|
|
Confronting the Big Questions
For thousands of years, people have gazed in wonder at the world about them and asked the big questions: How did the universe come to exist? What is it made of? Where do human beings fit into the great cosmic scheme? Is there a meaning to it all? Such questions have mostly been restricted to religion and philosophy. Now, scientists are addressing them too. On every front, science is transforming our world view and challenging age-old assumptions about the nature of the physical universe and our place within it. BEYOND is a pioneering international center at Arizona State University specifically dedicated to confronting the big questions of existence raised by these stunning scientific advances, and facilitating new research initiatives that transcend traditional subject categories.  | mouseover to pause
The Wrigley Lecture Series on Sustainablity, co-hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Beyond Center, and Barrett, the Honors College, presents: "The Weather Makers" Tim Flannery Professor, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia View the PDF flyer here. Beyond has received a research grant to confront the biggest question of all: the link between mind and matter. The $100,000 grant was awarded to a consortium that also includes a group at Columbia University led by string theorist Brian Greene, and a research center at George Mason University involving quantum physicists Yakir Aharonov and Jeff Tollaksen. The consortium will apply novel ideas of quantum physics in an attempt to meld the subjective and objective worlds, addressing such issues as the flow of time and the emergence of a single reality from a quantum superposition. The grant was awarded under the STARS program of the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. See http://www.ctnsstars.org/enews/news_team5.html. Join the discussion on Director Paul Davies' Scientific American article at http://science-community.sciam.com/topic/Aliens/Aliens/300004869 |
|
