RE-SCHEDULED - Clifford Johnson, University of Southern California

PI Public Lecture Series:

Title: Graphic Talk about the Universe

THIS PUBLIC LECTURE HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO FEBRUARY 7 DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER

Please note the bistro will be closed to public lecture patrons tomorrow, February 7 due to a previously scheduled event.

Abstract:
Clifford V. Johnson is a theoretical physicist passionate about sharing science with the public. He resolved to write a book explaining physics to a lay audience, but he felt that words on a printed page did not fully convey the dynamic, collaborative nature of fundamental research.

What if, he wondered, you could represent multiple voices and points of view? What if one could make the reader feel immersed in scientific discourse, rather than reading the words of an expert sharing a single perspective?

He wanted to write a book that would give readers a fly-on-the-wall experience of the process of fundamental science.

Johnson realized that graphic novels are the unique narrative medium he was searching for. Through the written word and compelling visuals, graphic novels immerse the reader in a sensory world of ideas.

This realization led Johnson to write and draw The Dialogues: Conversations About the Nature of the Universe (MIT Press), which allows readers to eavesdrop on a series of dialogues, set in locations around the world, about cutting-edge scientific topics.

In this public lecture, Johnson will discuss the process of turning complex scientific topics into compelling visual narratives.

Clifford V. Johnson is a professor at the University of Southern California, specializing in superstring theory and particle physics, specifically related to strongly coupled phenomena. He regularly appears on the History Channel series The Universe and acts as a science consultant for the Discovery Channel.