Best-Selling Author Discusses Controversial "String Theory" in Lawrence Convocation

APPLETON, WIS. -- Hailed as the next Carl Sagan for his telegenic good looks and uncanny talent of explaining the seemingly unexplainable in layman's terms, physicist Brian Greene discusses one of science's hottest current concepts -- string theory -- Thursday, Jan. 11 in a Lawrence University convocation.

Greene delivers the address, "What is String Theory," at 11:10 a.m. in the Lawrence Memorial Chapel as part of the college's 2000-2001 convocation series. Greene also will conduct a physics colloquium at 2 p.m. in Science Hall, Room 102. Both event are free and open to the public.

A professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, Greene, 38, has spent more than a decade working on the yet unproven idea of string theory, which asserts all matter is made up of infinitesimally small loops of string -- "dancing filaments of energy" as Greene calls them -- vibrating at different frequencies that create subatomic particles much the same way changing the vibrations of a violin string produces different notes.

String theory is sometimes referred to as the "theory of everything," for the way it reconciles the two fundamental, but incompatible, pillars of physics, general relativity proposed by Albert Einstein and quantum mechanics. Greene and other leading scientists believe string theory, will eventually provide explanations for the entire universe, from the smallest particles of matter and the forces that control them to the movements of entire galaxies.

Greene helped popularize the concept of string theory, considered by many the most complex, and arguably the most significant, project in physics, with his best-selling 1999 book, "The Elegant Universe," which was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize.

Greene's fascination with complex matters started early in life. At the age of five, Greene was taping together sheets of paper to record the products of 30-digit numbers he was multiplying. His ability to make science accessible has not been lost on Hollywood, which relies on Greene to help John Lithgow's character on the NBC television series, "Third Rock from the Sun," speak scientifically accurate dialog. He also was cast as himself in a small part in last year's sci-fi movie, "Frequency."

A 1984 graduate of Harvard University and a Rhodes Scholar, Greene has been recognized in the scientific community for a number of ground-breaking discoveries. His research has led Greene and a colleague to conclude that the "fabric" of space itself can "tear," creating possibilities for the universe to expand in ways vastly different than those proposed by Einstein's theory of relativity.

Greene, who earned his doctorate at Oxford University, has taught at Columbia University since 1995 and also holds adjunct professorships at Cornell and Duke universities.