Title: Einstein and E=mc^2

Speaker: Prof. Ajoy Ghatak, Meghnad Saha Fellow of NASI (The National Academy of Sciences, India)

Abstract: A bit about Einstein’s life, his Year of Miracles and then E=mc2 and its many consequences including how light was created at the first place! I also have a very simple derivation of E=mc2 which I have now given in the 6th edition of my book on OPTICS. This should be of interest to Engineering students also.

Detailed Biography: Ajoy Ghatak is currently Professor Meghnad Saha Fellow of NASI (The National Academy of Sciences, India). He received his BSc from Agra College, M.Sc from Delhi University and PhD from Cornell University. After a short tenure as a Research Associate at Brookhaven National Laboratory, he joined IIT Delhi in 1966. Professor Ghatak has research interests in Fiber Optics & Quantum Mechanics. He has authored several books including his undergraduate text on OPTICS which has been translated to Chinese and Persian. His other books include Quantum Mechanics: Theory & Applications (coauthored with Professor S. Lokanathan), Fiber Optics, Lasers, Optical Electronics (all 3 coauthored with Professor K. Thyagarajan) and a popular book on Albert Einstein: The Story of a Genius. He is recipient of the 2008 SPIE Educator award in recognition of “his unparalleled global contributions to the field of fiber optics research, and his tireless dedication to optics education worldwide..”; the 2003 Esther Hoffman Beller award (instituted by The Optical Society of America) in recognition of his “outstanding contributions to optics education ...” ; International Commission for Optics 1998 Galileo Galilei award and also the CSIR 1979 S.S. Bhatnagar award for “outstanding contributions in physical sciences”.