On October 13th, JPL announced that it will lay off roughly 550 employees—about 11 percent of its workforce—in what Lab Director Dave Gallagher described as a “reorganization” effort to “secure JPL’s future” through leaner operations and refocused priorities.
A small layout hiccup in our last issue left Joseph Greenwell captioned incorrectly, featuring Betsy Mitchell’s instead of his own. This coupled with Greenwell’s iconically bowtied image made for a curious moment that, in its way, captured something of the Caltech spirit. Now, with a proper introduction, meet the Institute’s new Associate Vice President for Student Life and Chief Student Affairs Officer.
This fall, Caltech introduced its pilot Integrated Core curriculum, a new approach to the first-year experience designed by faculty members collaborating across all five divisions.
Contrary to a certain rumor, this year’s Senior Prank did not involve placing a Cybertruck on the roof of Beckman Auditorium. Instead, we celebrated Nobel Laureate Prof. Kip Thorne’s 85th birthday following the transformation of Beckman into the wedding cake it’s often called. Festivities included a music-synchronized light show and Kip-themed treats: Kipcorn (popcorn), Kippy candy (cotton candy), atomic fireballs, starburst, cosmic freeze berry star clusters, star lollipops, Kipper snacks (sardines), and Milky Ways. It was truly an out-of-this-world party that bent the fabric of spacetime!
I am obsessed with David Lynch. Maybe unhealthily so. Few directors feel as fluent in the art of the somnambulistic; I know of no other director who could so deftly craft phantasmagorical operas of the manifold dream-nightmare that is the human experience.
On May 3rd, Frautschi Hall, 7 p.m., as part of MACH 33: The Caltech Festival of New Science-Driven Plays, was the latest version of Tom Lavagnino’s Dementia Doula. Like the festival’s other show, entitled The Null Test (which explores the legal hijinks of a self-driving car company), this was a staged reading: the cast, directed by Susan Dalian, performing from scripts on music stands. Originally presented under the name Crisis Goalie at the 2024 Utah Shakespeare Festival, then directed by Britannia Howe, this pared-down staging celebrates the script on its own terms, privileging nuanced acting over elaborate production.
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.
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.
