Physics PhD Centenary Celebration

In 2026, as the University of Colorado Boulder celebrates its 150th anniversary, physics is also celebrating a landmark milestone within our own program: the 100th anniversary of the very first Physics PhD. In 1926, Vladimir Lubovich earned the distinguished honor of being the first doctoral graduate in our department. Lubovich, who served as an instructor for the department at the time, and was then promoted to assistant professor. Lubovich would continue with Physics—teaching generations of students, and researching in the field of optics and computing the value of Fresnel integrals—until his retirement as an associate professor in 1956.

Since this auspicious milestone, the Department of Physics has graduated thousands of brilliant scientists who have revolutionized global technologies, led landmark research, evolving our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of the universe.

Welcome Reception

Friday, September 25, 2026
RSVPs now closed

100th Celebration Talks & Tours

Saturday, September 26, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m
Duane Physics, 2000 Colorado Ave. Boulder, CO 80309

Attend a full schedule of lectures and lab tours throughout the day. Hear talks on the history of CU Physics, current research, and hear from some of our faculty and alumni entrepreneurs! The day will conclude with a panel celebrating our Nobel Laureates at CU, featuring Eric Cornell, Carl Wieman, Jan Hall and David Wineland.Ìý

8:00 a.m.Ìý
  • Check in opens - Coffee will be served in the Duane Physics lobby
9:00 a.m.
  • Duane G1B30 - Plenary Keynote: Welcome and Early Days of the Physics Department
    • Presented by: Paul Beale, John Cumalat, Allan Franklin, Tobin Munsat
10:00 a.m.
  • Duane G1B30 – Lecture: Breakthroughs in Quantum Science
    • Presenters: Jun Ye, Cindy Regal, Margaret Murnane
  • Lab Tours – New Frontiers in Materials and Plasma Science
    • Interested in taking a tour? Join us in the G1B Lobby outside of the lecture hall!
    • Participating Labs: Gang Cao, Ivan Smalyukh, Dan Dessau, Mike Litos
11:00 a.m
  • Duane G1B30 – Lecture: Frontiers in High Energy and Nuclear Physics
    • Presenters: Alysia Marino, Jamie Nagle, Keith Ulmer
  • Lab Tours – Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
    • Interested in taking a tour? Join us in the G1B Lobby outside of the lecture hall!
    • Participating Labs: Markus Raschke, Jun Ye, Eric Cornell
1:30 p.m.
  • Duane G-wing Lobby: Cake Cutting
2:00 p.m.
  • Duane G1B30 – Lecture: Advances in Materials Physics - Theory and Experiments at CU
    • Presenters: Mike Hermele, Dan Dessau, Ivan Smalyukh
  • Duane G1B20 – Lecture: Innovations in Physics Education
    • Noah Finkelstein, Heather Lewandowski, Kathy Perkins
  • NPL – East Campus—Lab Tour: Cosmic Dust Accelerator
    • Interested in taking a tour? Join us at the NPL Dust Accelerator on East Campus!
    • Participating Faculty: Tobin Munsat, John Fontanese
3:00 p.m
  • Duane G1B30 – Plenary Panel: From the Lab to the NYSE - Turning Ideas into Ventures
    • Participating Panelists: Scott Davis, Chris Myatt, Henry Kapteyn, John Cary
4:00 p.m
  • G1B30 – Plenary: A Conversation with CU’s Nobel Laureates
    • Participating Panelists: Eric Cornell, Carl Wieman, David Wineland, Jan Hall

Informal Social

Saturday, September 26, 2026
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
RSVPs now closed

Centenary Highlights

Photos from the Celebration

Judah Levine and Stick Ware
Javier Orejuela Koop talks to Steve Wagner
Paul Beale speaks with an alum
Two guests seated outside in Folsom Stadium
Dan Dessau, Adam Gromko
Allan Franklin speaking to an audience in a lecture hall
Cindy Regal giving a talk
Dan Dessau giving a lab tour to a small group of visitors
Alysia Marino gives a talk
Jamie Nagle giving a research talk
A graduate student gives a lab tour to visitors
Mike Litos talks with visitors in a hallway
A graduate student gives a tour of the Ye lab
Eric Cornell pictured in his lab with visitors
Kurt Vogel, Jan Hall, Jun Ye and Scott Davis
A group of visitors in the Cosmic Dust Lab at the New Physics Lab building
Tobin Munsat leading a tour of the Cosmic Dust Lab
Tobin Munsat speaking to visitors at the dust lab
Noah Finkelstein giving a talk to an audience in a lecture hall
Visitors are greeted at the check-in table
Scott Davis asks questions of the panel during a talk
Chris Myatt giving a talk during an entrepreneurship panel
Henry Kapteyn giving a talk
John Cary at a podium
Carl Wieman, Eric Cornell, David Wineland, Jan Hall seated at a panel
Carl Wieman addresses the audience
Eric Cornell displaying a picture on the projector
Several audience members pictured during a talk
Eric Cornell smiling during a talk
Jan Hall speaking with the other three Laureates seated behind him
David Wineland speaking with the audience behind him
David Wineland seated next to Jan Hall
Ana Maria Rey