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Issue 1, Volume 3
October 2009

We’re well into the Fall semester and busier than ever. Here’s just a small fraction of the happenings here in Physics@Berkeley:

Irreconcilable Differences? Maybe Not
High Energy and Condensed Matter Physicists Find Common Ground

If high energy physics is your “thing”, then you know that SPIRES (Stanford Physics Information Retrieval System) is a database that monitors research papers and their bibliographic information. This system offers a quick glance at what’s “hot” in high energy physics at any given time because it ranks papers according to the number of times each one has been cited by other researchers

Professor Petr Hořava of the Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics has found himself at the top of the 2009 rankings because his most recent papers have caused such interest. Read more.

Saving the “Grandeur of Berkeley”

Chancellor Birgeneau, a Physics faculty member, makes the case to President Obama in The Washington Post for saving America's great public universities.

Read the article here.

Bob Herbert, New York Times Op-Ed Columnist, also makes the case for Cal and for public education in general: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/opinion/03herbert.html.

The Physics Department is hosting several fascinating public lectures this fall. We hope to see you at one (or more!) of them:

LEON LEDERMAN
Nobel Laureate, prominent high-energy particle physicist and champion of the “Physics First” Movement

Wednesday October 14: The Hitchcock Lecture
4:10 at the Chevron Auditorium, International House
A Scientist Addresses Science Education
Read abstract here.

Thursday October 15: The Hitchcock Lecture
4:10 at the Chevron Auditorium, International House
A Sense of Wonder
Read abstract here.

Monday November 9: The Emilio Segre Distinguished Lecture
ANDREW LANGE
Cal Alum, Cal Tech Professor and Co-Recipient of the Dan David Price, 2009
5:00 pm at the Chevron Auditorium, International House
(Reception for alumni and friends at 4:00 pm in the Home Room, IHouse)
How Did the Universe Begin?
Read abstract here.

Thursday, December 10: The Chupp Distinguished Lecture
SETH SHOSTAK
Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA
Lawrence Hall of Science
Why We Must Colonize Space
Read abstract her and learn more here.

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