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The California Tech Volume CXViii number 16 Pasadena, California [email protected] february 16, 2015 Six from Caltech, JPL elected to Caltech alumnus wants to connect world to Internet National Academy of Engineering CALTECH ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Google X is a research lab of Google, but it’s not just Cyrus Behroozi wants to focused on problems related to connect the whole world to the the company’s core business. Internet. We look for big problems that “Two-thirds of the world’s might require radical solutions population still doesn’t have and breakthrough technologies. access,” says Behroozi, an engineer The self-driving car is perhaps with Google X, the Internet giant’s our best-known project and a experimental division. Although great example. The problem: it’s easy to think of the Internet People are generally terrible as a luxury, he says, it’s now drivers; we cause traffic jams inextricably tied to economic and get into accidents. A radical development. solution might be to teach Considering that Google computers to drive. Technology X is most widely known for exists that might make that engineering the driverless car, possible, but it’s an enormous its solution to global connectivity challenge to implement it. So— might seem charmingly low-tech— big problem, radical solution, balloons. But these aren’t everyday breakthrough technology. balloons. Behroozi leads the Project Loon is an attempt network engineering for Project to solve the problem of Internet Loon, an ambitious experiment access around the world. Right by Google X that’s focused on now, two-thirds of the world’s creating a global wireless network population does not have the (Clockwise from top left) Harry Atwater, Mory Gharib, Dan Goebel, Graeme Stephens, Robert Grubbs, and Ravi Ravi- of balloons floating around the ability to use the Internet. You chandran were among the 67 new members welcomed to the National Academy of Engineering. world 12.5 miles (20 kilometers) might consider it a luxury, -http://caltech.edu aboveground, within the but access is now so closely LORI DAJOSE of metals. Atwater is developing of catalysts that have enabled stratosphere—twice the elevation correlated with economic Contributing Writer plasmonic devices for controlling commercial products. For example, flown by commercial airlines. development. There is an light on a nanometer scale. Such Grubbs and his team developed We spoke with Behroozi to hear emerging global digital divide. This article was originally devices could be important for a new method for synthesizing about his path from Caltech to People in developing countries written for the Marketing and the eventual creation of quantum organosilanes—basic chemical Google’s lofty experiment. could be greatly helped by Communications Office and is computers and more efficient building blocks. Normally these gaining access. published online at caltech.edu. photovoltaic cells in solar panels. molecules are made with expensive Tell us about your time So that’s the problem: global and rare precious metals, but at Caltech. Internet access. The radical Six members of the Caltech Mory Gharib is the vice Grubbs’s group has found a way My parents were physicists, approach and the breakthrough community—Caltech professors provost for research and the to catalyze the reaction using a and I had grown up with a bit technology are doing it by Harry Atwater, Mory Gharib Hans W. Liepmann Professor cheap and abundant potassium of hero worship for Richard balloon—and not just stationary (Ph.D. ’83), Robert Grubbs, and of Aeronautics and Bioinspired compound. Feynman. So when I arrived at balloons hovering over one Guruswami (Ravi) Ravichandran, Engineering. His election citation Caltech, I felt that I had found location and providing access and JPL staff members Dan M. notes his contributions to fluid flow Guruswami (Ravi) “my people.” I fell under the to a small group willing to Goebel and Graeme L. Stephens— visualization techniques and the Ravichandran is the John E. wing of physics professor Ken pay for it. Most likely, that have been elected to the National engineering of bioinspired medical Goode, Jr., Professor of Aerospace, Libbrecht (BS ’90), who at approach actually turns out not Academy of Engineering (NAE), devices. Gharib’s biomechanical professor of mechanical the time was very interested to be technologically feasible. an honor considered among the studies are often coupled with engineering, and director of the in Bose-Einstein condensates Instead, the idea is to let the highest professional distinctions medical engineering; for example, Graduate Aerospace Laboratories [cooling subatomic particles to balloons float freely, travel with accorded to an engineer. The by studying the fluid dynamics of (GALCIT). He is cited by the near absolute zero so that they the winds in the stratosphere, academy welcomed 67 new the human cardiovascular system, NAE for his contributions to the coalesce into larger structures, and have just enough of them American members and 12 foreign he and his group are better able mechanics of dynamic deformation, in some cases observable on a that as some drift out of range, members this year. Included to develop new types of prosthetic damage, and failure of engineering macroscopic scale]. Being able new balloons come from the among the new class are four heart valves. materials. Ravichandran has to trap and observe atoms has other direction to take their Caltech alumni, Dana Powers (B.S. studied the behavior of polymers a very obvious “cool factor,” so places. ‘70, Ph.D. ‘75), Michael Tsapatsis Dan M. Goebel, a senior under high pressures and strains, I continued to pursue it after (M.S. ‘91, Ph.D. ‘94), Vigor Yang research scientist at JPL, was and how the peeling of an adhesive graduation. A couple of years Why balloons? Why not (Ph.D. ‘84), and Ajit Yoganathan honored for his contributions to material—like Scotch Tape—may later, I was part of a research use satellites? (Ph.D. ‘78). low-temperature plasma sources be modeled as a crack propagating team at Harvard that was able Well, satellites are also a for thin-film manufacturing, in a medium. to slow down light traveling great solution, but they’re Harry Atwater, the Howard plasma materials interactions, and through a Bose-Einstein extremely expensive to launch. Hughes Professor of Applied Physics electric propulsion. Graeme L. Stephens, the condensate. That project There’s a long time delay and Materials Science and director director of JPL’s Center for received a lot of press and between when a satellite is of the Resnick Sustainability Robert Grubbs, the Victor Climate Sciences, was elected by really seemed to capture the proposed, when it’s built, when Institute, was cited for his and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of the Academy for the elucidation of imagination of the public. Jay you can get a launch window, contributions to plasmonics—the Chemistry and corecipient of the Earth’s cloud system and radiation Leno even made a joke about it: and the duration that it has to study of plasmons, coordinated 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, balance. “Researchers announced that last in orbit to sort of pay for waves of electrons on the surfaces was elected for the development they were able to slow light. You itself. You might be developing know how they did it? They took technology for a satellite that a laser and aimed it through the launches five years from now. It See page 4 for candidate statements for Off post office.” has to last for the next 10 years to become economically viable. What exactly are Google Campus BoC rep and Off Campus CRC rep. X and Project Loon? Continued on page 2 news | pAge 2 FeAtuRe | pAge 3 spORts | pAge 5 FeAtuRe | pAge 7 In thIs cAltech y OFFeRs nAIlen RevIews wAtsOn scORes bRAd/chAd deFInes seveRAl new Op- nIckI mInAj’s “the hOme Run FOR beA- FInAnce Issue pORtunItes pInkpRInt” veRs bAsebAll news 2 february 16, 2015 the cAlIFORnIA tech Caltech Y Column: News and events Balloons offer road to Internet CALTECH Y waivers; drive to Circle K Ranch do regular tutoring along with Continued from page 1 the Google X lab, announced (about 30 min away). occasional hands-on science that Project Loon had logged The Caltech Y Column serves to Price: $15 per person for one experiments. Transportation is So you’re dealing with more than 1.2 million miles (2 inform students of upcoming events hour of riding, paid the day of, in provided. For more information technology that might be 10 or million kilometers) in testing and volunteer opportunities. The cash. and to RSVP, contact vkkumar@ 15 years old by the time it really and was on track to have a “semi- list is compiled by Neera Shah from Transportation is not provided. caltech.edu. Eligible for Federal gets used. permanent” ring of balloons information given by the Caltech Y Since sign-ups are first come, first Work Study. With balloons, we have in the Southern Hemisphere and its student leaders. serve, and there is limited space, 5b. Hathaway Sycamores more flexibility. We can make within the next year or so. Founded by students in 1916, you are expected to come if you Monday | 5:30-8:00pm | them cheaply. We can launch “We really look for what the Y was organized to provide RSVP. Please RSVP here: http:// Highland Park them cheaply. We can refresh we call ‘T-shaped people,’ extracurricular activities planned goo.gl/forms/oTTCF9ckh2. A Volunteer at Hathaway- and iterate the technology on a — people with really diverse and implemented by students as confirmation email will be sent out Sycamores, a group that supports month-by-month basis. So it’s backgrounds, but who also have an opportunity to learn leadership by Friday, 2/13.