The Mount Wilson Solar Observatory was founded in 1904 by George Hale, who was also a trustee of Throop Polytechnic Institute (which later became Caltech). The first telescope built on-site was the Snow Solar Telescope in 1904, followed closely by the 60-foot Solar Tower and the 60-inch telescope, both of which were completed in 1908. Hale hosted many famous individuals during this time, including Andrew Carnegie in 1910 and Harlow Shapley in 1914. Carnegie was the main financial supporter of the observatory from its inception in 1904, and Shapley was an astronomer who discovered our position in the Milky Way galaxy using the 60-inch telescope.
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.
Looking down from a plane, Wang Mansheng felt uneasy about how much of the Earth is now covered by roads and buildings. Reflecting on this environmental change, he stated, “Pure nature is now unattainable except through my imagination or brush.” His new works at the Huntington put that imagined nature on display.
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.
Last Saturday, the delicious scent of crème brûlée and chocolate croissants wafted through the alleys of Blacker Hovse. Moles hurried around the Hovse, tidying up their courtyard and dining hall for their annual Interhovse. The theme? The French Revolution. After months of preparation—with input from what felt like the entire Hovse—a production worthy of that era’s dynamism and ingenuity came together marvelously, complete with a panoply of renegade constructions and toothsome dishes.
Watching William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is always a delve into the delightful confusion between desire, identity, and illusion, in a dramatic comedy that plays with what we feel and how we show ourselves. In the production directed by Miranda Stewart, presented at the Ramo Auditorium between April 25th and 27th by EXPLiCIT (EXtracurricular PLayers at the California Institute of Technology—the ‘i’ is imaginary), the 1601 classic from the Elizabethan era gains new life with freshness, rhythm and a staging that honors the carnival spirit of the work without losing its emotional depth.
I’m Still Here is a 2024 Brazilian historical drama that won Best International and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress in a Leading Role at this year’s 97th Academy Awards.
It is set in the 1970s, in Rio de Janeiro, during the dictatorship that lasted 20 years in Brazil. The story portrays a beautiful family consisting of Rubens Paiva (played by Selton Mello), Eunice Paiva (played by Fernanda Torres), and their five children.
“For stars from Bette Davis to Angelina Jolie, the ultimate rite of passage since the 1950s has been sitting for the legendary Don Bachardy,” Michael Slenske wrote for The Hollywood Reporter. On Saturday, over 100 works of art and archival materials from Bachardy’s life and career will be on display at The Huntington’s MaryLou and George Boone Gallery.
There is a question pulsing quietly beneath the surface of every lab bench, every line of code, every equation scribbled onto a whiteboard: Why are we doing this? Is it for discovery, for prestige, for the betterment of humanity—or something more elusive? At Caltech, we pride ourselves on pushing the boundaries of what is knowable, and we do, no one says the opposite. We decode the stars, manipulate the quantum, edit genes and simulate the brain. But in a world full of complexity, speed, and ambition, can knowledge make us wise? Can science teach us how to live well?
We are deeply saddened by the news of the passing of Jenijoy La Belle, a trailblazing administrative leader, devoted professor, and outspoken advocate for academic integrity and the rights of women. Along a career trajectory marked by keen intelligence, unyielding resolve, and passion for literature, La Belle was the first woman to be hired as a faculty member at Caltech. The indelible contributions she has made to Shakespeare, William Blake, Theodore Roethke, and 17th-century poetry remain attached to scholarship in literature.
