Recent Posts in Science History
The Early Years of String Theory at ACP
By John H. Schwarz
We reminisce about some of the highlights in the development of string theory at the Aspen Center for Physics during the period 1969–1984, especially the authors’ collaboration in the period 1980–1984.
Aspen on the Road to Supersymmetry
By Pierre Ramond
In 1969, I was a postdoctoral fellow at the National Accelerator Laboratory, known today as Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. Its director, the late Bob Wilson, was ruling the roost.
Particle Physics: The Early Years
By Loyal (Randy) Durand
The early program at the Center (then the Physics Division of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies) was very informal. There were no organized workshops, and people came when it fit their schedules and housing was available...
Particle Physics History
By Howard Haber and Joseph Lykken
It started small: a few dozen physicists making their way to Aspen in the summer, with plenty of time to think and discuss but no formal program. It wasn't a conference or a school; it was a new way for theoretical physicists from around the world to get together and interact.
Condensed Matter Physics: the First Fifty Years
By Ravindra N. Bhatt
Condensed Matter Physics, or Solid State Physics as it was then called, had a slow start in early years of the Aspen Center of Physics (ACP). Much of the activity during the first decade involved participation by a few key players who, convinced of the unity of all subfields of physics, decided to participate in activities at the Center,
Astrophysics: The Modern Era
By Josh Frieman
By the mid-1990’s, astrophysics had become fully integrated into the activities of the Aspen Center for Physics, on a par with particle physics and condensed matter physics in terms of the number of members and officers and the number of and participants in workshops.
Astrophysics: The Middle Years
By Michael S. Turner
I came to Aspen for the first time in 1979. I was a young postdoc attending the NASA astrophysics workshop, that year entitled Stellar Collapse and Neutrino Physics. By then, astrophysics was a well-established part of the summer program and many astrophysicists attended on a regular basis,
arXiv's Beginning at the Aspen Center for Physics
By Paul Ginsparg and Joanne Cohn
My first visit to the ACP was during its 20th anniversary year of 1982 (I still have my “30th anniversary” t-shirt from 1991), one year after my doctorate. Enchanted by the mountains, the music, and the open exchange of ideas, I returned frequently during the following decades.
Astrophysics: The Early Years
By J. Craig Wheeler
1962-1979 Astrophysics was entangled in the DNA of the Aspen Center for Physics from the beginning, even if it was not immediately apparent. Although George Stranahan, the visionary founder of the Physics Center, practiced condensed matter physics during his research career, he read astronomy books on his own time during his stint at the Hotchkiss […]
The First 35 Years
By Jeremy Bernstein
I made my first visit to the Aspen Center for Physics in June of 1969. The Center had been in operation since the summer of 1962 and from the beginning one of its founders, Michael Cohen, had been urging me to apply for a visit. There was a selection committee.