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Welcome!
Welcome to the UCSC Institute for the Philosophy of Cosmology homepage!
Organizers: David Albert (Columbia, NYU), Joel Primack (University of California Santa Cruz), and Barry Loewer (Rutgers University)
Program
Videos and Slides of the lectures will be posted on this page immediately after they have occurred.
Week 1: June 24-28
| Monday 6/24 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10:00-12pm | Introduction to Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics | David Albert [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2-4pm | The Reversibility Objections, the Past Hypothesis, the Mentaculus, the Special Sciences | David Albert [Video] |
| 5pm | BBQ on the Lawn | |
| Tuesday 6/25 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10:00-12pm | Laws. The nature of Statistical-Mechanical probabilities. The specialness of the initial conditions | David Albert [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2-4pm | The epistemic and causal arrows of time | David Albert [Video] |
| 4pm | Coffee in the lounge | |
| Wednesday 6/26 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10:00-12pm | Further considerations, and alternate perspectives, on the foundations of Statistical Mechanics and the nature of the special sciences | Craig Callender [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2-4pm | How to Derive the Equilibrium Velocity Distribution Two Ways (Neither of Which You Are Expecting) | Tim Maudlin [Slides] [Video] |
| 4pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 4:45-6:15pm | Introductory and Foundational Remarks on Cosmology | Priyamvada Natarajan [Slides] [Video] |
| Thursday 6/27 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10:00-12pm | Introduction ot the foundations of Quantum Mechanics. The phenomenon of superposition. The Measurement Problem. Non-locality | David Albert [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2-4pm | Survey of proposals for solving the measurement problem | David Albert [Video] |
| 4pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 4:45-6:15pm | The Life of Hugh Everett | Peter Byrne [Slides] [Video] |
| Friday 6/28 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10:00-12pm | The architecture of fundamental theories. The idea of Typicality | Shelly Goldstein [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 2-4pm | The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics | David Wallace [Video] |
| 4pm | Coffee in the lounge | |
| Monday 7/1 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | The History of Dark matter | Joel Primack [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | An introduction to General Relativity | Anthony Aguirre [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Quantizing gravity, and why it is difficult | Leonard Susskind [Video] |
| Tuesday 7/2 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | Introduction to Cosmology | Joel Primack [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | Introduction to the Cosmic Microwave Background and what it tells us | Matt Johnson [Slides] [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Discussion | |
| Wednesday 7/3 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | Inflation and its alternatives | Matt Johnson [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | Eternal Inflation and the multiverse | Anthony Aguirre [Slides] [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Black holes? | Leonard Susskind [Video] |
| Thursday 7/4 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | Observational Horizons in Early universe cosmology | Matt Johnson [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | Self-Sampling, Anthropics, Measures, and other thorny conundra | Anthony Aguirre [Slides] [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Simulating the universe | Joel Primack [Slides] [Video] |
| 5pm | 4th of July BBQ dinner (India Joze) | |
| Friday 7/5 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | The big picture of astrophysics; Long term future of astrophysical systems | Fred Adams [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | The black-hole information paradox, complementarity, and firewalls | Susskind [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Discussion | |
| Monday 7/8 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | Lecture II: How studying the future evolution of the cosmos affects our understanding of the universe |
Fred Adams [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | Initial state/origin of the universe I | Sean Carroll [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Initial state/origin of the universe II | Sean Carroll [Video] |
| Tuesday 7/9 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | Comment on Carroll | Chris Smeenk [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | Fine-tuning I | Luke Barnes [Slides] [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Fine-tuning II | Luke Barnes [Slides] [Video] |
| Wednesday 7/10 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | Shortcomings of the inflationary paradigm | Anna Ijjas [Slides] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | Bohmian mechanics and cosmology | Ward Struyve [Slides] [Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Discussion | |
| Thursday 7/11 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-12pm | Emergence of space time in quantum gravity | Tiziana Vistarini [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | Implications of cosmology for the philosophy of religion I | Alex Pruss [Slides I] [Slides II][Video] |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 3:30-5pm | Implications of cosmology for the philosophy of religion II | Alex Pruss [Slides I] [Slides II][Video] |
| 6pm | Dinner in the Alumni Room | |
| Friday 7/12 | Subject | Speaker | |
| 9:30-10am | Coffee in Room 242 | |
| 10-11pm | Implications of cosmology for the philosophy of religion II (Continued) | Alex Pruss [Slides I] [Slides II][Video] | 11-12pm | Kepler's elliptic orbits in wave mechanics and problems with the de Broglie - Bohm interpretation of Schrödinger's wave function | Michael Nauenberg [Slides] [Video] |
| 12-1:30pm | Lunch | |
| 1:30-3pm | General Discussion | |
| 3-3:30pm | Coffee in the lounge | |
Photos
All photos by Trudy E. Bell
Directions
This year's UCSC Institute for the Philosophy of Cosmology will be held at College 8 Room 242.
Please click here for a College 8 Printable PDF Map.If you wish to explore the UCSC campus please use our interactive map provided on the right.
Directions to University of California Santa Cruz http://www.ucsc.edu/visit/maps-directions.html
Housing
Please register for housing here. The cost is $801. To view a "Virtual Tour" please click here
Your registration includes linens and you will live in a very basic apartment with no cleaning services. Although a refrigerator and stove are available, there is no kitchen equipment. For general information about housing and staying on campus please click here
Checking In
Check in hours for the conference will be from 2-4 p.m. When you arrive, please look for a large check-in table in front of our apartment building (Apt. Bldg. 2). If you are unable to arrive during those hours, you can check in nearby in the West Conference Office (Apt. Bldg 1). Their office is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. If you will be arriving after 8 p.m. please contact Sue Grasso for instructions.
Please Note: Dining is very limited on campus on the weekends. On June 23, College 8 Dining Hall will be open from 5-6:30 p.m. only. You can pay cash at the door if you would like to eat there after checking in. If you arrive after those dining hours, you will either need to head to town for dinner or have already eaten.
Dining
Weekday lunches are included with registration, along with a morning and afternoon snack. There will also be one dinner each week hosted by the Institute. Participants are responsible for any other meals. Eating ptions include purchasing meals at the College 8 dining hall, eating in your apartment (remember no kitchen equipment or microwave, very basic) or eating at one of the restaurants on campus or in town. There are a couple of restaurant options and a small grocery store on campus (Express Store). Please check our interactive map for Joe's, the Global Village Cafe, and the Express Store.
Parking
If you're bringing a car you can register for a parking permit along with housing. Parking on the UCSC campus is regulated 24-hours, 7 days a week and all vehicles parked on the campus are required to have a parking permit. UCSC Parking Information
Airport shuttles:
- Santa Cruz Flyer: $40 from SJC and $55 from SFO, with fixed shuttle times.
- Santa Cruz Airport Shuttles: $50 for a shuttle from SJC and $80 from SFO(Extra $10 for each additional passenger) Website: http://SantaCruzShuttles.com/
- Early Bird Shuttles: $75 from SJC and $115 from SFO (extra $10 for each additional passenger after the first 3) website: http://www.earlybirdairportshuttle.com
Blue Water Limo (for Sedan airport transfer, not limo):
- SJC, one-way (incl. all tax/gratuity): $98.00
- SFO, one-way (incl. all tax/gratuity): $147.60
- Web: www.blue-water-limo.com/contact | Telephone: (831) 477-0170
- NOTE: Passenger must tell them that this is "UCSC Business" to qualify for rate when making reservation.
Public transport
Transportation around the UCSC campus can be done through the campus shuttle services found here. Please note their summer schedules are still to be determined.
Public transportation options to, from, and around Santa Cruz can be done through the Santa Cruz Metro.
Car Rentals on UCSC Campus
Zipcars are available to rent on the campus of UCSC. For more information please visit http://www.zipcar.com/santacruz/find-cars
Recreation Facilities
Conference participants will be able to use the UCSC recreation facilities, as available, during normal operating hours for a fee of $5/day.
- University of California, Santa Cruz main website
- University of California, Santa Cruz Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Campus maps
- On-campus wireless Internet (CruzNet) guest access guidelines
- Local dining options
- Things to do in Santa Cruz
- Shakespeare Santa Cruz
If you have a free evening during the workshop, consider attending an outdoor performance by the acclaimed repertory company Shakespeare Santa Cruz.
Contact
Sue Grasso hipacc@ucsc.edu | Phone: (831) 459-1531
Lecturers
| Name | University | Philosophy/Physics |
| David Albert | Columbia University | Philosophy |
| Craig Callender | University of California, San Diego | Philosophy |
| David Wallace | Oxford University | Philosophy |
| Tim Maudin | New York University | Philosophy |
| Priyamvada Natarajan | Yale University | Physics |
| Peter Byrne | King's College | Philosophy |
| Shelly Goldstein | Rutgers University | Philosophy |
| Joel Primack | University of California, Santa Cruz | Physics |
| Anthony Aguirre | University of California, Santa Cruz | Physics |
| Leonard Susskind | Stanford University | Physics |
| Matt Johnson | York University | Physics |
| Fred Adams | University of Michigan | Physics |
| Sean Carroll | Cal Tech | Physics |
| Chris Smeenk | Western University | Philosophy |
| Anna Ijjas | Rutgers / Princeton | Physics |
| Tiziana Vistarini | Ruters University | Philosophy |
| Luke Barnes | University of Sydney | Physics |
| Ward Struyve | Rutgers | Philosophy |
| Alex Pruss | Baylor University | Philosophy |
| Dean Zimmerman | Rutgers University | Philosophy |
Students
| Name | University | Philosophy/Physics |
| Amedo Balbi | Roma Tor Vergata | Physics |
| Yann Benétreau-Dupin | Western Univ. | Philosophy |
| Thomas Blanchard | Rutgers Univ. | Philosophy |
| Neil Dewar | Oxford Univ | Philosophy |
| Alison Fernandes | Columbia Univ. | Philosophy |
| Andrew Friedman | MIT | Physics |
| Genco Guralp | Johns Hopkins Univ. | Phil/Physics |
| Michael Hicks | Rutgers | Philosophy |
| Alex Kaiserman | Oxford Univ. | Phil/Physics |
| Emre Keskin | Univ. of South Florida | Philosophy |
| Anna Ijjas | Harvard/Rutgers | Physics |
| Christian Loew | Univ. of North Carolina | Philosophy |
| Saman Majd | Physics | |
| Casey McCoy | UCSD | Philosophy |
| Michael Miller | Pittsburgh Univ. | Philosophy |
| Thomas Moller-Nielsen | Oxford Univ | Phil/Physics |
| Elliot Nelson | Penn State | Physics |
| Chloe Park | Columbia | Philosophy |
| Williams Porter | Columbia Univ. | Philosophy |
| Matthew Pusey | Imperial Univ. | Physics |
| Joseph Rachiele | Princeton Univ. | Philosophy |
| Charles Sebens | Michigan | Phil/Physics |
| Arianne Shahvisi | Cambridge Univ | Philosophy |
| Olla Solomyak | NYU | Philosophy |
| Clément Stahl | Oxford Univ. | Phil/Physics |
| Ward Struyve | Rutgers | Philosophy |
| Manus Visser | Amsterdam | Phil/Physics |
| Tiziana Vistarini | Rutgers Univ. | Philosophy |
| Max Wainwright | UCSC | Physics |
| Christopher Weaver | Rutgers Univ. | Philosophy |
| Alastair Wilson | Birmingham Univ. | Philosophy |
Registration
Registration is $300, and students will need to pay $801 for housing by June 7.
Please register here for housing
Students who will be receiving an honorarium from Rutgers will need to fill out a W9 form and send it to Jean Urteil, either electronically (jurteil@philosophy.rutgers.edu), by fax (732-932-8617), or by mail (below). Please include "Summer Institute" as the subject of faxes and emails.
Any questions regarding registration may be directed to Sue Grasso at hipacc@ucsc.edu or by phone at 831-459-1531
Message Boards
We have created a message board to discuss lectures, exchange contact information, share travel, and more!