Jieyu Zheng

Content note: This article describes unwanted sexual contact and harassment. I was gasping for air, eyes welling with tears, white knuckles clutching my knees, unable to believe what had just happened. My date sat uneasily on the other side of the couch, searching for the right words. “I’m sorry, are you okay?” they tried. I shook my head, still out of breath and unable to get a word out. “I didn’t want to choke you,” they said. “I would have done it differently if I had meant to.” And even

This month, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Caltech are celebrating 90 years of partnership, having worked together on the world’s most advanced guidance and navigation systems in space. In the bird world, many Caltech birds are also masters of precision flight, known for their signature hunting behavior – flycatching. They launch from a stationary position, track a moving target with pinpoint accuracy, intercept it at the best moment, and return to where they started. This sally-and-ret

After five years of volunteering under different acronyms, I officially became by far the oldest orientation leader in fall 2026. I enjoy the festive (and freebie-loaded) orientation weeks, but more importantly, the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed new students rejuvenate my excitement about a place that feels a bit too familiar. The yearly revitalization of our campus matters for both first-years and old-timers. For new students, it is the season to find their footing by declaring majors or joinin

Strictly speaking, predators are animals that eat other animals, so a large proportion of our campus species qualify, including the undergrads ordering beef pho, the squirrels eating baby hummingbirds, and the occasionally cannibalistic turtles. While you are still blinking in disbelief and digesting that info, I am going to limit this column to a few obvious predators: those deemed dangerous by the consensus of two security forces – Caltech Security and the natural security league of American c

With the historic heat wave temporarily subsiding, our Caltech campus settles into a new academic year. As the Tech’s resident wildlife columnist, I’m here to extend a warm welcome to everyone new to Caltech — though after this summer, “warm” may not be the compliment it once was. Like many urban areas around the world, Caltech is an ecosystem where humans and other animals coexist. The campus is small, but a one-hour walk around it can easily turn up thirty wildlife species. In this guide I hi

As Mother’s Day has just passed and Father’s Day is coming up, this issue will talk about parenting in the nonhuman animal world. While all but one photo was taken off campus, a lot of the animals (mostly birds as I am a bird expert) mentioned in this article can be found in the adjacent Pasadena area, so keep your eyes out for spring activity! One of the greatest missions in spring for many animals is to raise a generation of young and graduate them into independent life. This intense process

May 27, 2026, marked my fifth anniversary of my arrival at Caltech, when I was freshly off the boat – or rather, off the plane. Here in Southern California, the weather seems almost unchanged from one day to the next, and the lack of dramatic seasonal shifts can create the illusion that time is stagnant (unless you are a birder paying close attention to migrants). But as we approach this year’s commencement, I cannot help but reflect on how quickly time has passed. Out of more than 8 billion pe

It’s springtime, with blooms everywhere, and who wouldn’t appreciate a pair of colorful wings dancing in front of their eyes? In this issue, your avian specialist takes a small detour and presents some butterfly species on campus. While I haven’t surveyed the area thoroughly, there is a surprisingly rich collection of butterflies here, thanks to the variety of exotic flowers and plants. Once you start paying attention, the air itself feels a little more animated. Here are some that I have seen:

Here is a simple test of conscious living: ask a friend whether they’ve ever noticed the loud cries in the sky at sunrise and sunset. If they have no idea what you are talking about, they are missing a surprising amount of life. Give them a concerned look and point them to this article. It still shocks me that some Caltech students, after years in Pasadena, have never paid attention to these jet-engine-decibel calls. Others have noticed them, but wrongly blamed the crows. Please, just look up!

Did you know that hummingbirds are a family of birds found exclusively in the Western Hemisphere (here chants the Bad Bunny version listing all American countries)? When I first arrived at Caltech, I found these hovering drones such a blessed sight. People here love hummingbirds — proved by the abundance of nectar feeders around the graduate student housing and in the front yards of many fancy Pasadena homes. A hummingbird feeder might be your easiest connection to nature! And here is a dedicate

Accept your existence like you accept the Caltech squirrels. (Credit: Jieyu Zheng) Last month the Caltech community suffered the tragic loss of Parker Thompson. I did not personally know Thompson, but it warms my heart to see the many articles and photos on The California Tech dedicated to his memory. Mental health is a tremendous challenge in intense academic environments like Ca

Finally, a column about the turtles! The turtles have been an integral part of the Caltech community, and much of this connection is made by the enthusiastic Caltech students themselves. This column collects information and legends about the turtles from Hannah Way, the current president of the Caltech Turtle Club. Through my interview with Hannah, I learned many surprising and fun facts about Caltech turtles. I hope you, the readers, will learn something new from this article as well. The Calt

I received this writing assignment some time ago, but while trying to leave graduate school in one piece, it took longer than expected to sit down and write it. This opinion piece is aimed primarily at fellow Caltech undergraduates who are considering or applying to Ph.D. programs. Junior graduate students in their first few years, especially those interested in an academic research path, may also find it relevant, or at least unsettling. I should begin with an important disclaimer. I am writin

Happy New Year to the loyal readers of my wildlife column! With ample winter rain and a lower likelihood of wildfires this year, it feels fitting to begin the term by turning our attention to aquatic animals and the ecosystems they inhabit. Although Southern California is generally dry, humans have long built artificial water systems to satisfy their aesthetic desires. Caltech is no exception. The campus hosts several iconic water features: the turtle ponds in Throop Memorial Garden, the Caltec

On Sunday, Nov. 9, Caltech hosted its inaugural campus bird walk with the Pasadena Audubon Society (PAS), a local nonprofit dedicated to birding and bird conservation. Although birding on campus has long been a cherished tradition—including the weekly bird walks led by Dr. Alan C. Cummings since 1986 (more on that in a future issue)—this was the first time the event was organized as an official PAS field trip, opening Caltech’s habitats to many local birders beyond the campus community. The tri

Correction of the previous issue “Caltech Wildlife: A Welcome Guide”: The caption for the first photo “a mysterious snapping turtle” should actually be “a razor-backed musk turtle.” Many thanks to Hannah Way, the current president of the Caltech turtle club, for pointing that out. According to Hannah, “we have two of these turtles in the pond. They can be identified by their tall and ridged shell with distinc

If you don’t know yet, Caltech’s sex discrimination policy includes a specific clause (Article 15.5) prohibiting any relationship between employees—meaning faculty, postdocs, and staff—and undergraduate students. It also advises caution and professionalism in any relationship where a power imbalance exists. This is where it becomes truly damaging—you start to believe it’s your fault. E

![A curious fox squirrel. All photos courtesy of Jieyu Zheng.](https://xguzskbxiptvhbyggkpl.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/media/2761

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Some call them cute furry fairies; others regard them as rats with bushy tails. Love them or not, fox squirrels are there, every day on the Caltech campus. 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 do

Everyone knows Los Angeles is a huge melting pot of human culture, but did you know it’s also home to many animals from around the world? Pasadena alone has a surprising number of foreign bird species. Look closely and you can spot these feathered visitors daily at Caltech—including some that are endangered. This week’s wildlife column is about these special bird immigrants. _(Some photos were taken in the greater Pasadena area, but all the birds mentioned can be found on or near campus if you’

Spring at Caltech is a season of rapid transformation. Step away for just a few days, and you’ll return to a campus bursting with changes: the once-bare branches are now decorated with colorful flowers. The drastic changes aren’t limited to flora – migrating wildlife also contributes to the seasonal dynamics. Migration is one of nature’s greatest mysteries. California lies in the heart of a major migration corridor through the Americas, making Caltech a special stopover for many migrators. Take

Woodpeckers are perhaps the most overlooked yet ever-present wildlife species on campus. Like the ubiquitous fox squirrels (a topic for another day), they are a daily sight if you know where to look. Every time I mention them to other Caltech students, the most common reaction is, “Wait, we have woodpeckers on campus?!” And I’ll nod slowly, like a long-time local: “Yes, we have at least three families of them.” Among all woodpecker species, acorn woodpeckers stand out for their habit of dri