The Little Book of String Theory - Gubser (2010)

Steven Gubser is a professor of Physics at Princeton University.  The Little Book of String Theory is part of the Science Essential Series that is intended to bring key scientific concepts and theories to the general public.

Scientists hope that String Theory will unify the laws of quantum mechanics and gravitational force.  In so doing, String Theory seeks to become the "Theory of Everything."

Gubser introduces the major components of String Theory such as branes, strings, string dualities, symmetry and supersymmetry and how all of these relate and interact to form and sustain the seen and unseen universe.

Gubser describes the subatomic world of quarks, gluons, fermions, and hadrons.  He then explains how scientists hope to identify these and possibly new, unknown particles during experiments currently being conducted in Geneva using the Large Hadron Collider.

While Gubser kept his promise and avoided complicated mathematical formulas in his explanations, this was still a very technical and difficult book to understand for the lay reader.  The constant introduction of new terms used to describe theoretical particles existing within an environment of 11 and possibly 26 dimensions proved daunting.

Although I chose this book to compliment my reading of "Collider," the experience made me think more often of the Shallows.  Throughout my reading, I often consulted the web for explanations of difficult concepts and theories.  In this case, the web added depth to my reading, rather than shallowness.  Would it have been the same if I had read the entire book online with embedded links?  Would the links have added depth, or distraction?  I plan to discuss this in-depth in my next posting to "Disruptive Reflections."

Leaders Make the Future - Johansen (2009)

Bob Johansen has worked as a forecaster for 35 years.  He served as the president of the Institute for the Future from 1996 to 2004.  He is the author of numerous books and consults with businesses and non-profits.
Johansen adopts an acronym used by the Army War College, "VUCA," to describe to describe the world in which we live.  "VUCA" stands for "Volatility," "Uncertainty," "Complexity," and "Ambiguity."  By developing ten essential skills, Johansen contends, leaders can transform the "VUCA" world.

#1 The Maker Instinct: A move from a "Do it yourself" attitude to a "Do it ourselves" attitude.  The modern leader must embrace collaboration and cease to view competition as a zero sum game.
#2 Clarity: The ability to see beyond the messes and contradictions.  Leaders must have a clear vision of what they want to achieve, but have great flexibility in how to achieve it.
#3 Dilemma Flipping: The ability to transform dilemmas, which cannot be solved, into opportunities.
#4 Immersive Learning Ability: The modern leader recognizes the need for continuous learning.  He or she must take advantage of modern technologies that can provide experiential learning opportunities.  These include virtual reality simulations and games.
#5 Bio-empathy: The ability to learn from nature.  The modern leader observes and learns from the patterns of nature.  Johansen strongly believes that the next big economic driver will come from biology and the Life Sciences.
#6 Constructive Depolarizing: Technology has led to virtual "diasporas" or groups. Historically "diasporas" have involved displaced people with a common ethnic or cultural background.  In today's world, virtual diasporas have emerged that join people not by nationality or ethnicity, but by interests, attitudes and beliefs.  This has led to a growing polarization within society.  The successful leader, must be able to work with these groups and bring them together in constructive pursuits.
#7 Quiet Tranparency: The ability to be open and honest about your values without becoming pretentious.  This seems very similar to the leadership quality described by Jim Collins in Good to Great.
#8 Rapid Prototyping: The ability to learn from failure quickly. The modern leader must view failure as the road to success.  He or she must encourage rapid development and testing, rather than extensive planning, to reduce the cost of failure.
#9 Smart Mob Organizing: The modern leader must be able to take advantage of Crowd Sourcing through technology as exemplified by Innocentive and other crowd sourcing sites.
#10 Commons Creating: The leader must understand how to create a platform where individuals and groups can build for the greater good.

Quote: "You cannot listen for the future if you are deafened by the present."

The Shallows - Nicholas Carr (2010)

First of all, I would highly recommend this book to educators.  While it provides a strong argument that may challenge many of our assumptions, it does so in a balanced and well-researched way.  I would not suggest that it should be interpreted as a reason to avoid the Internet or technology, but rather as a reminder that we have much to learn about how to use these amazing resources to support and encourage learning. 

"The Shallows" grew out of an article that Carr wrote for the Atlantic magazine entitled, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" The article appeared in the July/August 2008 edition.

"The Shallows" provides an in-depth examination of the impact of the Internet on one's intellectual functioning and the physiology of one's brain.  Carr reviews the growing body of research that demonstrates that the mature brain can and does adapt to new environments, demands and challenges. New medical imaging technology allows researchers to observe and document significant changes in brain activity induced by external stimuli or physical trauma.

The significance of the above research for Carr's argument is that the Internet, and specifically the use of hypertext, has significantly changed the way that humans ascertain, process and use information. Recapping the history of literacy through the ages, Carr notes that books allow readers to access the printed word efficiently for extended periods of time.  This results in the development of "deep reading" skills, which increase the reader's ability to concentrate for long periods of time.  This eventually changes the "vital pathways" in the brain of the readers.

Recent studies have shown that reading on the Internet is very different from reading printed works.  In particular, Carr notes that hypertext presents the readers with constant interruptions that prevent "deep reading."  MRIs suggest that the brains of subjects engaged in "deep reading" vs. reading on the Internet actually process the information differently.  The constant "surfing" on the Internet leads to a more superficial or "shallow" reading experience.

Carr also addresses the contention by some educators and authors that the Internet obviates the need for memorization.  Carr contends that memorization has been viewed as an essential skill throughout history.  It's value is not so much the information that one commits to memory, but the fact that memorization trains the brain to move information from short to long-term memory in an efficient manner.  Carr worries that the Internet threatens to decrease this ability as well.

Carr is not a technophobe or technology hater.  He actually is a power user who obviously loves to surround himself with the very tools that he says pose such a threat.  He does not suggest that technology will or should be curtailed, but rather discusses the threat in an even-handed and sincere way.

The Shallows raises some important issues for educators to consider as we integrate the powerful tools of technology into the curriculum.  Certainly, these tools offer great potential, but they must be used wisely. 

Collider: The Search for the Worlds Smallest Particle

Collider is the story of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).  The book provides a history of the evolution of high-energy research culminating in CERN's construction of the underground Large Hadron Collider, which spans the border between Switzerland and France.  Although the researchers are conducting a variety of experiments using the LHC, the primary goal is to expose the Higgs Boson, or god particle.  This theoretical particle is believed to have provided all other particles in the Universe with their mass. 

Scientists believe that the identification of the Higgs Boson could provide the link needed to resolve the laws of classical physics and quantum mechanics. By smashing protons and other particles at extremely high-speeds, the researchers plan to collect the debris, which hopefully will include the Higgs Boson.  This could shed light on the how the four forces (weak, strong, magnetic and gravitational) all interact and provide further insight into the formation of the universe.

While U.S. Scientists play an important role in the LHC research, the LHC marks the first major project in high-energy physics that has not been the initiative of the United States.  While the U.S. still maintains an active high-speed collider, Congress decided to pull the funding for the building of a new collider in 1993. Since that time, the U.S. has ceded the leadership role in high-energy physics to other nations.

Collider also dispels myths associated with the LHC such as the contention that it might create black holes that could consume the earth. Any such black holes that might be created would not have enough gravitational pull to extend beyond the nucleus of a single atom.  They would also decay and be propelled into space almost instantly.

A few interesting facts:

1.  Particles did not combine to form atoms until 300,000 years after the Big Bang.
2.  Data from the LHC is disseminated to thousands of scientists throughout the world almost instantly over the "Grid" to allow rapid analysis.
3.  Luminous matter (everything composed of atoms) makes ups only about 4% of the Universe's contents.  23% is comprised of dark matter and 73% is composed of dark energy.

Historically, research in high-energy physics has led to life-changing breakthroughs in medicine, defense and industry.  The decision for the U.S. to stop investing in this research could have significant implications for the U.S. Economy.  How can we, as educators, help our students understand the value and importance of basic research to society?