This year marks the beginning of the next hundred years for the Adams Society. We began our academic activity by inviting our former Master, Peter Goddard, to present on the legend of Paul Dirac (1923), the greatest theoretical physicist of all times. Professor

Goddard is the mathematical descendent of Dirac. Not only did he share his personal anecdotes about Dirac, but he also presented rich historical records of Dirac in and beyond St John’s. The talk captured the attention of the student body, which boosted attendance threefold. The strong start kept the society popular throughout the year.

Our later talks included those given by Fields Medalist Wendlin Werner and mathematicians Professor Sean Hartnoll (1997) and Professor Po-Ling Loh, all of whom are new academics in Cambridge. We also appreciated the return of old friends to the society Dr Jack Smith and Professor Nick Manton (1971), whose lectures were particularly engaging for the lower year groups.

In Lent term we invited the President of Clay Mathematical Institute, Professor Martin Bridson, from Oxford to deliver a pre-dinner lecture and address. He gave a talk, based on his own research, about how essential curiosity is to mathematicians. Professor Bridson also emphasised the pride and honour of doing mathematics: ‘Once a mathematician, always a mathematician.’

Franklin Shiyi Wang
President 2023–2024

You can view other Presidents’ reports here.