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Chancellor's Distinguished Lecture
Presented by the Damrauer Endowed Lectureship Fund
The Chancellor’s Distinguished Lectures focus on subjects to help narrow the widening gap between fast moving advances in knowledge acquisition and their understanding and appreciation by the general public. The individuals selected as lecturers are chosen to fulfill the lectureship’s important public outreach function and contribute to an understanding and appreciation of rapid advancements and important nuances in their fields. Our lecturers are chosen on the basis of their international renown and their ability to speak and interact with a well-informed public audience.
Spring 2024 Lecture
Thursday, April 4, 2024
3:30 - 5:30 p.m.
Lawrence Street Center, Terrace Room
Quantum is the Language of Nature
In this lecture, Dr. Erik Lucero, CU Denver alumnus and Google leader, spoke on how quantum computation works in coordination with nature using the best-known method of explaining how the universe works: quantum mechanics.
“Quantum computers hold the promise to help humanity solve problems that would otherwise be impossible—existential problems like extending our time here on earth. At Google, we endeavor to build such a machine, the first large-scale error-corrected quantum computer, and make its usefulness available to the world.”
Dr. Erik Lucero ’05
Lead Quantum Engineer and Site Lead for Google Santa Barbara
Dr. Lucero designed, built, and operates Google’s Quantum AI campus in Santa Barbara, California—with the mission to build an error corrected quantum computer for the world to enable humankind to solve problems that would otherwise be impossible. He is one of the scientists on the Google Quantum AI team who demonstrated humanity’s first beyond-classical computation (Nature, 2019), recognized as one of the Breakthroughs of the Year.
He has two decades of experience in quantum architectures: controlling qubits at Google, HRL Laboratories, IBM, the University of California, Santa Barbara, NIST, and CU Denver. He has created a portfolio of photographs documenting the evolution of quantum processors from single qubit devices to Google’s Sycamore quantum computer. Dr. Lucero engineers quantum systems from the qubit level to the campus level, and is passionate about building a community for all quantum mechanics.
Dr. Lucero received two B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering (Honors) and Applied Physics (Magna Cum Laude) from CU Denver and a PhD in Physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Dr. Lucero joined Google in 2015.
Past Distinguished Lectures have included topics ranging from returning wolves to Colorado to the promise of Big Data.
All lectures have been recorded and are available to watch on YouTube.
Dr. Erik Lucero ’05
Quantum is the Language of Nature
Daniel Gilbert
It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
Paul Boulos, PhD
The Three Circles of Leadership That Can Change the World
Susan Solomon, PhD
Ozone Depletion at the Ends of the Earth
Ed Lazowska, PhD
Big Data, Enormous Opportunity
Jennifer A. Lewis, ScD
3D Printing: Making the Future