In the single year 1905, an unknown 26 year old named Albert Einstein published three remarkable papers which opened the door to modern physics. The atomic and quantum hypotheses were further validated, and the theory of relativity was invented. This miracle year of this great thinker marks the transition between classical and modern physics, and, in many ways, between then 19th and 20th centuries.

In the 100 years since, physics has had an enormous impact on society, challenging our conception of space and time, identifying the origin of the universe, empowering global communication, and enabling our current digital society. In the Fall 2005 semester we will celebrate this century of progress with a physics-oriented LSA theme semester entitled “One Hundred Years Beyond Einstein.” We will examine the whole fields of physics built on Einstein's foundations, what we know today that Einstein never imagined, and what we still don't know about some of his simplest questions.