Event Description
Brandon R. Brown, PhD, University of San Francisco
The German physicist Max Planck (1858-1947) is known as the father of quantum theory and his name adorns scores of institutes, endowments and now a scientific mission aiming to probe the universe's initial conditions. One finds very little in the English language about either the bulk of his life's work or his tragic, fascinating life. After several years of study, including archival work in Germany, I will offer a taste of both, including his interactions with Albert Einstein and Adolf Hitler. Bio: Brandon R. Brown is a Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of San Francisco. He earned his Bachelors degree at Rice University in 1992. After completing his Ph.D. in condensed matter physics at Oregon State University in 1997, he spent a postdoctoral year in the Science Communication program at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His research work ranges from superconductivity to neuroscience, including experiments on the electric sense of sharks. His writing for general audiences has appeared in New Scientist, SEED, and the Huffington Post, among other outlets. His biography of Max Planck will be published in 2015 by Oxford University Press. |
