History of the Universe and Mankind in One Afternoon

By J. Neal

Placitas Community Library will feature a Book Talk by Dr. Tom Sanford on October 12 at 2 PM

A Whirlwind History of the Universe and Mankind: From the Big Bang to the Higgs Boson is essential to anyone who is curious about how we humans came to exist, and to understand the science and social evolution which now enables us to demonstrate that a Big Bang occurred 14.7 billion years ago!

Dr. Sanford’s book explains the transitions between the many evolutionary plateaus: from our universe’s beginning at the Big Bang, to the emergence of Homo Sapiens—highlighting the Mediterranean civilizations of Greece and Rome, the European Renaissance, the English industrial revolution, and early European science discoveries. Of particular note are discoveries in physics, including the Manhattan Project (right here in New Mexico) and the subsequent development of the new field of high-energy particle physics. This entire history, which eventually culminated in the discovery of the mass-giving Higgs boson, is clearly articulated in this monumental but concise work—and in language for educated lay audiences.

Thomas Sanford received his Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University under Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman. After his graduation, he conducted high-energy physics experiments at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in England, the CERN (European Council for Nuclear Research) Laboratory in Switzerland, and the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, participating in the discovery of the charm quark. He then joined Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, as a senior member of the technical staff, becoming a Distinguished Member in 1991. While at Sandia, he engineered a break-through in the physics of Z-pinches, opening wire arrays as possible drivers for inertial confinement fusion. In 2000, he became a fellow of the American Physical Society and in 2005 was awarded the Hannes Alfven Prize by the European Physical Society. Tom is now retired from Sandia and currently lives in Albuquerque.

Tom Sanford’s presentation will highlight key elements of his book, allowing ample time for questions and refreshments, plus signing copies of the book.