11/09/2006
Abel Laureate to discuss The Nature of Reality
Abel Prize Winner and Fields Medalist Sir Michael Francis Atiyah delivered "The Institute for Advanced Study S S Chern Public Lecture" today (11 September 2006) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).
Sir Michael Francis Atiyah Sir Michael Francis Atiyah talked on the nature of reality and
its relation to mathematics. It is a topic that has been argued among philosophers, mathematicians and scientists for thousands of years. The question is still pertinent today, when modern physics delves deeper into the most abstract mathematics, while neurophysiologists learn more about the workings of the human brain.
Sir Michael Francis Atiyah discussed these age-old
questions, using simple illustrative examples and ended with an analysis of present-day knowledge.
The Institute for Advanced Study S S Chern Public Lecture
"Mathematics: Invention or Discovery?"
Date: Monday, 11 September 2006 Time: 2 - 3 pm
Venue: Padma & Hari Harilela Lecture Theater, HKUST
Speaker: Sir Michael Francis Atiyah, Abel Prize Winner and Fields Medalist Present: Prof Paul Chu, President of HKUST
Sir Michael Francis Atiyah is a British mathematician, widely considered to be one of the greatest geometers of the 20th and the 21st century. In 1966, when he was only 37 years old, he was awarded the Fields Medal for his work in developing K-theory and the Atiyah-Singer theorem, for which he also won the Abel Prize in 2004 jointly with Isadore Singer. Sir Michael Francis Atiyah has been President of the Royal Society and Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. He has been the recipient of many honors and awards, including a knighthood in 1983 and the Order of Merit in 1992. He has been President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh since 2005.
Vicki Wong Tel: 2358-6317 email: wongpy@ust.hk
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