A lecture by José Perillán, Associate Professor of Physics and Science, Technology, and Society Program (STS) Director.

During the summer of 1925 a young German physicist named Werner Heisenberg was struggling with extreme pollen allergies. To escape the uncomfortable allergy attacks he fled to a remote island off the Northern coast of Germany. From the depths of his self-imposed isolation Heisenberg wrote a paper that would usher in a new era of quantum mechanics. It has been described as the most precise physics model ever created, yet quantum’s probative precision has come at an unsettling cost. At its very core, quantum mechanics requires us to accept that the universe is fundamentally uncertain. Like an impenetrable veil, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle is impossible to overcome or ignore. For close to 100 years we have been unable to shake its implications. In this talk, we explore the depths of these implications and the long history of quantum uncertainty.

All MODfest events are free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary unless otherwise noted. For directions to the Vassar campus in Poughkeepsie, New York, please refer to the directions section on our Visit website. People with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Campus Activities at (845) 437-5370.

MODfest 2025