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>> Publication Process at Nature Neuroscience
Venue: Meeting room 411, Natural Science Building No. 4 (School of Life Sciences)
Date: Nov. 29, 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 10:30-11:30
Intro:
Min Cho received his PhD from Princeton University, where he studied the molecular mechanisms underlying mammalian learning and memory under the guidance of Joe Tsien. Using genetic engineering techniques in mice, he continued this work at Boston University before joining the Nature Neuroscience team. His research interests include cell signaling pathways, molecular neurobiology and behavior.
>> Coarse-graining molecular dynamics using Galerkin method
Speaker: Xiantao Li, Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics, Penn State University
Venue: Room 1303, Natural Science Building No.1
Date: Nov. 29, 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 16:00-17:00
Intro:
We consider molecular dynamics (MD) model as a microscopic description of mechanical properties of a solid system. It is written as a Hamiltonian system for the position and momentum of the atoms. Many complicated material processes can in principle be understood at the atomic level using MD. However, a realist system often consists of a huge number of atoms, and the computation is too large for numerical simulations.
This talk will present a method to reduce the dimension, i.e., the number of atomic degrees of freedom, associated with the MD model. The method is motivated by traditional Galerkin projection for linear and nonlinear wave equations. Then we generalize this approach by introducing a set of auxiliary variables to extend the approximation to a larger subspace. The latter approach is similar to moment closure methods for kinetic equations. In addition to the numerical methods, we will present some error analysis along with some numerical experiments on the simulation of material defects.
Speaker: Professor Chen Jue，Department of Chinese Language, Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, China
Venue: Meeting room of the Research Base of International Sinologists, Chemistry Building (North)
Date: Nov. 29, 2011 (Tuesday)
Time: 15:00-17:00
Intro:
Professor Chen Jue received his PhD from Princeton University, where he studied comparative literature. His research interests includes the literature of Tang Dynasty, the history of the introduction of western culture to China and the history of Sinology. He is also famous for contribution to the study of Robert Van Gulik, all in all making him a famous Sinologist around the world.
Venue: Meeting room of the Research Base of International Sinologists, Chemistry Building (North)
Date: Nov. 30, 2011 (Wednesday)
Time: 14:000-16:00
Intro:
Prof. Léon Vandermeersch, born in 1928 in France, is the leading master of Sinology who has devoted his whole life to Sinology. His writings like Wangdao ou la Voie royale and Le nouveau monde sinisé are milestones of Sinology. He was awarded the “Stanislas Julien Prize” in 1980, which was viewed as “the Nobel Prize in Sinology”.
His lecture will be divided into eight sections:
1. Ancient Chinese divination was based on quasi-scientific mind, rather than theology.
2. The invention of Chinese characters originated in the Chinese divination.
3. The comparability between the Chinese classical language and mathematical equations.
4. Western literature derived from oral storytelling while the origins of Chinese literature can be found in the writing records of divination.
5. The Western way of thinking is not limited by Indo - European language system. Based on letters, it can invent concepts, but is easy to fall into meaningless language games. The Chinese way of thinking is confined by Chinese character system. It is not prone to invent new concepts but is reliable for its objectivity.
6. Comparison between the mind-sets of traditional Chinese sciences (especially medicine) and Western sciences.
7. Chinese Rite tradition and the Western Logos tradition.
8. Modernity was formed during the Enlightenment in Western culture while in China, it stemmed from clashes with foreign cultures.
>> Human’s Initiative and Will
Speaker: Professor John Hyman of Aesthetics, Oxford University
Venue: Meeting Room 227, Institute of Foreign Philosophy (Old Chemistry Building)
Date: Dec.2, 2011 (Friday)
Time: 19:00-21:00
Intro:
Invited by the Department of Philosophy, Peking University and the Alvin Plantinga Center of Human Values, Professor John Hyman will host short-term seminars on “free will” with faculties and students, which is open to public. His research covers Epistemology and metaphysics, Philosophy of mind and action, Aesthetics and philosophy of art, Wittgenstein. He was Chairman of the Philosophy Faculty in Oxford and a member of the Humanities Divisional Board in 2003-2005. He served as the Senior Tutor at Queen's in 2008-2010. He is currently editor of The British Journal of Aesthetics.
Written by: Feng Xiaomang
Edited by: Chen Long
Source: PKU Lecture Hall
