Author Archive
‘The Strangest Man’ published in GermanGraham’s biography of the theoretical physicist Paul Dirac has been published in German, with a specially-written foreword that focuses on Dirac’s relationship with Germany and its language. Graham says: ‘I am delighted that the book has been published by Springer in Germany, and hope the translation will make my account of Dirac’s life accessible to new audiences.’ The publication of this new edition, widely welcomed, is due in large part to the initiative of the physicist Ali Sanayei, at the University of Hamburg..
The Strangest Man
Cover of German Edition
Ali reflects on why he wanted to see the book published in German, Dirac’s third language.
Newcastle, UKGraham will be talking onstage with Peter Higgs about the Nobel laureate’s life, the development of the Standard Model and his thoughts on the future of fundamental physics. More information.
St Andrews UniversityGraham will be talking about the writing of his biography of Paul Dirac at the conference celebrating mathematical biography at the University of St Andrews, Scotland.
Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, USAGraham will give a lecture on ‘Paul Dirac—the theorist’s theorist’ at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey. Details available here.
Remembering Harry KrotoThe chemist Harry Kroto, co-discoverer of buckminsterfullerene, died in East Sussex on 30 April and his funeral took place on 19 May. Graham knew Harry well, and remembers fondly a fine chemist, an inspirational communicator, and a good friend.
Portrait of Harry on the cover of the funeral proceedings
Blackett and Beckett lived here
48 Paultons Square, Chelsea, London, was home to the experimental physicist Patrick Blackett and to the playwright Samuel Blackett, albeit at different times. Recently, English Heritage agreed that their residency should be marked by blue plaques, and Graham was invited to speak at the unveiling on the life of Blackett, though he also could not resist praising the achievement of Beckett, one of his favourite playwrights.
Astronomer Sir Arnold Wolfendale and actress Penelope Wilton unveil the Blackett and Beckett blue plaques
Masters of Edinburgh
As part of his research for his next book, Graham spent last Friday in Edinburgh talking with the Fields-Medal winning mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah and the Nobel-winning physicist Sir Peter Higgs.
At the Perimeter
p>Graham spent the past week at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada, as a guest of its Director Neil Turok, talking with several of its leading theoreticians. This was part of Graham’s research for his forthcoming book on the relationship between mathematics and fundamental physics, which Einstein called ‘miraculous’. For Paul Dirac, theoreticians who work on fundamental physics should regard mathematical beauty as their lodestar.
Cambridge, UK
Graham will give a lecture on ‘Churchill’s Bomb’ at Churchill’s College, Cambridge, as part of the lecture programme for the Cambridge Society for the Application of Research (CSAR). Details available here.
Defence Academy, Shrivenham, UKGraham will give the 2016 Burns Lecture, ‘Winston Churchill – a nuclear pioneer?’ to the UK Defence Academy’s historical society. Details available here. (PDF) If you do not have a PDF Reader installed on your computer you can get one here: Adobe Reader or Foxit Reader