daily use. However, no theory is immune from challenge and relativity will continue to be tested.
To mark the 100 th anniversary of Einstein's miraculous contributions to physics, the United Nations has designated this year as the “World Year of Physics”. The worldwide celebration will be joined by this Public Lecture, open to all age groups, as part of the 5 th British Gravity Meeting (BritGrav 5) held at St Catherine's College Oxford during 20 – 23 September 2005. The Lecture Theatre provides up to 208 seats.
Prof Malcolm MacCallum was educated at Maidstone Grammar School and Cambridge, where he studied in Sciama's research group alongside Stephen Hawking. After 6 years as a Fellow of Kings College, Cambridge, he moved to Queen Mary, University of London, where he rose from Lecturer to Professor and Vice-Principal. He has held visiting positions in Berkeley, Catania, Paris, New York, Jena and Melbourne. He has worked on cosmology, gravitational wave theory, black holes, and alternative theories of gravity, but he is probably best known for his co-authorship of the book on exact solutions of the Einstein equations referred to by some colleagues as “the bible”. He founded the leading specialist journal in the field, Classical and Quantum Gravity , and has been Secretary of the International Society on General Relativity and Gravitation since 1995. When not working he enjoys singing and hill-walking, going to the theatre and opera, and he is adapting to a new role as a grandfather.
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, CCLRC
Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QX
Tel: 01235 445621
E-mail: N.J.Legge@rl.ac.uk
 |
 |
 |
 |
Page designed
and maintained by Sarah-Jane Nicholls
Last updated 5th September 2005