Will Evolution and Information Theory Provide The Fundamentals Of Physics?

Abstract

This presentation will describe an arc in the mathematical/theoretical physics research of the presenter that has traversed concept spaces from equations, to graphical imagery, to coding theory error-correction, and pointing toward evidence of an evolution-like process possibly having acted on the mathematical laws that describe reality.

About the Lecturer

Professor Gates was appointed Ford Foundation Professor of Physics at Brown in 2017, and also holds an appointment in the Department of Mathematics. He first joined the Brown community in fall 2016, as an inaugural Provost Visiting Professor. Prior to this, he was Distinguished University Professor, University Regents Professor, John H. Toll Professor of Physics and Director of the Center for Particle and String Theory at the University of Maryland. Gates was awarded the 2011 National Medal of Science, is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and is a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society. He served on the Maryland State Board of Education and was a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). As a member of the PCAST, he was co-chair of its working group on STEM preeminence for the nation and co-authored a report to the President: ”Prepare and Inspire K-12 Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for America’s Future.”

About Frontiers in Science Lectures

Lectures in this series are intended to inform, engage, and inspire students, faculty, staff, and the public on developments, breakthroughs, and topics of general interest in the sciences and mathematics. Lecturers tailor their talks for nonexpert audiences.