Universe: One or Many?
Isaac Asimov Memorial Debate
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Join a panel of cosmologists to argue and debate the possibility that our Universe is just one of many universes that comprise the "multiverse." This notion invokes dimensions beyond our everyday experience and draws from the leading edge of our conception of the cosmos. The presence or absence of data in support of these ideas forms a central theme for the evening.
Panelists:
Michio Kaku—Henry Semat Professor in Theoretical Physics at City College—CUNY; host of Explorations in Science radio program on WBAI and national radio; author of Hyperspace, and Parallel Worlds
Lawrence Krauss—Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics at Case Western Reserve University; author of Hiding in the Mirror: The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions, from Plato to String Theory and Beyond
Lisa Randall—Professor of Physics at Harvard University; author of Warped Passages: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
Andrei Linde—Professor of Physics at Stanford University; theoretical cosmologist and one of the original architects of the multiverse concept
Virginia Trimble—Professor of Physics at University of California-Irvine and Las Cumbres Observatory; acute observer of the history and philosophy of astronomy
Host & Moderator
Neil deGrasse Tyson—Astrophysicist and The Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium.
To prepare for this event, we recommend you read the popular-level article, "The Self-Reproducing Inflationary Universe" by panelist Andrei Linde. Also, look for movies that illustrate how a multiverse might form.
