At University Convocation the day before classes start, the center of attention in McArthur Court will not be a basketball game. Instead, the event aims to get students, faculty and community members fired up for a year of academics with a speech about cutting-edge developments in physics that are affecting human understanding of the nature of the universe.
S. James Gates, Jr., the John S. Toll Professor of Physics and the director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland, will deliver the speech, entitled “Einstein’s Lesson for the Third Millennium.”
This has been a busy year for Gates and other physicists because of numerous events in honor of the United Nations-endorsed World Year of Physics 2005. This year marks the 100th anniversary of three major discoveries by Albert Einstein: special relativity, or a concept of how the universe would function without gravity; the photoelectric effect, the idea that light beams are more like particles than waves; and Brownian motion, the study of how molecules in a given volume of liquid move around. As part of the worldwide celebration, the University held two well-attended lectures in the spring about developments in physics.
“This brings some continuity to the last school year and this one,” University President Dave Frohnmayer said.
Gates said he will discuss the legacy of Einstein’s work, as well as Einstein’s lesser-known contributions.
Einstein spent the last 30 years of his life attempting to create a unified field theory to reconcile disparities in what was known about the behavior of electromagnetic and gravitational forces.
“By the time he died, most of the scientific community thought he was a crackpot for looking for this kind of thing,” Gates said.
Now, Gates and other physicists are picking up where Einstein left off and developing the realm of string theory. In string theory, the building blocks of the universe are one-dimensional extended strings rather than zero-dimensional points, or particles.
Gates said the idea that a theory is just a random set of guesses is a common misconception. In actuality, he said, the theories of theoretical physicists are based on the behaviors of sets of equations that describe events that can be thought about scientifically. These equations use mathematics at a level taught in only graduate math and physics classes.
“Calculus and what I do is like arithmetic for most people,” Gates said.
In spite of that, he added, most people do not have to understand string theory to benefit from its future applications, just as people today don’t need to understand quantum mechanics to use cell phones.
The applications of string theory are not yet known, just as the applications of the equations that are responsible for most modern telecommunication devices were not known when the equations were developed in the late 1800s, Gates said.
“There’s no way we can know with any certainty what these equations can do,” Gates said.
Gates will also discuss Einstein’s views on other matters such as God, religion and race relations.
“He’s one of the most quoted individuals, but very little of what he actually said seems to be known,” Gates said.
Cathy Kraus, the executive support specialist in the department of undergraduate studies, said that while Gates’ speech will probably be the most exciting part of Convocation, the event will also be an opportunity for students and faculty to get to know each other.
“Convocations are a traditional event on university campuses, so we’re trying to make this a memorable event,” Kraus said.
In the recent past, the ceremonies welcoming new students and new faculty members were two separate events. Because of low student attendance at the convocation for faculty members, the events were combined. All University faculty members are encouraged to attend the event wearing caps and gowns.
The ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 25 in McArthur Court. It is free and open to the public. The University’s Green Garter Band and Yellow Garter Band will lead processions there from the residence halls and the EMU (where faculty members will gather beforehand to put on caps and gowns), and will also play after the event. The Oregon Brass Quintet, a faculty ensemble, will play at the event.
“I’ve long ago learned that when you have a chance to celebrate, you should take it,” Frohnmayer said. “I’m very much looking forward to it.”

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