Physics Conference at DCU - Talk on the Nobel Prize and Einstein
27 July 2005

DCU is hosting the 37th Annual Conference of ‘European Group for Atomic Systems’ (EGAS) from 3-6 August. The conference will be attended by over 100 of Europe's most distinguished physicists.

The conference will be opened by Noel Treacy, Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach (with special responsibility for European Affairs), on Wednesday 6 August at 9.30am in the Larkin Theatre.

2005 has been designated:

• the 'World Year of Physics' by UNESCO
• the 'Einstein Year' by the Institute of Physics
• the 'Hamilton Year' by the Royal Irish Academy

Anders Barany, deputy director of the Nobel Museum, will be giving a public lecture on Wednesday 6 August at 6pm. His talk will focus on the historical aspects of the Nobel Prize,as opposed to the purely scientific:

• Nobel Prize deliberations were initially secret, but in 1974 the secrecy rules were lifted to show that although Rontgen (who discovered X-ray) was the first Nobel Prize winner in Physics, the actual nomination included Philipp Lenard who developed the equipment used by Rontgen.
• The 'wrangling' around Einstein's nominations for the Nobel Prize and how it came about that he was not actually awarded a Nobel Prize until 1922. After 12 years, 60 nominations and 6 expert reports, the Nobel Committee for Physics put forward the name of Albert Einstein for the Nobel Prize in Physics. After a heated discussion, the Academy agreed on giving Einstein the prize, but only with a cautious statement that showed that the majority of the members still in 1922 were afraid that the theory of relativity should be shown wrong.
• When the decision was taken on November 9, 1922, Einstein was on a lecture tour in Japan. He must have heard the news at an early stage of his trip, but his diary does not mention the Nobel Prize at all. Not until January 10, on the boat back from Japan, just outside of Singapore, he writes a short note saying: “I am very happy — not the least because now I don’t have to answer the reproachful question “Why do you not receive the Nobel Prize?”".

You are welcome to come along to attend the conference. If you would be interested in talking to Anders Barany, or any of the invited speakers, then please get in touch with Eileen Colgan or Shane Kenny.

ENDS