For more than a century, the Ernest Kempton Adams (EKA) Lectureship has connected Columbia University with the world's most influential physicists. Established in 1905, the lectureship was created to bring pioneering scientific thinkers to Columbia, fostering the exchange of ideas that have shaped modern physics. Today, the EKA Lectureship continues this tradition by welcoming leading researchers whose work is advancing our understanding of the universe.
A Legacy of Scientific Discovery
The EKA Lectureship was founded by Professor George B. Pegram in honor of Ernest Kempton Adams, a gifted alumnus of Columbia's School of Mines (now Columbia Engineering). Adams earned his degree in electrical engineering in 1897 and a master's degree in 1898 before his untimely death in 1904 at the age of 31. In his memory, the Adams family established a substantial endowment and donated his scientific equipment collection to Columbia, creating a lasting investment in scientific research and education.
The lectureship quickly became one of the most influential scientific forums in North America. Through the vision of George Pegram and the support of the Adams family, Columbia welcomed many of the era's foremost scientific minds, introducing groundbreaking ideas in relativity, quantum theory, mathematics, and theoretical physics to American audiences. Historians and physicists alike regard the series as a pivotal moment in America's engagement with modern physics.
A Historic Impact
Among the early EKA lecturers were some of the most celebrated scientists in history, including Hendrik Lorentz, Max Planck, Wilhelm Wien, and Jacques Hadamard. Their visits helped establish Columbia as an internationally connected center for scientific scholarship and exposed generations of students and researchers to transformative ideas that continue to shape science today.
Following a long hiatus after World War I, the EKA Lectureship was revived in the twenty-first century and remains a cornerstone of Columbia Physics' commitment to intellectual exchange, international collaboration, and scientific excellence.
Previous Ernest Kempton Adams Lecturers
- Vilhelm Bjerknes, “Fields of Force” (1905-06)
- Hendrik Lorentz, “The Theory of Electrons and its Application to the Phenomena of Light and Radiant Heat” (1906-1907)
- Max Planck, “Eight Lectures on Theoretical Physics” (1909)
- Carl Runge, “Graphical Methods” (1909-1910)
- Jacques Hadamard, “Four Lectures on Mathematics” (1911)
- Robert W. Wood, “Researches in Physical Optics, Part I” (1913)
- Wilhelm Wien, “Neure Probleme der theoretischen Physik” (1913)
- Prof. J.C. Séamus Davis (2012)
- Prof. Dmitri Basov (2013)
- Prof. Alessandra Lanzara (2017)
- Prof. Dr. Immanuel Bloch (2018)
- Prof. Sir Michael Berry (2022)
- Prof. Mikhail Lukin (2025)