Town Talks

A special thanks to Alpine Bank for their continued support of town talks in summer 2025.

 telluride mountain Village Owners association also provided grant support.

Town Talks: Engaging and Stimulating

Each summer, Telluride Science brings together some of the world’s brightest minds to tackle the most pressing questions in science and technology. Our Town Talk series opens the doors to these ideas, inviting the public to engage with leading researchers through accessible, thought-provoking lectures and panel discussions. From the latest breakthroughs in medicine, energy, climate and quantum computing,Town Talks make cutting-edge knowledge part of the community conversation.

2025 Town Talks

Telluride Science continues to expand our public outreach programming with a record number of Town Talks. This summer, we will  host the greatest number of Town Talks that we have held to date, for a total of 10. All Town Talks will be held at the Telluride Conference Center in Mountain Village. Town Talks start at 6:30 pm (doors open at 6 pm).The schedule is as follows:

  • June 3: Changing Perspectives-Utilizing Waste as a Resource by Mike McGuirk, Colorado School of Mines  
  • June 10: Advanced Materials to Solve Challenges in Clean Energy, Environmental Sustainability, and Nuclear Safety by Natalia Shustova, University of South Carolina
  • July 8: Why Biomolecular Condensates Are Key to Understanding Diseases like Cancer and Alzheimer’s by Rohit Pappu, Washington University
  • July 15: How Nanosytems Impact  Biomedical Diagnostics, Quantum Computing, and Energy Harvesting by Guillermo Acuna, Friborg University
  • July 29: How to Utilize and Control Energy at the Nanoscale by Milan Delor, Columbia University
  • August 5:Topic ad Speaker TBD
  • August 12:Topic ad Speaker TBD 

The complete speaker schedule will be available in June.

2024 Town Talks

Telluride Science is committed to expanding our public outreach programming. This summer, we will  host the greatest number of Town Talks that we have held to date, for a total of nine. All Town Talks will be held at the Telluride Conference Center in Mountain Village. Town Talks start at 6:30 pm (doors open at 6 pm).The schedule is as follows:

 
 
more detailed information about the town talk speakers and topics will be available in EARLY JUNE
 

  

2023 Town Talks

This summer, all Town Talks will be held at the Telluride Conference Center in Mountain Village. Town Talks start at 6:30 pm (doors open at 6 pm).The schedule is as follows:

 
more detailed information about the town talk speakers and topics will be available in mid may.
 

History of Town Talks

In 1991, Telluride Science founders Peter Salamon and R. Stephen Berry started the lecture series in the old elementary school on Thursday nights as a way to give back to the Telluride community. The Town Talks have grown in popularity through the years and have moved locations several times–from the elementary school, to the Wilkinson Public Library to the Palm Theatre to the Telluride Conference Center. Telluride Science looks forward to hosting some Town Talks at the Telluride Innovation Center at the Depot in summer 2025. View archive of Town Talks speakers here.