150th Anniversary Historical Buffs
1876-1892: The Founding Era
Charles Franklin Holly
The bill to designate the university as a territorial institution was authored and promoted by Boulder County representative Charles Franklin Holly. On October 26, 1861, it was officially introduced to the new Territorial Legislature by Elijah S. Wilhite. After three rounds of voting, Boulder was designated as the site for the university. As the state’s first territorial educational institution, it wasn't until January 29, 1870, that the first meeting of the University's Board of Trustees was held. By passing “An Act Concerning the University of Colorado,” the legislature agreed to match $15,000 if Boulder's citizens could raise the same amount. Boulder raised over $16,800 to construct the first building (Old Main). The cornerstone was laid on September 20, 1875, and the building was completed on April 18, 1876. On August 1, 1876, Colorado gained statehood and confirmed the territorial institution as the State University at Boulder.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, CU Boulder Heritage Center
Editor's Note: CU Boulder acknowledges that it is located on the traditional territories and ancestral homelands of the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Ute and many other Native American nations.
Timothy William Stanton
Timothy William Stanton matriculated at the University of Colorado Boulder on Sept. 5, 1877, the school’s first day of classes — ever. Stanton was a senior in high school, attending a college-prep school located in Old Main, the only building on campus. He graduated in CU’s second graduating class, in 1883. From 1930-35 he served as chief of the U.S. Geological Survey, founded in 1879 and led from 1881-1895 by Colorado River pioneer John Wesley Powell.
Mary Rippon
In January 1878, Mary Rippon became CU’s first female professor and was among America’s first female professors to teach at a state university. The regents offered her a salary of $1,200 a year. For over 30 years, Rippon worked for CU, gaining respect and admiration from students, faculty and the Boulder community. When she retired in 1909 as head of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature, the CU newspaper Silver and Gold stated, “By her untiring energy as a teacher and her lovable personality, she has brought the German Department to its present high standing and popularity, and all who knew her will be sorry to learn of her departure from the University.” In 1936, CU dedicated the Mary Rippon Outdoor Theatre in recognition of her contributions to the university, especially in the arts and humanities. The theater remains home to the second-oldest Shakespeare Festival in the United States.
Source: Coloradan Magazine
Joseph A. Sewall
Joseph A. Sewall was the first president of the University of Colorado. Born in Scarborough, Maine, in 1830, he graduated from the Massachusetts Medical School in 1852 with an MD. While he practiced medicine at various points throughout his life, education always served a major role for him. Sewall became the principal of the high school in Princeton, Illinois. He married Ann Edwards Foss in 1858, and the couple had five children in total: Ann, Lucinda, Jane, Sam, and Mary. In 1860, Sewall graduated with distinction from the Lawrence Scientific School at Cambridge, Massachusetts. For the next 16 years, he taught at the Illinois Normal University as a professor of chemistry. He was awarded an honorary LL.D. from Knox College in the same year he came to the University of Colorado.
Source: University of Colorado System
Conrad Blum
Conrad Blum was on the first football team in 1890. Blum also edited the first book that details CU Boulder's early history: The Columbine: Volume 1 THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY, May 1, 1893, published by the Homerian Literary Society of the University of Colorado.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, CU Boulder Heritage Center
1892-1914: Expanding Horizons
Anna Pritchard
Pritchard was a student in the CU Preparatory Department. Her poem below appeared in the university’s Silver & Gold Newspaper, Vol #1, September 19, 1893.
The Founding of the UniversityThere is a certain college in the West,
Still in its lusty youth and its prime
Have splendid auguries been made, and there
Is being molded forth the Nation’s weal.
Source: CU Boulder History ProjectLingoh K. Wang
Lingoh K. Wang, from what is now Beijing, China, was admitted as a sophomore to CU Boulder’s College of Commerce in 1907, just a year after the college was established. He also attended summer classes in 1908 and lived at 1107 13th Street in Boulder. Wang did not graduate from CU Boulder but earned his BA at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill in 1912. By 1917 he returned to China, where he was later appointed Chinese Consul General in Manila. His time at CU Boulder is noted for his involvement in campus life, as referenced in the 1910 yearbook.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, CU Boulder Heritage CenterCharles Durham Campbell
Charles Durham Campbell, from Georgetown, Colorado, entered CU Boulder in 1907 and graduated in 1912 as one of the first Black men to earn a degree from the university, majoring in mathematics. During World War I, he worked as a chemist at the US Naval Torpedo Station in Rhode Island. He later advertised his services as an analytical chemist in the NAACP’s magazine, The Crisis. By 1928, Campbell was working as an engineer for the Department of Forest Service in Denver.
Source: CU Boulder History Project, CU Boulder Heritage CenterAdele “Della” Parker
Adele “Della” Parker was the first Black woman to enroll at Colorado Law School, beginning classes in October 1911. Only ten women before her and her fellow first-year classmate Beryl Mary Bonner had enrolled in Colorado Law School since its beginning in 1892. Her Coloradoan yearbook class photograph stated that "punctuality is her guiding star." She came in second at a university oratory contest in May 1912. Unfortunately, she did not finish her studies. She was about halfway through her second year when she received a telegram requesting her quick return to Rolla, Missouri, to attend to a very sick relative.
Source: CU Boulder Heritage CenterFred Folsom
As Colorado’s second official head football coach, Fred Folsom compiled a 77-23-2 record throughout his three different stints as head coach (1895-99, 1901-02, 1908-15). His 15 coaching seasons remain a school record, and his 77 wins stood as the most in school history for 78 years. Folsom’s success was one of the first major turning points for the football program, as it led to immediate recognition as a regional powerhouse. He also earned his law degree from Colorado in 1899 and eventually taught at Colorado Law School for nearly four decades (earning a chair on CU’s faculty), and had a distinguished career as a jurist. In 1944, Colorado Stadium, home of the Buffaloes football team, was renamed Folsom Field in his honor.
Source: CU Athletics Hall of FameRalph J. Lee
Before Ralphie the buffalo took on the permanent job in 1966, a young boy named Ralph J. Lee, born in Boulder on June 29, 1906, to a British mother (Harriette) and an American father (Judson), was one of CU Boulder's early mascots.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, University of Colorado Football Vault: The History of the Buffaloes, by David Plati.
1914-1939: The Great War, the Great Depression, and the New Deal
President George Norlin
George Norlin became president of CU in 1917. During his tenure, he oversaw the implementation of Charles Klauder’s iconic architectural designs for the campus, watched the student population triple and completed a $4 million building program despite the troubles of the Great Depression, according to the CU Heritage Center. CU was thriving as one of the best universities in the nation. But it was Norlin’s dedication to humanity that established his greatest legacy. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan demanded Norlin fire all Catholic and Jewish faculty. If he complied, he would receive the legislative support he needed from the state of Colorado. He refused. “We can, perhaps, afford to play politics with many things, but not with education,” he said. His commitment to the betterment of the people who comprised CU helped contribute to the long-term successes of the university today. At the June 1935 commencement ceremony, Norlin told the graduates: “Wherever you go, the university goes with you. Wherever you are at work, there is the university at work.” The words were part of a written charge now read to the graduating class each year.
Sources: University Libraries, Norlin's ChargeLucile Berkeley Buchanan
Lucile Berkeley Buchanan is known as the first Black woman to graduate from CU, earning a degree in German in 1918. The daughter of emancipated slaves, Buchanan was born in 1884 in Denver. Her family lived on land purchased from P.T. Barnum, the noted circus mogul. She became the first in her family to graduate from not one but two of the state’s top institutions of higher education: In 1905, she was the first Black woman to graduate with a two-year degree from what is now the University of Northern Colorado. After a long career as a school teacher, she lived in Denver until her death in 1989, at the age of 105. Her story was preserved by CU Boulder associate professor of media studies Polly McLean in the book Remembering Lucile: A Virginia Family's Rise from Slavery and a Legacy Forged a Mile High.
Dalton Trumbo
Dalton Trumbo briefly attended CU Boulder in the late 1920s before becoming a renowned novelist and screenwriter, later blacklisted during the McCarthy era. The university acknowledges his legacy as one of its most famous former students. Trumbo’s time at CU Boulder was formative, though short. His later career included winning two Academy Awards under pseudonyms. Seeking to recognize Trumbo for his fierce defense of the First Amendment, as well as his talents as a lauded screenwriter, a group of CU students including Lewis Cardinal and Kristina Baumli petitioned the CU Board of Regents in 1993 to name the fountain in front of the UMC in honor of Trumbo.
Source: College of Arts and Sciences MagazineFrank Potts
CU’s longest-tenured head coach of all time, Frank Potts coached the cross country and track teams for 41 years (1927-1968), coaching scores of all-conference and all-Americans in addition to five NCAA individual champions and over 50 conference champions. And during World War II, he even coached the football team three seasons, compiling a not-to-shabby 16-8-1 record with mix-and-match rosters. A 1927 graduate of the University of Oklahoma, where he was an NCAA champion pole vaulter, Potts accepted the track and field coach position that summer and CU turned out to be the only job of his professional career. He developed many CU athletes, including CU's first NCAA champion, high jumper and one-time world record holder Gil Cruter. In 1970, he became the third person associated with CU to be inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. The track at CU is named for him, and he played a significant role in recruiting Byron White to Colorado.
Source: CU Athletics Hall of FameWarner Imig
A faculty member and dean from 1937-1978, Warner Imig was one of America's foremost choir directors. Warner conducted all-state choirs in 30 states and was a founding member and president of the American Choral Directors Association. He also served as president of the National Association of Schools of Music in 1976-78 and was a board member of the National Music Council and a national officer of the Music Teachers National Association of the United States.
Source: CU Boulder TodayByron “Whizzer” White
Byron White, who graduated in 1938 as the student body president, class valedictorian and an all-American athlete, was one of the greatest students in the history of CU Boulder. A Rhodes Scholar, White retired as Justice of the Supreme Court in March of 1993 after serving 31 years on the nation’s high court.
Source: Colorado Law School
1939-1954: World War II, the Cold War, and University Expansion
Masao Igasaki
Masao Igasaki was a Japanese American student at CU Boulder in 1944 and became an instructor for the US Navy Japanese Language School during World War II. He played a key role in teaching Japanese to Navy personnel, contributing to the success of the language program. Igasaki’s work was recognized with an engraved certificate for outstanding service despite wartime racial tensions. His presence at CU Boulder highlights the university’s involvement in national defense efforts during WWII.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, Online Archive of CaliforniaScott Carpenter
Photo courtesy of NASA
Scott Carpenter, one of the original Mercury astronauts, attended CU Boulder in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He studied engineering before joining the Navy and later NASA. Carpenter became the second American to orbit the Earth in 1962. His pioneering achievements in space exploration are celebrated as part of CU Boulder’s legacy.
Source: College of Engineering and Applied ScienceWalter Orr Roberts
Walter Orr Roberts was a renowned scientist, leader, and pioneer in the fields of solar-terrestrial study, astronomy, and climate science. Roberts was an internationally-renowned astrophysicist and a principal figure in many scientific developments in Colorado. From 1940 to 1957, he served as the superintendent of the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in Climax, Colorado. He directed the observatory and went on to direct the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) from its launch in 1960, bringing HAO with him. Today, NCAR continues to conduct vital solar research.
Source: University LibrariesDaniel Luna
Photo Credit: Pueblo Chieftain
Daniel Luna, born in 1932 in Pueblo, Colorado, attended CU Boulder on both academic and athletics scholarships in the early 1950s and became the first CU Boulder Latino student council president. He was one of only nine Latino students among a student body of 10,000. He won the Big Seven Conference tennis championship in 1954. Luna later became the first Latino elected to the Pueblo school board and worked in city planning and education. He also taught at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and chaired the Diversity Committee at the Community College of Denver.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, Pueblo Chieftain
John Marr
Photo Credit: Ecological Society of America
Founder of CU Boulder's Mountain Research Station (MRS), John W. Marr was pre-eminently an advocate of learning and studying ecology in the field. The MRS, which is still operating today, helped enable the establishment of the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR) in 1953. His educational talents were best known in the field where his invitation to and encouragement of careful observation, followed by development of reasonable explanations for patterns observed, brought many students to see nature in ways that forever changed them and their understanding of science. His research explored understanding of the dynamic ecology of both high mountain and arctic environments.
Al Bartlett
Al Bartlett joined the faculty of the University of Colorado Boulder Department of Physics in September 1950 as an assistant professor and served on the faculty until his retirement in 1988. A dedicated scholar and civic pillar, Bartlett worked on the Manhattan Project, taught generations of scientists and engineers, helped to shape the look of today’s campus, spearheaded Boulder’s “Blue Line” initiative and launched a long crusade to educate citizens about the perils of exponential population growth.
Source: Department of Physics
1954-1974: Civil Rights and Social Change
Mildred and Charles Nilon
Charles H. Nilon was the first Black faculty member hired in the English Department in the fall of 1956. In 1962, the university hired Mildred Nilon, who was CU’s first Black librarian. In the late 1960s, Charles Nilon launched and became chair of the university’s Black Studies Program, when, at the time, he estimated there were about 100 Black students on campus. (Much later, the Black Studies Program became part of the university’s Department of Ethnic Studies.) The Nilons were active on and off campus in the United Black Action Committee, the United Black Women of Boulder Valley, Housing for Everyone through Local Programs, the Town and Country YWCA Board, the Mental Health Board and Historic Boulder. And they helped to desegregate Boulder housing.
Richard Jessor
Richard Jessor was one of the founders of the university’s Institute of Behavioral Science (IBS) in 1959 and served as its director from 1980 to 2001. He also wrote an influential 1970 report on the lack of ethnic diversity on campus. From 1987 to 1997, he directed the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Adolescent Development Among Youth in High-Risk Settings. His areas of research include adolescent and young adult development, the social psychology of risk behavior, health behavior, and psychosocial aspects of poverty. Jessor retired from the university in 2021 as a Distinguished Professor of Behavioral Science. He also served as a U.S. Marine at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II.
George Gamow
George Gamow's fame as a physicist began with his theory that explained the radioactive alpha particle decay of atomic nuclei. In his cosmological studies, he is known for the "big bang" theory of the origin of the universe, and in 1954 his studies in biology led him to suggest that the genetic code was a triplet code. This concept is fundamental to modern biology. He was perhaps most widely known for his popular writings on science that introduced millions of readers to the concepts of relativity and atomic and nuclear physics. These writings have been translated into several dozen languages. In recognition of the global impact of his popular scientific writings, the United National awarded him with the Kalinga Prize in 1956.
Source: Department of PhysicsRobert Redford
Robert Redford briefly attended CU Boulder in the mid-1950s before leaving to pursue a career in acting and directing. He is recognized as one of the university’s most famous former students. Redford’s legacy is acknowledged in a number of campus displays and histories. His legendary career includes founding the Sundance Film Festival and winning an Academy Award, among many other distinguished achievements.
Source: Department of Cinema StudiesCharles Cambridge
Charles Cambridge, a member of the Navajo Nation, earned his BA, MA, and PhD in Anthropology at CU Boulder, with his studies spanning the 1960s and 1970s. He directed the university’s Indian Program and was instrumental in supporting Native American students. Cambridge’s research focused on traditional architecture and the impact of AIDS on American Indian populations. His papers are archived at CU Boulder.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project; University LibrariesBill Collins
In 1969, Bill Collins became the University of Colorado’s first Black football captain, leading the Buffaloes during a pivotal moment in college sports history. At the Liberty Bowl against an all-white Alabama team, Collins walked alone to midfield for the coin toss—an act of quiet defiance against racial intimidation. His leadership helped propel CU to a 47–33 victory and marked a significant stand against segregation in athletics.
Source: CU Athletics
Vine Deloria, Jr.
Deloria was a giant in the realm of American Indian policy. Deloria graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in general science. Later, he earned a master’s degree in theology from Lutheran School of Theology in 1963 and a JD from Colorado Law in 1970. From 1964 to 1967, Deloria served as the executive director for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), reviving the organization and laying the foundation for its contemporary prominence. Under his leadership, NCAI’s membership grew from 19 to 156 tribes, became financially stable, and brought its platform of tribal sovereignty to the attention of Congress and the Executive Branch.
After law school, Deloria accepted a teaching position at the Western Washington University College of Ethnic Studies. As a tenured professor of political science at the University of Arizona from 1978 to 1990, Deloria established the first master’s degree program in American Indian Studies. He joined the University of Colorado faculty in 1990, where he taught until his retirement in 2000. During his tenure at CU Boulder, Deloria was affiliated with Colorado Law and the departments of history, ethnic studies, religious studies, and political science.
Source: Colorado Law SchoolFlorence Hernández Ramos
Florence Hernández Ramos (listed in the student newspaper El Diario as a contributor in 1972) helped found the award-winning jazz public radio KUVO 89.3 FM in Denver, Colorado. For 23 years, she was its president and CEO, promoting diversity and creating a positive picture for communities of color. She created and, along with numerous volunteers, hosted Canción Mexicana, which the local newspaper dubbed “the spiciest” program on the radio and was rated number one in Denver in its timeslot. After retiring from KUVO, she was one of the founders and the first CEO of the Latino Public Radio Consortium (LPRC).
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, Denver Public Library Special Collections and ArchivesJuan Espinosa
Juan Espinosa, a Vietnam War veteran, earned his BS in journalism from CU Boulder in 1974 and was a staff member of the student newspaper El Diario de la Gente. He was known for his photography documenting the Chicano Rights movement in Colorado. Espinosa later created the community newspaper La Cucaracha and served as a reporter and editor at the Pueblo Chieftain for 22 years. He was also the first student director of UMAS-EOP for the summer of 1974.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, College of Communication, Media, Design and Information
1974-1996: Modernization, Growth and Technological Advancements
Dennis Small
Dennis Small was a proud Denver resident who spent his life working with students and serving his community. He was a teacher, principal and athletic director for Denver Public Schools, served on the boards of the Denver YMCA and the American Red Cross, and played baseball for the Black leagues in the 30s and 40s. In 1966, he received the Denver Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award and Father of the Year Award. At CU Boulder, Small served as associate dean and director of the Human Relations Center from 1969-78 where he was tasked with improving relations between students, faculty, administration, parents, alumni and the public. Small envisioned a space for marginalized groups to gather, program and feel safe. Today, the Dennis Small Cultural Center staff strives to continue this legacy in its everyday work.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, Center for Student Involvement
Thomas Windham
Tom Windham earned his PhD from the CU Boulder School of Education in 1975. Windham, a New Yorker and musician, remained in Boulder after graduating, taking on positions as the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NOAA) Senior Advisor, Significant Opportunities in Atmospheric Research and Science (SOARS) program. Windham also served as Senior Advisor to the Director of the National Science Foundation; SOARS Inaugural Director and Principal Investigator; Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) Director for Pupil Services; and Executive Director, Park East Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center, Denver.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, Carnegie Library for Local History
Ofelia Miramontes
Ofelia Miramontes, who arrived at CU Boulder in 1981, was a beloved and highly respected education professor and a pioneering bilingual education scholar who served as CU Boulder’s first associate vice chancellor for diversity and equity. She led the creation of the CU LEAD Alliance, a set of learning communities focused on inclusiveness and student success, and the Miramontes Arts and Sciences Program, a supportive academic community for first-generation students, many from communities of color.
Sources: CU Boulder History Project, CU Boulder Today
Bill McCartney
After taking the reins of the Buffaloes in 1982, McCartney built a national powerhouse at CU Boulder, winning three Big 8 Conference titles and claiming the National Championship crown in 1990. His 93 football wins are the most in school history.
Source: CU Athletics Hall of Fame
Charles A. Barth
Before coming to CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), Charles A. Barth worked as a Research Physicist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from 1959 to 1965. Barth was the Director of LASP from 1965 to 1992. He was an Associate Professor from 1965 to 1967 and a Professor in the Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences from 1967 to 2002. Between 1962 and 2002, Barth served as Principal Investigator for eleven missions and experiments. Among these were Mariner 5, Mariner 6 and 7, Mariner 9, OGO-2, 4, 5, and 6, Atmosphere Explorer-C and D, the Solar Mesosphere Explorer, and the Student Nitric Oxide Experiment. Under his guidance, LASP science instruments journeyed to every planet in the solar system.
Tom Cech
In 1989, Distinguished Professor Tom Cech became the first CU Boulder faculty member to receive the Nobel Prize. His Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for his discovery that RNA can act as a biological catalyst, not just a carrier of genetic information. This breakthrough reshaped molecular biology and opened new frontiers in genetic research. A faculty member since 1978, Cech also served as president of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2000–2009) and as founding director of CU Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute (2009–2020). His work continues to influence generations of scientists and students.
Source: BioFrontiers Institute
Leslie Leinwand
Leslie Leinwand, PhD, was recruited to be chair of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB) at CU Boulder in 1995. A distinguished professor and the executive science officer of the university's BioFrontiers Institute, she received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, her PhD from Yale University and did post-doctoral training at Rockefeller University. She joined the faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York in 1981 and remained there until moving to Colorado in 1995. She co-founded Myogen, Inc. which was sold to Gilead Pharmaceuticals. She was also a co-founder of Hiberna, Inc, and more recently of MyoKardia, Inc, a publicly traded company founded to develop therapeutics for inherited cardiomyopathies. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), former MERIT Awardee of the National Institutes of Health, Established Investigator of the American Heart Association and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Inventors. The interests of Leinwand’s laboratory are the genetics and molecular physiology of inherited diseases of the heart and how gender and diet modify the heart. Her teaching was recognized by funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Professor Program.
Source: BioFrontiers Institute
1996-2016: The New Millennium
Ceal Barry
Ceal Barry led CU Boulder’s women’s basketball program from 1983 to 2005, becoming the university’s all-time winningest women's basketball coach with 427 victories. Under her leadership, the Buffaloes made 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, including six Sweet 16s and three Elite Eights, and captured nine conference titles. A four-time Big Eight Coach of the Year and National Coach of the Year finalist, Barry also served as an assistant coach for the gold medal-winning 1996 U.S. Olympic team. She later transitioned into athletic administration at CU Boulder, continuing her legacy of leadership and advocacy for women’s sports.
Source: CU Athletics Hall of Fame
Carl Wieman and Eric Cornell
CU Boulder physicist Carl Wieman and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) scientist Eric Cornell shared the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physics with Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Wolfgang Ketterle for their groundbreaking work to create the world’s first Bose-Einstein condensate—a new state of matter formed by cooling atoms to near absolute zero. Their achievement confirmed a prediction by Albert Einstein and Satyendra Nath Bose from 1924 and opened a new frontier in quantum physics.
Source: Coloradan Magazine
Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla flew on the space shuttle Columbia in 1997 and tragically lost her life during its final mission on January 16, 2003, as one of seven astronauts aboard. Chawla received her doctorate in aerospace engineering from CU Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science in 1988. She began working at the NASA Ames Research Center after graduating from CU Boulder and was selected for astronaut training by NASA in 1994.
Source: Coloradan Magazine
Jan Hall
In 2005, physicist Jan Hall received the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in laser-based precision spectroscopy, enabling ultra-accurate measurements of natural phenomena. A longtime researcher at CU Boulder and JILA, Hall donated his Nobel medal and diploma to the university in 2018 to inspire future scientists. His contribution is now part of an exhibit honoring CU’s Nobel laureates, symbolizing the pursuit of discovery and excellence.
Source: CU Boulder Today
David Wineland
In 2012, CU Boulder physics lecturer and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researcher David Wineland was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for pioneering methods that allow the measurement and manipulation of individual quantum systems. His work with trapped ions and laser cooling enabled direct observation of fragile quantum states, laying the groundwork for quantum computing and ultra-precise atomic clocks. Wineland shared the prize with French physicist Serge Haroche.
Source: Department of Physics
2016-2026: Looking Forward
Dani Jones
A four-time NCAA champion and 12-time All-American, Dani Jones competed for the University of Colorado Boulder from 2015 to 2020 while earning degrees in psychology and speech, language and hearing sciences. She won national titles in cross country, the indoor 3,000 meters, distance medley relay, and outdoor 5,000 meters. Jones also earned five Pac-12 titles and set multiple school records in middle- and long-distance events.
Source: Coloradan MagazineKristi Anseth
Kristi S. Anseth is a distinguished professor, Tisone Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and Head of Academic Leadership of CU Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute. Her research interests lie at the interface between biology and engineering where she designs new biomaterials for applications in drug delivery and regenerative medicine. Anseth is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering (2009), the National Academy of Medicine (2009), the National Academy of Sciences (2013), and the National Academy of Inventors (2016). She is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Materials Research Society. Anseth currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Board of Trustees for the Gordon Research Conferences, on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Allen Institute, and is an editor for Biomacromolecules and Progress in Materials Science.
Anna Maria Rey
Ana Maria Rey is a professor adjoint in the Department of Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder and a fellow at both JILA and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Her research focuses on quantum simulation, atomic clocks, and ultracold atomic systems. Rey earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from Universidad de los Andes and a PhD from the University of Maryland. She has received numerous honors, including the MacArthur Fellowship (2013), the Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists (2019), and election to the National Academy of Sciences (2023).
Source: JILA
Jun Ye
Jun Ye is a physicist specializing in precision measurement and quantum science. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. His honors include the Presidential Early Career Award (2003), Arthur S. Flemming Award (2005), and five Department of Commerce Gold Medals. In 2022, he received the Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and was named a Highly Cited Researcher for the ninth consecutive year.
Ye earned his Ph.D. from CU Boulder in 1997 under Nobel Laureate Jan Hall and returned to JILA in 1999 as an associate fellow. His research focuses on ultracold atoms and molecules, ultrastable lasers, optical frequency combs, and atomic clocks. Ye has set multiple records for accuracy and precision in timekeeping and advanced the development of ultrafast laser tools.
Ye leads quantum research initiatives at CU Boulder, including the CUbit Quantum Initiative and the NSF-funded Q-SEnSE center. He holds four patents related to laser technologies and serves on the National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee.
Serene Singh
Serene Kaur Singh is a PhD researcher at the University of Oxford and a social impact activist dedicated to fostering empathy and advancing justice. She is also a CU Boulder alumnus and was a fellow within the global Dalai Lama Fellows program. As a Rhodes Scholar advocating for underserved communities like women and Sikhs, Singh is committed to amplifying voices often excluded from mainstream narratives. Her mission is to catalyze empathy, champion justice, and uplift marginalized communities, leveraging her platform to inspire a new generation of changemakers.
Source: Renée Crown Wellness Institute
Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones is a professor of distinction and the Ineva Reilly Baldwin Endowed Chair at the University of Colorado Boulder. A prolific writer, he has published nearly thirty-five novels and collections, along with novellas and comic books. His fiction spans horror, science fiction, fantasy, and experimental literature. Jones holds a PhD in creative writing from Florida State University and joined CU Boulder in 2008. His accolades include the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Fiction, the Ray Bradbury Prize, the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award, multiple Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Awards, and induction into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. His notable works include Mongrels, The Only Good Indians, The Indian Lake Trilogy, and the comic series Earthdivers.
Source: Department of English
Sarah Gillis
Sarah Gillis is a CU Boulder alumna and aerospace engineer who flew on the Polaris Dawn mission in 2024, becoming the youngest person to perform a spacewalk. A lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, she helped develop astronaut training programs for NASA and commercial crews. Gillis trained astronauts for missions including Demo-2, Crew-1, and Inspiration4. Her Polaris Dawn flight conducted 36 research experiments and traveled farther from Earth than any human mission since Apollo.