The lectures were established by Gamow's widow, Barbara Perkins Gamow, and the University's Department of Physics in 1971, to "promote public understanding of the nature and role of science." In 1975, Mrs. Gamow included in her will an endowment to maintain the lectures. The George Gamow lecturers have included 26 Nobel Laureates in the sciences. Lectures are held at the university's Macky Auditorium, and are free and open to the public.[2]
Frances Arnold, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2018, was to lecture on “Innovation by Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life”[3] but her lecture was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In 2024, the Lectures resumed with Dr. Andrea Ghez, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2020.
1971 Victor Weisskopf, theoretical physicist, on "What has society done for physics and what has physics done for society?" and "What is the proton made of?"[6]
2010 Richard Alley, geologist, on "Learning While Burning: Peak (Whale) Oil, Changing Climate and Our Future"[16]
2011 Frank Wilczek, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2004, on "Anticipating a New Golden Age: A Vision and Its Fiery Trial at the Large Hadron Collider”[17][1]
2012 Adam G. Riess, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2011, on "Supernovae and the Discovery of the Accelerating Universe"[2]
2013 Brian Greene, theoretical physicist, on "The Hidden Reality: From Unification to Multiverse"[18][19]
2014 David J. Wineland, Nobel Laureate in Physics, 2012, on "Quantum Computing and Schrödinger 's Cat"[20][3]
2015 Jane Goodall, primatologist, on "Sowing the Seeds of Hope"[21][4] This lecture was held at the University's Coors Event Center due to popular demand.[22]
2016 Kip S. Thorne, who would win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017, on "Probing the Warped Side of the Universe with Gravitational Waves: From the Big Bang to Black Holes”[23][5]
2018 Vint Cerf, computer scientist, on "Digital Preservation"[24]
2024 Andrea Ghez, astrophysicist, Nobel laureate in Physics, 2020, on "From the Possibility to the Certainty of a Supermassive Black Hole"[25]
^George Gamow Memorial Lecture, University of Colorado – "RNA Tie Club" (17 April 1978) (Correspondence, program), 1978, JDW/2/8/1, Box: 05, Folder: 15. James D. Watson Collection, JDW. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Archives.
