SBU Event Honors Jim Simons’ Legacy and Impact on Campus

George Sterman, director of the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, moderated the second of three panels at the event honoring the impact of Jim Simons. Photo by Kristy Leibowitz.

Jim Simons was a beloved friend, generous philanthropist, pioneering mathematician and visionary leader. On October 23, Stony Brook University held a special event to celebrate the impact he left on the university and in the mathematics and physics world.

The event, held at the Simons Center Auditorium, featured three panel discussions about Simons' connection to Stony Brook, which spanned six decades. The program also featured four short lectures on his scientific work and the impact he made in mathematics and physics and through his philanthropy on Stony Brook Medicine.

"Jim Simons' devotion to Stony Brook was vast and strong," said Stony Brook Interim President Richard McCormick. "We will all continue to benefit from Jim's wisdom, leadership and extraordinary generosity for generations to come. His legacy will prevail as long as this university exists."

"Among his many talents, Jim Simons was a gifted builder of teams. One of the goals of this event is to tell the story of how Jim saw enduring collaborative potential at Stony Brook," said George Sterman, director of the C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, who moderated a panel discussing Simons' philanthropic investments in mathematics and physics. "Through a series of donations and personal involvement, he strengthened the interdisciplinary culture in math and physics that led eventually to the foundation of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics. Its establishment and early successes can be thought of as a prelude to Jim and Marilyn's historic campus-wide donations."

Read the full story by Christine McGrath on SB Matters.

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