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January 29, 2025 4:00 pm

LCSSP Climate Solutions Seminar (cross-listed with the History and Philosophy of Science series)

Baxter B125

Climate Change, Solar Geoengineering, and Risk

Marion Hourdequin, Professor of Philosophy, Colorado College,

January 31, 2025 2:00 pm

Environmental Impacts of Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface

Online Event

February 3, 2025 7:30 pm

Astronomy on Tap

"Fast Radio Bursts" and "Building Europa Clipper"

Stella Ocker, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Astronomy, Caltech,

Matthew Stumbo, System Integration and Test Engineer, NASA JPL,

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Jet Propulsion Laboratory

January 27, 2025

NASA to Preview Sky-Mapping Space Telescope Ahead of Launch

Caltech’s Jamie Bock and others will discuss the upcoming SPHEREx mission at a news conference at 12 p.m. EST Friday, Jan. 31.

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January 24, 2025

Presidential Distinguished Speaker Katherine Fleming, President of the J. Paul Getty Trust, on Art and the Human Experience

January 23, 2025

Caltech Joins National Human Virome Program

January 21, 2025

Three Caltech Scientists Receive Presidential Early Career Awards

January 16, 2025

Hazards of Smoke and Tips for Cleaning After Fires

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Scientists at Caltech and Princeton University have discovered that bacterial cells growing in a solution of polymers, such as mucus, form long cables that buckle and twist on each other, building a kind of "living Jell-O."

The finding could be particularly important to the study and treatment of diseases such as cystic fibrosis, in which the mucus that lines the lungs becomes more concentrated, often causing bacterial infections that take hold in that mucus to become life threatening. This discovery could also have implications in studies of polymer-secreting conglomerations of bacteria known as biofilms—the slippery goo on river rocks, for example—and in industrial applications where they can cause equipment malfunctions and health hazards. Read more through the link in our bio.

On January 14, 2025, President Biden honored nearly 400 junior faculty members from across the country with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). Among the honorees are three Caltech professors: Katherine Bouman, associate professor of computing and mathematical sciences, electrical engineering and astronomy; Katerina Chatziioannou, assistant professor of physics; and Nicholas Hutzler (BS '07), also an assistant professor of physics. Read the full story through the link in our bio.

💉Overusing antibiotics can be harmful. Should we worry about overusing vaccines too?

The answer lies in the differences between vaccines and antibiotics—and between the viruses and bacteria they fight. Vaccines stimulate the immune system to create a response without causing disease, while antibiotics kill bacteria during infections. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance, but that’s not the case with vaccines. Swipe to learn more from Caltech’s Pamela Bjorkman.

What do you want to #AskCaltech? Submit a question of your own at caltech.edu/AskCaltech.

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Experiments from the Caltech lab of Chiara Daraio, G. Bradford Jones Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics and Heritage Medical Research Institute Investigator, have yielded a fascinating new type of matter, neither granular nor crystalline, that responds to some stresses as a fluid would and to others like a solid. The new material, known as PAM (for polycatenated architected materials) could have uses in areas ranging from helmets and other protective gear to biomedical devices and robotics. Learn more through the link in our bio.

Caltech's Commitment to an Inclusive Environment

Caltech does not discriminate or permit discrimination by any member of its community on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, ancestry, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy or perceived pregnancy, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic or condition protected by state and federal law.It is Caltech's policy to provide a work and academic environment free of discrimination as required by federal and state law and to provide equal opportunity in matters of employment and in education programs, services, and activities, including the administration of its admissions policies and other university-administered activities, programs, or funds.