Members of the Wittenberg and Springfield communities appeared mesmerized, Nov. 5, as Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, explored the complexities of the universe during the 2001 Wittenberg Series IBM Endowed Lecture in the Sciences.

One of today’s leading theoretical physicists whose classroom lectures are standing-room only, Greene has been hailed as a “brilliant communicator” and a “riveting public speaker,” both of which the more than 200 in attendance witnessed firsthand in Wittenberg’s Health, Physical Education and Recreation Center.

With remote control in hand and a microphone on his lapel, Greene, using computerized visual aids and moving around the stage, recounted how the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics have transformed people’s understanding of the universe.

He also discussed the collective quest of physicists and mathematicians to find a unified theory, a theory that would answer all the questions of the universe and unify the laws of nature.“We want to find laws of physics that never break down,” he said. Without a unified theory, “there are fundamental questions of the universe that we will never, ever understand.”

A best-selling author, Greene’s latest work, The Elegant Universe, vividly describes this quest and introduces readers to string theory, a “theory of everything,” which could be the key to a unified theory.

Greene’s study of string theory has been profiled by numerous media from The New York Times to Conan O’Brian. He has also punched up scientifically accurate dialogue for NBC’s 3rd Rock from the Sun. A graduate of Harvard University, Greene was also a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.