Palestinian universities participated, via video conference, in a workshop organized by the British Council in Jerusalem. Attendees of the workshop included the Al-Quds Open University, Hebron University and the Islamic University in Gaza, and Birzeit University, which hosted guest lecturer, Professor Stephen Hawking.
Professor Hawking presented his perspectives on “the Origins of the Universe,” subsequently answering audience questions from all of the participating universities.
Stephen Hawking has long studied and written on the basic laws governing the universe. His many publications include: “The Large Scale Structure of Space Time,” “General Relativity: An Einstein Centenary Survey,” and “300 Years of Gravity,” co-edited by Werner Israel. Professor Hawking’s three most popular books published are: his best-seller “A Brief History of Time,” “Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays,” and most recently in 2001, “The Universe in a Nutshell. “
Professor Hawking has twelve honorary degrees, was awarded the title of Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1982, and was made a Companion of Honour in 1989. He is the recipient of many awards, medals and prizes and is a Fellow of The Royal Society and a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.