Thursday, April 27, 2017 - 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Type of Event: 
Lecture
Event Location: 
Austin Auditorium
Admission: 
FREE

The College of Science invites you to our 2017 Spring Distinguished Lecture featuring Sylvester James “Jim” Gates, Jr., a University System Regents Professor and John S. Toll Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland. Dr, Gates will present a free public lecture on “Why Diversity Makes For Excellent Science” on Thursday, April 27  at 5:00 p.m. in LaSells Stewart Center’s Austin Auditorium

Gates is the first African American to hold an endowed chair in physics at a major research institution in the United States and only the sixth person to be named a Regents Professor in the university's history. He also serves as director of the Center for String and Particle Theory at the University of Maryland. He is currently a visiting professor in Brown University’s Department of Physics.

Dr. Gates will explore the importance of diversity to scientific progress and achievement from the viewpoint of a physicist. The discussion, inspired by his article published in The Scientist, “Equity Vs. Excellence: A False Dichotomy in Science and Society,” will employ scientific and historical perspectives to illuminate how fostering racial diversity and closing the equity gap in STEM fields are essential for scientific excellence and benefit society.