Troy Zhang

(Photo: Getty Images) On March 4, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to advance the bipartisan NASA Authorization Act of 2026, authorizing a $24.7 billion budget for this fiscal year, extending operations for the International Space Station through 2032, and — for the first time — backing plans for a permanent crewed presence on the Moon. “This bipartisan legislation sets an ambit

David Baltimore, the Judge Shirley Hufstedler Professor of Biology and President Emeritus of the California Institute of Technology, passed away on September 6 at his home in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He was 87. Baltimore’s career spanned over six decades, playing a crucial role in developing our current understanding of viral and cell biology. In 1975, at the age

Caltech President and Professor of Physics Thomas Rosenbaum will retire from Caltech and assume emeritus status at the end of the 2026 academic year, according to a campus-wide announcement delivered last Monday. While initially tapped for a third term, Rosenbaum indicated that he “[felt] strongly that there are natural rhythms in the life of a university, and [fifteen] years seemed too long.” Instead, Rosenbaum will serve for an abbreviated two years, during which the Board of Trustees and fac

Two members of the Caltech faculty have been named 2025 Wolf Prize laureates in recognition of their distinguished scientific accomplishments; the David Baltimore Professor of Biology and Bioengineering, Pamela Björkman, received the accolade in medicine, whereas the Frank J. Roshek Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, emeritus, Jim Eisenstein, received the prize in physics. The Wolf Prize is a prestigious award that recognizes “outstanding achievements in advancing science and the arts fo

The U.S. Department of Education issued a letter to universities on February 14th, broadly declaring all race-conscious programs illegal under federal law, including any decision affecting “aspects of student, academic, and campus life.” The directive, attributed to Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor, prescribes that all universities receiving federal funding have until February 28th to s