String and M-Theory: The New Geometry of the 21st Century
At the “String and M-Theory: The New Geometry of the 21st Century” conference held from 10 to 14 December 2018, top global theoretical physicists and mathematicians gathered to probe the principles behind a “Theory of Everything”. Hosted by the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore, the five-day event consisted of introductory lectures, research talks and informal discussions.
The conference aims to further investigate and explore the mathematical underpinnings and implications of string/M-theory, so as to gain a better understanding of the “new kind of geometry” that it embodies. Apart from bringing scientists closer to obtaining the sought-after “Theory of Everything”, it is hoped that pure mathematics and theoretical physics will be advanced in a nontrivial way.
Read also: World’s top theorists take on the ‘Theory of Everything’.
This is the first bona fide, String/M-Theory conference in Southeast Asia, and it is also the first time that we see string theorists, string mathematicians and pure mathematicians who have hitherto not interacted or collaborated before, come together in synergy to unravel this vast body of physical and mathematical knowledge that is String/M-Theory. I'm glad that NUS Physics has been given a chance to be a pivotal part of this landmark event.