The Institute Letter publishes firsthand accounts of research and questions posed by IAS scientists and scholars, reports on breakthroughs and fields of study, and shares news of the Institute community. Explore a collection of articles spanning the last decade to today in the Ideas section.
Read how Caroline Walker Bynum, Professor Emerita in the School of Historical Studies, has engaged in processes of revisitation and transformation throughout her career, broadening the interpretive frameworks of a series of material objects with each analysis. Explore the influence of Peter Sarnak, Professor Emeritus in the School of Mathematics, on broad areas of mathematics with his work on Ramanujan graphs. Discover the innovative research being conducted in the School of Natural Sciences on gravitational waves, detailing how each individual Member or small group of scholars plays a role in driving forward scientific understanding in this field. Investigate how a single theme unites volumes both old and new in the Historical Studies - Social Science Library. Understand how an unexpected archival collection enhances our knowledge of an IAS community defined by migration and mobility.
Explore how collaborative efforts have maximized mathematicians’ knowledge of minimal surfaces. Join a group of historians, theologians, and other scholars as they think together about the co-production of the Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions. Discover how real-life experiences of making and performing music have inspired research into a unique electronic instrument. Witness the ongoing legacy of Einstein’s theory of relativity and its influence on a medieval historian’s approach to a thorny problem. Dine out on our archivist’s insights into achieving intimacy, illumination, and understanding over dinner. Reflect on the School of Social Science’s special theme year; read the latest news of the IAS community; and see how a refreshed and robust set of artistic programming helps to build a community of discovery on campus.
Discover how the curious and collaborative nature of the Institute led to a breakthrough in the world of immuno-oncology. Dive into magic of cinema with insights into the on-campus filming of "Oppenheimer." Walk a rewarding bridge between plasma physics and galactic dynamics. Glory in the beauty of the Institute Woods with a poetic reflection on its legacy as a “laboratory.” Explore how the scholarship of new Faculty appointment Maria H. Loh grafts new stems onto the work of past IAS art historians. Join an archival journey to discover the Institute’s earliest Chinese scholars. Dream of the good life with a new book from the Reading List. Read the latest news of the IAS community; Director David Nirenberg’s thoughts on past Director J. Robert Oppenheimer; and his welcome remarks to the community as another academic year begins.
Uncover how climate change and climate migration were exploited for profit at the Qatar World Cup. Explore how the combination of ancient DNA analysis with archaeological and historical approaches is revolutionizing knowledge of prehistoric population change. Trace “lost” scholars within the Institute’s archives. Fall into Alice’s rabbit hole and explore how individuals, as avatars, form communities in 3D virtual worlds. Follow a Baroque bust as it journeys from Rome to IAS and back again. Consider what it looks like to live in and beyond climate crisis. Read the latest research news covering everything from black holes to galaxy clusters; an excerpt from the IAS reading list; and interviews with scholars Sophie Schrøder (Natural Sciences) and K-Sue Park (Social Science).
Learn how researchers have harnessed black holes to test theories of fundamental physics and are beginning to glimpse the first stars and galaxies in the universe with the James Webb Space Telescope. Join in the thrill of a discovery made right here at IAS of more than 100 plaster casts of ancient coins. Take a deep dive into the complexities of fetal personhood as analyzed by social scientists in the wake of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision. Also included are articles about the grand opening of Rubenstein Commons; early IAS innovations in climatology; and interviews with Verena Krebs (Historical Studies), D. Dominique Kemp (Mathematics), and Leslye Obiora, past Visitor in the School of Social Science.
Explore the legacy of civil rights activist and educator Bob Moses from the perspective of Distinguished Visiting Professor Karen Uhlenbeck; read about the current struggle of Ukrainians and its ties to the past; and take a tour of the Institute’s intellectual heritage with IAS Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg. Discover the exciting work of IAS scholars—like the proof of the Kahn-Kalai Conjecture, the observation of a new state of matter, the first image of our galaxy’s black hole, and recent publications by Faculty and Members. Also included are articles about the new professorships established at IAS and interviews with Rosanna Dent, Member in the School of Historical Studies; John Urschel, Member in the School of Mathematics; and Fernando Brancoli, Fellow in the Summer Program in Social Science.
Read articles by and featuring IAS scholars and scientists exploring the intertwining architecture of Rubenstein Commons; puzzling galaxies devoid of dark matter; and the intellectual journey of Polish mathematician Stanislaw Ulam (1909–84). Meet the Institute’s new Director and Leon Levy Professor David Nirenberg and Wendy Brown, UPS Foundation Professor in the School of Social Science. Also included are Q&As with Zachariah Cherian Mampilly, Member in the School of Social Science, and Nadia Zakamska, Member in the School of Natural Sciences.
Includes a variety of articles by Faculty and Members exploring the origins of the Second World War and the bias that is often built into state accounts; mathematical dualities and Fourier transforms; and the troubling history and misuse of the term “moral hazard” in health insurance. Also featuring a transcript of Alondra Nelson’s remarks, delivered on the occasion of her appointment as Deputy Director for Science and Society in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; and Avi Wigderson’s 2021 Abel Prize for foundational contributions to the field of the theory of computation.
The Institute Letter publishes firsthand accounts of research and questions posed by IAS scientists and scholars, reports on breakthroughs and fields of study, and shares news of the Institute community.
The Institute Letter publishes firsthand accounts of research and questions posed by IAS scientists and scholars, reports on breakthroughs and fields of study, and shares news of the Institute community.