9/4/2025 Bill Bell for Illinois Physics
Physicist, author, and artist Smitha Vishveshwara is recognized for blending “teaching, theater, and art in ways that inspire and communicate the principles and elegance of physics through artistic expression.”
Written by Bill Bell for Illinois Physics
The recent launch of Two Revolutions: Einstein’s Relativity and Quantum Physics: A Dialogue between Father and Daughter was enveloped in poetry. Illinois Physics Professor Smitha Vishveshwara wrote the book with her late father, a physicist who studied black holes and who scripted his own planetarium shows as founding director of the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru. Their love of the lyrical is evident throughout “Two Revolutions” and the passages that were shared.
Richard Blanco—national poet laureate during the Obama administration—read his work “Papa’s Bridge” at the event. And Chloe Firetto-Toomey, a Pushcart Prize nominee, read her piece called “There’s a Supermassive Black Hole at The Center of Every Galaxy.” It says, in part:
Art expands consciousness as light dilates pupils…
The things of the world
fit
into one another
like puzzle pieces,
or the words of a poem.
In addition to conducting groundbreaking work in condensed matter physics, Vishveshwara fits two seemingly different “things of the world” together. She often combines physics with the arts, and it seems that every imaginable form of expression is on her palette.
This week, Colleagues at the American Institute of Physics announced in a news release that she won the Andrew Gemant Award. It honors Vishveshwara for her “years of creatively blending science teaching, theater, and art in ways that inspire and communicate the principles and elegance of physics through artistic expression.”
In a September 4 news release, AIP CEO Michael Maloney said, “The unique nature of this award lends itself to Dr. Vishveshwara’s strengths as an accomplished artist and physicist. “The way she uses storytelling to communicate complex physics topics makes her a paragon for science communication and interdisciplinarity.”
The recognition from AIP includes a $5,000 cash prize, as well as a grant to further the public communication of physics.
“I’m incredibly fortunate and grateful to have the most wonderful of mentors, colleagues, and youngsters to learn from and to create together at the beautiful confluence of art, science, and humanity,” Vishveshwara said. “My fellow voyagers bring such generosity of spirit, deep listening, talents, light, and love, as we become children, as we channel ancient souls, in exploring and celebrating our place in the Universe.”
“Smitha is that rare physicist who excels at both first-rate research and exceptional science communication,” said Brian Schwartz, an emeritus professor at Brooklyn College and director of its Science & the Arts Program. “She's adventurous in her approach, using theater, dance and multimedia to explain and celebrate the quantum, from subatomic particles to the edge of the universe, including phenomena like tunneling and entanglement.”
The puzzle pieces that Vishveshwara interlocks, the concepts she wrestles into unlikely poses, are varied. In the production Quantum Voyages, which she created with theater-maker Latrelle Bright, two voyagers are guided by the spirit of wisdom in an exploration of different quantum realms. In Quantum Rhapsodies, the Jupiter String Quartet wove music selections between a meditative narrative. Other productions have involved dancers and circus performers. Children and students from the class she conceived at Illinois, PHYS 498 ART: Where the Arts Meets Physics, take on roles.
“The richness and beauty of the physics portrayed [in her stage and video work] could only have come from someone who knows the key concepts as an expert and is also able to interpret these in the language of theater,” said David Campbell, a physics professor at Boston University and its former provost.
Vishveshwara and her collaborator Marilena Longobardi also organized a large-scale event called QuantumFest. It was part of the 2025 American Physical Society Global Physics Summit and celebrated the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). Vishveshwara is a member of the UNESCO-based international steering committee overseeing the Year of Quantum.
QuantumFest sat “at the intersection of art, science, and fun,” according to organizers. It included performances, science demonstrations, flash talks, a quantum playground, a
quantum treasure hunt, and a crafting session in which scientists crafted pages from their manuscripts or notebooks into origami birds. There were even a pair of Nobel laureates involved.
The beating heart of Vishveshwara’s artistic works is surely back where we started—with Two Revolutions and its portrayal of her relationship with her father, C.V. Vishveshwara, and his passing in 2017. Told as a series of reflections, transcripts, imagined vignettes, and letters, it provides deep, detailed lessons on quantum physics and relativity. It is also full of jokes and wordplay, hand-drawn cartoons and visual puns, Dr. Seuss and Cookie Monster. Poetry and joy are combined with black-hole ringdown patterns, condensed matter, and qubits.
“Smitha’s boundless creativity and passion for collaboration make her an exceptional artist—as well as an outstanding researcher, educator, colleague, and human being,” said Illinois Physics Professor and Department Head Vidya Madhavan. “This recognition from the American Institute of Physics is a fitting tribute to the countless hours she has devoted to engaging the physics community, both here at Illinois and across the country. Smitha brings big ideas to life with a perspective and talent that are truly one of a kind.”