“Adventures in the Quest for Unification”
Ed Witten
Professor of Physics, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, NJ
Present at the Creation II
Remarks by Jeffrey H. Lynford
Inaugural Lynford Lecture
September 15, 1998
Governor Cuomo, President Chang, Professors Witten & Chudnovsky, Members of the Faculty, Honored Guests, and Fellow Students:
As a student of history, and as a participant in the formation of IMAS, I would like to make a few simple observations that may put today's efforts in a larger context.
I am very excited about Professor Witten's appearance at IMAS for two reasons: first, it is another important step in Polytechnic's continued commitment to excellence and second, it serves to expand our understanding of human reality.
This latter concept goes beyond the question of do we exist in three, 10, or 26 dimensions. In my mind, we should view science, and by extension, Professor Witten's work on grand unification as a fountainhead from which significant human metaphors spring.
Metaphors that help to explain the essential human condition. As we have evolved from a Newtonian to a Darwinian to a quantum universe, so has our understanding of the complexities that inform our interactions and relationships with our fellow men and women.
And so what we will learn today, and in subsequent lectures by other great scientists and engineers, hopefully will be woven into a larger societal fabric. A fabric that could become a rich and all-encompassing tapestry, if we work together diligently.
To close on a personal note, Professor Witten's decision to be our inaugural speaker is a tremendous vote of confidence not only in our fledgling institute but also in the quality of the audience gathered here. It sets for our future lectures the standard for academic rigor and tone.
Thank you, Professor Witten, for your meaningful generosity.