News from Division of the Humanities and Social Scienceshttps://www.hss.caltech.edu/news-and-events/news2024-02-28T19:43:00+00:00Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences Staffquestions@hss.caltech.eduCopyright © 2024 California Institute of TechnologyWatson Lecture: Diana K. Buchwald Reveals Details from Albert Einstein's Time at Caltech2024-02-28T19:43:00+00:00Caltech Media Relationsmr@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/watson-lecture-diana-buchwald-einstein-caltech<p data-block-key="a6ea5">Why did Albert Einstein decide to take a monthlong journey from Berlin to Pasadena to visit Caltech in 1930? On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. PT in Caltech's Beckman Auditorium, <a href="https://www.hss.caltech.edu/people/diana-kormos-buchwald">Diana K. Buchwald</a>, Robert M. Abbey Professor of History, will share insights into Einstein's scientific work and private life during the late 1920s and the early 1930s, when the physicist came to Caltech for three winters in the California sunshine.</p><p data-block-key="83fbr">In a public talk called "Einstein in Pasadena: Between Two Worlds" that continues the 101st season of the Watson Lectures, Buchwald, who is also director and general editor of the Einstein Papers Project at Caltech, will describe her work delving into Einstein's massive written legacy. In particular, the lecture will explore the diaries he kept during his visits to the Institute and the dual roles he played as a professor in Germany during the early rise of the Nazi Party and a celebrity scientist traveling the world.</p><p data-block-key="angs4">"These diaries were not for his own edification; they were not confessional diaries. They were for his family back in Berlin, so that when he returns to Germany, he can talk to his family and his friends about his experiences in the United States," says Buchwald. "I hope to show that he was always between two worlds: the German professor who is supposed to be stern and professorial and conservative in most cases, and the very different Einstein with his own beliefs that he did bring into the public arena."</p><p data-block-key="5ppa6">Starting at 6 p.m., staff from The Einstein Papers Project will have posters and books on view and be available to answer questions about the initiative outside Beckman Auditorium. Guests will also have a chance to view Caltech Archives' <i>Becoming Caltech</i> exhibition in the Beckman Museum.</p><p data-block-key="8s4le"></p><p data-block-key="6p8u6"></p><p data-block-key="53p37">Buchwald studied physical chemistry as a graduate student at Tel Aviv University. She then earned a PhD from Harvard in the history of science. Buchwald has spent her career at Caltech as a historian whose interests span science, politics, and culture between 1895 and 1945. Her research is focused on the development of scientific ideas, experiments, instruments, and technologies. Since 2000, she has worked on the Einstein Papers Project, which has published 16 volumes of <i>The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein</i> to date. The project—one of the most ambitious scholarly publishing ventures in science—aims to present the first complete picture of Einstein's writings in a printed series developed from more than 500,000 pages that contain his correspondence, notebooks, diaries, lectures, calculations, speeches, and interviews.</p><p data-block-key="88oio">The Watson Lectures offer new opportunities each month to hear how Caltech's premier researchers are tackling society's most pressing challenges and inventing the technologies of the future. Join friends and neighbors outside Beckman Auditorium to enjoy food, drinks, and music together before each lecture. Interactive displays related to the evening's topic will give audience members additional context and information. The festivities start at 6 p.m. Guests are also encouraged to stay for post-talk coffee and tea as well as the chance to converse with attendees and researchers.</p><p data-block-key="2l3av">Learn more about the Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series and its history at <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/series/watson?utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=watson-lectures&utm_source=caltechnews&utm_content=&utm_term=">Caltech.edu/Watson.</a></p><p data-block-key="5alnn">Watson Lectures are free and open to the public. <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/calendar/watson-lecture-einstein-in-pasadena-between-two-worlds?utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=watson-lectures&utm_source=caltechnews&utm_content=&utm_term=">Register online</a>. A recording will be made available after the live event.</p>Caltech's New Center for Science, Society, and Public Policy Hosts Research Conference on Conspiratorial Thinking2023-10-10T19:50:00+00:00Cynthia Ellerceller@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/Caltech_Hosts_Conference_on_Conspiratorial_Thinking<p data-block-key="7idkv">The <a href="https://lindeinstitute.caltech.edu/research/csspp">Center for Science, Society, and Public Policy</a> (CSSPP) at Caltech mounted its first research conference on September 14–15, 2023, to address the phenomenon of conspiratorial thinking from disciplines as diverse as English literature, political science, economics, neuroscience, and psychiatry. Mike Alvarez, co-director of CSSPP and professor of political and computational social science, sees this initiative as characteristic of what CSSPP aims to do. "We keep trying to identify topics that connect with research that Caltech faculty are doing but that also connect to broader policy conversations that are going on outside," he says.</p><p data-block-key="4kc85">Caltech's interest in conspiratorial thinking has its intellectual roots in the COVID-19 pandemic. "The pandemic was a weird time when we were all sitting at home trying to figure out how we could do our work and what we might be able to do to help," Alvarez says. "Ralph Adolphs [PhD '93 and Bren Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Biology] began a study called the <a href="https://coviddynamic.caltech.edu/">COVID-Dynamic</a> Longitudinal Study that put together these really fascinating batteries of questions to ask people about how they were doing emotionally during lockdown. This dovetailed with work that I was doing with two of my graduate students on vaccine acceptance back before covid vaccines were even available."</p><p data-block-key="8d4ef">What began with more narrowly focused questions related to the pandemic became more general concerns for Caltech faculty about misinformation and conspiratorial thinking. "I began a collaboration with Ramit Debnath, a sustainability fellow at the University of Cambridge, looking at misinformation on climate change and what leads to the dissemination of misleading information, especially on social media," Alvarez explains. "Meanwhile, John O'Doherty's lab [O'Doherty is Caltech's Fletcher Jones Professor of Decision Neuroscience] moved into researching the potential psychological determinants of people who might be susceptible to conspiratorial thought—things like aversion to ambiguity or being less willing to seek uncertainty."</p><p data-block-key="708er">"As we started to poke around the literature on conspiratorial thinking, we found a lot of fantastic research on this and decided to bring some of the leading scholars in humanities, social sciences, psychology, neuroscience, and political science to Caltech, under the auspices of CSSPP, so that we could let the Caltech community see the cutting-edge research on this topic," Alvarez says. "When we reached out to people to ask if they'd be interested in participating in a conference, they were all really excited to come to Caltech for this event. So, we assembled an amazing all-star cast."</p><p data-block-key="e5fpm">The conference kicked off on September 14 with a presentation by Elise Wang, assistant professor of English at Cal State Fullerton on medieval European blood libel conspiracies. (Blood libel is a belief that Jews use the blood of Christian children for ritual purposes. It is false, of course, but such charges led to the persecution of Jewish communities in Europe, and the belief is still found in anti-Semitic literature today.) Wang set the initial terms of discussion for the conference by asserting that conspiracy is its own narrative genre with a consistent set of characteristics that have persisted over time and across a very wide variety of conspiratorial theories. Key to this genre is a certain flexibility and resilience that allows believers to fill in details, connect the dots in various ways, and talk their way around even logical contradictions.</p><p data-block-key="49g15">Wang's talk was followed by a philosophical/epistemological take on conspiracy thinking, and then presentations of new research from Alvarez's group by Yimeng Li (PhD '22), now a postdoc at Florida State University, and Debnath.</p><p data-block-key="cp15m">In the afternoon, Adam Berinsky of MIT presented on "The Root of False Beliefs," a topic he has been working on for more than a decade and which is now gathered into his just-published book from Princeton University Press, <i>Political Rumors: Why We Accept Misinformation and How to Fight It.</i> Additional talks were given by political scientists Betsy Sinclair (MS '04, PhD '07) of Washington University in St. Louis and former student of Alvarez's, and Joanne Miller of the University of Delaware, both experts in conspiratorial thinking. Sinclair spoke about her research into identification with partisan political groups and the extent to which individuals are willing to adopt false beliefs if those beliefs preserve their partisan identity. Miller reviewed the secret plots that are so often the essential backdrop of conspiracy theories, calling back to Wang's notion of the narrative structure of conspiracies to better understand when and why "not seeing is believing."</p><p data-block-key="anm9c">The second day of the conference turned toward psychological questions that probe the precise dispositions of those who favor conspiracy theories. Nadia Brashier of UC San Diego began her talk by asking if conspiracy theorists think too much or too little, concluding that the answer is both: some supply incredible detail and craft intricate conspiratorial worldviews; others seem content to take a lot on faith, endorsing a conspiratorial worldview without worrying too much about the fine points. Gordon Pennycook, a professor of psychology at Cornell University, shared his results that show that conspiracy believers are "dispositionally overconfident" and greatly overestimate the number of those who agree with their views; often, he noted, these individuals claim that more than 50 percent of people share conspiratorial beliefs that are actually confined to 5–15 percent of the population. Lisa Kluen, who moved to the Laboratory for Brain and Cognitive Health Technology at McLean Hospital after a postdoctoral fellowship at Caltech in O'Doherty's lab, presented research on the "cognitive attributes" of those who most readily champion conspiracy theories. "What we found," Kluen says, "is that individuals who subscribe to conspiracy beliefs more readily attribute outcomes to the involvement of hidden agents. Also, they seem to seek less information before making decisions, and their decision-making seems less guided by reward."</p><p data-block-key="5rve4">Perspectives from clinical psychology and psychiatry rounded out the afternoon, with speakers offering additional thoughts on the cognitive traits of conspiracy believers and explaining the ways in which conspiracy belief can be clearly distinguished from delusional thinking and from the paranoia experienced by schizophrenics.</p><p data-block-key="ea93g">The conference closed with a presentation by Dutch social psychologist Sander van der Linden of the University of Cambridge, who researches fake news and seeks to "inoculate" people against conspiracy theories through a variety of online and interpersonal games and exercises. How to work against socially destructive conspiracy theories was a through line in the conference. "How do we prevent the spread of conspiracy theories? How can we help prevent them from going down the rabbit hole? And if they have gone down these rabbit holes, are there ways we can persuade them to at least be open to new information?" are all questions Alvarez hoped to raise when designing this conference.</p><p data-block-key="5udl9">"By having an event like this, we want to highlight the kind of research that we do [at Caltech] in the social sciences, ranging from the quantitative and more observational work to the really detailed psychological neuroscience work that John O'Doherty's group does, and frame it in the context of all the other work that's going on in the area of conspiratorial thinking," Alvarez says.</p>Watson Lectures Kick Off New Season2023-09-26T21:13:00+00:00Caltech Media Relationsmr@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/watson-lectures-kick-off-new-season<p data-block-key="2omcd">Started in 1922 to share modern scientific advances with the public, Caltech's Watson Lectures have opened a window on cutting-edge research and discovery for more than a century. Now, in its 101st season, the series will introduce a variety of community engagement activities in addition to the stimulating lectures for which it is known.</p><p data-block-key="5il4k">Free and open to the public, the Earnest C. Watson Lecture series offers monthly opportunities to hear how Caltech scientists and engineers are tackling society's most pressing challenges and inventing the technologies of the future. New this season, guests are invited to arrive an hour and a half before each lecture to enjoy food, drinks, and music together outside Beckman Auditorium. Interactive displays related to the evening's topic are also being planned to give audience members additional context and information for each talk.</p><p data-block-key="8ghhv">A question-and-answer session—moderated by neuroscientist, science communicator, and Caltech alum <a href="http://www.crystaldilworth.com/">Crystal Dilworth</a> (PhD '14)—will close the lectures, and guests are encouraged to stay for post-talk coffee and tea, and the chance for conversations with neighbors and researchers alike.</p><p data-block-key="7sc67">The 2023–24 Watson season will open on October 18 with Hosea Nelson (PhD '13), professor of chemistry, whose talk, <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/calendar/watson-lecture-chemistry-of-everything-hosea-nelson?utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=watson-lectures&utm_source=caltechnews&utm_content=&utm_term=">"The Chemistry of Everything: Uncovering new treatments in the natural world,"</a> will explore the search for new drugs within nature. Later talks will feature research on wearable sensors for monitoring health, the Lunar Trailblazer mission to investigate water on the moon, using fiber optic cables to better detect earthquakes, and much more.</p><p data-block-key="6isrl">"We have an outstanding group of scientists and engineers presenting their research this season," says John Eiler, the Robert P. Sharp Professor of Geology and Geochemistry and chair of Caltech's Institute Programs Committee, which oversees the Watsons. "Providing an opportunity for the public to engage directly with Caltech research is one of the most important ways we can contribute to the intellectual life of the community."</p><p data-block-key="cr27k">Originally known as the "Friday Evening Demonstration Lectures," the series was started by Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 to 1959, to help foster public appreciation for the impact of fundamental research. During the talks, Watson would stand in front of a packed lecture hall to deliver his famed "liquid-air" demonstration, in which he would open a bottle of air that had been cooled to minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The contents would then appear to "boil" out of the bottle and engulf Watson in white fumes. While Watson's famed demonstrations would no longer meet current safety guidelines, the spirit of his talks and his interest in inspiring an appreciation and understanding of science remains and has motivated generations of faculty to share the details of their work with the public.</p><p data-block-key="9ovh1">Eventually renamed in his honor, the Watson Lectures continue to spotlight pathbreaking Caltech research.</p><p data-block-key="bvma">A full listing of this season's lectures, including registration details, is available on the <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/series/watson?utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=watson-lectures&utm_source=caltechnews&utm_content=&utm_term=">series webpage</a>.</p>Experimental Economics in Theory and Practice2023-07-24T03:06:39.694113+00:00Cynthia Ellerceller@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/Experimental-Economics-Theory-and-Practice<p data-block-key="7idkv">The social sciences have to face a notoriously difficult challenge that begins with their very name. Just what sort of science are these "social" sciences? Can they really help us study and understand human society in the same way the natural sciences promise to improve our understanding of the natural world? Certainly it seems that they should. Why should we not be able to observe, analyze, and even quantify human behavior if we already feel comfortable doing the same for volcanoes and rivers, marigolds and fruit flies?</p><p data-block-key="qodq">In practice, things have often been much dicier. From the Book of Genesis on, we humans have demonstrated a somewhat (entirely?) overblown assessment of our own singularity perched atop the natural world. And yet, the quest to find experimentally verifiable answers about human behavior continues. How could it not? If there is one thing that would be extremely profitable for us to understand, it would be ourselves. It is this quest to construct hypotheses about human behavior, test them, and share the results that motivates Caltech's summer program in theory-driven experimental economics, now in its second year.</p><p data-block-key="2vhsh">"When I was considering moving to Caltech," Professor of Economics Charlie Sprenger, who is also executive officer for the social sciences, explains, "[Professor of Economics] Marina Agranov and I brainstormed some ideas for creating educational opportunities for graduate students who are interested in the intersection between structured theories of choice and experimental tests. It was Marina's idea to develop a visiting student summer program on the topic as a way to help students build their networks, get feedback on their own projects, and inspire each other."</p><p data-block-key="drpgp">The summer program reaches out to graduate students and other interested scholars in experimental economics via professors and researchers in the field. This year's summer program brought students from UC Santa Barbara, University of Michigan, UC San Diego, Ohio State University, Columbia University, Princeton University, and UC Berkeley to the Caltech campus. "This is the first opportunity we've had where we can meet grad students from the same department at different universities," said Jack Adeney, a doctoral student in the social sciences who came to study at Caltech by way of NYU Abu Dhabi and the University of Cambridge, and who attended the program.</p><p data-block-key="efbqm">This year's weeklong intensive ran from June 20–24 in Dabney Lounge. It began with lectures and presentations given by Caltech faculty, including Sprenger, Agranov, Antonio Rangel, Kirby Nielsen, and Thomas Palfrey, and Doug Bernheim of Stanford University. Students learned how to formulate theories about human decision-making and then construct controlled economic environments to test these in a way that reasonably matches real-world situations. They were also exposed to new data-collection tools such as tracking visual fixations, neural activity, and decision times that enhance standard laboratory experiments on subjects' economic choices.</p><p data-block-key="fiplk">The last two days of the summer program gave students the opportunity to present their own research and get feedback from professors and fellow students alike. This, as much as anything else, is the motivation for the program.</p><p data-block-key="3j1bs">"Marina and I are quite blunt on this point," says Sprenger. "We want students to be inspired to conduct theory-driven experimental research, write wonderful job market papers, and receive offers for postdoctoral positions and assistant professorships that will inspire the next generation to follow their path."</p>Caltech Hosts Conference for Emerging Black Academics in STEM2023-06-14T01:24:37.989742+00:00https://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/cebas<p data-block-key="uu7s9">On May 12, Caltech hosted the inaugural Conference for Emerging Black Academics in STEM (CEBAS), organized by the Black Scientists and Engineers of Caltech (BSEC) and the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity (CCID).</p><p data-block-key="6i46f">Scholars from across Southern California convened at Dabney Hall on campus to present research at the forefront of various STEM fields and discuss their experiences as Black academics. Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum and BSEC co-presidents Evan Haze Nuñez and Thomas Henning gave opening remarks, which were followed by a session of talks across a wide range of disciplines. More than 80 attendees joined the conference in person and remotely via Zoom.</p><p data-block-key="7kuda"></p><p data-block-key="f3m95"></p><embed alt="Evan Haze Nuñez presents opening remarks at the conference." embedtype="image" format="LeftAlignLarge" id="32858"/><p data-block-key="6igd8"></p><p data-block-key="uu7s9"></p><p data-block-key="a843t">Throughout the day, faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate students presented talks on research in chemistry, biology, geology, mathematics, neuroscience, economics, astrophysics, sociology, psychology, and materials science.</p><p data-block-key="7upev">Conference organizers say the interdisciplinary nature is one thing that makes CEBAS unique. "There are a few existing conferences for Black scientists, but they tend to be field- or industry-focused, like the National Society of Black Engineers and the National Society of Black Physicists conferences," says Nuñez. "Our goal is to bring Black academics into a space where we can appreciate and learn from one another across disciplines."</p><p data-block-key="3937c">Organizers add that the conference also aims to increase the visibility of Black scientists and highlight Caltech as a space where Black researchers can thrive.</p><p data-block-key="br1od">"Caltech does not have the greatest history in regard to racial relations and in its support of Black scientists," says Henning. "But I think that has been changing fairly dramatically in the last few years. Hosting this conference showcases the talent we have, and shows that what was once a hostile environment can become something incredibly positive and open."</p><p data-block-key="9kijg">Although the conference focuses on research, speakers are also encouraged to mention "how they navigate life as successful Black scientists," says BSEC vice president Sarah Weisflog. "Our science journeys in general are intertwined with our identities."</p><p data-block-key="5q25c">After the first session of talks and lunch, Henning moderated a panel on science communication that explored those intersections. During the discussion, Caltech geobiology graduate student Josh Anadu, Caltech Presidential Postdoctoral Scholar in chemistry Arianne Hunter, and UCLA astrophysics graduate student Dakotah Tyler spoke about <a href="https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/representation-and-resilience-in-science-communication">authenticity, representation, and resilience in science communication</a>.</p><p data-block-key="440uk"></p><p data-block-key="8gcqi"></p><embed alt="From left to right: Thomas Henning, Josh Anadu, Dakotah Tyler, and Arianne Hunter speak on the science communication panel." embedtype="image" format="LeftAlignLarge" id="32859"/><p data-block-key="6sasm"></p><p data-block-key="385uz"></p><p data-block-key="cdi96">After the panel, another session of talks explored cutting-edge research, including a keynote lecture from Gina Poe, UCLA professor of neuroscience. Poe spoke about her lab's work on the role of sleep in memory consolidation and learning.</p><p data-block-key="ecoif"></p><p data-block-key="cde9f"></p><embed alt="Gina Poe, UCLA professor of neuroscience, gives the keynote lecture at CEBAS." embedtype="image" format="LeftAlignLarge" id="32860"/><p data-block-key="ee6dg"></p><p data-block-key="u27k3"></p><p data-block-key="1dljg">The conference concluded with a poster session and reception at which attendees had the chance to continue discussing research and making connections.</p><p data-block-key="3ngrt"></p><p data-block-key="ct35r"></p><embed alt="Ayoola Fadonougbo, undergraduate student at CSULB and former Caltech WAVE Fellow, presents research at CEBAS while Cameron Jackson (second from left in image) listens." embedtype="image" format="LeftAlignLarge" id="32861"/><p data-block-key="7k8k6"></p><p data-block-key="6dmoa"></p><p data-block-key="1o7eo">Attendees reflected on CEBAS with appreciation and enthusiasm for next year's conference. "We made history yesterday," said Hunter <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7063273046031151104?updateEntityUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afs_feedUpdate%3A%28V2%2Curn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A7063273046031151104%29">in a LinkedIn post</a> after the event. "It's a beautiful thing when a group of diverse minds can come together and put together an event of this magnitude for a greater purpose."</p><p data-block-key="5ajj2">"The conference was a great chance for the small Black community at Caltech to invite others in and discuss many topics in STEM," says Cameron Jackson, a graduate student in neurobiology at Caltech.</p><p data-block-key="fcldh">"It was so inspiring to see that most of us have similar experiences and continue to excel as scientists. Personally, it was like a breath of fresh air and the first time I have felt a real community since starting graduate school. I went to lab the next day ready to give 110% because I felt like I now had a group of people who were just like me and making huge contributions to science and our community, so it's my responsibility to do the same in whatever ways I can."</p><p data-block-key="7ehcp">CEBAS was organized by BSEC leadership including Nuñez, Henning, Weisflog, and Jasmine Emtage, with support from <a href="https://diversity.caltech.edu/">CCID</a> director Tashiana Bryant-Myrick and program manager for advocacy Devon Dobbs. It was also supported by the <a href="https://researchuniversityalliance.org/">Research University Alliance</a>, of which Caltech is a partner school.</p><p data-block-key="7idlv"></p><p data-block-key="et2p5"></p><embed alt="BSEC leadership and CEBAS organizers, from left to right: Sarah Weisflog, Evan Haze Nuñez, Thomas Henning, and Jasmine Emtage." embedtype="image" format="LeftAlignLarge" id="32862"/><p data-block-key="2vt6r"></p>New Caltech Center Sheds Light on the Future of Generative AI, Innovation, and Regulation2023-05-19T20:22:00+00:00Emily Velascoevelasco@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/generative-ai-regulation-kevin-roose<p data-block-key="o08ft">From weather forecasts and disease diagnosis to chatbots and self-driving cars, new applications of <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/artificial-intelligence-research/artificial-intelligence-definition?utm_source=caltechnews&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=cseai">artificial intelligence</a> (AI) continue to multiply. More recently, the widespread availability of tools that can create content—whether code, text, images, audio, or video—such as ChatGPT and DALL-E, has thrust "generative AI" into the spotlight.</p><p data-block-key="bh852">As applications proliferate, so do complex questions about how to ensure responsible use of generative AI. To explore the societal implications of AI technology and how policymakers might approach regulating it, the Caltech <a href="https://lindeinstitute.caltech.edu/research/csspp">Center for Science, Society, and Public Policy</a> (CSSPP) <a href="https://lindeinstitute.caltech.edu/research/csspp/csspp-events/csspp-roundtable-conversation-may-5-2023">hosted</a> a conversation among researchers, industry representatives, and the public on Caltech's campus. The CSSPP was <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-center-aims-to-help-shape-public-science-policy">established</a> in early 2023 to examine the intersection of science and society, provide a forum for the discussion of scientific ethics, and help shape public science policy. The center is affiliated with <a href="https://lindeinstitute.caltech.edu/">The Ronald and Maxine Linde Institute of Economic and Management Sciences</a>.</p><p data-block-key="20ejd">"We believe that scientific knowledge and technological prowess are essential to any meaningful evaluation of the impacts of AI on society," said Caltech president Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics. "This is true for the positives and for the negatives: whether it be lifesaving improvements to health screening, powerful tools for artistic creation, and new ways of approaching science or potential upheavals in the job market, propagation of false information, and new weapons of war. Only through this type of informed evaluation can we amplify the salutary aspects of technological development and counter its dehumanizing capacity."</p><p data-block-key="9hm5g">The event featured an introduction on the state of generative AI from <i>New York Times</i> technology columnist <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/kevin-roose">Kevin Roose</a> (who famously had an <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/16/technology/bing-chatbot-transcript.html">unnerving conversation</a> with Microsoft's Bing chatbot).</p><p data-block-key="5b9rc">In his keynote, Roose reminded the audience of the power of shared responsibility and knowledge. "One of the advantages that AIs have over humans is that they have networked intelligence: When one node in a neural network learns something or makes a connection, it propagates it through to all the other nodes in the neural network. When one self-driving car in a fleet learns about a new kind of obstacle, it feeds that information back into the system," he said. "Humans don't do that, by and large. We silo information, we hoard it, we keep it to ourselves. And I think that if we want a realistic shot at competing and thriving and succeeding, and maintaining our agency and our relevance in this new era of generative AI, we really need to do it together." While on campus, Roose also participated in a Q&A session with nearly 50 Caltech students.</p><p data-block-key="74blb">In a subsequent panel discussion moderated by R. Michael Alvarez, professor of political and computational social science and co-director of the CSSPP, experts in law, gaming and technology, and academic research shared thoughts on the positive and negative potential of generative AI.</p><p data-block-key="ct8ij">The optimistic outlook centers on AI's power to advance science and engineering, for example, by making it possible to predict genome sequences of new COVID-19 variants before they appear in nature, design better medical equipment, and mitigate climate change.</p><p data-block-key="59gn0">"How do we capture CO2 and store it underground? How do we plan for the right reservoir and the right amount of CO2 to store? These are the kinds of complex processes that our human minds can't even grapple with," said Anima Anandkumar, Bren Professor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences and co-leader of the <a href="https://www.ai4science.caltech.edu/index.html">AI4Science</a> initiative at Caltech. "We are using [generative] AI, and we are doing it much faster. Along with it comes the benefit of being able to come up with new discoveries, new inventions."</p><p data-block-key="6ndj8">Speaking from a more skeptical perspective, panelists raised concerns over intellectual property and copyright, bias, and large-scale misinformation.</p><p data-block-key="c7se0">Additionally, when generative AI technologies are coupled with the massive amount of personal data consumers share with social media algorithms, our own biases can become vulnerable to manipulation, Carly Taylor, a data scientist and security strategist at Activision Publishing pointed out. "All of us are capable of being bamboozled," Taylor said. "Everyone has confirmation biases, and in many cases across social media, we have spent every single day for years telling Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn exactly what we are biased toward by what we search, what content we consume, or with whom we engage … As a risk, that can become completely exploitable."</p><p data-block-key="774c0">Justin Levitt, Gerald T. McLaughlin Fellow and professor of law at Loyola Law School, shared his pessimism about AI's impact on democracy in the United States, including the ability to rapidly spread election misinformation. "Democracy depends on a set of different opinions and a set of common facts, and generative AI is going to be great for giving us an infinite array of disparate facts," he said. "That's a disaster for democracy."</p><p data-block-key="3hl60">Sean Comer, an applied researcher at Activision and its Infinity Ward development studio, saw a silver lining in recent anxiety over generative AI. "Maybe it gives us the elephant in the room to address the attention economy, which a lot of misinformation tends to stem from," he said. "Maybe it's a necessary evil that can force us to deal with these things."</p><p data-block-key="9sqfg">Importantly, speakers addressed the role of research institutions like Caltech. For example, avoiding biases in new AI models will take the kind of critical thinking and rigorous testing for which academia is known. The CSSPP will continue to foster these types of conversations by bringing policymakers to campus for lectures, colloquia, discussion panels, and workshops in addition to developing undergraduate and graduate courses that cover issues in scientific ethics and policy, and consider how policy may be augmented by scientific ethics and expertise.</p><h5 data-block-key="o08ft">Learn more about the <a href="https://lindeinstitute.caltech.edu/research/csspp">Caltech Center for Science, Society, and Public Policy (CSSPP).</a></h5>2022 Year in Review2022-12-19T19:49:00+00:00Caltech Media Relationsmr@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/2022-year-in-review<p data-block-key="makzi">As the end of 2022 quickly approaches, Caltech News looks back at our coverage of the research, discoveries, events, and experiences that shaped the Institute. Here are some highlights.</p><h2 data-block-key="7pr79">Revealing the Secrets of the Red Planet</h2><p data-block-key="bb3av">Caltech researchers used data gathered both in space by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and on the ground by the Mars Perseverance Rover to continue to probe the Red Planet's past and any potential signs it was previously hospitable to life. In January, MRO survey data revealed that liquid water was on Mars about one billion years earlier than suspected. Meanwhile, Perseverance made a beeline across the floor of Jezero Crater during spring 2022, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/as-mars-perseverance-rover-rolls-along-the-delta-scientists-at-caltech-roll-up-their-sleeves">arriving at an ancient river delta</a> in April. The delta is thought to be one of the best possible places to search for past signs of life; there, Perseveranc<i>e</i> found <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/rock-samples-from-the-floor-of-jezero-crater-show-significant-contact-with-water-together-with-possible-organic-compounds">signs of past water along with evidence of possible organic compounds</a> in the igneous rocks on the crater floor. After a few months at the delta, Perseverance project scientist <a href="https://www.gps.caltech.edu/people/kenneth-a-farley">Ken Farley</a> announced in September the discovery of a class of <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-s-perseverance-rover-investigates-geologically-rich-mars-terrain">organic molecules in two samples of mudstone rock</a> collected from a feature called Wildcat Ridge. While these organic molecules can be produced through nonliving chemical processes, some of the molecules themselves are among the building blocks of life.</p><h2 data-block-key="a57fq">Surveying the Cosmos and Our Interaction with It</h2><p data-block-key="9afbb">Not all eyes aimed toward space are set on Mars, however. New instruments and surveys provided insights related to other celestial bodies in our Milky Way galaxy, such as asteroids, and helped discover an abundance of planets outside of our solar system.</p><p data-block-key="b66m5">In March, the <a href="https://exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu/">NASA Exoplanet Archive</a>, an official catalog for exoplanets—planets that circle other stars beyond our sun—housed at Caltech's IPAC astronomy center, officially <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/exoplanet-count-tops-5000">hit a new milestone</a>: 5,000 exoplanets.</p><p data-block-key="a6013">Looking even farther out into the universe from planet Earth, Caltech researchers made several discoveries, including a tight-knit pair of supermassive black holes locked in an <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/colossal-black-holes-locked-in-dance-at-heart-of-galaxy">epic waltz</a>, and a new "<a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/black-widow-star-devours-its-rapidly-circling-companion">black widow</a>" star system, spotted by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), in which a rapidly spinning dead star called a pulsar is slowly evaporating its companion.</p><p data-block-key="6rk5i">Caltech's ZTF sky survey instrument, based at Palomar Observatory, had <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/first-asteroid-found-inside-orbit-venus">previously discovered the first known asteroid to circle entirely within the orbit of Venus</a>. To honor the Pauma band of Indigenous peoples whose ancestral lands include Palomar Mountain, the ZTF team asked the band to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/native-americans-name-asteroid-ayl%C3%B3chaxnim-or-venus-girl">name the asteroid</a>. They chose <a href="https://caltech.box.com/s/21v4d2vw0qcmw9g1eqdjmlmwgii42637">'Ayló'chaxnim</a>, which means "Venus girl" in their native language of Luiseño.</p><p data-block-key="8gbm2">And far closer to home, new faculty member and historian <a href="https://www.hss.caltech.edu/people/lisa-ruth-rand">Lisa Ruth Rand</a> set her sights on the debris we have left in Earth's orbit (and beyond), and what it can tell us about humanity and our evolving relationship with space.</p><h2 data-block-key="9rjgo">Building Better Ways to See the Universe</h2><p data-block-key="bagcn">Caltech astronomers continue to lead the way in the development of ever more powerful instruments for answering fundamental questions about our place in the universe. The <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/keck-observatorys-newest-planet-hunter-puts-its-eye-on-the-sky">new Keck Planet Finder</a>, led by astronomer <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/keck-observatorys-newest-planet-hunter-puts-its-eye-on-the-sky">Andrew Howard</a>, will take advantage of the W. M. Keck Observatory's giant telescopes to search for and characterize hundreds, and ultimately, thousands of exoplanets, including Earth-size planets that may harbor conditions suitable for life.</p><p data-block-key="1tge2">NASA has also <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/nasa-selects-uvex-mission-proposal-for-further-study">selected the UltraViolet EXplorer (UVEX)</a> proposal, led by astronomer <a href="https://pma.caltech.edu/people/fiona-a-harrison">Fiona Harrison</a>, for further study. If selected to become a mission, UVEX would conduct a deep survey of the whole sky in ultraviolet light to provide new insights into galaxy evolution and the life cycle of stars. Harrison's current NASA mission, NuSTAR (Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array), an X-ray telescope that hunts black holes, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/nustar-celebrates-10-years-in-space">celebrated 10 years in space</a>. Meanwhile, the development of NASA's SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer), led by astronomer <a href="https://pma.caltech.edu/people/james-j-jamie-bock">Jamie Bock</a>, is forging ahead with a customized test chamber <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/a-test-chamber-for-nasas-new-cosmic-mapmaker-makes-a-dramatic-entrance">delivered this year to Caltech</a>.</p><p data-block-key="9niks">As new telescopes continue to come together, a venerable Caltech telescope is being taken apart atop Maunakea in Hawai‘i. The Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-submillimeter-observatory-decommissioning-receives-final-permits-and-selects-contractors">received the final permits</a> to begin its decommissioning process. Scientists plan to ultimately repurpose the telescope and put it back together in Chile.</p><h2 data-block-key="69uv1">Improving Human Health</h2><p data-block-key="5ge0n">Caltech's fundamental quest for understanding life and our origins also inspires many research efforts and innovations with the potential to improve human health and well-being.</p><p data-block-key="78dfs">Continuing work that began with the COVID-19 pandemic, Pamela Björkman and colleagues developed a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/sars-coronavirus-variant-vaccine-bjorkman">new type of vaccine</a> that protects against the virus that causes COVID-19 and closely related viruses, while Sarkis Mazmanian has shown how an imbalance of gut microbes <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/gut-microbes-influence-binge-eating-of-sweet-treats-in-mice">can cause binge eating</a>. Meanwhile, other researchers made real what would have seemed like science fiction only a few years ago: Caltech medical engineer Wei Gao created an <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/artificial-skin-gives-robots-sense-of-touch-and-beyond">artificial skin for robots</a> that interfaces with human skin and allows a human operator to "feel" what the robot is sensing; chemical engineer Mikhail Shapiro engineered a strain of <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/fighting-cancer-with-sound-controlled-bacteria">remote-controlled bacteria</a> that seek out tumors inside the human body to deliver targeted drugs on command; and neuroscientist Richard Andersen and colleagues developed a brain–machine interface that can <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/brain-machine-interface-device-predicts-internal-speech">read a person's brain activity</a> and translate it into the words the person was thinking— technology that may one day allow people with full-body paralysis to speak. Additionally, Caltech researchers created a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/synthetic-mouse-embryo-with-brain-and-beating-heart-grown-from-stem-cells">"synthetic" mouse embryo</a>, complete with brain and beating heart; completed a 20-year quest to decode one of <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/decoding-a-key-part-of-the-cell-atom-by-atom">the most complex and important pieces of machinery in our cells</a>; and discovered how fruit flies' <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-fruit-flies-sniff-out-their-environments">extremely sensitive noses help them find food</a>.</p><h2 data-block-key="ae3i">Advancing Sustainability Solutions</h2><p data-block-key="l8li">In 2022, Caltech paid tribute to its long history of advances in sustainability and then looked forward to pioneering new initiatives and technologies that will reduce humanity's footprint on Earth's fragile environment. Through the <a href="https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/caltech-heritage-projects-oral-history">newly launched Caltech Heritage Project</a>, a series of oral histories published this year captured the pivotal role Caltech alumni played in <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/todays-electric-vehicles-owe-debt-to-caltech-alumni">the electric car revolution</a>. Meanwhile, in April, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-energy-10-ce10-aims-to-develop-the-roadmap-toward-a-50-percent-reduction-in-us-global-warming-gas-emissions-by-2032">Caltech hosted the Caltech Energy 10 (CE10) conference</a>, bringing thought leaders to campus to chart a path toward achieving the Biden administration's stated goal to cut U.S. global warming gas emissions by 50 percent within the next 10 years.</p><p data-block-key="5hh40">Caltech researchers continue to contribute to research to generate cleaner energy, ranging from work in the laboratory of John Dabiri (MS '03, PhD '05) to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/tweaking-turbine-angles-squeezes-more-power-out-of-wind-farms">optimize wind farms</a> to efforts to create and commercialize technology for capturing carbon already released into the atmosphere (which earned <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/startup-from-caltech-nabs-xprize-award">a Caltech-based startup an XPrize Award</a>).</p><p data-block-key="cd9kn">On campus, Caltech began construction of the <a href="https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/caltechs-green-gateway-the-resnick-sustainability-center">Resnick Sustainability Center</a>, scheduled to open in 2024, which will bring together talent from across campus to tackle issues related to climate change and other human impacts on the natural environment. And as the year wraps up, the Space-based Solar Power Project is <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/space-solar-power-atwater-hajimiri-pellegrino">preparing to launch a demonstration</a> into space to test three key elements of its ambitious plan to harvest solar energy in space—where there are no cloudy days—and beam it wirelessly down to Earth.</p><h2 data-block-key="919l0">Harnessing the Power of Data to Advance Science</h2><p data-block-key="3r4bo">As the <a href="https://www.ai4science.caltech.edu/">AI4Science Initiative</a> continually demonstrates and the <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/artificial-intelligence-research?utm_source=caltechnews&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=cseai">Caltech Science Exchange recently highlighted</a>, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have applications that reach every corner of campus. In 2022, AI was used to generate <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-researchers-help-generate-first-image-of-black-hole-at-the-center-of-our-galaxy">the first-ever picture of the black hole at the center of our own galaxy</a> (only the second image of a black hole ever created), to pave the way to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/improving-aircraft-design-with-machine-learning-and-a-more-efficient-model-of-turbulent-airflows">improve aircraft design</a>, to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/rapid-adaptation-of-deep-learning-teaches-drones-to-survive-any-weather">help drones fly autonomously</a> in real-weather conditions, and to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/researchers-tackle-covid-19-with-ai">fight COVID-19</a>. This election year, researchers from Caltech discussed how machine learning can both <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/artificial-intelligence-research/artificial-intelligence-experts/ai-science-alvarez-anandkumar?utm_source=caltechnews&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=cseai">combat misinformation</a> and fight online bullying.</p><h2 data-block-key="e1lla">Forging Quantum Frontiers</h2><p data-block-key="futes">Caltech continues its role as a major hub of quantum research. The newly announced <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/ginsburgs-give-to-create-new-quantum-center-and-building-at-caltech">Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement</a> will unite a diverse community of theorists and experimentalists devoted to understanding quantum systems and their potential uses (see a <a href="https://youtu.be/zqRezABOAdY">video about the new center</a>). The 25th annual <a href="https://qipconference.org/">Conference on Quantum Information Processing</a>, or QIP, the world's largest gathering of researchers in the field of quantum information, a discipline that unites quantum physics and computer science, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-hosts-largest-quantum-information-conference">was held in Pasadena</a> for the first time and represented the first major collaboration between Caltech and the new <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-and-amazon-partner-to-create-new-hub-of-quantum-computing">AWS Center for Quantum Computing</a> on campus.</p><p data-block-key="51e4a">Fundamental research in the quantum sciences charged ahead, with findings that included a quantum computer-based experiment to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/physicists-observe-wormhole-dynamics-using-a-quantum-computer">test theoretical wormholes</a> and new demonstrations showing how graphene can be used in <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/graphene-boosts-flexible-and-wearable-electronics">flexible and wearable electronics</a>.</p><h2 data-block-key="17b89">Pioneering People</h2><p data-block-key="daf2">This year, members of the Caltech community received recognition for expanding the boundaries of scientific knowledge, but also for humanitarian endeavors and for blazing new educational and occupational paths for others to follow.</p><p data-block-key="d0309">In March, Roman Korol, a Caltech graduate student, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/organizing-aid-to-his-native-ukraine">launched a project</a> to collect and distribute humanitarian aid for families affected by the war in Ukraine.</p><p data-block-key="88vng">In April, Jessica Watkins, who worked on the Mars Curiosity rover mission while a postdoc at Caltech, made history as the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/former-caltech-postdoc-launches-into-space">first Black woman on the International Space Station</a>. From space, she <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/nasa-astronaut-jessica-watkins-holds-a-qa-from-space">hosted a live Q&A</a> for Caltech students and faculty in Ramo Auditorium and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/wind-drives-geology-on-mars-these-days">reviewed a paper</a> describing how geology on Mars works in dramatically different ways than on Earth.</p><p data-block-key="27l2o">In May, alumna Laurie Leshin (MS '89, PhD '95) <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-names-laurie-leshin-ms-89-phd-95-director-of-jpl">assumed leadership of JPL</a>, becoming its first female director.</p><p data-block-key="83gle">In June, Carver Mead (BS '56, MS '57, PhD '60), one of the fathers of modern computing, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/carver-mead-awarded-kyoto-prize-by-inamori-foundation">received the 2022 Kyoto Prize</a> for leading contributions to the establishment of the guiding principles for very large-scale integration systems design, which enables the basis for integrated computer circuits.</p><p data-block-key="99gae">In October, Caltech alumnus John Clauser (BS '64) <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-alum-wins-nobel-prize-in-physics">shared the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics</a> "for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science." The same month, <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/edward-stone-retires-after-50-years-as-nasa-voyagers-project-scientist">Edward Stone retired</a> as the project scientist for NASA's Voyager mission a half-century after taking on the role. Under his guidance, the Voyager probes explored the solar system's four gas-giant planets and became the first human-made objects to reach interstellar space, the region between stars containing material generated by the death of nearby stars. Also, Tracy Dennison <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/tracy-dennison-begins-tenure-as-chair-of-the-division-of-the-humanities-and-social-sciences">began her term</a> as the new Ronald and Maxine Linde Leadership Chair of the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences.</p><p data-block-key="1i42u">In November, 50 years after they entered Caltech as the Institute's <a href="https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/reflections-on-72">first Black female students</a>, Karen Maples, MD (BS '76); Deanna Hunt (BS '76); and Lauretta Carroll (BS '77) reflected on the challenges and successes they experienced then and in the years that followed.</p><h2 data-block-key="f2mn6">Institute News</h2><p data-block-key="88d5a">Throughout the year, the Institute took steps to implement new programs and bolster existing ones that underscore Caltech's guiding values, such as supporting students and postdoctoral scholars, creating a more inclusive environment, and celebrating and accounting for its history.</p><p data-block-key="5jsko">To create more opportunities for students and increase interdisciplinary research, Caltech <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-graduate-track-to-combine-study-of-medical-and-electrical-engineering">created a new graduate education track</a> that combines medical engineering and electrical engineering. To further boost interdisciplinary research and expand Caltech's prominence as a hub for mathematics, the Institute became the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/american-institute-of-mathematics-moves-to-caltech">new home of the American Institute of Mathematics</a>, an independent nonprofit organization funded in part by the National Science Foundation.</p><p data-block-key="9fosq">The Institute, which this year kicked off a partnership with the Carnegie Institution for Science, also <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-joins-sea-change-as-charter-member">became a charter member of SEA Change</a>, an initiative of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that supports educational institutions as they systemically transform to improve diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine.</p><p data-block-key="9en86">The Institute expanded its <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/presidential-postdoctoral-fellows">Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship</a>, which supports efforts to diversify academia by recruiting and supporting promising postdoctoral scholars from underrepresented communities.</p><p data-block-key="1bi6e">On campus, Caltech marked the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/grant-d-venerable-house-dedication">dedication of the Grant D. Venerable House</a>, honoring its namesake alumnus, who was the first Black undergraduate student to graduate from Caltech and an active student leader and athlete during his time on campus. It also celebrated the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-celebrates-dedication-of-the-lee-f-browne-dining-hall">dedication of the Lee F. Browne Dining Hall</a>, honoring the late Lee Franke Browne, a former Caltech employee and lecturer who dedicated his life and career to efforts that expanded students' access to STEM and who advanced human rights.</p><h2 data-block-key="e33ik">In the Community</h2><p data-block-key="8itgo">With the return of in-person events, the Institute was able to reestablish and strengthen ties to the local community through educational programs for area students, and through cultural events and lectures whose online components often reached even broader audiences across the world.</p><p data-block-key="1t506">This year, the Institute celebrated the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltechs-seismo-lab-celebrates-100-years-at-the-forefront-of-earthquake-science">centennial of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory</a>, marking an unparalleled century at the forefront of earthquake science and geophysics.</p><p data-block-key="4si1b">Caltech also celebrated the <a href="https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/watson-lectures-100-years">100th anniversary of the Watson Lectures</a>, which launched in 1922 as a way to benefit the public through education and outreach. Continuing that tradition, Caltech partnered with local schools to bring high school students to campus to see the lectures and engaged young students through other educational outreach programs, including the new <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-earthquake-fellows">Caltech Earthquake Fellows program</a> and the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/outreach-program-engages-public-high-school-students-in-the-discovery-of-exoplanets">Caltech Planet Finder Academy</a>, both of which launched this year. Other programs designed to bolster science education for young students included <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/high-school-students-research-at-caltech">Summer Research Connection</a>, a program that invites high school students and teachers from Pasadena Unified School District and other nearby schools into Caltech laboratories, and the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-virtual-host-national-science-olympiad-2022">National Science Olympiad Tournament</a>, which Caltech hosted this year for the first time and whose students played the main role in conducting the event.</p><p data-block-key="5fcm8">For the campus community, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/techfest-2022-start-fall-term">TechFest</a> returned to campus for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, welcoming students with an in-person block party on Beckman Mall complete with games and fireworks.</p><p data-block-key="2s02g"><a href="https://events.caltech.edu/">Caltech's Public Programming</a> was able to re-engage with the community through in-person events, including <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/series/caltechlive-performing-arts">CaltechLive!</a> events such as the performance of Nobuntu, a female a cappella quintet from Zimbabwe; and lectures from the <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/series/science-journeys"><i>Science Journeys</i></a>, <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/series/movies-that-matter"><i>Movies that Matter</i></a> and <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/series/behind_the_book"><i>Behind the Book</i></a> series that showcased such varied topics as a journey to the center of Jupiter, a discussion of the science of cooking, and how climate migration will reshape the world.</p>Caltech to Host Play and Moderated Discussion about Neurodegenerative Disorder2022-04-21T15:44:00+00:00Emily Velascoevelasco@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/caltech-to-host-play-and-moderated-discussion-about-neurodegenerative-disorder<p data-block-key="98d6c"><i>UnRavelled</i>, a play that tells the true story of a scientist turned painter who became captivated by the works of composer Maurice Ravel, with whom she shared a neurodegenerative disorder, will be performed as a <a href="https://www.hss.caltech.edu/news-and-events/calendar/wir-broder1">staged reading</a> on the Caltech campus on May 3.</p><p data-block-key="799gi">The play was commissioned by the Global Brain Health Institute and explores the science and effects of frontotemporal dementia, which can have profound effects on personality, emotions, and the ability to use language.</p><p data-block-key="7puvb">The reading, organized by the play's author, actor and writer Jake Broder (<i>Silicon Valley, How I Met Your Mother</i>), will be directed by Nike Doukas and feature the cast from the original online production (<a href="https://www.gbhi.org/unravelled">unravelledplay.com</a>) that debuted in 2021. It will be held from 7–9 p.m. in Baxter Lecture Hall and is open to all members of the Caltech community. Registration is not required, but attendees will be asked to show a Caltech ID before being admitted. The use of high-quality masks is <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/documents/17525/Face_Covering_Guidance_-_April_2022_sc.pdf">required</a>.</p><p data-block-key="asbef">On May 5, from 7–8 p.m. in Dabney Lounge, Broder will participate in <a href="https://www.hss.caltech.edu/news-and-events/calendar/wir-broder2">a discussion</a> about the science and art of the play with Caltech's <a href="https://www.hss.caltech.edu/people/colin-f-camerer">Colin Camerer</a>, Robert Kirby Professor of Behavioral Economics, T&C Chen Center for Social and Decision Neuroscience Leadership Chair, and director of the T&C Chen Center for Social and Decision Neuroscience. The discussion will be moderated by <a href="https://www.hss.caltech.edu/people/cindy-weinstein">Cindy Weinstein</a>, the Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English.</p><p data-block-key="2ri89">The discussion is also open to all members of the Caltech community with no registration required. Again, high-quality masks are <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/documents/17525/Face_Covering_Guidance_-_April_2022_sc.pdf">required</a>.</p><p data-block-key="64e1r">Funding for both evenings is provided by the James Michelin Distinguished Visitors Program, the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience, and T&C Chen Center for Social and Decision Neuroscience.</p>Watson Lecture on April 13: Jennifer Jahner on How COVID Changed the Way People Think and Talk about Risk2022-04-06T16:00:00+00:00Andrew Mosemanamoseman@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/watson-lecture-jennifer-jahner-covid-risk<p data-block-key="ur96k">On Wednesday, April 13, at 5 p.m. PDT, Jennifer Jahner, Caltech professor of English, will continue the 2021–22 Watson Lecture season with "The Rhetoric of Chance in Times of Pandemic."</p><p data-block-key="4jic7">The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted not only our daily patterns of life but also our habitual ways of thinking about safety, uncertainty, and risk at the personal and collective scales, Jahner notes. While the science we bring to this pandemic is new, the arguments we bring to questions of public health and uncertainty have ancient roots. Jahner's talk will explore the long history of thinking about chance, from the goddess Fortune of ancient epic to the modern rhetoric of personal risk.</p><p data-block-key="8rm72">"I've been especially struck over the last two years of the pandemic with what felt to me, at least initially, as a kind of disconnect between what we would think of as the science of the pandemic and the rhetoric of safety, certainty, vaccination, and anti-vaccination. … We essentially are still living in a kind of dual probabilistic world. One [way of thinking] has been shaped by the advent of probability theory from the 17th century forward. And the other is this very long, ancient discourse of what is, in fact, trustworthy. What does expert opinion tell you to do, what are the forms of rhetorical deliberation that allow us to make public health decisions or that affect our own personal reactions to data?"</p><p data-block-key="ur96k"></p><p data-block-key="5v531">Jahner's research spans the long histories of rhetoric, law, and natural philosophy, focusing on the European Middle Ages and its role in shaping our still-evolving understanding of rights, evidence, perception, and proof.</p><p data-block-key="cebnb">"At the advanced level I teach Chaucer, and premodern gender and sexuality, and I teach a medieval romance class," Jahner said in a recent interview. "Over the course of the pandemic, I developed a class on poetry and the struggle for justice that's more contemporary in its focus. We looked at contemporary poetry, usually written within the last 10 to sometimes 50 years, that's really engaged in direct ways with political upheaval. That was a really exciting course to develop and teach with a group of students and myself who are very much contending with all of the political and social and pandemic-related difficulties of the last couple years."</p><p data-block-key="1ble2">Jahner's first book, <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/literature-and-law-in-the-era-of-magna-carta-9780198847724?cc=us&lang=en"><i>Literature and Law in the Era of Magna Carta</i></a> (Oxford University Press, 2019), examines the grammatical and rhetorical training that informed constitutional thought in England at the beginnings of statutory law. It explores how poetry offered to law and its practitioners a powerful set of tools for conjuring theories of community, belonging, obligation, and injury.</p><p data-block-key="at4m3">Her current book project, <i>Arts of Conjecture: Experimental and Literary Method in Later Medieval England</i>, traces the early history of the experiment across the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. The project explores the place of experiments in literary manuscript production and suggests that poetry offered another means of testing the boundaries of experiential observation and prediction.</p><p data-block-key="6oo97">"Part of what drew me to this kind of work," Jahner said, "is that it took something that I knew how to do and said, ‘You have to start over from scratch and figure out what it means to read and understand a literary text.' The fact is that in the periods I study, because we're pre-printing press, everything that it survives has been handwritten by somebody. So, every text survives in a slightly different way in each iteration. And I just found that so exciting."</p><p data-block-key="5va8">The 2021–2022 Watson Lectures are free, open to the public, and presented virtually one Wednesday per month at 5 p.m. at <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/watson"><b>caltech.edu/watson</b></a>. This lecture will also be held in person and open to the public.</p><p data-block-key="96kep">Since 1922, the Earnest C. Watson Lectures have brought Caltech's most innovative scientific research to the public. The series is named for Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 until 1959. Spotlighting a small selection of the pioneering research Caltech's professors are currently conducting, the Watson Lectures are geared toward a general audience as part of the Institute's ongoing commitment to benefiting the local community through education and outreach.</p><p data-block-key="8vbcf">The Watson Lectures are part of the Caltech Signature Lecture Series, which offers a deep dive into the groundbreaking research and scientific breakthroughs at Caltech and JPL. For information, please visit <a href="http://events.caltech.edu/">events.caltech.edu</a>.</p><p data-block-key="58tfb"><i>Questions? Contact the Caltech Ticket Office via email at</i> <i>events@caltech.edu or leave a message at (626) 395-4652. Please allow 48 hours for a response. Reservations cannot be made over the phone or in person for the Watson Lecture Series.</i></p>2021: Year in Review2021-12-15T20:07:00+00:00Kathy Svitilksvitil@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/2021-year-in-review<p data-block-key="t307q"><i>In 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to disrupt lives and redefine "normal," Caltech's resilient community of insightful and dedicated researchers, scholars, students, and staff continued to push boundaries, shift paradigms, and invent the technologies that will improve our ever-changing world. Here are some highlights.</i></p><p data-block-key="dl2oo">In <b>January</b>, researchers developed a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/nanoparticle-immunization-technology-could-protect-against-many-strains-of-coronaviruses">cage-like vaccine platform</a> called a mosaic nanoparticle that could help protect against multiple strains of coronavirus; obtained new insights into human decision-making using <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/neural-networks-playing-video-games-teach-us-about-our-own-brains">AI-trained networks playing video games</a>; learned how <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/clear-as-mud-how-tiny-plants-changed-the-planet-488-million-years-ago">tiny plants changed the planet</a> nearly half a billion years ago; and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/studying-chaos-with-one-of-the-worlds-fastest-cameras">studied chaotic systems</a> using a camera that can take up to 70 trillion frames per second.</p><p data-block-key="an99i">Meanwhile, the Institute announced that it would <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-to-remove-the-names-of-robert-a-millikan-and-five-other-eugenics-proponents">remove the names</a> of known eugenics proponents from its buildings, honors, and assets.</p><p data-block-key="avppn"></p><embed alt="An artist's rendering of the Perseverance rover and the Ingenuity helicopter. The helicopter sits on the ground in front of the rover and is much smaller in comparison." embedtype="image" format="MiddleAlignMedium" id="24275"/><p data-block-key="ekssp"></p><p data-block-key="5qc8j"><b>February</b> saw the historic landing of NASA's Mars rover <i>Perseverance</i> on the Red Planet. The 2,263-pound rover, designed and operated by JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA, will spend two years investigating Mars's Jezero crater, and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-mars-2020-will-help-bring-part-of-the-red-planet-back-to-earth">will collect and cache samples of rocks and sediment for recovery</a> by a subsequent mission.</p><p data-block-key="9bt0q">Here on Earth, seismologists worked with optics experts to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/using-submarine-cables-to-detect-earthquakes">develop a method to use existing underwater telecommunication cables to detect earthquakes</a>; <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-advances-using-exotic-matter-may-lead-to-ultrafast-computing">physicists advanced the use of exotic materials for future ultrafast computers</a>; and engineers perfected methods to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/engineers-place-molecule-scale-devices-in-precise-orientation">place molecules in particular orientations at specific locations</a>—work that paves the way for the integration of molecules with computer chips.</p><p data-block-key="e8v6a">In <b>March</b>, Caltech researchers announced a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/reading-minds-with-ultrasound-a-less-invasive-technique-to-decode-the-brains-intentions">non-invasive method that uses ultrasound to read and interpret brain activity related to the intent to move</a>, a major step toward the creation of noninvasive brain–machine implants that can restore movement to paralyzed individuals; <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/what-happened-to-marss-water-it-is-still-trapped-there">located Mars's missing water</a>; described a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/math-professor-makes-breakthrough-in-ramsey-numbers">long-sought solution to "one of the most stubborn problems in math"</a>; and explained <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/stressed-out-bacteria-provide-insights-to-antibiotic-resistance">how bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics</a> and how <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-an-antibiotic-helps-bacteria-eat">antibiotics help bacteria eat when nutrients are scarce</a>.</p><p data-block-key="9hh69"></p><embed alt="Thousands of fruit flies exit a bucket on a dry lakebed" embedtype="image" format="MiddleAlignMedium" id="23282"/><p data-block-key="616v4"></p><p data-block-key="6hpoe">In <b>April</b>, Caltech biologists revealed that tiny fruit flies <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/hungry-fruit-flies-are-extreme-ultramarathon-fliers">can forage across extreme distances</a> (as much as 6 million times their body length), and astronomers described a network of small telescopes that promises unprecedented <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/small-telescopes-big-science">new views on the dynamic infrared sky</a>. Additionally, in honor of Earth Month, the <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu?utm_source=caltechnews&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=csesustainability">Caltech Science Exchange</a> launched a <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/sustainability?utm_source=caltechnews&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=csesustainability">new section on Sustainability</a>.</p><p data-block-key="6o91d">With COVID infection cases on the decline, the Institute announced the beginning of <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/04052021">a gradual return to on-campus operations</a>, and plans for a <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/04302021">limited in-person commencement celebration</a> to be held in June.</p><p data-block-key="a5jbs"></p><embed alt="A large zeppelin, partially consumed by flames, begins sinking toward the ground next to its mooring mast. The image is a black and white photograph." embedtype="image" format="MiddleAlignMedium" id="23366"/><p data-block-key="d84ob"></p><p data-block-key="ertef">In <b>May</b>, Caltech scientists offered a new answer to a long-standing historic mystery—the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/historys-mysteries-caltech-professor-helps-solve-hindenburg-disaster">cause of the 1937 Hindenberg disaster</a>—and revealed a novel bioinspired, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-material-could-harvest-water-all-day-long">water-harvesting material</a> that could help solve one of humanity's biggest challenges: water scarcity.</p><p data-block-key="dghfa">In <b>June</b>, Caltech held the second <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-127th-commencement">virtual commencement ceremony</a> in the Institute's history, and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/students-begin-return-to-campus-as-covid-restrictions-ease">welcomed students back to campus for summer research projects</a>. Research discoveries continued, with scientists describing new techniques to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/harnessing-sound-for-health-a-conversation-with-tim-colonius">break up gall and kidney stones with sound</a> and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/researchers-improve-efficiency-and-accessibility-of-crispr">improvements to the gene-editing technique CRISPR</a>, and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/recording-brain-activity-with-laser-light">a method to record brain activity with laser light.</a> Elsewhere, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/identifying-the-neural-link-between-gut-bacteria-and-social-behavior-in-mice">researchers identified a neural link between gut bacteria and social behavior</a>, showed how <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/computers-predict-peoples-tastes-in-art">computers can be trained to predict art preferences</a>, and discovered <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/a-white-dwarf-living-on-the-edge">the smallest known white dwarf</a>.</p><p data-block-key="ecvus"></p><embed alt="Meteorite" embedtype="image" format="MiddleAlignMedium" id="23922"/><p data-block-key="2kv0m"></p><p data-block-key="a8e07">In <b>July</b>, the Einstein Papers Project at Caltech <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/albert-einstein-at-50">released the 16th volume</a> of its massive scholarly collection of Albert Einstein's scientific and nonscientific writings and correspondence. Meanwhile, Caltech cosmochemists announced "star" news of a different kind: the discovery of a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-type-of-stellar-grain-discovered">previously unknown type of stellar dust</a> that could offer insight into the history of water on Earth.</p><p data-block-key="5j8e2"><b>August</b> was marked by the announcement of <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-announces-breakthrough-100-million-gift-to-fund-space-based-solar-power-project">a $100-million gift to Caltech</a> to fund the Space-Based Solar Power Project. It also featured a flurry of other advancements and discoveries, including a new method to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/seeing-single-cells-with-sound">see cells with sound</a>, the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/observatory-in-chile-takes-highest-resolution-measurements-of-asteroid-surface-temperatures-ever-obtained-from-earth">most-detailed temperature map</a> ever obtained of an asteroid, evidence that <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/saturn-makes-waves-in-its-own-rings">Saturn has a sloshing core</a> and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/mice-can-learn-much-faster-than-previously-thought">that mice learn faster than previously thought</a>, and the creation of a material inspired by chain metal that transforms from <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/material-inspired-by-chain-mail-transforms-from-flexible-to-rigid-on-command">flexible to rigid on command</a>.</p><p data-block-key="f73e6">In addition, the Caltech Science Exchange launched a new webinar series, <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/connect/conversations/conversations-sustainability?utm_source=caltechnews&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=csesustainability">Conversations on Sustainability</a>, featuring experts on the smart grid, new battery technologies, efforts to harness sunlight, and more.</p><p data-block-key="740fv"></p><p data-block-key="b6zvk"></p><embed alt="Ardem Patapoutian" embedtype="image" format="MiddleAlignMedium" id="24730"/><p data-block-key="3nne5"></p><p data-block-key="eu24q">In<b> September</b>, students <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-welcomes-students-back-to-campus-kicks-off-2021-22-academic-year">returned to campus for the first time in over a year for in-person learning</a>. Meanwhile, Caltech biologists described the development of embryo-like structures from human stem cells—work that may lead to breakthroughs in the understanding of early embryonic development—and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/extending-ligos-reach-into-the-cosmos-with-mirror-coatings">LIGO scientists and engineers described a new coating for the mirrors</a> of the gravitational-wave detecting instruments that expands their reach into the cosmos, speeding the detection of gravitational waves.</p><p data-block-key="ss4c"><b>October</b> was highlighted by the announcement of the completion of the Institute's <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/break-through-the-caltech-campaign-raises-34-billion-to-support-people-and-research-with-the-potential-to-change-the-world">$3.4 billion <i>Break Through</i> campaign</a>, which exceeded its initial fundraising goal by $1.4 billion, and the opening of the AWS Center for Quantum Computing. The goal of the center, a partnership between Caltech and Amazon Web Services, is to create quantum computers and related technologies that have the potential to revolutionize data security, machine learning, medicine development, sustainability practices, and more.</p><p data-block-key="b8uf6">In other news, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/alumnus-ardem-patapoutian-phd-96-wins-2021-nobel-prize-in-physiology-or-medicine">Caltech alumnus Ardem Patapoutian</a> (PhD '96) was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of cellular sensors in the skin and internal organs that respond to mechanical stimuli such as touch; Caltech engineers announced a new <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/controlling-light-with-a-material-three-atoms-thick">method to control light</a> that could revolutionize telecommunications, and revealed LEONARDO, a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/leonardo-the-bipedal-robot-can-ride-a-skateboard-and-walk-a-slackline">flying/hopping/slackline walking/skateboard-riding bipedal robot</a>; and physicists offered insight into the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-long-does-a-neutron-live">lifetime of a neutron</a>.</p><p data-block-key="fcils"></p><embed alt="A glowing green circle speckled with green dots." embedtype="image" format="MiddleAlignMedium" id="25202"/><p data-block-key="4mkl4"></p><p data-block-key="1fun2">In <b>November</b>, the Institute announced the formation of a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-professorships-support-early-career-researchers">new suite of early-career professorships</a>, the Hurt Scholars. Biologists described a<a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/the-vast-little-library-inside-of-your-cells"> new tool for understanding the organization of the genetic material of cells</a>, and unveiled a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-to-read-a-jellyfishs-mind">transgenic jellyfish</a> that can reveal how jellies "think" and help to answer fundamental questions about the neuroscience of behavior across species.</p><p data-block-key="248sr">In campus news, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-approves-new-names-for-campus-assets-and-honors">new names for campus assets and honors</a> were approved and announced in furtherance of the Institute's renaming process.</p><p data-block-key="9b1jk"></p><embed alt="CARL-bot" embedtype="image" format="MiddleAlignMedium" id="25260"/><p data-block-key="35i9p"></p><p data-block-key="14dse">In <b>December</b>, Caltech researchers described the development of an <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/scientists-teach-ai-to-navigate-ocean-with-minimal-energy">AI system that will allow autonomous drones to use ocean currents to aid their navigation</a>; developed a method to <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/coaxing-jellyfish-flies-and-mice-to-regenerate-body-parts">coax jellyfish, fruit flies, and mice to regenerate amputated body parts</a>; <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/a-beetle-gland-illustrates-how-new-organs-evolve">showed how new organs evolve in beetles</a>; and probed the biology of <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-do-you-study-facial-bias-without-bias">how we judge faces</a> .</p><p data-block-key="8t8gl">In addition, the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience at Caltech <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/chen-institute-celebrates-five-years-and-a-new-program-in-data-science-and-ai">celebrated its five-year anniversary with the announcement of a new center in data science and artificial intelligence</a>, and Caltech announced the funding <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-quantum-measurement-center-launched-by-sherman-fairchild-foundation-grant">of new laboratories that integrate gravitational-wave science and quantum precision measurement</a>.</p>Active Members of the Campus Community Encouraged to Participate in Campus Climate Survey2021-05-04T17:00:00+00:002021-05-04T20:57:15.517204+00:00Andrew Mosemanamoseman@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/campus-climate-survey<p>Caltech invites all active members of the community to complete the <a href="https://inclusive.caltech.edu/about/commitments-progress/campus-climate-survey">Campus Climate Survey</a>. which aims to help the Institute more fully understand the experiences of individuals who work and study on campus. The survey is part of broader efforts to support inclusion and equity at Caltech. "Understanding the nature of your experience at Caltech is an essential element in the Institute's efforts to foster a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible community," Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum wrote in a letter introducing the project.</p><p>The survey launches today and will remain open until May 28. Caltech encourages all students, faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and affiliates working at the Caltech Y, the USGS Pasadena field office on Wilson Avenue, the Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union, and the Caltech Childcare Center and Child Education Center to participate. The climate survey should take 20 to 30 minutes to complete and includes questions on demographics, feelings of comfort and discomfort on campus, and whether individuals feel supported in their work and studies, among other topics.</p><p>"The campus climate survey will provide us with a baseline understanding of how our community experiences Caltech," says Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux, assistant vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion, and assessment. "Because the data will inform action, we are aiming for 100 percent participation within the community. We want to make sure that everyone's perspectives are heard."</p><p>To ensure transparency in the process and to provide external expertise, the <a href="https://pdc.caltech.edu/">President's Diversity Council</a>, chaired by Professor Bil Clemons, engaged the help of Rankin & Associates Consulting, LLC. A <a href="https://inclusive.caltech.edu/about/commitments-progress/campus-climate-survey/working-group">Climate Survey Working Group</a> chaired by Vice Provost Cindy Weinstein, Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English and Chief Diversity Officer; Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux (MS '03), Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Assessment; and Taso Dimitriadis, Director of the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity (acting) has spent the past few months working with Rankin & Associates to develop the survey.</p><p>"The climate survey is critical for us to ensure that everyone at Caltech can be successful as their full selves," Clemons says. "I'm very excited to have clear metrics for improvement across the campus."</p><p>To protect the anonymity of respondents, no protected data (for example, Social Security numbers or medical information) will be collected. In addition, data will be reported only in aggregate or summary form. Any comments submitted in response to the survey will be separated at the time of submission so they cannot be attributed to any individual.</p><p>When the survey is complete, Rankin & Associates will provide a final report that summarizes and analyzes the data. After review by the Climate Survey Working Group, survey results will be shared with the campus community and will be used to guide and inform future diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives at Caltech, and to establish baselines for progress.</p><p>"This is part of our continuing work to build a campus environment in which the contributions of all individuals are valued and the potential of every member who joins our community is realized," Rosenbaum said.</p><p>For more information, and to complete the survey, visit <a href="http://www.inclusive.caltech.edu/survey">inclusive.caltech.edu/survey</a></p>2020: A Year In Review2020-12-17T17:08:00+00:002020-12-18T00:37:52.578128+00:00Kathy Svitilksvitil@caltech.eduhttps://divisions.caltech.edu/newspage-index/2020-year-review<p><i>At Caltech, as throughout the rest of the world, 2020 was a year like no other. This unprecedented year was filled with personal and professional challenges as well as fast-breaking and paradigm-shifting events, all of which were framed by (and helped to shape) incredible advances and discoveries in science, engineering, and technology, realized thanks to the ingenuity, insight, and perseverance of Caltech's community of researchers and scholars, students and staff.</i></p><p>In <b>January</b>, the Zwicky Transient Factory telescope <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/first-asteroid-found-inside-orbit-venus">discovered</a> the first asteroid to orbit around the sun, entirely within the orbit of the planet Venus. In other space news, NASA <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/nasa-retires-spitzer-space-telescope-infrared-explorer">retired</a> the Spitzer Space Telescope after 16 years of astronomical discoveries. Researchers developed <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/bionic-jellyfish-swim-faster-and-more-efficiently">a tiny prosthetic device</a> that enables jellyfish to swim more efficiently, which could one day enable the use of jellyfish to record information about the ocean.</p><p>Though it was still unknown that the year would become dominated by the novel coronavirus that was just beginning to make the news, Caltech issued <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/1242020">precautionary information</a> about COVID-19.</p><p>In <b>February</b>, researchers developed a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/sweat-sensor-detects-stress-levels-may-find-use-space-exploration/">sweat sensor</a> to quantitatively measure a person's stress levels. Additionally, researchers discovered that a biomarker for <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/biomarker-parkinsons-disease-may-originate-gut">Parkinson's disease</a> may originate in the gut and also discovered that ultrasound can be used to selectively <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/ultrasound-can-selectively-kill-cancer-cells">kill cancer cells</a>.</p><p>In <b>March</b>, the United States experienced drastic changes as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. In early March, Caltech <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/362020">canceled</a> all large public events and issued new travel restrictions. By the middle of the month, the Institute announced that all courses for the <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/3132020">spring quarter</a> would be moved online. Several laboratories <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-scientists-turn-research-toward-fighting-coronavirus-pandemic/">shifted</a> their research to focus on the novel coronavirus. A Q&A with Caltech alumnus and virologist <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/tip-iceberg-virologist-david-ho-bs-74-speaks-about-covid-19">David Ho</a> (BS '74) garnered more than a million views on the Caltech website.</p><p>In <b>April</b>, the Institute made the decision to shift to a <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/4162020">virtual commencement</a> ceremony. As it became clear that COVID primarily attacked the respiratory system, NASA developed a COVID-19 <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/nasa-develops-covid-19-prototype-ventilator-37-days">prototype ventilator</a> in 37 days, and it was quickly <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/nasa-developed-ventilator-authorized-fda-emergency-use">authorized</a> by the FDA for emergency use.</p><p>By <b>May</b>, many scientists had adjusted to the new constraints on research made necessary by the pandemic. Researchers developed an ultrafast <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/new-ultrafast-camera-takes-70-trillion-pictures-second">camera</a> that can capture 70 trillion frames per second. The Caltech Alumni Association announced that its 83rd <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltechs-83rd-annual-seminar-day-goes-virtual-for-first-time">annual Seminar Day</a> would be virtual for the first time ever. Caltech alumnus and astronaut Bob Behnken (MS '93, PhD '97) made a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/05/25/who-spacex-launch-astronauts/?arc404=true">historic flight</a> to the International Space Station.</p><p>Additionally, the <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/covid-19-coronavirus-sars-cov-2">Caltech Science Exchange</a> launched, with its inaugural topic being the COVID-19 pandemic and the novel coronavirus that caused it.</p><p>In <b>June</b>, Caltech held its first-ever <a href="https://commencement.caltech.edu/">virtual commencement</a>. Research continued, with discoveries about <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/where-are-my-keys-and-other-memory-based-choices-probed-brain">neurons</a> responsible for memory-based decision-making and studies of how fracking triggers <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/natural-fluid-injections-triggered-cahuilla-earthquake-swarm">earthquake swarms</a>. Astronomy news continued to make headlines, with LIGO's discovery of a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/ligo-virgo-finds-mystery-object-mass-gap">mysterious object</a> and images of a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/black-hole-collision-may-have-exploded-light">black hole collision</a> flaring with light.</p><p>In <b>July</b>, as COVID-19 cases began to rise, Caltech launched its <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/7282020">pilot testing program</a>. Many researchers who had pivoted their focus toward COVID-19 were beginning to publish results, such as the first-ever <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/images-antibodies-they-neutralize-covid-19-virus">images of human antibodies </a>latching onto SARS-CoV-2 proteins. Fall term was initially announced as being partially in person, but that decision had to be rolled back as state and county regulations made <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/7142020">in-person instruction</a> impossible. On July 14, <a href="https://caltech.us5.list-manage.com/track/click?u=55135e6f2a2e08560e9e602c7&id=27d96e8268&e=dd2ad64163">the federal government rescinded the new visa policy</a> that required international students to take at least one in-person class during the coronavirus pandemic or face deportation to their home countries.</p><p>Led by the Black Scientists and Engineers of Caltech (BSEC) and the campus community, Caltech <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/campus-announcements/more-inclusive-caltech">responded</a> to the national protests against police brutality by developing a detailed plan for making progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, including the development of a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/campus-announcements/committee-naming-and-recognition">task force</a> to address naming and recognition policies on campus.</p><p>As research operations continued at Caltech, scientists announced the discovery of bacteria that <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/bacteria-metal-diet-discovered-dirty-glassware">feed on metal</a>.</p><p>In <b>August</b>, the Institute confirmed that the fall term would be done entirely via <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/81320">remote learning</a>. Though no laboratories had focused on coronaviruses before the COVID-19 pandemic, Caltech's Merkin Institute helped <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/merkin-institute-catalyzes-covid-19-research-at-caltech">catalyze</a> the transition by offering grants for projects. The summer issue of <i>Caltech</i> magazine was printed, leading with a story on campus efforts into <a href="https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/caltech-researchers-focus-on-the-novel-coronavirus-that-causes-covid-19">COVID-19 research</a>.<br/></p><p>By <b>September</b>, many professors had devised <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news?ordering=date&search=%22continuing+series+about+innovative+ways+the+Caltech+community+has+approached+remote+teaching+and+learning+during+the+COVID-19+pandemic%22&category=&tag=&year=&submit=Search">innovative new plans</a> for teaching virtually. Social scientists published results of a study examining <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/pandemic-progressed-peoples-perceived-risks-went">risk perception</a> and behavior during the pandemic.</p><p>Research continued, with LIGO and VIRGO detecting their most <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/a-bang-in-ligovirgo-detectors-signals-most-massive-gravitational-wave-source-yet">massive black hole collision</a> yet and physicists showing the usefulness of <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/molecular-approach-quantum-computing">molecules in quantum computing</a>. Earthquake research continued to be a Caltech staple, with studies illustrating how <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/undersea-earthquakes-shake-climate-science">undersea earthquakes</a> can help climate scientists monitor the temperature of the oceans and how laboratory <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/lab-grown-earthquakes-reveal-frictional-forces-acting-beneath-our-feet">simulations of earthquakes</a> can reveal the physics of real earthquakes.</p><p>In <b>October</b>, the community celebrated virtually as two <a href="https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/daa/">Distinguished Alumni</a>, <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/alumna-andrea-ghez-awarded-2020-nobel-prize-physics">Andrea Ghez</a> (MS '89, PhD '93) and <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/alumnus-charles-m-rice-wins-2020-nobel-prize-physiology-or-medicine">Charles Rice</a> (PhD '81), were named Nobelists. Several Caltech faculty members received funding from the federal government to lead and participate in <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-faculty-advance-future-quantum-science-efforts">quantum information science centers</a> around the country.</p><p>The Institute launched its monthly <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/master-calendar/filter?date_start=&date_end=&type=all&search=&past=0&mc=1&series=367">Watson Lecture series</a>, adapted for virtual audiences, as well as a virtual version of Public Programming's <a href="https://events.caltech.edu/">CaltechLive!</a> community events program. The Caltech Science Exchange published pieces answering common questions about <a href="https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/voting-elections">voting and elections</a>. <i>Caltech</i> magazine published its fall issue, leading with <a href="https://magazine.caltech.edu/post/scientists-and-engineers-share-their-experiences-and-perspectives-on-how-to-create-a-more-inclusive-caltech">community stories</a> of how to create a more inclusive Caltech.</p><p>COVID-19 research continued to produce results, such as a molecular analysis of <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/how-sars-cov-2-disables-human-cellular-alarm-system">how the virus disables cells</a> and how <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/characterizing-covid-19-antibodies-potential-treatments">antibodies could lead to potential treatments</a>. Researchers also developed a prototype of a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-researcher-unveils-sensor-rapidly-and-simultaneously-detects-covid-19-infection-status-severity-and-immunity">rapid test</a> to determine infection and severity.</p><p>Caltech continued its commitment to its diversity, equity, and inclusion plan by expanding the <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/expanding-wave-pipeline">WAVE program</a> and holding an expanded, virtual <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/fsri-virtual-freshmen-summer-research-institute">Freshman Summer Research Institute</a> program. The Institute also <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-joins-lawsuit-block-new-visa-rules">joined a lawsuit</a> opposing new restrictions by the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Labor on H-1B visas.</p><p>In <b>November</b>, the Institute announced that construction on the Tianqiao and Chrissy Chen Institute for Neuroscience Building was <a href="https://neuroscience.caltech.edu/about/building-update">completed.</a></p><p>Historians announced the discovery of previously unknown copies of Isaac Newton's historic <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/hundreds-copies-newtons-emprincipiaem-found-new-census"><i>Principia</i></a> textbook. Astronomers solved a 16-year-old <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/merging-stars-produce-glowing-blue-ring-nebula">mystery of an ultraviolet ring</a> in space, nicknamed the Blue Ring Nebula, and detected the most powerful <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/magnificent-burst-within-our-galaxy">fast radio burst</a> ever seen within our galaxy.</p><p><a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/robotics-engineers-take-covid-19">Robotics engineers</a> turned their tools toward modeling the pandemic's spread, and researchers found that a new <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltechs-ai-driven-covid-19-model-routinely-outperforms-competitors">model using artificial intelligence</a> outperforms other models. The Institute rolled out its <a href="https://together.caltech.edu/updates/general/11182020">surveillance testing program</a>.</p><p>In <b>December</b>, NASA announced that the Caltech-led <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-led-lunar-trailblazer-mission-approved-begin-final-design-and-build">Lunar Trailblazer Mission</a> to the moon could proceed with its final design and build. Researchers took an important step toward establishing a <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/quantum-internet-tested-caltech-and-fermilab">quantum internet</a>. The president updated the community on concrete actions taken toward the Institute's <a href="https://www.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/campus-announcements/update-diversity-equity-and-inclusion">diversity, equity, and inclusion</a> goals.</p>