
Caltech and USC Rally Downtown to "Kill the Cuts"
On April 8, members of the Caltech community joined forces with union members from USC for the Kill the Cuts rally in Downtown Los Angeles—part of a National Day of Action opposing proposed federal cuts to scientific research funding. From undergraduate students to postdocs, organizers, and union representatives, our presence at the protest was unified, urgent, and unrelenting.

Caltech Athletics Bloom in Spring Season
At Caltech, student-athletes aren’t just competing—they are redefining what it means to balance intensity in both sports and academics. They exhibit not only commitment but a certain kind of mental toughness and passionate energy to their teams and to the Caltech community. Here’s the latest from Caltech Athletics, highlighting the records, rivalries, and relentless drive that define our teams. With the spring quarter underway, our Caltech athletics have achieved like never before. Let’s dive into the many accomplishments the spring sport beavers have to show off this year.

Caltech Wildlife: Fox Squirrels
Among the mammals of Caltech, they’re arguably the happiest and freest. While Homo sapiens are burdened with homework and deadlines, and coyotes stick to moonlit hours to avoid the crowd, the fox squirrels roam wherever their paws take them. Stroll across campus and you’re guaranteed to spot one: foraging randomly in the grass (no, they don’t remember where they bury their nuts), lounging on a branch, or chasing a friend in spirals around tree trunks, like a dazzling ribbon in the hand of a gymnast. Even if you don’t see one, just look up: the treetops are decorated with their nests, ready for year-round breeding.

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Lights Up Browne Dining Hall
Last Monday, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, a special dinner in Browne Dining Hall was held from 5-7:30 p.m. The event was a collaboration between Caltech Dining Services and the Caltech Wellness Center.

Every Game Shown in the March Nintendo Direct and How Excited I Am
Remakes don’t usually excite me as the core mechanics and plot are usually the same as the original, just with better graphics. Unless a remake is practically an entirely new game—think Final Fantasy VII remake I don’t have any interest in buying it as it’s incredibly likely that one could emulate the original Dragon Quest I and II with little issue. That seems to be the case here and with other remakes announced. It looks pretty, though.

How Peru Changed Me: A Bridge Between Two Worlds
Hello everyone, my name is Camilla Fezzi, and you probably know me, always running around, without any free time, and I am kind of recognizable because of my Italian (fashion style) 😜. I’m a freshman at Caltech, with the goal of double majoring in biology and chemistry and dreaming, one day, of becoming a doctor and researcher in the oncology/neuroscience field. But before I am any of those things, I am Italian—a daughter, a sister, a friend. I grew up beneath the Verona sun, in a place where the dinner table is sacred and where family is the compass that guides everything. I have always known warmth—of home-cooked meals, of laughter echoing through ancient streets, of a mother’s arms around my shoulders. I know what it is to feel safe, to take fresh water and a doctor’s appointment for granted.

More Funding Cuts and Uncertainty at NSF
According to the lawsuit, a reduction in the NSF indirect cost rate to 15% would result in an “annual loss of approximately $14.8 million to Caltech’s planned research budget.” An awarded grant consists of direct costs, which fund the research itself, and indirect costs, an added percentage that covers overhead such as infrastructure and administration. Caltech currently has 210 active awards and subawards from NSF. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Institute spent over $93 million on NSF-supported research, including nearly $22 million in indirect costs.

NASA Faces 47% Budget Cut—Here’s How You Can Fight Back
The proposed 47% single-year cut to NASA’s science budget eviscerates our nation’s leadership in space science: ending missions already in space, halting those in build, and defunding telescopes and instruments of the future.

The Magical Campus of Caltech
If you stroll past the Olive Walk on a sunny Pasadena day, you might see something magical in the air. Is it the scent of freshly pranked upperclassmen? The echo of the Fleming cannon? Or perhaps it’s just the spirit of Caltech’s brand of wizardry—a house system that would make even J.K. Rowling jealous. At Caltech, the hallowed tradition of “houses” isn’t just about where you sleep; it’s about forging family, engineering pranks, and unleashing a level of creativity that would make even Dumbledore drop his lemon drop.