Leading physicist to discuss supersymmetry here this week

S. James “Jim” Gates Jr., a theoretical physicist and National Medal of Science recipient who is known for his work in supersymmetry, supergravity and superstring theory, will visit Lehigh this week to discuss the state of science research in the U.S. and to give a talk on his own research.

At 4:10 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10, Gates will give a public lecture in Packard Lab Auditorium titled, “The National Imperative for Big Science: Is There Still One?”

At 12:10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, Gates will conduct a seminar titled “Is SUSY the Guardian of Our Reality from Oblivion?” in Room 102 of Maginnes Hall.

Gates’s visit is being sponsored by the HHMI (Howard Hughes Medical Institute) Program at Lehigh. Housed in the department of biological sciences, the HHMI Program seeks to improve retention of students in the biosciences and other STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.

During his visit, Gates will help the biological sciences department welcome the inaugural class of students enrolled in its RARE (Rapidly Accelerated Research Experience) Program. The goal of RARE is to provide to provide STEM opportunities for underrepresented students.

Gates will also be the guest of honor at a reception in the president’s house and at a dinner with STEM and RARE students and Lehigh President John D. Simon, which is being hosted in the Multicultural Center by Donald Hall, the Herbert J. and Ann L. Siegel Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and Henry Odi, vice provost for academic diversity.

Gates holds B.S. degrees in mathematics and physics and a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His doctoral thesis was the first at MIT to deal with supersymmetry, which is a theory of particle physics. He is the author of the book L’Arte della Fisica (The Art of Physics) and of more than 200 scientific articles.

When he was awarded the National Medal of Science in 2013, Gates was cited by President Barack Obama “for his contribution to the mathematics of supersymmetry in particle, field, and string theories and his extraordinary efforts to engage the public on the beauty and wonder of fundamental physics.”

That same year, Gates became the first African-American physicist to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences in the institution’s 150-year history.

Gates has been featured in many TV documentaries, including PBS’s “The Elegant Universe,” “Einstein’s Big Idea” and “Fabric of the Cosmos” and BBC’s “The Hunt for Higgs.”

In 2014, he was named “Scientist of the Year” by the Harvard Foundation.

Gates is currently a University System Regents Professor, a Distinguished University Professor and the John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland at College Park, where he also directs the Center for Particle and String Theory. He also serves on President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
 

Story by Kurt Pfitzer