Presented as part of the 2025 North Carolina Science Festival
 

The humanities and sciences converge in this interdisciplinary seminar on the importance and impact of quantum physics, which celebrates its one-hundredth anniversary in 2025. Participants will be introduced to some of the strange and wonderful concepts that make up this profound theory and learn why they matter in our lives today. From science fiction to philosophical quandaries, this revolution in our understanding of the world has inspired many to question the very fabric of reality while it has also made our technological civilization possible. With fun, interactive activities mixed with expert explanations, this seminar will serve as both an engaging forum for speculation, and a corrective to many misconceptions. 
 

TOPICS & SPEAKERS 

Quantumania: When Atoms and Aesthetics Collide in Popular Culture 

Ben Bolling, Teaching Assistant Professor of English and Comparative Literature 

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction:  Real Quantum Mechanics in the Real World   

Laurie E. McNeil, Bernard Gray Professor of Physics and Astronomy 

The Ethical, Epistemological, and Metaphysical Dimensions of Quantum Theory.  

Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, Morehead Cain Alumni Professor of Philosophy and Director, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program 

Quantum Quandaries: When Small Things Don’t Play by The Rules 

A panel discussion with our speakers