St. Andrews says Yes

It has been a month since the acceptance, but the lad is headed to the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). His offer for astrophysics was unconditional, so as long as he stays out of jail, he should be fine to start there in September. The entire family is thrilled for him and selfishly for us as well. I suspect that we will have to travel there to see him as I would bet that he may never come home. We really don’t mind as St. Andrews is a lovely place to visit. He can’t wait to get there and have access to the Old Course and play a wee bit of golf. His handicap is a +3 (3 better than par) and he was 3rd in the Pennsylvania State Championship this past fall. Falling dollar and all, it should be an unparalleled experience.

Fabric of the Cosmos

On the flight home from Scotland (to see universities with son) Dan had me start Brian Greene’s “Fabric of the Cosmos.” It got me thinking that my whole science department should read it. It looks back at the thinking that went into space-time theory and then looks forward to the development of string theory. We needed to be more scholarly I thought. We need to have one shared experience. Six of the eight agreed to read the book and discuss it in “book club” format. Tomorrow we meet off campus (so we may have adult beverages) to discuss the first two chapters. I am intrigued by how much I keep coming across Scottish physicists like James Clerk Maxwell and Lord Kelvin. The connections are wonderful given Dan’s interest in physics and going to university in Scotland.