Special Lecture by Professor George F. Smoot, 2006 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics
- 작성처
- Date2023.10.03
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Special Lecture by Professor George F. Smoot, 2006 Nobel Prize Winner in Physics
On September 25, 2023 (Mon.), the College of Natural Sciences invited Professor George F. Smoot, the 2006 Nobel laureate in physics, to give a special lecture on the theme of “Cosmology Today” at the Science Building.
Professor George F. Smoot, one of the top scholars in modern physics today, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2006 alongside joint laureate John C. Mather for “their discovery of the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background radiation.” With the support of the World Class University (WCU) project, Smoot was invited as a chair professor of Ewha Womans University in 2008 and served as the inaugural director of the Institute for the Early Universe (IEU), which was established to explore the principles and processes behind the creation of the universe.
In the special lecture, Professor Smoot described the history of the development and challenges of observational cosmology in an interesting and compelling manner to the level of the student audience. He explained the significance of cosmology as fundamental research in understanding the universe and finding answers to the important questions on the universe, and highlighted that our understanding of the universe we know it today is the outcome of theories, observations, and technological developments, which have been amassed over the past decades. Professor Smoot also remarked on the role of quantum mechanics in the study of cosmology: “When we talk about cosmology, given that it refers to the study of the universe, it’s easy to think that the focus is on the big things, but in the theoretical sense, quantum mechanics or ‘the theory of the microscopic world,’ is a crucial part of understanding the early universe, while the importance of understanding quantum mechanics is growing by the day, especially when it comes to the ultra-precise observation tools of today.”
After the lecture, a Q&A session was held between Professor Smoot and the students in attendance. This special lecture was held as part of the Nobel Prize Dialogue Seoul 2023 event co-organized by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology and the Nobel Prize Outreach, an affiliated organization of the Nobel Foundation of Sweden. Ewha has hosted a number of academic events with top world-renowned scholars including Nobel laureates in physics Gerard 't Hooft and George F. Smoot as convergent and constructive opportunities to network with exceptional scientists and communicate with students.