The Elon Musk Public Lecture series, which began in 2009, resulted from an endowment to the Center of Particle Cosmology.
Credit: Savanna CohenDiscussions are underway to select the next speaker for the Elon Musk Public Lecture series, which was last held at Penn in 2023.
The Musk lectures began in 2009 following an endowment by 1997 College and Wharton graduate Elon Musk — an alumnus of Penn’s Department of Physics and Astronomy — to the Center of Particle Cosmology. The lecture series has featured seven speakers since its inception and aims to educate the Penn community about the various applications of a physics education.
The co-directors of the lecture series, Fay R. and Eugene L. Langberg Professor of Physics Mark Trodden and Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences Bhuvnesh Jain, told The Daily Pennsylvanian that the purpose of the lecture series is “to provide an opportunity for the broader Penn and Philadelphia community to learn about exciting topics in particle physics, cosmology, and their overlap.”
According to the co-directors, the lectures are not held annually due to schedule conflicts between faculty members and speakers, as well as the center’s careful selection process.
Trodden — who is also the associate dean for natural sciences — said that discussions are currently taking place to determine the next lecturer. He explained that a faculty committee selects the speakers through a months-long process.
Previous lecturers include former Penn professor Paul Steinhardt, who discussed the origins of the universe, and Andreas Albrecht — a 1983 Ph.D. recipient — who spoke about his work with Steinhardt on inflationary cosmology.
Other guests from outside of the Penn community have also participated in the Musk series, including theoretical physicist Sylvester James Gates Jr., who discussed how the mathematical laws pertaining to reality have evolved, and Wendy Freedman, an astronomer known for her measurement of the Hubble constant. Most recently, Johns Hopkins University physics professor Sean Carroll delivered a lecture on quantum mechanics.
Until the next iteration of the series, Penn students and faculty are able to attend the Rittenhouse Lectures, which are held biannually and invite scholars to present their groundbreaking research, or High Energy Theory Seminars, which are taught by professors from around the world. Both lectures, which are hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will begin as early as this month.
More recently, Musk moved into the political spotlight as he aligned himself closely with President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump in his campaign and transition for a second term. Leading up to the presidential election, Musk established a super PAC that contributed an estimated $200 million to Trump’s campaign.
Soon after his victory, Trump announced his plan to create a Department of Government Efficiency with the aim to cut government budgets and named Musk as its potential chair.
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