Bøger udgivet af Open Agenda Publishing Inc.

This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring renowned physicists Nima Arkani-Hamed, Artur Ekert, Tony Leggett, David Politzer and Paul Steinhardt providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. The books are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:I. The Power of Principles: Physics Revealed - A conversation with Nima Arkani-Hamed, Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. Arkani-Hamed is one of today's leading particle physicists. This in-depth conversation explores how we discover the laws of nature, the "scientific method", the relation between theory and experiment and how we can push our understanding well beyond where experiments can currently reach.II. Cryptoreality - A conversation with Artur Ekert, Professor of Quantum Physics, University of Oxford, and Director of the Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore.I Artur Ekert is one of the pioneers of quantum cryptography. This wide-ranging conversation provides detailed insights into his research and covers many fascinating topics such as mathematical and physical intuition, a detailed history of cryptography from antiquity to the present day and how it works in practice, the development of quantum information science, the nature of reality, and more.III. The Problems of Physics, Reconsidered - A conversation with Nobel Laureate Tony Leggett, University of Illinois. This detailed conversation explores the insightful plain-speaking itemization that Leggett developed of the physics landscape according to 4 basic categories-the very small (particle physics), the very large (cosmology), the very complex (condensed matter physics) and the very unclear (foundations of quantum theory)-while providing a thoughtful follow-up analysis from a contemporary perspective to assess how much progress we've made and which mysteries remain or have come on the scene since his groundbreaking book was published.IV. The Physics of Banjos - A conversation with David Politzer, Nobel Laureate and the Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech. This conversation examines many of the intriguing aspects associated with the physics of banjos, including the ocarina effect, string-stretching, the subtleties of how we hear pitch, transient growth, and the mysterious ringing sound of banjos; while also touching briefly on contemporary issues in black holes and particle physics.V. Indiana Steinhardt and the Quest for Quasicrystals - A conversation with Paul Steinhardt, the Albert Einstein Professor of Science and Director of the Center for Theoretical Science at Princeton University. The reader will be taken on a fascinating tour through the physics of materials, from theory, to the laboratory, to the discovery of a new state of matter, that culminated in Paul Steinhardt's dramatic Siberian expedition. Paul Steinhardt talks about his encounters with mineral smugglers, secret diaries and quasi-mythical characters during his "Indiana Jones" expedition from Florence to Israel, Amsterdam to California, Princeton to Kamchatka which led him to find quasicrystals that are quite literally out of this world...

This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring renowned neuroscientists Lisa Feldman Barrett, Jennifer Groh, Kalanit Grill-Spector, John Duncan and Miguel Nicolelis providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind their research. The books are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:I. Constructing Our World: The Brain's-Eye View - A conversation with Lisa Feldman Barrett, University Distinguished Professor in Psychology at Northeastern University. This wide-ranging conversation explores Feldman Barrett's research on how the brain works and the development of her theory of emotion: every moment of our life, our brain is anticipating and making sense of sensory inputs from its environment-the combination of the internal environment of the body and the external environment-and our brain uses conceptual knowledge to perform those tasks.II. Knowing One's Place: Space and the Brain - A conversation with Jennifer Groh, Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. After an inspiring story about her academic journey, this conversation examines Jennifer Groh's extensive research on how the brain combines various streams of sensory input to determine and predict where things are, together with the corresponding implications for a wide range of issues, from neuroplasticity to evolutionary mechanisms.III. Vision and Perception - A conversation with Kalanit Grill-Spector, Professor in Psychology and the Stanford Neurosciences Institute at Stanford University. Kalanit Grill-Spector is a vision specialist with a background in computational neuroscience. Her research examines how the brain processes visual information and perceives it. Topics covered include: how functional imaging techniques are used to visualize the brain in action and how it functions to recognize people, objects and places; how the anatomical and functional properties of the brain change from infancy to childhood through adulthood, and how this development is related to improved visual recognition abilities.IV. Investigating Intelligence - A conversation with John Duncan, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Cambridge. This detailed conversation examines important questions in neuroscience such as: What is intelligence and what does IQ testing tell us? Can intelligence be measured and improved? What role does our frontal lobe play in executive control? Further topics covered include: impairments following brain damage, functional brain imaging, and the brain basis for attention, intelligence and cognitive control.V. Minds and Machines - A conversation with Miguel Nicolelis, Professor of Neurobiology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience at Duke University. This comprehensive conversation dives into Nicolelis' extensive research activities and how he has been blurring the line between science fiction and science fact, developing increasingly sophisticated ways of harnessing the thoughts of rats, monkeys and humans to drive mechanical devices in the rapidly emerging field of brain-machine interfaces (BMI).

This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring renowned researchers Jay Gargus, Alcino Silva, Nick Lane, Stephen Scherer and Matthew Walker, providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind their research. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:I. Autism: A Genetic Perspective - A conversation with Jay Gargus, Director of the Center for Autism Research and Translation, UC Irvine. This conversation examines the recent explosion in our genetic understanding of autism and its implications for the future of medicine, together with the importance of understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms in order to successfully treat a wide range of genetic disorders. Gargus discusses his extensive research on autism, dispelling myths associated with the condition, advocating why a treatment should be actively pursued, and illustrating what we can learn from the recent breakthrough in cystic fibrosis research.II. Learning and Memory - A conversation with Alcino Silva, Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology, Psychiatry and Psychology, UCLA. Silva runs a learning and memory lab that is focused on a vast number of research areas, from schizophrenia and autism to learning and memory. Topics covered include how Silva and his colleagues focus on understanding the specific molecular mechanisms of neurobiology with the goal of being able to intervene and repair these mechanisms when they go awry.III. A Matter of Energy: Biology From First Principles - A conversation with Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry, UCL. After an inspiring story of Nick Lane's career path, this conversation explores in detail Lane's research in biochemistry and his bioenergetic view of early, evolutionary history, the origin of life and how all complex life is composed of a very particular cell type that we all share.IV. Our Human Variability - A conversation with Stephen Scherer, Research Chair in Genome Sciences at the Hospital for Sick Children. Scherer discusses his lifelong passion for science that culminated in his groundbreaking discovery of copy-number variation. Further topics include a detailed exploration of his work in autism research and how copy number variation brings us a deeper understanding of both human variability and disease.V. Sleep Insights - A conversation with Matthew Walker, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science, UC Berkeley. This conversation provides a detailed exploration of Walker's research on the purposes and effects of sleep and gives a clear and compelling picture of our recent understanding of sleep's essential role in our daily lives, from reinforcing learning and memory to regulating emotion.Howard Burton is the host and editor of all Ideas Roadshow conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy. Ideas Roadshow offers a series of 20 Collections, including Conversations About Neuroscience, Conversations About Psychology, Volumes 1 and 2, and Conversations About Social Psychology.

This compendium includes the following 5 complete books featuring Mark Maslin, Ian Stewart, Frans de Waal, Joseph Curtin and Fred Gitelman providing fully accessible insights into cutting-edge academic research while revealing the inspirations and personal journeys behind the research. The books are explicitly designed to provide a unique window into frontline research and scholarship that wouldn't otherwise be experienced through standard lectures and textbooks. A detailed preface highlights the connections between the different books and all five books are broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:I. The Science of Siren Songs: Stradivari Unveiled - A conversation with master violinmaker, acoustician and MacArthur Fellow Joseph Curtin. This conversation explores Curtin's long quest to characterize the sound of a Stradivari violin and the rigorous series of double-blind tests he and his colleagues developed to probe whether or not professional musicians can really tell the difference between a Stradivari and a modern violin. II. In the Cards - A conversation with Fred Gitelman, world-champion bridge player and co-founder of Bridge Base Online. This conversation provides behind-the-scenes insights into the world of professional bridge, the psychological stress of top-flight competition, how the human mind can compute amazing feats of memory, bridge in schools, coaching Bill Gates and Warren Buffett and more.III. Embracing the Anthropocene: Managing Human Impact - A conversation with Mark Maslin, Professor of Geography, UCL. This conversation provides a detailed exploration of Maslin's research on the Anthropocene which according to his definition began when human impacts on the planet irrevocably started to change the course of the earth's biological and geographical trajectory, leading to climate change, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and more.IV. The Joy of Mathematics - A conversation with Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Warwick and bestselling author. For Ian Stewart, mathematics is far more than dreary arithmetic, while mathematical thinking is one of the most important-and overlooked-aspects of contemporary society. This conversation explores what mathematics is and why it's worth doing, symmetry, networks and patterns, the relationship between logic and proof, the role of beauty in mathematical thinking, the future of mathematics, linking mathematical oscillations to animal gaits, how to deal with the peculiarities of the mathematical community, and much more.V. On Atheists and Bonobos - A conversation with primatologist Frans de Waal, the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Primate Behavior in the Department of Psychology at Emory University. Frans de Waal is renowned for his work on the behaviour and social intelligence of primates. This thought-provoking conversation examines fascinating questions such as: Are we born with an innate sense of "the good"? Do we learn from others what is "wrong"? Does religion determine, or is it a result of, morality? and more.Howard Burton is the host and editor of all Ideas Roadshow conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy. Ideas Roadshow offers a series of 20 Collections, including Conversations About History, Volumes 1-3, Conversations About Politics, and Conversations About Language and Culture.

In this engaging epistolary memoir, Howard Burton describes his early experiences of moving with his family to a medieval hilltop village called Le Pouget in Languedoc after years of running Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Canada. The Languedoc region is sometimes referred to as the "e;real South of France"e;- thanks to its largely unspoilt, breathtakingly-beautiful countryside, traditional wine-making villages and slower pace of life. This delightful book details what it is really like to move to France and try to build up a new life in a culture that Howard and his family thought they were familiar with until they encountered countless surprises, some positive and some negative... In addition, Howard provides a hilarious dose of social commentary on the very unique political and educational system in France.

An insightful and provocative observation of the inner workings of UNESCO by the Founding Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.

Founding Director Howard Burton tells the remarkable and unconventional story of the founding of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada.

FIVE BOOKS IN ONE! This collection includes the following 5 complete Ideas Roadshow Conversations books featuring leading researchers plus a detailed preface highlighting the connections between the different books. Each book is broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter:1.Solar Impact: Climate and the Sun - A Conversation with Joanna Haigh, Professor Emerita of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London and Co-Director of the Grantham Institute until her retirement in 2019. After inspiring details about how she got into her field of study and how we can encourage more girls to get more interested in science, the conversation examines her research of the influence of the sun and solar variability on our climate, how energy emitted by the sun in the form of heat, light and ultraviolet radiation warms the earth and drives our climate, how data from satellites and modelling the processes helps us distinguish the warming effects of greenhouse gases from those of natural variations in solar energy, and more. 2.Saving the World at Business School (Part 1) - A Conversation with Andy Hoffman, Holcim Professor of Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business and School of Environment and Sustainability. Topics of this wide-ranging conversation include the notions of "e;environmental sustainability"e; and "e;big business"e; which sometimes seem as incompatible as oil and water and ways to make a synthesis a reality by seriously reconsidering the way we currently conduct public policy and even some deep aspects of our current societal values. 3.Saving the World At Business School (Part 2) is an extensive follow-up conversation discussing Andy Hoffman's research and scholarly insights which are extremely relevant to today's society. Andy Hoffman is passionately committed to encouraging fellow academics to play a much stronger role in communicating knowledge, facts and information to the regular public and politicians which has culminated into his two new books The Engaged Scholar and Management As A Calling. 4.Coral Reefs: Science and Survival - A Conversation with Charles Sheppard, Professor of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick. Charles Sheppard has worked extensively for a wide range of UN, governmental and aid agencies in tropical marine and coastal development issues. This conversation explores how Prof. Sheppard is trying to find a way through political shortsightedness, corporate greed and societal indifference to use his experience to make the planet a better place. 5.Ocean Enlightenment - A Conversation with Edie Widder, Founder, CEO and Senior Scientist at Ocean Research & Conservation Association (ORCA). After an inspiring story about how Edie Widder became a seagoing marine biologist and deep-sea diver, this conversation covers topics such as bioluminescence which is a fascinating scientific phenomenon that provides us with a deeper understanding of fundamental biological processes and the development of new programs designed to equip a new generation with the tools they need to deal with the environmental devastation we're facing. Howard Burton is the founder and host of all Ideas Roadshow Conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy.

FIVE BOOKS IN ONE! This collection includes the following 5 complete Ideas Roadshow Conversations books featuring leading researchers plus a detailed preface highlighting the connections between the different books. Each book is broken into chapters with a detailed introduction and questions for discussion at the end of each chapter: 1.Rabbi With A Cause: Israel and Identity - A Conversation with David J. Goldberg (1939-2019), former Senior Rabbi Emeritus of London's Liberal Jewish Synagogue and author and columnist. This wide-ranging conversation is based on Goldberg's book, This Is Not The Way: Jews, Judaism and Israel, which boldly explores a number of themes that interweave religion, politics, culture and identity in a way that is relevant to all of us, regardless of our cultural background or religious orientation. For many of us, caught as we are between love of tradition and the allure of contemporary liberal values, maintaining a coherent sense of personal identity is a highly delicate task indeed but Rabbi Goldberg has consistently been willing to meet the challenge head-on as explored in this thought-provoking discussion. 2.Religious Entrepreneurs? - A Conversation with Nile Green who holds the Ibn Khaldn Endowed Chair in World History at UCLA. Nile Green is an expert on Islamic History and religion in the world. He has traveled extensively in India, Turkey, Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Syria, Morocco and many more countries, to get a deep sense of the reality of situations on the ground. The basis of this detailed conversation is Nile Green's book Terrains of Exchange which is not only an account of how the Christian missionary movement affected the development of Islam in the 19th and 20th centuries, but also offers a bold new paradigm for understanding the expansion of Islam in the modern world through the model of religious economy. 3.Battling Protestants - A Conversation with intellectual historian David Hollinger, UC Berkeley, and examines the unique role that different strands of religion have played in 20th-century American culture. This thought-provoking conversation examines intriguing aspects of the distinction between Ecumenical and Evangelical Protestantism, the often overlooked role of Ecumenical Protestantism in the history of the USA, secularization theory, the development of the two-party system, the role of missionaries, and more. 4.Exploring the Sikh Tradition - A Conversation with Eleanor Nesbitt who is Professor Emeritus of Education Studies at University of Warwick and a poet. Eleanor Nesbitt is an expert on Hindu and Sikh culture and her interdisciplinary approach straddles religious studies, educational theory, ethnography and poetry. After inspiring insights about the time Eleanor Nesbitt spent in India and her academic path, this extensive conversation provides a detailed exploration of the Sikh tradition: the history, religious tenets, other people's misconceptions about it and more. 5.Religion and Culture: A Historian's Tale - A Conversation with Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London. After behind-the-scenes insights into Miri Rubin's career path which led her from chemistry to working in an orthopaedic hospital to studying medieval history with a 'cultural anthropologist"e; persuasion to the subject of medieval Christianity, this comprehensive conversation covers several books that Miri Rubin has written, including The Life and Passion of William of Norwich; Mother of God: A History of the Virgin Mary; Emotion and Devotion: The Meaning of Mary in Medieval Religious Cultures. Howard Burton is the founder and host of all Ideas Roadshow Conversations and was the Founding Executive Director of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. He holds a PhD in theoretical physics and an MA in philosophy.