Schedule May 18, 2012
George's Top Ten Sociological Observations About Theoretical Physicists
George Musser, Scientific American & KITP

On my final day at the KITP, the final day of the "Bits, Branes" program, and the halfway mark of the "Multiscale" program, I thought I'd give a lighthearted talk about some of the things I've noticed in my time here: aspects of the sociology of physics that amuse, impress, or perplex. Names will be redacted to protect the innocent. Along the way, I'd like to put forward several serious questions for discussion. How are The Grand Questions of Science translated into Things I Can Get Done During my Sabbatical? (To me, this is the single most mysterious and opaque part of science.) When you return to your home institution, how do you hope to have profited by your stay here? What balance do you think a magazine such as Scientific American or a TV program such as NOVA should strike between describing the process vs. the content of science?


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