Timed to coincide with the centennial celebration of Albert Einstein's "miraculous year," the World Year of Physics plans to bring the excitement of physics to the public and inspire a new generation of scientists.

World Year of Physics covers topics ranging from the historical and the philosphical, to the impact of physics and the challenges and frontiers of today. This day-long event will serve as the premier kickoff for the World Year of Physics in the United States.

• Symposia
• Topical Lecture
• Plenary Lecture
• Gala Reception

Sponsored by: American Physical Society (APS)

Organized by: Kathryn M. Olesko, Georgetown University; Don Howard, University of Notre Dame

In celebration of the centenary of Einstein’s Annus Mirabilis, this session brings together three prominent historians and philosophers of science whose work has focused on Einstein. All of the speakers have participated at one time or another in the editing of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein, and their own scholarship illustrates well the benefit of such close engagement with Einstein’s work. The three papers to be presented here each demonstrate the kinds of new perspectives now emerging on the work of the 20th century’s most important physicist.

Organized by: Rolf M. Sinclair, Centro de Estudios Científicos

This symposium will mark the centennial of Albert Einstein's [decas mirabilis]. This decade started in 1905 when a then-unknown employee of the Swiss Patent Office ("A. Einstein, Bern") published several papers in the [Zeitschrift für Physik] that demonstrated the existence of molecules as physical entities, started the thinking that led to quantum mechanics, and laid the foundations of Special Relativity and pointed the way to General Relativity. This was the beginning of our present understanding of the Universe. The first talk will focus on the work most commonly associated with Einstein, the Special Theory of Relativity. The consequences of this theory are at first disturbing because they seem to violate our usual views of the world. Yet these consequences flow from an extraordinarily simple idea that can be stated in a single sentence.

The second talk will look at Einstein's work in the following decade, when he produced the Theory of General Relativity -- the work that arguably was Einstein's greatest achievement. This has come to be accepted as our best model of the universe. Although its understanding was first limited to a few scientists (Einstein once said that only a dozen people understood it), it is now a part of the training of students in the physical sciences. The basic idea behind this theory will be explained. No other scientist has caught the popular imagination like the tousled-haired Einstein.

The last talk will look at the aberrant ideas that followed in Einstein's wake, as scientists and amateurs alike had their imaginations fired by his popularity and tried to copy his work or refute it. The talks in this symposium are aimed at a general audience

Organized by: Ray Orbach, U.S. Department of Energy; Neil Baggett, U.S. Department of Energy; Barrett Ripin, U.S. Department of State

The profound advances in physics during the twentieth century have remade the world. The unfolding of modern physics, whose roots stem from the discoveries of the 1905 era, has proved essential for the development of astronomy, astrophysics, biology, cosmology, chemistry, geology, materials science, medicine, communications, electronics, navigation, and more. Semiconductors, lasers, the Global Positioning System, nanotechnology, biotechnology, computers, and modern defense are but a few examples of the impact of modern physics on our lives. And who would have thought that a data-sharing technique invented by physicists would lead to the World Wide Web that is now revolutionizing communications and commerce?

Organized by: Alan Chodos, American Physical Society

As we leave the 20th century, which has often been termed the "Century of Physics," and enter the 21st century, the so-called "Century of Biological Science," we see that contrary to popular perceptions, physics is very much alive and, in a sense, has its greatest challenges and opportunities ahead. In this final symposium of the day focusing on the World Year of Physics, and in additional symposia and talks throughout the AAAS meeting, we present these opportunities in a number of topical areas.

Steven E. Koonin was educated at the California Institute of Technology, receiving a B.S. in physics in 1972, and at MIT, where he received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1975. He then joined the Caltech faculty in 1975, became a full professor in 1981, and served as Chairman of the Faculty from 1989-1991. Koonin also held the position of Vice President and Provost of the Institute. The renowned theoretical physicist became British Petroleum's Chief Scientist in March 2004.

His research interests include theoretical nuclear, many-body, and computational physics, nuclear astrophysics, and global environmental science.

He recently told Science magazine he's pushing BP on a broad array of issues, including novel energy technologies, carbon sequestration, and the environment. "BP, and the world, need carefully thought-out, technically informed strategies to manage the looming issues of availability and continuity of energy supply, as well as environmental impacts," Koonin says.

S. James Gates, Jr., is a pioneer in the search for a new vision of physical reality. His doctoral dissertation at M.I.T. was the first ever at that university on supersymmetry. Gates' presentation will begin with discussions of Einstein's science and its legacy for today and the future of theoretical physics. The main focus, however, will be upon Einstein's legacy generally for humanity in the third millennium.

A special international gala reception will draw the likes of Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi and Marie Curie!

Co-Sponsored by American Physical Society (APS) and AAAS