Credit: Sharon W. Tran Go visit and support the Moshaal Open Library and Book Exchange in the Hameetman Center! Always an eclectic collection of books and a great way to broaden your reading (or share your own favorites with others). Lori Oliwenstein , director of institute communications and special projects La Crescenta, CA Left: Juan Renteria. Right: Telwar Mattox and Oliver Wilner. Credit: Lance Hayashida This summer, the Student-Faculty Programs (SFP) Office has over 820 students through all of our programs, like SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships program), WAVE Fellows, the Amgen Scholars Program, and the SURF Exchanges! All of our students are supported and mentored by faculty, graduate students, postdocs, staff scientists, and engineers throughout the Caltech community. We all welcome you, President Jayawardhana, as you begin your tenure as the Institute's tenth president! Vincent Ton , program manager, Student-Faculty Programs Office Pasadena, CA The interactions between faculty, administration, staff, and student body define what Caltech is and could be. Tom Jovin (BS ’60) Göttingen, Germany I recall very well my first days at Caltech, as I wandered around Pasadena making a mental inventory of restaurants where I could get dinners. Frankly, it was intimidating to learn of all the extraordinarily brilliant people who worked at the school, and I wondered if I shouldn't just leave and go back home to my family. But within three weeks, I grew to love being there, and going home was no longer what I wanted to do. Incidentally, I also found some pretty good restaurants on Colorado Boulevard. Seth Shostak (PhD ’72) Mountain View, CA The tip that I'd like to share with Ray is Caltech’s most famous combinatorics problem: “Work, sleep, social life: choose two.” Mason Porter (BS ’98) Los Angeles, CA The diversity of the student body was remarkable. The smartest thing I did was to move off campus my junior year and start sleeping eight hours per night. My GPA went up a full point! Richard Short (BS ’73) El Cajon, CA Credit: Peter Holderness The two secrets of Caltech when I attended some 57 years ago were the student houses and atmosphere of cooperation. Incoming freshmen were generally studious introverts. The student house system encouraged us to make friends and socialize much more than traditional dormitories would have. The cooperative atmosphere among students was a lifesaver. When I had problems understanding a concept or approach there were always students willing to form study groups and upperclassmen willing to help. John Hockert (BS ’69) Albuquerque, NM If Ray Jay looks at the bottom of the reflecting pool of Caltech Hall, he may see the damage caused by the impact of debris blasted off its top when the building was struck by lightning in the early 1980s. John Torczynski (PhD ’83) Albuquerque, NM It’s great to have you with us in these uncertain times! For me, a response by Peter Goldreich [Lee A. DuBridge Professor of Astrophysics and Planetary Physics, Emeritus], my thesis advisor, to what I thought was perhaps a petty complaint at an early stage of my career says it all. He stopped dead in his tracks and said in an outraged voice, “But that’s not good for Caltech!” I think that many here are unusually sensitive to what is good and not good for Caltech — and act accordingly. Anneila Sargent (PhD ’77) , Ira S. Bowen Professor of Astronomy, Emeritus Pasadena, CA That the median Caltech GPA remains just above a B average means that most students will have B and C grades for the first time in their lives. It is a psychological challenge to overcome the shock of getting those grades. The curriculum is challenging, and valuably so, as it helps build the strength of character to continue when something is hard. Caltech is where every student can learn that they are tough enough to do hard things and then experience the satisfaction of accomplishing them. William Earl (BS ’72) Washington Grove, MD Working at Caltech is like working in a small town. Everyone knows each other and you quickly learn that staff members will go out of their way to help you get any task done. Whenever I don't know the answer to a question or a dilemma, my standard response is "I don't know the solution right now, but I know who does." And the answer is always one or two phone calls away. Monica Nolasco , senior administrative assistant, Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences Alhambra, CA Welcome! Your predecessor, Harold Brown, had what may be a helpful observation. Once, while pumpkin caroling on Halloween, we rang the doorbell at the president’s residence. Dr. Brown came to the door, looked out, and shook his head. “Every day is Halloween at Caltech!” he announced. Rob Chansler (BS ’74) San Francisco, CA Braun Athletic Center I really love the workout classes at the Braun Athletic Center. What a great community of folks from all different places, faculty, staff, postdocs, grad students, and students. I love the teachers too; they are great! Justin Jacques , employee assistance counselor/consultant Pasadena, CA Hi, Ray Jay! Welcome to Caltech! When you have a moment, visit the Caltech Library at the top of Caltech Hall and admire campus from above. Look north to the mountains or south to LA. It reminds us that for everything good at Caltech, there is more to explore beyond campus too! Steven Metzmaker , assistant director, residential and student experience Pasadena, CA Welcome to Caltech, President Jayawardhana! 🧡 I would love to share a hidden spot at IPAC: our beautiful back garden. It is located behind the Morrisroe Astroscience Laboratory and near Tournament Park. It is a quiet, peaceful area with large trees, as well as a few benches and tables suitable for small meetings or group lunches. IPAC hosts biweekly informal gatherings there every other Thursday morning, featuring donuts and a variety of fresh fruit, followed by an engaging talk called “The Next Seven Minutes,” where a volunteer presents an interesting science paper in seven minutes. Emma Noh , grant manager, IPAC Pasadena, CA Let us treasure research breakthroughs more than research dollars. Deborah Chung (BS ’73, MS ’73) Buffalo, NY Hi, Ray! I’ve been a librarian at Caltech since 1965, and my first two years were in the Gates Annex as chemistry librarian, just next door to your office in Parsons-Gates. I'm glad the main reading room is still around. It makes a lovely sanctuary whenever you need some time for quiet contemplation. Dana Roth , special projects librarian Pasadena, CA Don't miss the Rath al Fresco, the venue for summer dining at The Athenaeum. The club’s patio is truly the best place in Pasadena for dining outdoors, under the trees, as the sun sets on a beautiful summer evening. You can relax with family, friends, and colleagues, and chat between tables with old (or new!) friends. Fridays are the busiest nights, as the Caltech, JPL, and Pasadena communities wind down after a busy week. Dining at the Rath al Fresco is a time-honored summer tradition...enjoy! Valinda Richardson , office manager, The Athenaeum Pasadena, CA When I was an undergrad, as long as it didn’t “take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community,” we were allowed to go anywhere and to get there by picking locks. So, I picked my way into the balance room of the frosh chem lab in Gates one night, so I could use one of the two brand-new nixie tube calculators there to do a sum-of-the-squares homework assignment for my statistics class. There was no way to do that on a slide rule, and personal calculators weren’t available yet. Those clunky nixie tube units saved me a lot of longhand squaring and adding and subtracting. Today, President Jayawardhana would, of course, have far more convenient ways to do his statistics homework, so my secret tip is probably a bit outdated. Sic transit gloria mundi. P. Thomas Carroll (BS ’72) Tucson, AZ I was a chemistry graduate student from 1968 to mid-1971. We worked six days (and nights) in the lab. Sunday was my relax day. On Sundays, I went to the chemistry reading room in Crellin and climbed the wood-paneled shelves and picked out a random journal and began skimming. After a short time, I would find an article of interest and read, sometimes looking up the references. I found ideas for my outside propositions this way and whiled away many a relaxing Sunday. David F. Eaton (PhD ’72) Greenville, DE I took Professor Murray Gell-Mann's seminar course, Simplicity and Complexity. At one point, he said: “Michaelangelo’s signature was a perfect circle.” I replied, “No, it was Rafael,” and he said, “Oh, OK.” I was wrong, too — it was Giotto. But I remembered that at Caltech, an undergraduate can argue with a famous Nobel Prize-winning professor. Sandeep Jain (BS ’91) Noida, India Visit the two-level greenhouse on the northeast corner of Emerald City (AKA the Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology) for a quiet lunch. While there, find the hidden beaver in the large wall sculpture on the second floor. There are other hidden beavers around campus. Look for them as you visit various buildings and participate in the quiet celebration of the engineering animal who is our mascot. Mark Lucas , associate director, data center operations Azusa, CA Credit: Lance Hayashida Take the kids to see the saber-toothed tiger skeleton in Arms Lab! Wenyee Lo , technical communications and software licensing, Office of the CIO South Pasadena, CA Caltech has a uniquely supportive environment for students. As a graduate student in chemistry, I found the professors and staff created a true learning community that encouraged everyone to explore and share both inside and outside the lab. It was quite a contrast in environment from other schools I considered where there was a sense of possessiveness and competition between groups in the same department. I hope the community always strives to achieve that collegial ideal! Chistine McDade (PhD ’85) Newfields, NH As a Caltech PhD and a fellow Sri Lankan (probably the first at this prestigious and unique institution), I wish you the very best in your tenure as president. I had a great experience living and studying in Pasadena. In my opinion, the undergraduate house system is one-of-a-kind among institutions in the US. The experience as the resident associate (RA) of then Ruddock House (now Venerable House) for three years had a lifelong impact on me. I also had the good fortune of socializing with one the greatest scientists of our time, Richard Feynman, as he was playing his bongos. Ajit Yoganathan (PhD ’78) Tucker, GA When in a rush for a healthy and quick lunch, go to the Browne Cafeteria and fix up your own Mongolian stir fry. Great vegetable options, choices of protein and sauces. And, though off campus, Caltech is located close to an abundance of cultural resources — visual and performing arts institutions essential to maintaining a well-centered life. Be it the LA Music Center, the Pasadena Playhouse (a Tony-award winning theater), or dozens of museums and galleries, there are more options than time to enjoy them all. Michael Alexander , campus arts and culture liaison Los Angeles, CA