Prof. Stephen Hawking, generally regarded as the greatest mind in physics since Albert Einstein, presented a public lecture at the Hebrew University on "The Origin of the Universe." The lecture took place at the Ezequiel Liwerant - Fomento Mexico Hall at Mount Scopus on Thursday, December 14, 2006, at 5 p.m.

While considered one of the greatest scientists of the modern age, Hawking, who has been rendered quadriplegic by the motor neurone disease ALS, has been able to communicate complex matters concerning quantum physics, theoretical cosmology, quantum gravity and black holes not just to other physicists, but also to the general public -- making him something of a scientific celebrity. His 1988 book, A Brief History of Time, stayed on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record 237 weeks.

Professor Hawking, who is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University, has twelve honorary degrees, was awarded the CBE in 1982, and was made a Companion of Honor in 1989. He is a Fellow of The Royal Society and a Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.