Grand Seminar
Loyola University Maryland’s academic division of natural and applied sciences will
present the 2024 Grand Seminar on Tuesday, October 8 at 6 p.m. in McGuire Hall. The
event will feature keynote speaker Dr. Sylvester James Gates, Jr., Theoretical Physicist
at the University of Maryland.
Professor Sylvester James “Jim” Gates, Jr., works at the boundary of physics and mathematics. He is a theoretical physicist at the University of Maryland. He is a University System Regents Professor, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics, and a College Park Professor. He currently holds the Clark Leadership Chair in Science and serves as a Professor of Physics with the Physics Department as well as a being a Professor of Public Policy in the School of Public Policy, both at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.
In 1984, Gates co-authored Superspace, the first comprehensive book on the topic of supersymmetry. His doctoral thesis was the first at MIT to investigate the subject of supersymmetry and he has continued with over two hundred publications in the field. His teaching awards include the American Association of Physics Teacher’s Klopsteg Award, Howard University’s 21st Century Initiative Award, MIT's MLK Award, the Washington Academy’s College Science Teacher of the Year among others.
He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science as well as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Math. He is also a recipient of the AAAS’s Public Understanding of Science & Technology Award. His 2015 essay “Thoughts on Creativity, Diversity and Innovation in Science & Education” was cited in the Supreme Court decision known as “Fisher v. Texas.”
He is a past president of the National Society of Black Physicists, and is a NSBP Fellow, as well as a Fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Institute of Physics in the UK, and the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS) in South Africa. He also is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Philosophical Society.
President Obama awarded Professor Gates the National Medal of Science, the highest award given to scientists in the US, with a citation reading, “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.”. During 2014, he was named the Harvard Foundation’s ‘‘Scientist of the Year’’ and in August 2021, he was honored with the Andrew Gemant Award, given by the American Institute of Physics. The award recognized Professor Gates for “instilling a deep and humanistic love of physics in generations of students, being a steadfast ambassador of science policy and the history of physics, and his persistent dedication to communicating the wonders of the field.”
Read the full bio of Professor Gates
How Quantum Gravity became an arena for Art, Mathematics, & Science
A 1995 proposal for a Theory of Quantum Gravity occurred with Witten's concept of M-Theory, a mathematically complex set of equations involving a property called `Supersymmetry.' In 2020, some progress was made when elements of visual arts were added to its analysis. This aligns with Einstein belief that, “After a certain high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art tend to coalesce ...,” and this talk tells the story about how.
About the Grand Seminar
Beginning in 2011, natural and applied sciences hosts a yearly seminar with the goal of engaging Loyola students as well as providing an enlightening and informative event for the greater Loyola community. Watch past Grand Seminar presentations.