Ibec has is once again a proud sponsor of Hamilton Day. Hamilton Day commemorates a ground-breaking discovery by one of Ireland’s most famous scientist.
On 16 October 1843, William Rowan Hamilton discovered quaternion algebra, while walking along the Royal Canal from Dunsink Observatory to the Royal Irish Academy (RIA). This was one of those very rare Eureka moments in the history of science. So excited was he by his discovery that he scratched his equation on the wall of Broome Bridge, Cabra.
To mark this important day, each year mathematics departments in Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Dublin City University, University College Cork, NUI Galway, Maynooth University, University of Limerick, TU Dublin and Queen's University Belfast are invited to nominate their "best" student in their penultimate year of undergraduate mathematical studies for the Hamilton Prize.
The day includes an award ceremony to recognise the most gifted third level mathematics students in Ireland, a masterclass for early-career researchers and concludes with the Hamilton lecture which is given by an internationally renowned speaker.
Hamilton Lecture 2023 / How surprisingly intricate are random structures?
Objects chosen at random (among uncountably many possibilities) can turn out to have properties that can appear very unusual at first sight. We will discuss this idea in the light of concrete mathematical examples, some from contemporary probability theory.
When: Monday 16 October 2022, 18:30 -20:00
Where: Edmund Burke lecture theatre, Trinity College Dublin
Speaker / About Professor Wendelin Werner
Wendelin Werner is Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics in the University of Cambridge. Professor Werner’s research focuses on random processes and related theories in probability theory and mathematical physics. He completed his PhD in Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie and has held academic positions in CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, and ETH Zürich. In 2006 Professor Werner received the Fields Medal "for his contributions to the development of stochastic Loewner evolution, the geometry of two-dimensional Brownian motion, and conformal field theory". He has been awarded numerous other honours and prizes including the Fermat Prize in 2001 and the Heinz-Gumin Prize in 2016 and was made a member of the French Academy of Sciences in 2008.
Learn moreHamilton day 2022: Celebrating Ireland's greatest mathematician
On this episode of Ibec Voices, we are joined by Ibec CEO Danny McCoy and Dr Mary Canning, Royal Irish Academy President, to discuss upcoming Hamilton Day celebrations and the fascinating story of William Rowan Hamilton. Later on in the episode Danny will speak to Professor Avi Wigderson, Herbert H. Maass Professor of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton University, who will deliver the 2022 RIA Hamilton Lecture on ‘Cryptography: Secrets and Lies, Knowledge and Trust’.
Who was Hamilton?
William Rowan Hamilton was born in 1805 in Dublin and is universally recognised as the greatest mathematician, and arguably the greatest scientist, that Ireland has produced to date.
Ireland’s scientific and mathematic tradition underpins our economy. Over the last 50 years, it has transformed to become dynamic, innovative, high-tech and has digital at its core.
As this transformation continues at pace, so too will the need for people to have advanced digital and numerical literacy skills.
Ibec is delighted to partner with the Royal Irish Academy on Hamilton Day to promote the lasting legacy of an Irish man who made a seminal contribution to the world around us today.
Eureka moment at Broome Bridge
On 16 October 1843, William Hamilton and his wife Helen were walking along the banks of the Royal Canal from Dunsink Observatory to the Royal Irish Academy where he was President.
At Broome Bridge Hamilton had that very rare occurrence in science, a Eureka moment. He suddenly hit on the solution to a problem he had been working on for a long time and in his excitement, he took out his penknife and scratched his formula for Quaternion algebra onto the bridge: i² = j² = k² = ijk = −1
Quaternions can be found in simple everyday objects, from the rotation of your mobile phone’s screen to Quantum mechanics, computer gaming animation, CGI in movies and were instrumental in putting the first man on the moon.
Hamilton's legacy
Ireland’s scientific and mathematic tradition underpins our economy. Over the last 50 years, it has transformed to become dynamic, innovative, high-tech and has digital at its core.
As this transformation continues at pace, so too will the need for people to have advanced digital and numerical literacy skills. Ibec is committed to promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) education to encourage people to consider STEM related careers but also because we recognise STEM’s key role in safeguarding Ireland’s economic future.
