Prof. Brian Greene Director, Institute for Strings, Cosmology, & Astroparticle Physics Columbia University Brian Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, and is widely recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory, including the co-discoveries of mirror symmetry and topology change. His first book for general audiences, The Elegant Universe was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, and has sold more than a million copies worldwide. His more recent books, The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Hidden Reality, were both New York Times bestsellers, and inspired the Washington Post to call him “the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today.” Abstract: This year marks three decades since the “first string theory revolution,” and so is a natural time to assess where the theory currently stands. After a brief review of string theory’s essential features, I’ll discuss the theory’s progress toward the long-held goal of providing a predictive and testable unified theory of matter and forces. Where do we Stand with String Theory? 3:00 PM in the John Bahcall Auditorium of STScI 3700 San Martin Drive • Baltimore, MD 21218 Thursday • 27 February 2014 Interacting galaxies NGC 2207 and IC 2163 Reception to Follow Lecture Café Azafran