Local community engagement / Neighbors

Updates for Caltech neighbors

Here you can find announcements and news for neighbors, ways to learn more and connect, and links to construction information and events you are welcome to attend.

AUGUST 2024

Campus has been active this summer, with 528 undergraduates here for research programs such as the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF). Another 229 students conducted research with off-campus mentors, primarily at JPL, which Caltech founded and manages for NASA. About 400 of the summer program participants are visiting from universities around the nation and the world.

Local high school students and teachers also steeped themselves in research on campus this summer.

PUSD students and teachers joined 17 Caltech research groups that have volunteered as Summer Research Connection (SRC) hosts. For six weeks, student–teacher teams conducted studies at the forefront of science and engineering, mentored by Caltech researchers.

Students across Southern California participated in a hybrid version of the SRC. In addition, the Earthquake Fellows program brought high school students from Pasadena, Alhambra, and LA unified school districts to campus for a month of seismology studies that complement weekend activities during the school year.

Caltech mentors prize these opportunities to share their science, teach research skills, and connect with junior scholars and fellow Pasadenans.

Featured events

Neighbors, you are welcome at events on campus that are open to the community, including accessible talks on the latest science, varsity games, and musical performances and plays. The events featured below and on the events page for locals may especially interest you. Admission is free for each of the events below. Registration is recommended when possible. Learn more on Caltech's public events page.

Watson Lecture 2024-2025 season opens in October

The free public Watson Lectures are a unique opportunity to hear from leading scientists, engineers, and scholars about the newest discoveries. Make it a night out with your neighbors by coming to the 6 p.m. preshow, which features music, interactive displays related to the evening's topic, book sales, drinks, and a food truck. The auditorium doors open at 7:00, lectures begin at 7:30, and you can stay after for coffee or tea and conversation.

The season's first lecture will be on October 23 at 7:30. Bil Clemons, Caltech's Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial Professor of Biochemistry, will share how viruses can help us fight bacterial infections.

Stay in touch

If you would like to ask a question, share a comment, and/or be added to our list for occasional emails (a few per year), please email neighbor@caltech.edu. Neighbors are also welcome to subscribe to The Caltech Weekly, an email newsletter that highlights the most relevant research, news, and events at Caltech as well as the individuals who are advancing the boundaries of discovery. You can unsubscribe anytime. If you would like a glimpse of what happens at Caltech, we hope you will explore the This Is Caltech website.

Announcements

In Case You Hear a Boom...

Caltech's closest neighbors may hear a boom on 10/5 at around 5 p.m. as students fire the cannon on campus. The cannon firing is not real, but it does make a real noise generated by special effects. The cannon is faux-fired at the end of rotation, in which students choose houses, and also at the end of each academic term, on Ditch Day, and during commencement.

Ginsburg Center construction

Excavation has begun for the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Center for Quantum Precision Measurement and the adjacent grounds. We are working to minimize noise as underground concrete is demolished and removed between August 30 and September 10. This future facility for physics, astronomy, and quantum information is being built on the north side of California Boulevard, west of Arden Road. See the related pages on this site and on the Caltech Facilities Ginsburg Center project site for in-depth information.

Coyote safety

If you experience a threatening or concerning interaction with coyotes on Caltech's campus or properties, please use this online form or call Caltech Security dispatch at (626) 395-5000. Prompt reporting helps Caltech effectively communicate coyote concerns to city and local authorities.

Sustainability Center to welcome students

We are excited to report that research and classes will begin in the Resnick Sustainability Center this September. The center is north of San Pasqual Street and east of Wilson Avenue. The area to the north of the building will be landscaped in the fall.

Campus on a path to decarbonize

As Caltech and Pasadena pursue sustainability, Caltech announced in January that it intends to buy largely carbon-free electricity and to evaluate a potential transition from natural gas to electricity to power campus heating. These steps could lead to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions produced on campus and in the electricity Caltech purchases by more than 85 percent.

Caltech and Carnegie Science partner

Caltech and Carnegie Science have formalized a partnership, further strengthening Pasadena as a hub for innovation and discovery. Carnegie is relocating its life and environmental scientists to the area.

Caltech campus map Caltech Dining: Where to eat This Is Caltech The Athenaeum at Caltech (membership required) Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union (CEFCU) The Caltech store The Caltech Weekly

Connect With Us

Neighbors, stay up to date on the latest from Caltech via social media. Also, in the event of an emergency, Caltech will post updates on these platforms.