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May 25th, 2025 | 12:15pm – 2pm, Hameetman Conference Room, Members Present: Ashlyn, Elisa, Bisrat, Parker

“My mom used to drag us out in the middle of the night to go watch the volcano when it would erupt. At like 3 am, she’d drag us out, get in our VW Van, and travel up the hill to the volcano,” Lecturer in History Dr. Daniel Lewis explains of his childhood in Hawai‘i. “Right now, it’s erupting in these thousand-foot plumes. Now would be the time to go—it’s mind-blowing.” His time in Hawai‘i left him with a deep appreciation of nature and countless unique stories.

According to the lawsuit, a reduction in the NSF indirect cost rate to 15% would result in an “annual loss of approximately $14.8 million to Caltech’s planned research budget.” An awarded grant consists of direct costs, which fund the research itself, and indirect costs, an added percentage that covers overhead such as infrastructure and administration. Caltech currently has 210 active awards and subawards from NSF. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Institute spent over $93 million on NSF-supported research, including nearly $22 million in indirect costs.

If you stroll past the Olive Walk on a sunny Pasadena day, you might see something magical in the air. Is it the scent of freshly pranked upperclassmen? The echo of the Fleming cannon? Or perhaps it’s just the spirit of Caltech’s brand of wizardry—a house system that would make even J.K. Rowling jealous. At Caltech, the hallowed tradition of “houses” isn’t just about where you sleep; it’s about forging family, engineering pranks, and unleashing a level of creativity that would make even Dumbledore drop his lemon drop.

My reign of terror is over, and my era as ASCIT President has come to its end. Through this opportunity, Caltech and its community have taught me countless lessons that I wouldn’t be able to learn in any classroom, and I thank each and every one of you for the faith you’ve put in me as the ASCIT President and the ways you’ve helped me grow.

On April 14, Caltech joined eight other American research universities in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Energy (DOE). The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to block DOE’s decision to cap the indirect cost rate on all academic grants at 15%.

Caltech President and Professor of Physics Thomas Rosenbaum will retire from Caltech and assume emeritus status at the end of the 2026 academic year, according to a campus-wide announcement delivered last Monday.

What it says on the tin. Includes: Dragon Quest! AI: The Somnium Files! Rhythm Heaven!

This year marks a century since the establishment of quantum mechanics as a formal discipline… Significantly, Caltech played an essential role in expanding quantum theories, leading innovations, and expanding the possibilities of what science can be achieved.

Two members of the Caltech faculty have been named 2025 Wolf Prize laureates in recognition of their distinguished scientific accomplishments; the David Baltimore Professor of Biology and Bioengineering, Pamela Björkman, received the accolade in medicine, whereas the Frank J. Roshek Professor of Physics and Applied Physics, emeritus, Jim Eisenstein, received the prize in physics.