Contrary to a certain rumor, this year’s Senior Prank did not involve placing a Cybertruck on the roof of Beckman Auditorium. Instead, we celebrated Nobel Laureate Prof. Kip Thorne’s 85th birthday following the transformation of Beckman into the wedding cake it’s often called. Festivities included a music-synchronized light show and Kip-themed treats: Kipcorn (popcorn), Kippy candy (cotton candy), atomic fireballs, starburst, cosmic freeze berry star clusters, star lollipops, Kipper snacks (sardines), and Milky Ways. It was truly an out-of-this-world party that bent the fabric of spacetime!
When I first set foot in California, leaving behind the sun-kissed hills of Italy, my heart was heavy with anticipation and anxiety. As someone raised in a profoundly Catholic family, faith was not just a tradition—it was the very fabric of my upbringing. Church bells, Sunday Mass, and a close-knit parish community were constants in my life. The thought of crossing the Atlantic for my studies filled me with excitement and a silent worry: Would I find a place where my faith could thrive? Would I see a community that shared my values, or would I feel lost in the vastness of a new culture?
I can’t be sure, but if I had to take a gamble, I would guess most of you—like me—are always trying to optimize our paths around campus. There are multiple reasons this could be true: (almost) late for class and want to minimize how much you miss? Want to make it to Tom Mannion’s OH before the rest of campus wipes out all the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Want to get to bed when a coyote is chasing you down? Want to get the latest sighting of Ted Danson on campus? Want to make that last 2:58 p.m. dash to Browne on the weekend before all you have is Red Door? Want to beat the 10:30 a.m. line explosion at Red Door? Or the weekend 3 p.m. line explosion? Or the 10 p.m. line explosion, or… You get the idea.
Last Monday, in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, a special dinner in Browne Dining Hall was held from 5-7:30 p.m. The event was a collaboration between Caltech Dining Services and the Caltech Wellness Center.
Last Saturday, the delicious scent of crème brûlée and chocolate croissants wafted through the alleys of Blacker Hovse. Moles hurried around the Hovse, tidying up their courtyard and dining hall for their annual Interhovse. The theme? The French Revolution. After months of preparation—with input from what felt like the entire Hovse—a production worthy of that era’s dynamism and ingenuity came together marvelously, complete with a panoply of renegade constructions and toothsome dishes.
One of the projects ASCIT B.o.D. adopted in 2023 was to review the building accessibility policies for undergraduate students outside of normal operational hours. For context, following the pandemic, building access was understandably limited in order to prioritize the safety and health of the campus communities.
Most visitors to Caltech’s newest residence were probably surprised when they first found out that the 212-room building has just one entrance, an issue which, as a resident of Bechtel myself, has been more inconvenient than I originally anticipated…
$130,000. That is my estimate of waste at Bechtel.
I am excited to introduce the EAS Graduate Student Advisory Board (GSAB), a proactive initiative aimed at bridging these gaps and cultivating a unified EAS community culture which will enhance the educational experience for all its members.
Last April, Theater Arts at Caltech (TACIT) staged the part one beta version of Earth Data: The Musical, an original musical inspired by real-life research at JPL…
