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[email protected] VOLUME CXI, NUMBER 16 PASADENA , CALIFORNIA MAR C H 8, 2010 Photo by Jonathan Tsai Photo by Jonathan Music Groups Perform at Intercollegiate Festivals Fluid Dynamics and but has in recent years been a sophomore Timothy Wu of FD joint project of OoC and Fluid was singing “Accidentally in Out of Context Dynamics. Seven groups from Love” by the Counting Crows four different schools in the area for which he recently won the By Rick Paul attended the concert. In addition best soloist award at USC’s STAFF WRITER to OoC and FD, the other groups a cappella festival, Absolut. included the Shades and Aca- OoC also competed at the In- ternational Championship of A Approximately two hundred sola from Claremont, VPR and Midnight Echo from California Cappella (ICCA), a prestigious people packed in to Dabney Hall event in the world of intercolle- on the Caltech campus last Sat- State University Northridge, and the Trojan Men from USC. giate a cappella. Although they urday to listen to live a cappella did not win the competition, performances of over two dozen Andy Matuschak, the director of Caltech’s a cappella group Fluid Dynamics performs at the Love Sucks Fluid Dynamics, observed that OoC members enjoyed the op- hits celebrating (and denigrat- portunity to learn from some of concert last Saturday. ing) love in all its varied guises. attendance at a cappella events has steadily increased over the the top groups in collegiate a Some of the performances in- cappella. Class taught by Richard Sparks, and listen to every choir’s perfor- cluded Kelly Clarkson’s “My past few years due to the efforts a Professor of Music at the Uni- mance, (an ordeal which lasted Life Would Suck Without You”, of both OoC and FD to raise the Glee Club versity of North Texas and adju- around three hours) everyone was Duffy’s “Mercy”, and a mashup profile of a cappella on campus. dicator of the festival. The Master happy to attend. of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”. “We [Fluid Dynamics] have By Yang Hu Class consisted of a lesson given Caltech Glee Club performed been holding short impromptu Emcees, Shyam Srinivasan and STAFF WRITER by Dr. Sparks to an ad hoc as- Christian Choral pieces and the Kenzie Day, entertained the au- concerts once a month to appeal sortment of singers from these well-known classic, “Shenan- dience between performances to those students on campus who colleges followed by a rehearsal doah”. Dr. Sparks commented fa- don’t necessarily feel like sitting On Saturday, February 27, of a choral piece by the diverse vorably about Caltech Glee Club, with their back and forth banter Caltech Glee Club directed by on the nature of love. The con- through a two hour concert.” group. citing strengths to be the choir’s Although a number of the six- Nancy Sulahian traveled to Cal Several hundred people ranging commitment, focus, and energy cert drew a diverse audience Lutheran University to partici- from couples in their sixties to teen students in FD have been from college students to elderly and tuning to be an area to be an singing their entire lives, there is pate in the annual Pacific South- adults attended the festival. Al- area to improve on. To address college students in their twen- west Intercollegiate Choral ties. also a fair share who began sing- most all 70 members of Caltech’s this issue, the choir hopes to find ing once they came to Caltech. Association (PSICA) festival. Glee Club participated. By tradi- a better practice room and sound Caltech’s own Fluid Dynam- Twelve universities was a part ics and Out of Context hosted “It is exciting to see singers tion, numbers were picked out equipment available at other uni- with such a diversity of back- of this event, including Occiden- of a hat. Member Jennifer Greco versities, but lacking at Caltech. the festival, which is in its thir- tal, USC, CLU, Pomona, Loyola teenth year. The student-run grounds work together to make drew the number for Caltech Glee great music,” said Matuschak. Marymount, and a handful of Club, which performed fifth. music festival was begun by Cal State colleges. Twenty nine Please see MUSIC Out of Context(OoC) in 1997, The highlight of the event for While festival attendees were members attended the Master obliged to sit on chapel benches FESTIVALS, Page 6 Stephen Hawking Lecture Undergraduates Win $51,000 For Cancelled for 2010 Patentable Ideas By Sarah Marzen ents for every student that entered competition. By Perrin Considine STAFF WRITER the Intellectual Ventures competi- “At first, I wasn’t going to enter STAFF WRITER tion, granting each student a low- it because I heard it was a scam,” Last month, junior Casey Glick cost, year-long period intellectual said Erenrich. “Then I realized Stephen Hawking’s annual physics lecture at Caltech won first place in Caltech’s first property protection. that my idea wouldn’t make that has been cancelled this year, due to illness. Intellectual Ventures competi- This year’s Intellectual Ven- much money anyway, so I didn’t Hawking, a world-famous physicist, spends most of tion for his microrheotronic uni- tures competition may be the first care if it was stolen.” the year working in Cambridge, England, but he is also versal logic gate, netting a cool and last such contest, given that On the other hand, Edmonds Caltech’s Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Scholar. He $35,000 dollars in the process. Intellectual Ventures had to dish and first place winner Glick both pays a trip to Caltech every year to give lectures on-cam- Three other undergraduates out $51,000 for student ideas that believe that the legal guidance is pus in Beckman and Ramo Auditoriums, and off-campus also won thousands of dollars may or may not be patentable. “I worth a large percentage of the at the Pasadena Convention Center. for their inventions: junior Dan- think they [Intellectual Ventures] royalties. “This is probably the Hawking, 68, was scheduled to give a Jan 21 lecture iel Erenrich won second place were happy with the results... but best chance for undergraduates to at Caltech, but according to his friend and colleague Kip and $10,000 for his new capt- it’s expensive and the economy generate money from their idea,” Thorne, who corresponded with The Tech via email, cha design; senior Tamas Sza- isn’t great,” said Edmonds. said Edmonds, noting that less “[Hawking] contracted a chest infection in December, lay won third place and $5,000 If any of the undergraduate ideas than 1% of all patents generate and on the advice of his doctors he cancelled his January for his multi-touch eye-tracking are marketable, then Intellectual revenue. Edmonds also added visit, though he was well enough to continue going into interface between humans and Ventures’ economic gamble will that Caltech could support start- the office regularly and continue his work.” computers; and junior Cole have paid off. In order to enter ups if undergraduates didn’t suc- There was talk of rescheduling Hawking’s visit to Hershowitz won fourth place the Intellectual Ventures competi- cessfully obtain a patent. March, but Hawking emailed Thorne, telling him that it and $1,000 for his small-scale tion, students agreed to give half Glick has a different take on the was impossible. Hawking wrote, "I hope however that “micro-grid” that could provide of future profits to Caltech and to benefits of legal guidance. “Have you will invite me again next year and this time I will be power more cheaply and effi- give Intellectual Ventures the op- you seen the book of U.S. patent able to come." ciently to the rural developing tion to license before negotiating law? It’s really thick,” he said. Stephen Hawking, is renown throughout the world for world. with any other party. In return, So far, Glick has had to pay his contributions to physics. He focuses on space, time, “We [the competition judges Caltech promised to provide legal more attention to the legal is- black holes, and gravity. Hawking has also published a and organizers] were really im- protection and guidance through sues involved with patents than number of best-seller books about the universe, including pressed,” said Karin Edmonds, the thorny patent application pro- any other winner. Glick’s inven- A Brief History of Time. Caltech’s Director for Technol- cess. Typically, Caltech doesn’t tion was generated in the lab of His many discoveries have been made while under an ogy Transfer and organizer of own an undergraduate invention Weijia Wen from Hong Kong almost full-body paralysis which onset at age 25, caused the Intellectual Ventures com- unless it’s developed on Caltech’s University of Science and Tech- by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). petition. “Intellectual Ventures dime. nology (HKUST), but at present, Hawking has composed his Caltech lectures using a appreciated the amazing under- Some students disliked the idea HKUST has ambiguous rights to computer (made for him by Intel), which allows him to graduate presentations... and of sharing future royalties. One Glick’s microrheotronic universal use his cheek muscles to select and string together words, the undergraduates didn’t even undergraduate sent Edmonds an logic gate. Regardless, he plans and speak them for him with an automated voice. He is have a dry run for their presen- email that said, “I don’t think it’s to continue researching his logic expected to continue his lectures at Caltech next year. tations.” fair you’re taking undergraduate gate at HKUST this summer.

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