Volume 8, Issue 5  

March 2014

Since     1916  

Announcements & Reports PPaassaaddeennaa    LLEEAAR RN NSS    

A new Caltech Y Community Service Program underway! by Liz Jackman, Y Student Programs Coordinator The Caltech Y recently started a new community service program by partnering with the Pasadena LEARNS Program at Madison Elementary School. Vansh Kumar, Emil Khabiboulline and Ben Lieber wanted to start a tutoring program where they could tutor in Spanish. They had already completed the highest level Spanish classes at Caltech, but didn’t want to stop practicing there. A tutoring program in Spanish would be a great way to combine their passions of volunteering and Spanish. Vansh, Emil and I met with Karen Jain, who works closely with Pasadena Unified School District. She suggested that they start tutoring at Madison Elementary School with the Pasadena LEARNS Program, where 80% of the students are EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners. It seemed like a great match. The three of them started tutoring at Madison twice a week. However, they soon realized that they couldn’t really tutor in Spanish since some of the students didn’t speak the language. This didn’t faze them at all. They continued tutoring, started organizing engaging science presentations for the kids, and started coaching their Science Olympiad team. Flexing their leadership skills, they recruited even more volunteers to help out at Madison.

The program now takes place every Wednesday and Friday and is open to all willing volunteers. On Wednesday, a group of Caltech students tutor individual students. On Fridays, half of the volunteers tutor while the other half help out with the Science Olympiad team. They coach the students on making paper airplanes, teaching them about surface area and aerodynamics, building and describing structures, and other Science Olympiad activities. They get the students to ask questions, try out their hypothesis, and get excited about science. Once a month, the volunteers also organize and present a science demo. Last month the theme was air pressure. This month is chemistry and there will be a mystery powder demonstration, which sounds intriguing. Thanks to Emil, Ben, and Vansh for organizing and coordinating this great program. They’ve been fantastic at recruiting additional volunteers and giving these 2nd-6th graders an amazing experience to learn about math and science from real scientists. It’s a great way to give back to the community. The tutors always leave with a smile and wonderful stories about the students they tutored or coached that day.

Contents Announcements & Reports Y Pasadena LEARNS Program by Liz Jackman, Y Staff

AmazonSmile

by Liz Jackman, Y Staff

Recent Events – February 2014 Y Ice Cream Competition by Wen Min Chen ‘15, ExComm

Y Union Station Outreach effort by Nelson Chou ’17, Undergrad

Y ExploreLA – Horseback Riding by Jenney He ’17, Undergrad

Winter Y Friends Dinner: DALE by Wen Min Chou ‘15, Undergrad

SASS talk with Bill Foster

by Laura Santoso ’14, ExComm Pres

Y Outdoors Events: Yosemite Winter Camping trip by Dorothy Pan, Grad Student

Arroyo Seco Bike Hike

by Will Frankland, Grad Student

Y Social: “Josh” movie screening by Susan Murakami ’75, Y Board

Meet the ExComm Xiaomi Du ‘16 by Liz Jackman, Y Staff

Coming Events – March 2014 March Madness by Greg Fletcher, Y Staff

Calendar of Upcoming Events March 2014 Caltech Y Contact Information & Personnel

A A nneew ww waayy ttoo bbeenneeffiitt tthhee C Caalltteecchh Y Y –– A Am maazzoonnS Sm miillee You shop – Amazon gives!

by Liz Jackman, Y Student Programs Coordinator If you are anything like me, you shop on Amazon all the time. It’s convenient and easy, and now Amazon is even better because of AmazonSmile. With AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. Just go to smile.amazon.com and designate the Caltech Y as your charitable organization. You can use the same Amazon account that you already have. Just make sure you go to smile.amazon.com. We recommend bookmarking this site. Next time you shop, 0.5% of your purchase can go directly to the Caltech Y, and together we can “make a world of difference.”

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Recent Events (February 2014) C Caalltteecchh Y Y IIccee C Crreeaam mC Coom mppeettiittiioonn by Wen Min Chen ’15, Y ExComm Tom Mannion, the Senior Director of Student Activities and Programs, had a wonderful idea to hold a joint contest with the Caltech Y, where each student house would design an ice cream flavor, preferably in the theme of the house color. We asked each of the eight houses – Avery, Blacker, Dabney, Fleming, Lloyd, Page, Ricketts, and Ruddock – to design and submit an ice cream flavor, and invited students and judges, who would vote on which one was the best. Fosselman's would make the custom-made ice cream for each house, and the Y would host the ice cream competition. Fosselman’s is a small, local ice cream parlor that makes some of the richest ice cream. They have ice cream flavors that you can’t find elsewhere. We decided to hold the contest in three rounds: two separate contests for the north houses and the south houses,

Blacker's  intimidating  ice  cream   belied  the  fact  that  it  was  delicious  

where people could vote on the four ice creams in each contest, and, then, one big contest showcasing all eight flavors and a panel of judges who would determine the winner. The two houses that won the initial contests would get prize money for the house to go on a house trip of their choosing, and could win additional money at the final contest. Members of the Caltech Y Board were invited to join in on the tasting and judging of the second contest. The first contest contenders: Avery - Red Bean Ice Cream with Mocha Lloyd - The Golden Ratio Page - Blueberry Steel Ruddock - Blueberry Pie Ice Cream Some houses decided to give their recipe a name, but Lloyd’s was a caramel pretzel-containing ice cream, and Page’s was based on blueberry cheesecake. They all tasted delicious!

Lloyd’s recipe won this round. The second contest contenders: Fleming - Thunderberry Ricketts - Broken Cherry Dabney - Matcha Green Tea with Lemon Ice Cream Blacker - Black Sesame Ice Cream with Caramel Swirls Fleming’s ice cream had strawberry and cookie dough, while Ricketts’ had cherry and chocolate chips. Blacker’s recipe won this round. Finally, on Saturday, February 1, we held the final round of the student house ice cream competition, and took out all of the ice cream at the same time so people could get their fix. Tom’s judges announced that the final winner was Lloyd, but I think everyone was just excited about the ice cream. We ended up giving the leftover ice cream to the houses so they could enjoy their creations at their leisure.

There  was  quite  a  long  line  at  the  final  tasting!     It  helped  that  it  was  pretty  hot  that  day  

U Unniioonn S Sttaattiioonn O Ouuttrreeaacchh eeffffoorrtt –– A A ggrreeaatt ssuucccceessss!! by Nelson Chou ’17, Undergrad As part of the Caltech Y outreach program, on Saturday, February 15, six Caltech students participated in a service effort at the Union Station Shelter, preparing, cooking, and serving dinner to 40 members of the Adult Center. The Union Station Shelter in Pasadena aims to help men, women, and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness, and relies on efforts such as the ones provided by the Cal-

tech Y, both to the Adult Center and the Family Center. The Caltech Y serves at both Centers once a month, armed with a team of eager and hardworking volunteers. The Adult Center, which we volunteered at this time, is a 6,500 square foot, 36-bed shelter opened in 1989 on Raymond Ave, providing safe shelter and recovery for men and women in need. To prepare for Saturday evening, we shopped for groceries on Friday at a

Student  Volunteers   Phoebe  Ann   Nelson  Chou   Aaron  Krupp   Katherine  Lee   Leo  Zornberg   Cindy  Wang   nearby supermarket based on the planned menu from the night before. We then returned to the Y to store the food supplies. At around 5pm on Saturday, the volunteers set out to the Adult Center and proceeded to the

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Union Station (continued) kitchen. Once we got there, we dived in and started working, scrubbing potatoes, cutting chicken, and mixing salads. All six volunteers worked tirelessly for one and a half hours to prepare four dishes: 1) salad with iceberg and mixed greens, croutons, cheese, ranch dressing, and tomatoes, 2) chicken tomato Alfredo sauce with spinach on fettuccine, 3) baked potatoes with cheese, bacon, green onions, and sour cream, and 4) peanut butter cookies. We then served dinner to forty people, greeting them and attending to their individual dietary and nutritious needs. The atmosphere of teamwork and a willingness to serve, that was ubiquitous in the kitchen,

transformed to a feeling of warmth and care in the dining hall. After members of the Adult Center were served, volunteers joined people in the dining hall over dinner, interacting with them. Phoebe Ann, second-year Secretary of the Caltech Y ExComm, appreciated the humble perspective of an elderly resident of the Adult Shelter. Phoebe Ann commented, “I always enjoy coming to Union Station, because it is a prime example of how food can break any kind of barrier – racial, socioeconomic, gender – and bring people together in an environment of humility and mutual learning.” It was a touching moment. And, for all of us, this event was not

just a cooking lesson, but an effort to give back to people in our community. It was a rewarding experience and thoroughly enjoyed by the volunteers who set aside their Saturday evenings to play a small part in helping those in need. Personally, co-leading this service effort with Phoebe was an eyeopening experience; I learned how the key to an event running smoothly was preparation and coordination. Moreover, having enjoyed yet another Y event, I felt more convinced that I shall continue to contribute to Caltech Y, leading and organizing our various activities in the coming years.

Y YE ExxpplloorreeLLA A –– A A ddeelliigghhttffuull m moorrnniinngg hhoorrsseebbaacckk rriiddee!! by Jenney He ’17, Undergrad One day, I wanted to go horseback riding, and a couple of weeks later it happened. 24 Techers loaded up and headed out to Griffith Park for a delightful Saturday morning ride. That week had been pretty stressful for most, and getting to leave campus for a breather was a long-awaited relief. In the group, there were even a couple of newbies like freshman Tyler Okamoto (pictured on the left, below). “This is my first time. I’ve been looking forward to it,” he told me as we signed the forms and waited to mount.

And he wasn’t disappointed. The guys from Circle K Horse Rentals selected horses for all levels of riders, from Tyler to Torin Thosath, a sophomore, who owns horses and has been riding for a decade. The ride was quiet as we made our way across a bridge, under a highway tunnel, and up into the green of the park. Our horses hugged the mountain, so we could see more of LA, little by little, as we climbed higher. Stanford Schor (pictured in the photo below, right), a senior, nudged his horse in the flanks and quickened to a trot. “I just did what I saw in the

movies,” he shrugged. “It worked! Movies don’t lie.” He proceeded to teach the rest of us. Dennis, Liao, a sophomore, had a bit more of a difficult time getting his horse to listen. At one point, his horse chose a harder detour up the path – “I didn’t choose the thug life, my horse did” – but by the end of the ride, Dennis was trotting like the rest of us. All in all, it was a great morning for all of us – undergraduate and graduate students – and everyone expressed interest in another ride some other day, maybe after nursing our saddle sores.

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Coming Events (continued nued) W in te r Y F r ie n d s

W in te r Y F r ie n d s D Diinnnneerr:: TThhee ccrreeaattiioonn ooff D DA ALLE E (Dynamic Augmented Living Environment)

by Wen Min Chen ’15, Y ExComm On February 18, Professor Melany Hunt, with Caltech students Andrew Gong and Ella Seal, gave a captivating presentation in front of Caltech Y Board members, Friends, staff, and students. We learned about how Caltech partnered with Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) to create DALE.

DALE stands for Dynamic Augmented Living Environment, which reflects the ability of the house to shift according to the needs of the occupants. The

600-square-foot house is split into two modules, which can open up in the middle to expand living space and enables the owner to host parties and enjoy the Southern Californian weather. This solar-powered house gets its energy from the sun by using the solar panels on the roof and a solar water heater in the back, creating a house that consumes zero net energy. The house took over a year to design and construct, and also led to a SURF project researching the optimum tilt of solar panels needed to generate maximum power while minimizing the amount of grime that accumulates on the panels. Several members of the audience expressed interest in visiting the house, which is

SCI-Arc. This impressive feat of collaboration and engineering made for an engaging dinner program that reminded audience members of the work that Caltech students are capable of accomplishing, and that the Caltech Y supports these students by running enriching programs and thought-provoking talks.

currently located at [L-­‐R}  Prof  Melany  Hunt,  Athena  Castro  (Y  Exec  Director),   Ella  Seal,  Andrew  Gong,  and  Lee  Fisher  (Y  Board  Pres)  

S SA AS SS SE Evveenntt:: A Am moottiivvaattiioonnaall ttaallkk w wiitthh C Coonnggrreessssm maann B Biillll FFoosstteerr by Laura Santoso ’14, Y ExComm President Friday, February 21, we had a Science Policy Discussion/Lunch Event featuring Bill Foster as part of the Caltech Y Social Activism Speaker Series (SASS). Bill is a high-energy-particle physicist and businessman who is now a member of Congress. I received Bill Foster’s contact information through Dr. David Baltimore because Bill was going to be in LA for a couple days and was interested in speaking to Caltech students. Most of the time we have to reach out to invite speakers, so it was notable that this busy Congressman took the initiative to make arrangements with us.

Students  listening  to  Bill  while  eating   lunch  

We had a full room of about 100 students listen to Bill's presentation, “What it’s like to be a Scientist in Congress.” Bill talked about his past careers as a businessman founding a theatric lights company and as a physicist discovering the top quark at Fermilab. Then, he discussed his transition to politics. Bill made his motiva-

tion for speaking at Caltech clear – he wanted to help inspire and recruit more scientists to become involved with politics. He talked about doing service for our fellow man and sacrificing the satisfaction of personally helping individuals for generally unacknowledged work that affects millions. Throughout the bulk of the presenta-

Bill  Foster  and  David  Baltimore  with  Y  staff  and  SASS  students  after  the  talk:     L-­‐R]  Greg,  Laura,  Brenna,  Bill,  Michelle,  Kelsey,  David  and  Athena  

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Science Policy Event (continued) tion, Bill showed us all the activities he is involved in as a Congressman, both in the limelight and behind the scenes. He began by saying how being a Congressman means that you are entrusted by others to think deeply about issues which most people do not have time to think enough about. He talked about his modest political beginnings, like how his family members were the first people to carry his banner at parades, before talking about some of his initiatives for reform. One of Bill's more prominent achievements is his involvement with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was a response to our recent recession. He also presented some of his current ideas, one of which

is to use cryptography for storing personal information to protect civil liberties while allowing the government to have information available in an emergency. Bill also discussed having to take pictures at holiday parties and occasionally flying back to Illinois with Obama. At the end of the talk, Bill pointed out to us how there are under 10 scientists and engineers out of the 435 members in Congress, and that the percentage of scientists in politics is much, much lower in the U.S. than in European and Asian countries. When asked why we have this difference of representation in the U.S., Bill seemed to think from his discussions with other scientists that the process of getting elected into

office in the U.S. is a major deterrent. Bill said that the exorbitant amount of side work (raising money for your candidacy and campaigning) that you need to do to get to the real work (improving policy and governance) may be a large part of why scientists who may be interested in policy do not carry over into politics. Despite Bill’s honesty about the responsibilities of political life, he did still convince us that there is a strong need for scientists in our government. I hope that some students in the audience take Bill’s words to heart and give our government a hand in the future!

C Caalltteecchh Y YO Ouuttddoooorrss E Evveennttss Yosemite Winter Camping Trip by Dorothy Pan, Grad Student, Y Outdoors Committee On Saturday, February 15, a group of 28 Caltech students embarked on a trip to Yosemite National Park. While a few of us had been to Yosemite many times, for some visiting students it was their first time experiencing the wonders of this national park. Unfortunately, it was overcast and the forecast for the first night at Wawona campground was rain. After arriving at the campground, we carefully set-up our tents to maximize their ability to help us stay dry that night, and a large group of us set out on a night hike under the full moon. Walking along the roads for quite some time, we passed a chorus of frogs and later found a trail to Chilnualna Falls. After a short distance on the trail, we came across a mini-waterfall, and soon after a sign that said it would take another 4 miles to actually reach the falls, and 25 miles to get to Yosemite Valley. After a bit of consideration, we decided that this might not be feasible to do and we headed back to camp with a nice campfire and s’mores. After we got into our tents and warm sleeping bags, the rain started and we fell asleep to the sound of raindrops. The next morning, we quickly ate breakfast and made lunch before being taken to Yosemite Valley, where the majority of the group headed up the trail to Upper Yosemite Falls and Yosemite Point. It was sunny and cool, but not cold – perfect hiking weather. We enjoyed a fresh dusting of snow up above the falls on our way

to Yosemite Point, which was fun to hike in and allowed for some brief snowball fights. After eating lunch and soaking in the majestic views of snow-capped peaks surrounding Yosemite Valley from the top of Yosemite Point, we headed back down the trail. We rushed to get to El Capitan Picnic area before sunset, for there was a special event that night. For one week each year, the sunset hits El Capitan at an angle such that it hits the little waterfall that runs down this large cliff, Horsetail Falls, which glows orange while the surrounding rock is dark. We enjoyed this phenomenon along with many other landscape photography enthusiasts, before heading to Yosemite Lodge for

dinner and returning to the campground. The night was much colder after the previous night with rain, though we were plenty warm in our cozy sleeping bags and tents. Our last morning in Yosemite, we woke up to much frost and ice. After packing up all our gear, we headed for a quick stop in Mariposa Grove. We hiked for a couple hours and were awed by the giant sequoia trees. As we headed back to Caltech at the end of President’s Day weekend, we basked in the glow of a wonderful weekend with fresh air and beautiful scenery, ready for a week of work. Many of us plan to return for a longer visit soon.

Caltech  Y  group  and  the  giant  sequoia  “Living  Tunnel  Tree”  in  Mariposa  Grove  

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Outdoor Events (continued) Arroyo Seco Bike Hike by Will Frankland, Grad Student, Outdoor Committee On February 23, the Caltech Y group donned their helmets, greased their wheels and rode down into history – literally! The Heritage Museum in northeast Los Angeles features historic

structures that have been saved from demolition and relocated to a single site where docents are dressed for the period and ready to share the architectural and cultural stories of these grand structures. The Caltech Y riders got to enjoy their Sunday afternoon riding 7.8 miles through scenic neighborhoods before getting a

guided tour through the lives and settings of 19th and 20th century Californians. They wrapped up their day by riding back the 7.8 miles they had come and settling back into homework and research. Ahhh – Good day, chaps!

C Caalltteecchh Y YS Soocciiaall E Evveenntt:: ““JJoosshh”” m moovviiee ssccrreeeenniinngg by Susan Murakami ‘75, Y Board In spite of the threatening weather, over 20 Y Board members, staff and students gathered at the Caltech Y on Friday, February 28, for our most recent Board Social. The hearty appetizers, including a yummy salad, were very welcome on this damp evening. As a counterpoint to the dreary weather outside, the gathering was upbeat, convivial, and lots of fun. Extra thank you to Phoebe Ann, who brought justbaked brownies – which were wolfed down immediately! Most of us went on to the screening of “Josh, Against the Grain,” Iram Bilal’s

first feature-length film, which was sponsored by the Humanities and Social Sciences department. Iram was a Studenski Awardee in 2003, using the award and the time to pursue her interest in film. She went on to win a Watson Fellowship in 2004, and is now making her way in the film industry. The film was engaging and well paced with beautiful cinematography, in ad-

dition to bringing attention to the plight of many poor villagers in Pakistan. For those of us engaged in the Caltech Y, it was rewarding to know that a Studenski Award made such a difference in a student’s life. Although there was supposed to be a question and answer period after the film, Iram graciously answered a number of questions before the film, and stayed afterward to answer more. I know all of us at the Y want to congratulate Iram on her career, wish her well on her journey, and hope she continues to keep in touch with us as she expands her horizons!

Meet the ExComm Each month the Caltech Y News interviews a member of the Y Student Executive Committee (ExComm)

X Xiiaaoom mii D Duu ‘‘1166 by Liz Jackman, Y Student Programs Coordinator Xiaomi is a sophomore at Caltech studying Biology. She was very excited to get involved with the Caltech Y from the very beginning of arriving on campus and hit the deck running. She came to the Caltech Y open house and started attending ExComm meetings immediately. She also started tutoring at Hathaway Sycamores. Upon first hearing about the Caltech Y, she felt that the Y “embodied all the things I wanted to do.” She wanted to be outside more, explore LA, and do community service. Xiaomi’s favorite memory of the Caltech Y is organizing the recent Caltech Y Ice Cream Competition. She remembers the night of the first ice cream competition standing around scooping ice cream and struggling with lights and music at first, but it all came together and she was thrilled with the great turnout. She said she’s “never done anything like that before.” She learned about making flyers, publicizing, and working with other departments on campus. It ended up being a

really fun, successful, large-scale event that she was proud to organize. Last year, Xiaomi led an Alternative Spring Break (ASB) Trip to Yosemite.

This year she plans to lead another ASB Trip to Catalina. She’s looking forward to more outdoor adventures. She also enjoys attending the Social Activism Speakers Series and hopes to go on the DC Science Policy Trip. Moving away from the east coast, she felt like she was running away from politics but, by attending SASS talks, she now realizes the importance of science policy and wants to learn more. Xiaomi obviously has a range of interests and enjoys the variety the Y offers. Xiaomi works, and has done a SURF, in David Baltimore’s lab studying micro RNA. She’s also a writing center tutor. She’s passionate about traveling and hopes to go to as many places as possible. She recently went to India with the Mechanical Engineering 105 class at Caltech. She likes to try different kinds of food and even tried a raw vegan diet over the summer. Impressively she pulled it off for most of the summer. She’s also into yoga and reading, although she doesn’t have much time to read now. She sometimes looks longingly at the three to four books sitting on her dresser.

 

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Meet the ExComm (continued nued) One day, she hopes to dive into them. agement and being realistic with how Xiaomi is only a sophomore, but has already been involved with a ton of activities at the Caltech Y. She says she regrets not doing more, but it seems like she’s doing plenty. She says she’s learning about time man-

much she can take on. In terms of the future, Xiaomi plans to continue her education. Plan A is med school and, ultimately, she would like to work with Doctors without Borders and Partners in Health. Sometimes, when she gets

burnt out, she would just like to skip to that point, but she knows that’s not going to happen, so she’ll continue to tough it out. She’s sure that she’ll continue to make time to be involved with the Caltech Y.

Coming Events (March 2014) M Maarrcchh M Maaddnneessss by Greg Fletcher, Y Student Activities & Community Services Director The madness of March isn’t reserved for the basketball court. Transitions and major events on the horizon dominate our docket with the election of new officers up near the beginning. Our current cabinet members, Laura Santoso, Wen Min Chen, Phoebe Ann, and Caroline Yu, have served us well. Some of them may run for other positions while others will continue as members of the ExComm leading up to their graduation this June. We have every confidence that our new Cabinet will continue strong efforts while bringing their own flavor to Caltech Y programming. While the team of leaders may be new, the programming in March continues with some of our most recognizable activities. Winter Term Decompression (2/15), as always, will give students the opportunity to relax and unwind with some BBQ, snacks, and entertainment while celebrating the historic end to the streak, before jumping into finals. In addition to Decompression, with the term ending and Caltech heading into spring break, the Y-ExComm, Y-Outdoors Committee, Community Service Coordinators, and Social Activism Speaker Series Committee are still working to plan events to take advantage of the last few days of the term and the break. Coming soon: • ExploreLA: The Getty Museum (3/1) ernment. Atwater will give insight into community service efforts, is coming – The Explore LA Series kicks off the his experiences of transitioning re- together as leaders prepare to embark month with a trip to the Getty Muse- search ideas to the real world, and will with their groups to spectacular venues um. The J. Paul Getty Museum seeks consider the opportunities and chal- including: Catalina Island and Costa to inspire curiosity about, and enjoy- lenges for solar energy in the future. Rica. The team on Catalina will be ment and understanding of, the visual The Science Policy Series is made pos- working outside helping on conservaarts by collecting, conserving, exhibit- sible with generous support from the tion efforts. In Costa Rica, students ing and interpreting works of art of George Housner Fund. will be working on a construction prooutstanding quality and historical imject while staying in San Jose followportance. To fulfill this mission, the • SASS Event: “What Happened to ing a long weekend on the beach in Museum continues to build its collec- Edward Snowden?” (3/12) – The So- Manuel Antonio that kicks off their tions through purchase and gifts, and cial Activism Speaker Series (SASS) trip. Each trip should provide a powerdevelops programs of exhibitions, presents Susan Herman, President of ful learning opportunity as well as the publications, scholarly research, public the American Civil Liberties Union chance to see and experience someeducation, and the performing arts that (ACLU) on “Civil Liberties in the Na- thing new. For most participants it will engage our diverse local and interna- tional Security Era: What Happened to be their first time in Catalina and Costa Edward Snowden?” tional audiences. Rica. This year’s trips are further than we typically embark – proposed by Our national security agencies spare no It should be a great opportunity for students and is a perfect fit for the Ex- effort in recruiting, the most talented students interested in new places and plore LA Series, which aims to get individuals into their service. In addi- responding to new needs in the world. students off campus to experience what tion, private sector employees are The trips were possible thanks to sigsometimes conscripted into service nificant extra funding from the Frank our area has to offer. through federal government demands • Science Policy Discussion with on their employees for information of and Elsie Stefanko Fund, the George Prof. Harry Atwater (3/12) – Harry all kinds, often backed by gag orders Housner Fund, and the Student Affairs Also, the Dean’s Atwater, Howard Hughes Professor of prohibiting them from telling anyone Program Fund. Travel Fund made it possible to invite Applied Physics and Materials anything about those demands. If they Science, researching photovoltaics and discover illegal activities within their a Caltech Spanish Professor to join us. ---------optics and plasmonics, will be our next own organizations, they are faced with featured faculty member for the Y excruciating choices that may lead to Save The Date! Science Policy Discussion/Lunch severe consequences. Herman will April 5 – MAD Day Series. Atwater co-founded and is address these issues as well as what Although not in March, Make-A-Difchief technical advisor of Alta Devices, one can do if they discover wrongdowhose devices hold the record for ing. The event is co-sponsored by the ference Day is just around the corner. single-junction, solar cell efficiency. ACLU of Southern California and is Our largest single community service program, MAD Day sends more than a He also co-founded Caelux Corp, free and open to the public. hundred students out in to the commuwhich pioneered microwire solor technology, and has served extensively as a • Alternative Spring Break (2/20-29) nity on one of 10 to 20 projects workconsultant for both industry and gov- – ASB, one of our most significant ing with local service organizations.

 

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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS Note: See Caltech Y website for additional information and schedule updates

March 2014 S

M

T

W

T

F

S

1

ExploreLA

Getty Museum HathawaySycamores 2

3

Union Station Family Center 9

Y ExComm Mtg

4 Rise Tutoring

Rise Tutoring 10

11

Y ExComm Mtg

Rise Tutoring

Rise Tutoring

16

Y Day Hike Throop Peak

23

Costa Rica ASB

17

18

5 6 Pasadena LEARNS Rise Tutoring Rise Tutoring

7 8 Pasadena LEARNS

12 13 Sci/Policy Series Harry Atwater Rise Tutoring Pasadena LEARNS Rise Tutoring SASS – NSA Whistle Blowers 19 20

14 15 Pasadena LEARNS Union Station Rise Tutoring Homeless Dinner

HathawaySycamores

Caltech Y Decompression 21

22

28

29

Pasadena LEARNS Costa Rica ASB

24

25

26

27

Catalina ASB 30

31

The Caltech Y The Caltech Y is an independent 501c3 organization formally affiliated with the California Institute of Technology. The Y mission is to enrich student life and challenge students to grow into responsible citizens of the world.

Contact Information Postal Address: Phone: (626) 395-6163 Location: Fax: (626) 395-8890 Caltech 505 S. Wilson Ave Email: [email protected] MC: C1-128 Pasadena, CA Website: http://www.caltechy.org Pasadena, CA 91125 Note: Also visit the Caltech Y Facebook page by clicking the link, “Follow us on Facebook” available at the Y Website

Y Staff Athena Castro – Executive Director Greg Fletcher – Student Activities & Community Service Director Christopher Kealey – Marketing & Development Director

Liz Jackman – Student Programs Coordinator Amy Choi – Office Manager and Administrative Assistant

Board of Directors Executive Committee Lee Fisher – Chair Kirk Dawson – Vice Chair

Peter Mason – Treasurer Serina Diniega – Secretary

Members (* indicates Student Executive Committee) Phoebe Ann* Wen Min Chen* Steve Frautschi Karsyn Bailey* Christine Chou* Cozette Hart Karen Blake Marjorie Dawson Gunilla Hastrup Don Brown Debra Dison Hall Rolf Hastrup Joe Carroll Frank Dryden Pam Hemann Matt Cedeno* Xiaomi Du*

Laura Santoso – Student ExComm President

Peter Hung* Jocellyn (Josie) Kishi* Nancy Lan Tom Mannion Doreen Mason

Susan Murakami Carolyn Patterson Paul Patterson Toni Perpall Arlana Silver

Max Wang* Guoning (Ted) Xiao* Jessica Yeung* Daniel Yoder Caroline Yu*

The Caltech Y News Editor: Rolf Hastrup Published monthly Oct-Jun (except Jan). Distributed via email (primary) or hardcopy (upon request). To send comments, be added to or opt off the distribution list, contact the Caltech Y office or email to [email protected]. The Caltech Y respects all email addresses and will not share or spam your address.

 

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