Videos from Dreams of Earth and Sky

A Celebration of Freeman Dyson's Ninetieth Birthday

In 2013, Freeman Dyson celebrated his ninetieth birthday and also marked his sixtieth year as a Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study. Dreams of Earth and Sky, conceived by Dyson’s colleagues in the School of Natural Sciences, was an opportunity to provide a perspective on his work and impact across the sciences and humanities. Held on the Institute campus from September 27-28, the program featured a range of talks on mathematics, physics, astronomy, and public affairs that reflect both the diversity of Dyson’s interests and his ability to open new dialogues and inspire generations of scholars.


Dreams of Earth and Sky: Introduction by Robbert Dijkgraaf, IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor; Opening Remarks, Nathan Seiberg, IAS Professor in the School of Natural Sciences

Universality of Random Matrices, Dyson Brownian Motion, and Quantum Unique Ergodicity by H. T. Yau

Partitions, Dyson, and Ramanujan by George Andrews

Dyson's Rank, Harmonic Weak Maass Form, and Recent Developments by Kathrin Bringmann

New Physics and Chemistry in Extreme Environments by Russell Hemley

Stability and Variability by Joel Lebowitz

Why Has Global Warming Paused? by William Happer

Mapping the Nearest Stars for Exotic Habitable Worlds by Sara Seager

Reinventing Fire by Amory Lovins

Dreams of Earth and Sky: Remarks by James Wolfensohn, IAS Trustee Chairman Emeritus

Bandit Problems and Ethical Clinical Trials by William Press

Our Universe and Others by Martin Rees

Boron, Ribose, and a Martian Origin for Terrestrial Life by Joseph Kirschvink

Is It Illogical to Work Toward a World Without Nuclear Weapons? by Sidney Drell