WYNNEWOOD – Like the vibrating filaments of string theory or our expanding universe, Brian Greene stretched the minds of the Friends’ Central community during a series of intimate classroom discussions in the afternoon and a packed-house public lecture in the evening as part of the school’s Distinguished Visiting Scientist Lecture Series on April 11.
Greene, professor, physicist, string theorist and author, is described as “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today” by The Washington Post. A professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, Greene has focused on unified theories for more than 25 years. He has written several best-selling and non-technical books on the subject including “The Elegant Universe,” a Pulitzer finalist, and “The Fabric of the Cosmos,” both of which have been made into “NOVA” mini-series on PBS. His latest book, “The Hidden Reality,” explores the possibility that our universe is not the only universe.
Greene captivated the crowd of more than 500 during his public lecture that Wednesday evening as he wove his tale of dark matter, additional dimensions and the multiverse – the idea that ours is but one of many universes in the cosmos. Greene described the theory of a multiverse by using a “bubble bath” analogy, saying that “we are a part of a big bubble bath of universes, and we are just one bubble.”
“To think that our universe can be but one bubble in a field of bubbles is astonishing,” said sixth-grade math teacher Sheila Rohrer of Ardmore in reaction to Greene’s presentation. “We may be at the same point as when we thought the earth was the center of the universe. I feel like we are on the precipice of that big of a leap.”
As he is known to do, Greene was able to take difficult topics and theories, like inflationary cosmology, dark energy and string theory, and explain them in ways that are accessible to many people. Greene described strings in string theory by likening them to violin strings: “Though it appears to be one kind of string, because it is a string, it can vibrate in different ways and give variety to life around us, just as violin strings give a variety of sounds.”
Greene was engaging and open, while also showing the FCS community his trademark wit, as he met with small groups of students and teachers throughout the day.
“We had a wonderful day with Brian Greene before his evening lecture,” said Science Department chair John Gruber of Ardmore. “During his visits with our Upper School students, Brian helped us to think carefully about several aspects of ‘The Hidden Reality’ and to extend our thinking about extra dimensions, about an infinite universe, and about the current work that focuses on the search for the Higgs particle. He also offered some very thought-provoking ideas about what kinds of experiments or data might provide preliminary evidence in support of some the multiverse scenarios that have been suggested by theoretical work and mathematics.”
Junior Ben Lichtman, a Narberth resident, appreciated Greene’s ability to explain almost incomprehensible ideas. “The talk was very unique in that Brian Greene was able to take concepts and ideas from his book and present them in such a way that made it accessible to everyone,” he said.
“All of us greatly appreciated his openness and thoughtfulness,” added Gruber. “While his recent technical papers include works such as ‘Conifolds and Tunneling in the String Landscape’ or ‘Dynamical Decompactification and Three Large Dimensions,’ we appreciated how effectively Brian brought us into the domain of theoretical physics in a way that inspired our interest in understanding more deeply.”
“The use of analogies in Brian Greene’s presentation was fabulous,” said Upper School math teacher Brad Morris of Lansdowne. “He took large concepts and ideas and put them into terms that everyone in the room could understand.”
Junior Hannah Laren, a Philadelphia resident, concurred. “To have such an expert in the field come and speak with us so clearly about these subjects was simply amazing,” she said. “Professor Greene was very open and willing to try and clear up anything we were unsure about.”
Said Upper School physics teacher Deb Maraziti of Broomall, “Brian Greene pressed the ideas of intellectual freedom and of getting students to think outside of the box. He encouraged our students to not be afraid to take risks. A lot of times, especially in the world of science, students are too concerned with finding the right answer. Brian stressed the idea of finding a solution, not just one right answer. The Distinguished Lecture Series is a wonderful way to see the breadth of the scientific world.”
Friends’ Central’s Distinguished Lecture Series seeks to inspire the next generation of writers, educators, scientists, researchers, policymakers and thinkers by bringing renowned scholars to campus for courses and a public lecture. A core group of Friends’ Central students prepares for the lectures in advance by participating in special classes and workshops.
The lectures are always free and open to the general public.
