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Each fall, the University of Michigan Department of Physics hosts the annual Ta-You Wu Lecture, which is one of the most prestigious lecture events in our Department. The Lectureship was endowed in 1991 through generous gifts from the University of Michigan Alumni Association in Taiwan. It is named in honor of Michigan Physics alumnus and honorary Doctor of Science,
Ta-You Wu, one of the central figures of the 20th century in the Chinese and Taiwanese physics communities.
2009 Ta-You Wu Distinguished Lecturer
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Helen Quinn
Professor of Physics at Stanford University
Member of the National Academy of Sciences
Education and Public Outreach Manager at the
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
4:15 p.m.
140 Lorch Hall, Askwith Auditorium
University of Michigan Central Campus
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Call (734) 764-4437 with any questions
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Professor Helen Quinn will lecture on, Wandering Planets, Falling Apples, Curving Spaces, Whirling Stars: How Unraveling the Mysteries of Gravity Has Taught Us About the Universe.
This talk uses the history of understandings about gravity as a template for talking about how science works. It shows how our understanding is driven forward by the interweaving of threads that arise in observations and in theory building. Dr. Quinn stresses the importance of seeking consistent interpretations of apparently inconsistent ideas or observations as a key to progress in science.
Biographical Sketch of Professor Helen Quinn
Previous Lectures in This Series
- 1992 C. N. Yang: Considerations on Carbon 60
- 1993 Abraham Pais (1918-2000): George Uhlenbeck Remembered
- 1994 Joseph Taylor: Binary Pulsars and Relativistic Gravity
- 1995 T. D. Lee: Symmetry and Asymmetry
- 1996 Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (1932-2007): Principles of Adhesion
- 1997 Paul C. W. Chu: The Path of Zero Resistance
- 1998 Benoit B. Mandelbrot: Fractals and Scale-Invariant Roughness in the Sciences
- 1999 Steven Chu: Seeing and Holding onto Atoms and Biological Molecules
- 2000 Horst L. Stormer: Fractional Electronic Charges and other Tales from Flatland
- 2001 Freeman Dyson: Is Life Analog or Digital?
- 2002 David Wilkinson (1935-2002): The Cosmic Microwave Backround Radiation
- 2003 Sir Martin Rees: Where is Cosmology Going?
- 2004 David J. Gross: Asymptotic Freedom and the Emergence of QCD (Or How I Won the Nobel Prize)
- 2005 Anthony J. Leggett: Does the Everyday World Really Obey Quantum Mechanics?
- 2006 Eric A. Cornell: Is Warm Glass More Sticky Than Cold Glass? Temperature and Casimir Force
- 2007 100th Birthday Celebration of the late Ta-You Wu: Distinguished Lecturer, Frank H. Shu, The Formation of Stars and Planetary Systems
- 2008 Frank Wilczek: The Universe is a Strange Place
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