The Student Shop is opening! The Student Shop is an undergrad run machine shop which allows students to work on personal wood and metalworking projects. We had our grand opening yesterday (Monday May 12th). The shop is located near the big LN2 tank, right next to the loading docks and CES (near murder alley).
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.
On April 14, Caltech joined eight other American research universities in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE). The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to block DOE’s decision to cap the indirect cost rate on all academic grants at 15%.
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.
This year marks a century since the establishment of quantum mechanics as a formal discipline… Significantly, Caltech played an essential role in expanding quantum theories, leading innovations, and expanding the possibilities of what science can be achieved.
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.
In my time at Caltech, I have found that scientists love to both work hard and play hard. While preparing for a party and hanging decorations at Dabney Garden last Fall, I noticed a statue of the Japanese deity Tenjin, on which I placed an Earth-shaped lantern. This man sitting on a yak with a Japanese name was of particular interest to me, as I have studied the Japanese language for over 10 years. Why had this statue been placed in one of the most historic spaces on campus? Why is Tenjin important?
Every year, a million people die of a curable disease. Why haven’t you heard about it?
Last year, tuberculosis killed more people than malaria, war, and murder combined. More people than COVID-19 or HIV/AIDS. One-quarter of all people alive today currently have tuberculosis, and every twenty seconds, someone dies from it.
Over the last month, a series of federal funding cuts to scientific research has created disruptions and uncertainty for various agencies and institutions.
To learn more about how the federal funding cuts may impact the Institute’s research, the Tech reached out to faculty members who described the uncertainty at this time.
