#caltech

New Caltech Center Activates Science for Hazard Reduction

Led by seismologist Lucy Jones, the Caltech Center for Disaster Resilience will bring researchers and community leaders together to strengthen disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. When earthquakes, fires, droughts, severe storms, and extreme heat hit Southern California, the consequences depend in part on how communities have prepared beforehand. But leaders don't always have access to the latest science when developing disaster policies. Meanwhile, researchers make important discoveries about hazards, but these findings may not reach the officials who can put them to use. And resear

Caltech News · EN

Caltech and Broadcom Gather to Map the Quantum Future

What is the future of computation? Will quantum computers help advance AI tools, or, conversely, will AI help build tomorrow's quantum computers? These were just some of the topics bandied about at the third annual Caltech – Broadcom Technology symposium. The gathering was part of a larger partnership between Caltech and the tech giant Broadcom —a company that specializes in semiconductor and infrastructure software, and is best known for providing advanced silicon and connectivity solutions for AI data centers, smartphones, and the internet. The goal of the five-year collaboration, begun in 2

Caltech News · EN

Caltech robot makes history by building a structure in space

For the first time, a robot has autonomously built part of a structure in space, demonstrating a breakthrough that could fundamentally change space exploration. The technology could one day allow scientists to construct enormous telescopes, communications antennas, and solar power stations in orbit, far beyond the size limits of today's rockets.

ScienceDaily · EN

Caltech Names Stephanie Shea General Counsel

Stephanie Shea, a seasoned legal and higher education leader with extensive experience advising academic and research institutions, has been named Caltech's next general counsel. Shea, who currently serves as senior vice president, general counsel, and chief of staff to the president at Towson University, will begin her tenure on January 6, 2027. "Stephanie distinguished herself among an impressive field of candidates for her breadth of experience, intellectual curiosity, and collaborative spirit, as well as a clear understanding of what makes Caltech such a special place," said President Ray

Caltech News · EN

Caltech Robotic Space Demo Successfully Builds in Space

A robotic truss builder that was conceived, designed, and built by Caltech researchers and funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has successfully built a structure in space—without the help of astronauts—for the first time. The truss builder, part of DARPA's Novel Orbital and Moon Manufacturing, Materials, and Mass-efficient Design (NOM4D) program, consists of an autonomous manipulator that picks up struts and joints held in nearby dispensers to repeatedly assemble identical sections, or bays, of a perimeter truss. "This is the first time that a structure has been aut

Caltech News · EN

Caltech and the New California Quantum Ecosystem

The breakthroughs accelerating the growth of California's quantum innovation ecosystem depend on fundamental science and engineering from Caltech and other academic institutions, according to Caltech leaders and researchers who spoke at the statewide Quantum California Convening last month. Quantum California is a partnership between the California Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) and the University of California Office of the President (UCOP). The initiative was launched in November 2025 to align academia, researchers, national labs, industry, investors, and gov

Caltech News · EN

Caltech Leads NASA Mission to Make the First Deep Ultraviolet All-Sky Maps

To the casual observer, the starry sky offers a picture of tranquility. In reality, stars flare, explode, and occasionally crash into each other in cataclysmic collisions that bathe the universe in heavy elements and light. On October 27, NASA announced its commitment to launch the Caltech-led Ultraviolet Explorer (UVEX) mission—a new space observatory that will provide unprecedented views of our dynamic universe. The mission will also identify millions of tiny galaxies and make the very first deep all-sky maps in ultraviolet light. With NASA's commitment in place, the UVEX team will begin bui

Caltech News · EN

Five Caltech Faculty Selected by Meta to Help Solve Open Problems in AI

Caltech has been selected by Meta as one of five academic partners across the US to receive access to their latest artificial intelligence (AI) models, along with research funding and collaboration opportunities. New research agreements with five faculty members will expand on a strategic partnership between the Institute and Meta to advance breakthroughs across physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, and mathematics. The selected Caltech faculty members will receive research grants for up to three years, plus access to frontier Muse AI models through Meta's first-party application prog

Caltech News · EN

"What Could We Not Do?": The Inauguration of Ray Jayawardhana as Caltech's 10th President

On a November evening more than a century ago, George Ellery Hale, one of Caltech's three founders, and his guests gathered atop Mount Wilson to witness the first light of the 100-inch Hooker Telescope, the world's most powerful at the time. Ray Jayawardhana, who took office in July, began his inaugural address on Thursday, October 29, recounting that moment after he was formally installed as Caltech's 10th president. "First light," he explained, "is the poetic term astronomers use for the moment a new telescope first opens its eyes to the cosmos. It marks both the culmination of years of inge

Caltech News · EN

Caltech Mourns the Passing of Ted Scudder, 1930–2026

Thayer (Ted) Scudder, Caltech's only professor of anthropology for the latter half of the 20th century, passed away October 22 at the age of 96. He was regarded as a leading specialist on dams and their lasting effects on communities and global ecosystems. "Ted will be remembered as a world expert on the subject of forced population resettlement due to the construction of large dam projects," says economic anthropologist Jean Ensminger, Caltech's Edie and Lew Wasserman Professor of Social Sciences, Emeritus. "As a result of this work, Ted also developed a passion for the long-term study of a s

Caltech News · EN