Science & Cocktails with Robbert Dijkgraaf

Event in English, semi-seated.

19:30 doors open for cocktails
20:30 Robbert Dijkgraaf (talk)
21:40 Emma-Jean Thackray’s Walrus (live music)      

After nearly a decade of successful and awarded editions in Copenhagen, Johannesburg and Brussels, Science & Cocktails kicks off in Amsterdam. Together with theoretical physicist Robbert Dijkgraaf we dive deep into string theory, black holes and the laws of Nature. The evening also features a selection of original S&C signature cocktails and a live music show by Emma-Jean Thackray’s Walrus.

String theory, black holes and the laws of Nature
What is string theory? What happens to stuff that fall inside a black hole? What are the fundamental building blocks of space and time? Did Nature have any choice in picking the fundamental laws of physics? What is the role of mathematics in physics?

For decades, since the discovery of quantum mechanics and Einstein’s theory of relativity, scientists have been trying to combine the two perspectives of the world into one single unified theory. These two theories describe most of reality, ranging from the largest structures in the Universe to the smallest particles. Yet, when these two theories meet there are serious limitations to our understanding, such as what space and time are made of, the inside of a black hole or the Big Bang.

One of the results of these decades of constant search was string theory: where the strangeness of quantum reality and the weirdness of relativity theory come together and create something even more puzzling - a world with extra dimensions. String theory says that there is only one fundamental object in the universe: the string. Much like the strings in a guitar give rise to different sounds when you pluck them, the strings of string theory give rise to the different constituents of the observed reality when you make them vibrate at different energies. Is everything in the world made of strings? If so, what is a black hole?

String theory in its many incarnations provides a theoretical framework to answer some of the deepest questions, often with surprising results. At the same time, it raises some disturbing new questions, making painfully clear how little we understand of our Universe.

Robbert Dijkgraaf is a Dutch mathematical physicist and string theorist. He is tenured professor at the University of Amsterdam, and director and Leon Levy professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton. From 2008 to 2012 Dijkgraaf was president of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), and has been a guest-professor at Harvard, Berkeley, MIT and Kyoto in Japan. He has made significant contributions to string theory and the advancement of science education. He regularly appears on the Dutch talkshow De Wereld Draait Door and other television programmes, and has a column in the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad.

The day after they perform at the Into The Great Wide Open festival we welcome Emma-Jean Thackray’s Walrus. Trumpet player, multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Emma-Jean Thackray is a rising UK jazz artist and Red Bull Music Academy alumna who together with her four-piece ensemble WALRUS fuses brass, beats and vocals into some unique forward-thinking jazz. She has been described as "one of the UK's most exciting new jazz artists" by RBMA, as “somewhere between Madlib and Ornette Coleman” by Djam La Revue and as “supremely talented… the sound of South London” by Sounds Of The Universe. Her EP 'Walrus' gained a lot of underground acclaim from selectors such as Theo Parrish and Mr Scruff and was frequently played on radio BBC 6 by Gilles Peterson.  

Science & Cocktails is a series of inspiring scientific talks for anyone who is curious about the world around him or wants a better understanding of what is happening at the forefront of science. No background in science or prior knowledge is necessary. In a semi-seated set up and a more relaxed and informal atmosphere than your average scientific talks, you can enjoy the customary designed cocktails and live music afterwards.

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This event is an initiative by the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena (DIEP) with the support of NWA Route 2 and Delta ITP. Science & Cocktails Amsterdam is presented in cooperation with Paradiso.