Current President of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, Professor Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, introduces the RSE and the live event. Ms. Burnell shares a brief background of the RSE and mentions the recent unveiling of the James Clerk Maxwell statue in Edinburgh on November 3rd, 2015. The David O Forfar, Chairman of the James Clerk Maxwell Foundation, warmly welcomes the panel of speakers.

Professor Peter Higgs discusses Maxwell's genius and legacy at the Royal Society of Edinburgh's 2015 IEEE/RSE event, "Inspiring Brilliance: Celebrating Maxwell’s Genius and Legacy."

Sir Peter Knight of the Quantum Measurement Institute, UK National Physical Laboratory, Kavli Royal Society International Centre, and Imperial College London, speaks on the origins of the study of light, including Newton, Faraday, Hertz and more.

Sir Michael Atiyah of the University of Edinburgh, Trinity College, and The Royal Society of Edinburgh, speaks on Maxwell's diversity in his path of disciplines. Sir Atiyah explains Clerk Maxwell's profound influence on the field of mathematics.

Professor Malcolm Longair presents the key themes and topics that James Clerk Maxwell studied, often simultaneously, such as his mathematical papers, theory on electricity and magnetism, colour, Saturn's rings and more.

Professor Carl Murray of the School of Physics & Astronomy at Queen Mary University of London, speaks on Maxwell's impact on the field of astronomy. Specifically, Maxwell's drawings, and his analysis on Saturn's rings in relation to planetary systems.

Peter Reid of the University of Edinburgh demonstrates how Maxwells studies of optics shaped our understanding of how we see the world. Professor Harald Haas highlights his influence on wireless communications and demonstrates light projections.

Professor Iain MacLeod explains a brief history of Structural Mechanics, the mathematical logic and processes behind the engineering of buildings, bridges, ships, aircraft and machinery, and demonstrates Maxwell's significant role in the field.

Professor Rodolphe Sepulchre of the University of Cambridge presents his talk on Maxwell's infamous paper On governors, and why control theory deserves the paternity of Maxwell. He continues to explain the background and foundation of control theory.

Professor Jim Al-Khalili of the Department of Physics at the University of Surrey speaks on Maxwell's bold stance on the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, otherwise known as his hypothetical "demon" that challenged the popular understanding of entropy.

The collective works of many scientists and engineers were captured in Maxwell, Hertz, Marconi and Shannon's pioneering contributions to modern communications technologies. This has resulted in a widespread awareness of the critical role wireless services play in today's communications-centered marketplace. Among many components critical in optimizing the efficient performance of modern communication devices, antennas play paramount role. In this presentation the following topics will be touched upon: (a) The age of personal and space communications, (b) modern electromagnetic numerical and evolutionary optimization techniques in antenna system designs, (c) personal communications antennas including human interactions and reconfigurable designs, (d) medical applications including wearable, RFID, implantable and ingestible systems, and (e) recent developments in meta-materials in electromagnetics system applications. Representative examples will be shown and future trends will be highlighted.

Clerk Maxwell first published what we today call Maxwell's equations in the Transactions of the Royal Society in January 1865. This session celebrates the 150th anniversary of that publication. Inspired by the work of rsted, Faraday, Ampre, and many others, Maxwell?s equations form the basis for our entire field. Maxwell's work, in turn, inspired and enabled the development of quantum theory, relativity, and, indeed, all of modern physics. Newton said, If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants. Maxwell is our giant.

Inspired by the work of Ørsted, Faraday, Ampre, and many others, Maxwell's equations form the basis for our entire field. Maxwell's work, in turn, inspired and enabled the development of quantum theory, relativity, and, indeed, all of modern physics. Newton said, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Maxwell is our giant.

The objective is to illustrate how Maxwell came to his mathematical constructs of the work done before him by Oersted, Ampere, Faraday, Gauss and so on, into a concise and precise mathematical form. In addition, the presentation will address two specific topics which are fundamental in engineering electromagnetic education: how did Maxwell reached the conclusion light was electromagnetic in nature and thereby revolutionizing the last century physics and the concept of displacement current.

This presentation provides an examination of Maxwell's original equations, their relationship to the set of equations that survived the transformation process affected by Heaviside, Fitzgerald, Lodge, and Hertz, and how these equations provide the foundation for analytical, design, and test activities within the scope and purview of the EM discipline and its practitioners.