George Cowan

Director Emeritus since 2006
Age 92

Dr. Cowan served as a member of the Board of Directors of Trinity since its formation in 1975 to 2006 and was a director of Los Alamos National Bank from 1963 to 2006. Dr. Cowan resigned at the end of his term in May 2006. Dr. Cowan was Chairman of the Board of Trinity from 1977 to 1995 and of Los Alamos National Bank from 1965 to 1994. In 1988, he retired from Los Alamos National Laboratory after 40 years of service, over which period he was employed as a staff member, Associate Director for Research and Senior Fellow. Dr. Cowan continues to serve as a Senior Fellow Emeritus to the Laboratory and was awarded the Los Alamos National Laboratory Medal in 2002. He served as a member of the White House Science Council under President Reagan from 1982 to 1985. Dr. Cowan is the founding member of the Santa Fe Institute, serving as its President from 1984 to 1991. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors as a Lifetime Director Emeritus and is a Distinguished Fellow of the Institute. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Los Alamos National Laboratory Foundation and serves as a member of the Advisory Board for the Center for Neural Basis of Cognition. Dr. Cowan was awarded a Presidential Citation from the Department of Energy in 1990, the New Mexico Academy of Science Distinguished Scientist Award in 1975, the Robert H. Goddard Award in 1984, the E.O. Lawrence Award in 1965 and the Enrico Fermi Prize in 1991 for contributions during his career as a nuclear scientist. He was awarded the Los Alamos Living Treasures Award in 2003. He is a fellow and/or member of several societies, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Chemical Society, the American Physical Society and Sigma Xi, and has received honorary degrees from several universities.  In 2010, Dr. Cowan published his memoirs in Manhattan Project to the Santa Fe Institute: The Memoirs of George A. Cowan.  Dr. Cowan also assisted the National Dance Institute (NDI) in establishing a program in Santa Fe, ensuring that children in Northern New Mexico have access to the arts.

Dr. Cowan's long knowledge of the community, his connections within the scientific community and institutional knowledge from Trinity's inception make him an invaluable resource.

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