What Cuts Kill: On Wonder and Revolution

What Cuts Kill: On Wonder and Revolution

At the Kill the Cuts rally on April 8th, I gave the following speech to Caltech and USC contingents in front of the 300 North Los Angeles Federal Building. I hope its words resonate with the current scientific/political/cultural moment. They represent my truest feelings, the joyous and the vitriolic, as best as I can compress and verbalize them.
What If? The Disney Influence in My (and Probably Everyone’s) Life

What If? The Disney Influence in My (and Probably Everyone’s) Life

As I lean over my desk, slumped between piles of textbooks and scrawled notes, the weight of my schoolwork drags down my mind. The pressure to excel academically and carve out a niche in the competitive university environment sometimes becomes overwhelming. Yet amidst the chaos of deadlines and exams, an old song unexpectedly pierces the drudgery. The rich, sweeping sounds of “Belle” from Beauty and the Beast sweep me, in the blink of an eye, from the chill of my dorm room to one of wonder and magic. In an instant, I am no longer a struggling student trying to find her place, but a capable, independent young woman, venturing out into the world’s possibilities. The burden of academic intensity and the pressure to conform to societal norms melt away, replaced by a sense of empowerment, joy, and pure fantasy.
What You Will: And What a Delight! EXPLiCIT's Twelfth Night

What You Will: And What a Delight! EXPLiCIT's Twelfth Night

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.
Caltech Wildlife: Bird Immigrants

Caltech Wildlife: Bird Immigrants

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.
Courses That Don't Suck

Courses That Don't Suck

Here are some classes I found fun, even if they’re not everyone’s idea of a “good class.” While most of the Core and other courses are designed just to introduce the fundamentals of a subject, the ones below stood out for being especially engaging.
I'm Still Here

I'm Still Here

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.