This year, incoming freshman will all arrive on campus with at least one thing in common besides their acceptance to Washington University-they will all read Alan Lightman’s book, “Einstein’s Dreams.”

“The title is what came to me first and the book developed from there,” said author Lightman. “Those two words together seemed to me to represent the creative tension between the sciences and the arts.with Einstein representing the rational side and dreams representing the intuitive side.”

Lightman’s book was selected for this year’s Freshman Reading Program, in which freshmen are assigned to read the selected text before arriving to campus. Students will attend discussions led by faculty members on Monday, August 27 and are strongly recommended to participate in online discussions before arriving to campus.

“It’s an opportunity for new students to meet with a faculty member in an informal setting and to have meaningful discussions with other students on a level that is more what the academic experience is going to be like here,” said Karen Coburn, assistant vice chancellor for students and associate dean for the freshman transition.

In choosing this year’s book, suggestions were solicited from current students and faculty through online polling. These suggestions were collected and reviewed by the Freshman Reading Program steering committee, composed of students, faculty and staff, and ultimately, Lightman’s book was selected. Previous program picks have included “One Nation, Underprivileged: Why Poverty Affects Us All” by Mark Rank and selections from the works of Mexican-American author Richard Rodriguez.

“[Einstein's Dreams] is the kind of book that I think will stimulate discussion among students who do have a strong science background as well as those who don’t,” said Coburn. “It’s a stimulating, thought-provoking work of art.”

“Einstein’s Dreams” takes students to new worlds inside the mind of Albert Einstein as he slumbers. The pages share with readers the new worlds of Einstein’s dreams, worlds where time acts quite differently than we know it.

“I hope that the book changes the readers view of the world and makes them think about the world in a larger way. Time is something that is so basic to our lives that we don’t even think about it. I hope this book will make people think about things that they didn’t think about before,” said Lightman.

Lightman says he has always been interested in both the sciences and the arts. Throughout his life he has made major contributions in both science, particularly in the field of astrophysics, and literature, with his poetry and other writings.

“I’m a physicist, so I do theoretical work and physics. I also write about science and then I write novels,” he said.

Lightman bridges the gap between science and writing through his novels and he is also the co-founder of the Graduate Program in Science Writing at MIT. The science displayed in his books, however, is not what is called science writing and he is quick to point out the difference.

“Although the novels have science in them, they are very different from pedagogical writing. [Science writing] is a very different activity than novel writing,” he said.

Lightman is excited to have his book adopted by Washington University’s program, because he feels he has special ties to the school since his wife graduated from the University in the mid-70s.

“An important thing about any work of art is not just the message but the emotional experience. I want the readers to be amused, delighted and provoked and just have a good experience reading the book, beyond any big philosophical goal,” said Lightman.

For more information on the 2007 Freshman Reading Program, visit frp.wustl.edu.

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