This Is Caltech Is This
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This is 2020 Founded in 1891, Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world’s brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions and pressing societal challenges. An independent, privately supported institution located in Pasadena, California, Caltech also manages the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), located 6 miles north of campus, for NASA. THE INSTITUTE MARKS TWO IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARIES IN 2020 100 Years 50 Years of “California Institute of Technology” of Female Undergraduates In 1920, the institution originally founded as Throop University was Women were admitted to Caltech as undergraduates for reimagined and renamed as the California Institute of Technology. the first time in the fall of 1970. Stephanie Charles, Deborah With a new focus on science and engineering, and the addition of Chung, Sharon Long, and Flora Wu received bachelor’s graduate students to the campus, it became a true research institute. degrees in 1973; all four graduated with honors and pursued In the ensuing 100 years, Caltech has evolved into a world-leading hub careers in STEM fields. Female graduate students had been of research and education, led by a diverse community of scientists, admitted to the Institute two decades earlier, with Dorothy engineers, students, and staff members who have made a transformative Ann Semenow the first woman to receive a Caltech PhD impact on Southern California and across the globe. (in chemistry and biology) in 1955. “One of the striking aspects of the modern “It had always seemed to me that it was up to Caltech, for its own good as well as the good founders of Caltech was the risks they took of society, to encourage those who reached at the beginning, and the courage they the point of college admissions to go to as had in their convictions. … I think it’s that good a place as they could. And Caltech was courage that is important to maintain.” such a place.” –Caltech president Harold Brown (1969-1977) –Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum on the admission of women to Caltech, (2014-present) which became Institute policy during his tenure Who we are Together, Caltech’s students, faculty, and postdoctoral scholars work to expand knowledge of the universe, shift paradigms, launch new fields, and invent the technologies of the future. Undergraduate Students Graduate Students Student Life Postdocs Faculty Alumni Undergraduate Students The Class of 2023 includes Caltech students come to the Institute from all over the United States students from12 countries. and across the globe, bringing diverse experiences, perspectives, and passions. They share an unbridled sense of curiosity and an extraordinary aptitude for science, engineering, technology, and math. Class of 2023: undergraduate students 236 Most popular undergraduate major: Student/faculty ratio: Computer 44% women* Science 3:1 historically underrepresented “I have always wanted to use my 32% minority groups education to make the world a better place. In addition to equipping me first-generation with the necessary foundational college students scientific principles, Caltech has shown 10% me that meaningful interdisciplinary collaboration with my peers is key to first-year achieving this goal.” admission rate 6% – Rupesh Jeyaram (BS ’20) Computer Science *measured by sex assigned at birth WHO WE ARE WE WHO THIS IS CALTECH IS THIS 6 7 Research is an integral part of undergraduate education at Caltech. THE CALTECH HONOR CODE: Students conduct hands-on research alongside some of the top faculty No member of the Caltech in the world and in some of the most innovative research facilities. community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community. 1 Through study abroad programs, 3 undergrads have opportunities to of Caltech travel to academic institutions in undergraduates are involved in research Cambridge throughout the London academic year. Undergraduate students Academic partnerships: choose from Copenhagen • Premed students work in area hospitals Edinburgh and train with practicing clinicians options (majors) among Paris • A dual-degree program is available 28 90% for students from 13 select liberal-arts Melbourne of all Caltech undergraduates colleges academic divisions: • Undergraduates can cross-register participate in 6 SURF (the Summer at Occidental College and ArtCenter Biology and Biological Engineering Summer exchange programs enable Undergraduate College of Design students to conduct research in Research Fellowships • Students can participate in ROTC Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Iceland and South Korea program), during which through a joint program with USC they spend 10 weeks Engineering and Applied Science • Students can take part in collaborations working in labs on research projects. with The Huntington Library, Art Geological and Planetary Sciences Museum, and Botanical Gardens Humanities and Social Sciences Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy THIS IS CALTECH IS THIS 8 Through the Caltech-led Broad perspective GROWTH (Global Relay of Observatories Watching The arts, humanities, and social Transients Happen) sciences have always been central collaboration, astronomy- to intellectual life at the Institute. inclined undergraduates Undergraduates are required to take may spend up to 10 weeks 12 core curriculum courses in the at one of the network’s humanities and social sciences, and partner institutions in can choose among 4 options that Germany, Taiwan, India, have an arts focus. Israel, Japan, or Sweden. Students in the NASA/JPL Summer Programs live on campus and join a large community of undergraduate researchers. “I spent the summer at Caltech developing an AI to track and identify cells in microscopy videos, helping pave the future of diagnosis technologies. I made so many incredible Residential Experience friends in my lab and was fortunate enough Nine student residences allow Caltech to co-author a few publications—a huge undergraduates to come together to share accomplishment having come into Caltech interests, perspectives, and passions, and with no research experience at all!” to build unique experiences. Students have opportunities to take on leadership roles in – Isabella Camplisson (BS ’21) their residences and to plan and organize Computational and Neural Systems special activities, events, and traditions. Caltech’s Office of Residential Experience develops safe, engaging, and inclusive environments for all students that support WHO WE ARE WE WHO THIS IS CALTECH IS THIS learning and underscore personal growth. 10 11 Graduate Students Most popular options The Graduate Student Council for graduate work are: Caltech’s 1,300 graduate students pursue master’s and doctoral (GSC) works to improve the academic, chemistry degrees in 31 science and engineering degree options. The highly professional, and social experience of graduate students at the Institute. The competitive graduate programs offer a combination of unparalleled physics GSC also oversees: research training along with strong but flexible curricula. electrical • The Everhart Lecture Series engineering • GSC teaching/mentoring awards biology • The Graduate Research Spotlight Conference • Educational and professional development workshops • The Take a Professor to Lunch program “I’m interested in how • The Graduate Student Underground innovative technology can Social Hour make a dramatic difference in • Club nights developing countries.” • An off-campus spring formal – Daniel Mukasa First-year graduate student in Season-long intramural athletics leagues • materials science Housing Academics On the western edge of campus, the Catalina Graduate students can enroll in Doctor of Philosophy and certain Master of Science Apartments, or “the Cats,” are a hub for degree programs. These programs weave together classroom education and Caltech’s graduate community and provide research to develop students’ abilities to independently formulate and conduct housing for as many as 450 graduate students. research programs. Graduate students work with faculty advisers and have Community events are frequently held in the opportunities to collaborate with scientists and engineers at JPL, LIGO, and other Catalina recreation rooms, and residents also research centers around the world. maintain a flourishing community garden. WHO WE ARE WE WHO THIS IS CALTECH IS THIS 12 13 Joint Academic Programs Caltech Letters Caltech has MD/PhD programs with the USC This online publication (and its Keck School of Medicine, the UCLA David Geffen affiliated podcast) is managed School of Medicine, and the Kaiser primarily by Caltech graduate Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School students and provides a Fall 2019 Graduate Students: of Medicine that allow students to forum for Caltech student carry out preclinical and clinical work researchers to share their toward an MD and pursue a PhD work with a wider audience. students through research with a member of The articles are written with 269 the Caltech faculty. a goal to foster discussion among readers as well as to An exchange program with the amplify underrepresented Scripps Institution of Oceanography voices in science. women at UC San Diego allows Caltech 36% graduate students to conduct thesis research and receive credit for courses in this specialized field. 49% international The top five countries from which these students come to Caltech are: “Science is a collective story, one that China, Canada, India, we all tell together, and I’m beyond South Korea,