Shadows and Ephemera in Physics

Virtual

In today's context, is Physics still about the study of fundamental properties of nature? Or has some of the focus shifted to the study of emergences? If such questions intrigue you, join us for a high-octane discussion at the Chicago Dialogues, Episode 3, featuring Sidney Nagel and Sabyasachi Bhattacharya.

The series of Chicago Dialogues is being hosted by UChicago Center in Delhi in association with Prohor.in.

Speakers' Profiles: 

Professor Sidney R. Nagel

Sidney Robert Nagel is the Stein-Freiler Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, where he is affiliated with the Department of Physics, the James Franck and Enrico Fermi Institutes. His research focuses on the physics underlying common phenomena which often derive their complexity from the fact that they are disordered and far from equilibrium.  Examples include the structure and flow of a sand pile, the way a drop breaks apart and splashes when it hits a surface and how a spilled liquid leaves a stain when it evaporates.  His work includes high-speed and still photography that tries to unite the scientific and aesthetic pleasures of nature. His accolades include the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the Klopsteg Memorial Lecture Award, American Association of Physics Teachers, and the Oliver E. Buckley Prize, American Physical Society. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Physical Society, and is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Professor Sabyasachi Bhattacharya

Sabyasachi Bhattacharya is the C.V. Raman Professor at the Ashoka University. Educated at Presidency College, Kolkata and University of Delhi, he earned his PhD in physics at Northwestern University in the US. After post-doctoral stints at the Magnet Laboratory at MIT and at the University of Chicago, he spent two decades at Corporate Research Laboratories in the US. He returned to India as the Director of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He also taught briefly at Presidency University, Kolkata as the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Distinguished Professor. He is currently working on a book on India’s higher education and its relation to the colonial experience.