Not a trip to a place called “New Springfield“, but a field trip during the “new spring” season around Chinese New Year.
A postdoc research associate who came from Taiwan invited several other Taiwanese in Princeton (me included, otherwise why would I write this post) to visit IAS, where he works. The name of the postdoc is Shu-Heng Shao (SHS for short in the following paragraphs), one had better remember this name, because it belongs to he who is bound to be the next Albert Einstein. The name of the place he works, IAS, stands for
“Institute for Advanced Study”
On the website of IAS, one can find detailed introduction to the ideas and purposes of this institute, such as:
The Institute was founded on two principles: 1) those individuals who work at the Institute should be selected on the basis of their abilities alone and with no regard to race, religion, or gender; 2) the Institute should enable the curiosity-driven pursuit of knowledge with no view to its immediate utility or the expectation of meeting predetermined goals.
However, to introduce IAS in one sentence, there is no better way than saying:
“IAS is where Albert Einstein worked.”
IAS is not a particular building, but a campus a few minutes of drive away from Princeton main campus. A few minutes of drive isn’t a far distance, but far enough for a car-less guy like me. Fortunately, SHS has a car, and he kindly picked up several car-less fellows scattered from Kingston to downtown Princeton.
The weather was good, and the air was refreshing. Perhaps because it was Saturday, there wasn’t many people walking around, so I felt a sense of tranquility while looking around the campus.
One can find tributes to A.E. here and there on the campus. Inside a building, there are his busts in the hallway, the library, and any other location suitable for a bust. By the lake, there is a modern sculpture on which several quotes from A.E. are engraved. A big fan of A.E. himself and/or the history of scientific research in general would get super excited to visit this sacred place.
In fact, one of the guests SHS invited today (Kevin Sean Chen) happened to be such big fan. During the whole tour in IAS, I can definitely felt his awe and ecstasy.
Given that A.E. stuff is everywhere on the campus, it was surprising there is none in the cafeteria. (perhaps there is, and I was just not aware of it). SHS said, the meal provided on Saturdays is nothing but the leftover from Fridays. Well, this leftover was already comparable to what I eat in the main campus cafeteria everyday. It’s not difficult to imagine how gourmet it is on weekdays.
Besides cafeteria, there are other facilities of daily necessities on the campus, including dorms (equipped with kitchens), laundrymat, and even a kindergarten. IAS does its best to take care of every aspect of daily life of its faculties and research associates, so that they can fully focus on research without getting distracted by mundane chores.
IAS is a recluse sanctuary for knowledge.
The “advanced study” researchers in IAS are pursuing is science, not technology. Therefore, they need more time to contemplate, rather than to seek out business opportunities to put their theories in practice. The researchers here are studying advanced science, but not necessarily using the most advanced equipment. Some (or most?) of them are more comfortable to scribble equations on pieces of papers, or blackboards that can be seen throughout the campus than to stare at computer screens.
They solve problems analytically (finding solutions to an equation that can be algebraically expressed) rather than numerically (using computer simulation to find approximations to the solutions, which are usually sufficient for practical purposes). They want to know, rather than to use.
They are the wise, they have always been for all these tens, hundreds, or even thousands of years.
Claire Chang, one of SHS’s guests today (and she who helped me a lot in my Princeton life), said the researchers in IAS radiate a Buddhist aura. That’s an accurate remark, because the wisdom of the IAS researchers surely surpasses that of the ordinary. They know some of the profound secrets of the universe, and seeks to understand more. Pure curiosity is what drives them on. In comparison, day-to-day disputes and worries are simply trivial for them. They are closer than any of us to the state of Nirvana, the spiritual liberation.
Even their research can be regarded in a Buddhist light. In Buddhist scriptures, Maitreya is the future Buddha who will enlighten the mortals of wisdom long forgotten. Some believe that Maitreya will be the savior of humanity. So are the studies done in the IAS. They are abstruse, they are far ahead of our time, they are theories of the future. How they are going to save us is yet to be seen, but their days are sure to come.
