We hope your first week of the spring term was a success! As we settle into the rhythm of the new term, Housing and Dining Services are back with our collaborative column in the Tech. We are excited to keep you updated on housing initiatives and the latest culinary experiences we’re cooking up to support our community through the final stretch of the academic year.
In my three years at Caltech, I have learned one undeniable truth: winter terms are the hardest. If you aren’t grinding through core requirements, you’re battling the occasional rains and winds. If not the weather, then some burning bush (literal and metaphorical). The moral is simple — in winter, things just happen.
A constitutional crisis unfolded last week in Lloyd after residents of Purple and Kaos alleys announced their intention to secede and establish an independent state, the “Republic of Nugget.” The declaration came on March 31, when former President Isabella announced on behalf of the Purple and Kaos alleys that, “in the absence of our fearless leader” (current President Shan is off-campus this term), they had “elected to secede from Lloyd House in order to form our own independent state, the Republic of Nugget.”
I attempted to go to Edwin Mills (one of the places in the SGV Food Passport) on Valentine’s Day, but sadly we needed a reservation to try it out. Oops! So more delicious restaurants in the SGV Food Passport will be explored and reviewed next term.
Okay, so I’ve thrown a lot of philosophy at you. But here’s the thing: this isn’t meant to be intellectual trivia for impressing people at parties. The ancient Greeks called philosophy a “way of life” — not an academic subject, but a set of practices for living well.
As many of us know, s’more year fall and winter terms are absolute killers. Unfortunately, I was also a victim of this, which is why instead of my usual periodic updates throughout the winter athletic season, I am bringing to you all a complete season recap in a nutshell!
Carl Grillmair, an astronomer at Caltech’s IPAC science and data center for astronomy and planetary science, died on February 16. He was 67. His death has shaken the Caltech community, where colleagues remember as both a creative scientist and a foundational member of IPAC’s research programs.
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.
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.
On the night of February 21, Dabney Hovse welcomed students across campus for its Lunar New Year-themed Interhovse celebration. The courtyard centerpiece was a striking red dome topped with gold, glowing from within with shifting colored lights that illuminated the space throughout the night.
