University of Colorado Boulder Sesquicentennial: Shine on Norlin

shine on norlin banner

Shine on Norlin is a signature event celebrating 鶹ý’s 150th anniversary. On October 1, 2026, Norlin Quad will feature food, performances, interactive activities, and a large-scale projection-mapping show displayed on the west face of Norlin Library. The projection will combine historic imagery, student artwork, research, music, video and other creative work to tell stories from 鶹ý’s first 150 years while also looking toward the university’s future.

Following the debut, projections will continue nightly at dusk throughout October, approximately 6:00–9:00 p.m.

Norlin Library

Norlin Library opened on January 6, 1940, and was named after George Norlin, who served as CU president from 1919 to 1939. The original library was designed with campus architect Charles Klauder and was intended to be the largest library building between Chicago and the West Coast.

Video projection brought to you by WAVEFORM.exp

WAVEFORM.exp, is a Denver-based creative technology company that specializes in using light, animation, and projection technology to create immersive visual experiences. Their work is often used for concerts, festivals, art installations, public spaces, brand activations, and other events where large-scale visuals can make the environment more engaging.

Services Offered:

  • Projection mapping – projecting custom animations or video onto buildings, walls, sculptures, or other surfaces so that the surface itself appears animated or transformed.
  • 3D animation – creating custom animations for live events, brands, projection shows, and other visual projects.
  • Art installations – designing immersive/interactive environments using projection, custom LED systems, sound design, fabrication, and mixed media.
  • Equipment rental – renting projectors, lighting, truss systems, cabling, and related audiovisual equipment.

The Stories Behind Shine on Norlin

Did something in the projection catch your eye? Every topic featured below appears in the Shine on Norlin show. Dive deeper into the stories, research, history and traditions behind the moments projected onto Norlin Library. Explore additional resources below.
cottonwood tree in front of building

Cottonwood Trees


  • A students perspective on cloning the old main cottonwood tree near old main.

  • How the old main cottonwood trees have watched the history of 鶹ý go by.

  • Campus before the Macky auditorium: A Visual Snapshot in Time.
multiple bees

Bees

sunflower in front of the flatirons

Sunflowers


  • Explore the evolution of a red sunflower seed that was cultivated in Boulder and how 鶹ý horticulturists continue to improve and modify these flowers.

  • Tips for planting sunflowers from 鶹ý Horticulturists, and the origins of the red sunflower.
red apple

How about them Apples!


  • On a high mesa overlooking Eldorado Canyon, an elderly apple tree stands alone. Its trunk is weathered, its branches bowed, but it is nevertheless resplendent with white springtime blooms. The tree is a hardy survivor, a witness to more than a century of Boulder history.

  • The Boulder Apple Tree Project is committed to studying the age, health, history, and genetics of Boulder’s apple trees. In the late 1800s, much of the land in the city of Boulder was planted for fruit production.

  • University of Colorado Boulder students and researchers are combining old-fashioned historical sleuthing with cutting-edge genetic testing and grafting in the hopes of reviving apple trees.
planting growing on columns in a greenhouse

Climate Research


  • Arts-based education focuses on approaches that enable students to observe, understand, and make meaning from visual information.
scientist in a clean suite working on an experiment

Space Research


  • Learn more about the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP).

  • Ten years later, MAVEN has completed more than 22,000 orbits of Mars, revealing amazing discoveries on its mission to study the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere and determine how its climate evolved from warm and wet to the cold, dry planet that we see today.
two men welcoming people to a lecture

Quantum Research

jellyfish in a tank

Jellyfish Research

wolf mural on a wall

Fellowships for Environmental Programs


  • The Nature, Environment, Science & Technology (NEST) Studio for the Arts at the University of Colorado Boulder (鶹ý) has partnered with the SPIKE Center for Sustainability Education (SPIKE Center) to support both undergraduate and graduate students to work on collaborative, sustainability-focused projects bridging the arts and sciences.
Macky Auditorium aerial shot

Macky Auditorium

biofrontiers institute building

BioFrontiers Institute