Albert Einstein Centenary

The scientist and his work by D. AMATI and S. FUBINI. A socially engaged scientist by V. F. WEISSKOPF. This week, we pay homage to Albert Einstein, the giant of twentieth-century physics born exactly 100 years ago on 14 March 1879 in Ulm, Germany. At the height of his career, Einstein made a whole series of monumental contributions to physics, including the elaborate theories of special and general relativity which revolutionized human thought and marked a major breakthrough in our understanding to the Universe. Along with quantum mechanics, relativity is one of the twin pillars of understanding which allow us here at CERN to study the behaviour of the tiniest components of matter. The development of quantum mechanics took the combined efforts of some of the greatest scientists the world has known, while relativity was developed almost single-handed by Einstein. The centenary of his birth is being commemorated all over the world. Exhibitions and symposia are being organized, books published, postage stamps issued, statues unveiled, and television documentaries screened. Here at CERN, M. Fierz and V. Weisskopf will present their own tributes to the great man on Monday evening 12 March at 20.00 in the Main Auditorium.