Neutron Star and Sun-like Star in Orbit Around Each Other caltech 2024-07-16 | This animation depicts a binary star system in which a massive compact neutron star is orbiting a larger Sun-like star. Neutron stars are incredibly dense remnants left behind after a massive star explodes as a supernova. They pack about 40 percent more mass than our Sun into an object only about 12 miles in diameter. The intense gravity of this high-density object produces significant warping effects that distort the view of the sky around it, not unlike what occurs around more compact black holes. As the neutron star passes by in the foreground, our view of the vastly larger and more distant Sun-like star is warped. Several systems like this one, in which the neutron stars are widely separated from their solar-type companions, have been found using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission. The orbital periods of these systems range between six months and three years. In this animation, we are positioned near the path of the compact neutron star as it whizzes past its companion in the distance.Image credit: Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)More info: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/sun-like-stars-found-orbiting-hidden-companions
Orbital frequencies of the exoplanets in the Trappist-1 solar system caltech 2024-08-20 | This video shows the distances between the planets in the Trappist-1 system (labeled b-h) and their orbital frequencies, showing where and when various planets' orbits come into brief alignment with one another.More info: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/evolution-of-the-trappist-1-planetary-systemCredit: Gabriele Pichierri
Scenes from the Watson Lecture Preshow caltech 2024-08-07 | Join a community of curiosity at the Watson Lectures! Learn more and register today: https://events.caltech.edu/series/watson?utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=watson-lectures&utm_source=youtube&utm_content=&utm_term=Come early to each Watson Lecture to mingle with your neighbors over food, drink, and music, as well as interactive displays related to the evening's topic. Then head inside to hear a stimulating talk.
Behind the Book: Betsy Mitchell and Ann Worthington - July 31, 2024 caltech 2024-08-02 | Behind the Book presents 2x Olympian and Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Recreation at Caltech, Betsy Mitchell, along with her co-author, Ann Worthington, in conversation with Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry, Brian Stoltz, discussing their recently published book, "More Than Medals: Lessons from an Olympian."Learn more about the Behind the Book Series: https://events.caltech.edu/series/behind_the_bookRecorded on July 31, 2024, in Ramo Auditorium at Caltech.©2024 California Institute of Technology
Machine Learning Adaptation in Swimming Motion caltech 2024-07-31 | Caltech researchers analyzed a flapping robot’s motions in a tank of oil (left) then amputated a portion of the robot's flapper (right).The robot was programmed to run repeated trials of various stroke mechanics which were then evaluated through machine learning. Eventually the robot, like an injured fish or insect, was able to achieve a successful alternative form of propulsion with its damaged flapper.More info: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/robots-like-animals-can-adapt-after-injuries
Remarks About and By Carver Mead caltech 2024-07-26 | Remarks about and by Carver Mead from:- Presenters at the "Changing Directions & Changing the World: Celebrating the Carver Mead New Adventures Fund" symposium on June 7, 2019, in Beckman Institute Auditorium at Caltech.- Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, from Caltech's 130th Commencement Ceremony on June 14, 2024.Learn more about: - Carver Mead New Adventures Fund: http://www.ist.caltech.edu/programs/c...- The Symposium: • Carver Mead New Adventures Fund Sympo... - Professor Carver Mead's Research: http://www.carvermead.caltech.edu/ - Carver Mead Channel: / @carvermead42 Produced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies.©2024 California Institute of Technology.
Dark Matter and Normal Matter Decouple caltech 2024-07-24 | This artist's animation depicts a collision between two massive clusters of galaxies. As the collision progresses, the dark matter in the galaxy clusters (blue) moves ahead of the associated clouds of hot gas, or normal matter (orange). This happens because, while both dark matter and normal matter feel the pull of gravity, only the normal matter experiences additional effects like shocks and turbulence, which slow it down during the collision. In this animation, the clusters are pictured in an orientation similar to that of the well-known Bullet Cluster collision, where the separation of dark matter and normal matter is observed as a spatial offset. From our view on Earth, MACS J0018.5 is in fact rotated nearly 90 degrees relative to the Bullet cluster and from what is depicted here. In other words, the two massive clusters in MACS J0018.5 are positioned such that one is flying toward us, and the other is flying away. This unique perspective allowed researchers to measure velocity differences between the dark matter and normal matter in a cluster collision for the first time.Image credit: W.M. Keck Observatory/Adam MakarenkoMore info: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/dark-matter-flies-ahead-of-normal-matter-in-mega-galaxy-cluster-collision
History of Pride by Shelley Diamond - June 26, 2024 caltech 2024-07-24 | Caltech GSC and CPA present a lecture on the history of pride, seen through the eyes and life of Rochelle ‘Shelley' Diamond, who is the facility director emerita for the Flow Cytometry/Cell Sorting Facility at Caltech. The lecture was held in Beckman Behavioral Biology B180 on Wednesday, June, 26, 2024 at 4 PM.Throughout her life, Shelley has played important roles in both biology research and the development of the LGBTQ+ STEM community. She will give us a short history of her career and how it relates to the founding of NOGLSTP ( now Out to Innovate), taking pride in how far scientists and technical professionals have come since the early 1980s. We will also look at where the LGBTQ+ STEM community currently stands and how we can all play a part in helping the community.About the Speaker: Rochelle ‘Shelley' DiamondRochelle ‘Shelley' Diamond is a Member of the Professional Staff at the California Institute of Technology. She is the lab manager (42 years) and researcher for Dr. Ellen Rothenberg's developmental immunology group at Caltech. Rochelle's primary research focus since coming to Caltech has been on early murine T-cell differentiation. Using flow cytometry and cell sorting to investigate developmental states and lineages in these T-cell populations, she has authored over 25 publications in scientific journals. She offers guidance to all lab members, troubleshoots experimental protocols, and oversees instrumentation. She is the safety officer for the Rothenberg Group. She also manages the day-to-day budgets and ordering and conducts all lab business pertaining to the institute and outside vendors and consultants. She is also facility director emerita and consultant for Caltech's Flow Cytometry/Cell Sorting Facility (40 years), that services various university divisions. Prior to her arrival at Caltech, Rochelle was a researcher at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, City of Hope Research Institute, and UCLA. She has owned and operated a prototype scientific instrumentation company and helped to build and operate protein sequenators for the City of Hope Research Institute. She was a member of the City of Hope/Genentech research team that cloned the human gene for insulin in 1978. Rochelle is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and chair emerita of Out to Innovate formerly known as the National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals, Inc. She is a member of the International Society for Analytical Cytology, American Chemical Society, and an active participant on the Purdue Cytometry On-Line forum. She has received numerous awards for her LGBTQ+ diversity work. She has been listed in ‘Who's Who in Science and Engineering' and ‘Who's Who of American Women'. Recent web archive interviews are the Caltech Heritage Archives interview with David Zierler (https://heritageproject.caltech.edu/interviews-updates/rochelle-diamond) and the Outwords interview (theoutwordsarchive.org/interview/rochelle-a-diamond/). Professional publications include: co-editor of the professional text In Living Color: Protocols in Flow Cytometry and Cell Sorting (Springer, 2000). "Separation and enrichment of cell populations by centrifugal elutriation", Methods Vol 2, Issue 3, June 1991.©2024 California Institute of Technology
Sun-like Stars Orbiting Hidden Companions caltech 2024-07-16 | Astronomers have discovered 21 stars like our Sun in orbit around neutron stars—heavy, compact remains of massive stars that previously exploded. The hidden neutron stars were discovered through their gravitational effects alone. Though the neutron stars are more massive than Sun-like stars, the two objects mutually orbit one another around a common center of mass. As the neutron stars orbit around, they tug on the Sun-like stars, causing them to wobble. The European Space Agency's Gaia mission detected this wobble by observing the orbits of the Sun-like stars (yellow dots) over a period of three years. The Sun-like stars are green in this animation, and the neutron stars (and their orbits) are purple.Image credit: Caltech/Kareem El-Badrymore info: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/sun-like-stars-found-orbiting-hidden-companions
Hopkins Group: Simulation Zooms Into Black Hole caltech 2024-07-02 | This simulation flies into a tangle of merging galaxies, ultimately zooming into an active supermassive black hole, or quasar, surrounded by a swirling disk of material called an accretion disk. A filamentary stream of gas has been wound up into the disk, funneling gas in at a rate sufficient to fuel the brightest known quasars in the universe. Near the end of the simulation, magnetic fields rip away the angular momentum from the rotating disk, which allows material to spiral in further and further until it reaches the event horizon of the black hole, where it can't escape. In this simulation, which represents one moment in time, the scale zooms in by a factor of a billion. The colors show the density of the gas, with brighter colors representing higher densities.credit: Caltech / Phil Hopkins Group
Cosmic Simulation Reveals How Black Holes Grow and Evolve caltech 2024-07-02 | A team of astrophysicists led by Caltech’s Phil Hopkins has managed for the first time to simulate the journey of primordial gas dating from the early universe to the stage at which it becomes swept up in a disk of material fueling a single supermassive black hole. The new computer simulation upends ideas about such disks that astronomers have held since the 1970s and paves the way for new discoveries about how black holes and galaxies grow and evolve.
CSO Dome Removal Timelapse (2024) caltech 2024-07-02 | The decommissioning of the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) and the restoration of the site on Maunakea, Hawai'i was captured by a camera at Subaru Telescope, operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).The telescope itself had previously been disassembled and brought down the mountain.
Taming the Diverse Beasts Within: Evolutionary Innovations in Genome Defense - Peiwei Chen - 6/10/24 caltech 2024-06-24 | Everhart Lecture SeriesThe work described in this talk can be found below:Chen et al. (2021) Genes Dev doi.org/10.1101/gad.345041.120Chen et al. (2024) bioRxiv doi.org/10.1101/2024.06.12.598716©2024 California Institute of Technology
The Neurology of Consciousness: From Recovery after Coma to Meditation - Steven Laureys - 6/12/24 caltech 2024-06-15 | ...
Caltechs 130th Commencement Ceremony caltech 2024-06-14 | Ceremony begins at 20:47.Caltech’s 130th annual Commencement ceremony was broadcast live from Caltech’s Beckman Mall in Pasadena, CA, on June 14, 2024. Jensen Huang, Founder and CEO of NVIDIA, delivered the keynote address.20:47 - Processional35:55 - Opening Remarks, David W. Thompson (M.S. ’78), Chair of the Board of Trustees52:18 - Commencement Address, Jensen Huang1:24:48 - Choral Selection, Caltech Glee Club and Caltech Convocation Brass, Percussion, and Organ Ensemble1:30:22 - Conferring of Degrees, Thomas F. Rosenbaum, President• 1:31:34 - Bachelor of Science (BS), Jennifer A. Jahner, Faculty Dean of Undergraduate Students• 1:57:13 - Master of Science (MS), David C. Chan, Faculty Dean of Graduate Studies• 2:07:57 - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), David C. Chan, Dean of Graduate Studies• • 2:09:44 - Division of Biology & Biological Engineering, Richard M. Murray (B.S. ’85), Division Chair• • 2:13:53 - Division of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Dennis A. Dougherty, Division Chair • • 2:20:05 - Division of Engineering & Applied Science, Harry A. Atwater, Division Chair• • 2:32:41 - Division of Geological & Planetary Sciences, John P. Grotzinger, Division Chair• • 2:35:57 - Division of the Humanities & Social Sciences, Tracy K. Dennison, Division Chair• • 2:37:28 - Division of Physics, Mathematics & Astronomy, Fiona A. Harrison, Division Chair2:42:57 - Announcement of Awards and Concluding Remarks, Thomas F. Rosenbaum, President2:58:31 - Alma Mater, Caltech Glee Club and Caltech Convocation Brass, Percussion, and Organ Ensemble3:00:02 – Streamers3:00:15 - Recessional, Caltech Convocation Brass, Percussion, and Organ Ensemble©2024 California Institute of Technology
The Universe Never Forgets: Pushing Einstein’s Theory to the Limits – Keefe Mitman – 5/28/24 caltech 2024-06-12 | ©2024 California Institute of Technology
Netlab Reunion Athenaeum Reception + Special Keynote: My Favorite Architect caltech 2024-06-12 | J. Doyle, California Institute of Technologyw/remarks from S. Low
Ed Stone (1936-2024): Voyager Project Scientist caltech 2024-06-11 | Caltech celebrates the life of discovery led by Ed Stone, the David Morrisroe Professor of Physics and Project Scientist for Voyager missions. In this video, shot in 2017, Dr. Stone describes his career at Caltech and JPL, and the moment Voyager discovered active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon, Io. "Usually it's the things that we don't anticipate which turn out to be the most important, it's just that we didn't know they were out there," Stone says.
Les Deutsch: Caltech Organist Celebrates 50 Years of Commencement caltech 2024-06-10 | Music has sustained Les Deutsch (BS '76, PhD '80) from his earliest days, and as Caltech organist, he has arranged and performed the music for commencement every year since 1974. As he prepares for his 50th consecutive Caltech commencement, Dr. Deutsch recalls the most memorable ceremonies, and traces a life in music and in mathematics at JPL, where he recently retired after a 42-year career.
Humans vs. Autonomous Systems: Robustness and Intelligence caltech 2024-06-10 | Y. Nakahira (‘2019), Carnegie Mellon University
Closing the Loop: From Data to Action in Physical Systems caltech 2024-06-10 | N. Li (‘2013), Harvard University
ML with Guarantees for Energy and Sustainability caltech 2024-06-10 | N. Christianson (current), California Institute of Technology
Privacy & Security of Learning Algo: A Control Theory Perspective caltech 2024-06-10 | K. Dvijotham (‘2016), Google Brain
Keynote I: Learning and Control in Countable State Spaces caltech 2024-06-10 | R. Srikant, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Startup Panel: Crossing the Gap caltech 2024-06-10 | C. Jin (‘2005, PowerFlex), G. Lee (‘2011, PowerFlex), K. Tang (‘2006, Cornell University), D. Wei (‘2006, Turing), S. Low (Caltech, moderator)
Market Power & Withholding Behavior of Energy Storage Units caltech 2024-06-10 | J. Anderson (‘2019), Columbia University
Distributionally Robust Regret Optimal Control caltech 2024-06-10 | E. Bitar (‘2012), Cornell University
Global Networks for Data Intensive Sciences: the Innovations and Key Roles of Steven Low caltech 2024-06-10 | H. Newman, California Institute of Technology
Keynote II: Analyzing Spatially Distributed EV Charging Dynamics with Optimization and Duality caltech 2024-06-10 | F. Paganini, Universidad ORT Uruguay
Netlab: Our Journey Together and Forward caltech 2024-06-10 | S. Low, California Institute of Technology
Caltech Digital Twin: a Distribution System Model and Testbed caltech 2024-06-10 | Y. Xie (current), California Institute of Technology
Large-Scale Optimization of Convex-Concave Games in Networks caltech 2024-06-10 | C. W. Tan (‘2009), Nanyang Technological University
A Decade of Sustainable Data Centers caltech 2024-06-10 | A. Wierman, California Institute of Technology
Structure Exploiting Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning caltech 2024-06-10 | G. Qu (‘2021), Carnegie Mellon University
How Much Should We Trust ML Agents in Power Systems? caltech 2024-06-10 | T. Li (‘2022), Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
Caltech and the Origins of Electric Vehicles - May 30, 2024 caltech 2024-06-09 | Learn more about the event https://www.eas.caltech.edu/events/evorigins-- 0:09 Welcome by Harry A. Atwater and Ketan Ranade-- 27:23 Wally Rippel (BS ’68)Caltech, MIT, and the Great Electric Car Race-- 47:50 Wally Rippel (BS ’68)Early Works: R&D @ JPL-- 54:46 Alec Brooks (MS ’77, PhD ’81) and Wally Rippel (BS ’68)The Creation of Modern Electric Cars: AeroVironment, the Sunraycer, the Impact, and the General Motors EVI-- 1:37:56 Tom Gage (former president of AC Propulsion) joins Wally and Alec to discuss:AC Propulsion, tZero and the Technology Handoff to TeslaProduced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies.©2024 California Institute of Technology
Historic Innovations by Caltech People That Transformed Our Everyday Lives - Carver Mead - 5/22/24 caltech 2024-06-07 | Drawing on more than 70 years of research and perspective, microelectronics pioneer Carver Mead (BS '56, PhD '60), the Gordon and Betty Moore Professor of Engineering and Applied Science, Emeritus, shares a history of Caltech breakthroughs and innovations that have revolutionized modern society. In this talk, Mead illuminates the contributions of Caltech scientists and engineers who have worked to identify and eliminate Los Angeles smog; to engineer the semiconductors that ushered in Silicon Valley and the age of digital information; to create the lasers that made the World Wide Web possible; to bring GPS to the masses; and to make cars electronic. His discussion spans both his own work and that of colleagues, students, and fellow alumni who have pursued excellence, defied convention, and made all our lives better.Learn more about Professor Mead: http://carvermead.caltech.eduAbout the Series:Since 1922, The Earnest C. Watson Lecture Series has brought Caltech's most innovative scientific research to the public.The series is named for Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 until 1959. Spotlighting a small selection of the pioneering research Caltech's faculty is currently conducting, the Watson Lectures are geared toward a general audience, as part of the Institute's ongoing commitment to benefiting the local community through education and outreach.For more information on the Watson Lecture Series: https://caltech.edu/watsonView other Watson Lectures: bit.ly/Caltech_Watson_LecturesProduced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies.©2024 California Institute of Technology
Caltech Fellowships: Supporting Graduate Students caltech 2024-06-04 | Freedom to think big and flexibility to take risks—these are what fellowships offer Caltech’s talented graduate students. Most endowed graduate fellowships at Caltech do not tether students to advisors, laboratories, or federal grants, which allows fellows to explore and partner with the research groups of their choice. This latitude—a hallmark of graduate study at the Institute—sparks creative collaborations and interdisciplinary problem-solving. It also increases our competitive edge in attracting and retaining top scholars from around the world.This video features the following Engineering and Applied Science Chair Scholars and their mentors:Zachary Ahmad, a materials science major, works with Katherine Faber, the Simon Ramo Professor of Materials Science.Joudi Hajar, an electrical engineering major, works with Charles Elachi (MS ’69, PhD ’71), professor of electrical engineering and planetary science, emeritus, and former director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL, which Caltech manages for NASA), and with Babak Hassibi, the Mose and Lillian S. Bohn Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computing and Mathematical Sciences.Tinashe Handina, a computing and mathematical sciences major, works with Eric Mazumdar, an assistant professor of computing and mathematical sciences and economics.Theresa Tsaggaris, a mechanical engineering major, works with Kaushik Bhattacharya, vice provost and the Howell N. Tyson, Sr., Professor of Mechanics and Materials Science.The video was developed in connection with the Initiative for Caltech Students, a fundraising campaign that aims to help students achieve their full potential by supporting undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, health and wellness, career advising, and co-curricular experiences.Learn more about graduate fellowships: https://initiativeforstudents.caltech.edu
What Games Teach Us About Human and Artificial Intelligence with Sneha Aenugu caltech 2024-05-13 | As far as we know for certain, humans are the only species in the vast expanse of the cosmos with the consciousness and intelligence to study the mysteries of the universe. But the biggest mystery of all may be right in our own heads. How much do we know about the origins of our own intelligence? And how can we use what we learn to improve artificial intelligence? In her research, Caltech graduate student Sneha Aenugu designs experiments that set out to answer these very difficult questions using a common activity: video games. In this May 3, 2024, talk for middle and high school students, she discusses her research and shares her personal story, including her love of sci-fi and fantasy and her early struggle to picture herself as a scientist.For more information on Science Journeys, visit: https://events.caltech.edu/series/science-journeys?utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=science-journeys&utm_source=youtube&utm_content=&utm_term=About the speaker: Graduate student Sneha Aenugu is an electrical engineer turned neuroscientist from Hyderbad, India. She was first drawn to neuroscience when she realized that cells in the brain communicate with each other through electricity. At Caltech, Sneha studies how humans learn, act, and make decisions in the real world. The lab she works in employs technology that measures and creates images of brain activity. Sneha and her colleagues then use computer science to test theories about how the brain works. Her love of science started in middle school when she discovered the joy of solving tricky math problems. Then, in high school, she began applying those skills to the study of physics. Prior to Caltech, Sneha worked in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry building an automatic driving assistance product, and, during the COVID-19 pandemic, analyzing health care data using AI. Apart from being a detective of neural mysteries, Sneha enjoys traveling, swimming, reading literary fiction, and writing poetry. She also practices improvisational dancing and is learning to play the violin. She sees art, music, and humor as core to being human and is, therefore, curious about how the human brain can express creativity through artistic endeavors.About the program: In Science Journeys, Caltech graduate students and postdoctoral scholars share their research to inspire scientific curiosity. Programs are designed for middle and high schoolers, but all are welcome. These events are made possible through the generosity of the Friends of Beckman Auditorium. If you have questions, please email Mary Herrera at mhh@caltech.edu. Produced in association with Caltech Academic Media Technologies. ©2024 California Institute of Technology
Behind the Book: The Invention of Ecocide - David Zierler - April 10, 2024 caltech 2024-05-03 | BEHIND THE BOOK presents Dr. David Zierler and Prof. Paul Wennberg in conversation about Zierler's "The Invention of Ecocide: Agent Orange, Vietnam, and the Scientists Who Changed the Way We Think About the Environment" on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at 7:30 PM in Beckman Auditorium. As the public increasingly questioned the war in Vietnam, a group of American scientists deeply concerned about the use of Agent Orange and other herbicides started a movement to ban what they called "ecocide."David Zierler traces this movement, starting in the 1940s, when weed killer was developed in agricultural circles and theories of counterinsurgency were studied by the military. These two trajectories converged in 1961 with Operation Ranch Hand, the joint U.S.-South Vietnamese mission to use herbicidal warfare as a means to defoliate large areas of enemy territory.Driven by the idea that humans were altering the world's ecology for the worse, a group of scientists relentlessly challenged Pentagon assurances of safety, citing possible long-term environmental and health effects. It wasn't until 1970 that the scientists gained access to sprayed zones confirming that a major ecological disaster had occurred. Their findings convinced the U.S. government to renounce first use of herbicides in future wars and, Zierler argues, fundamentally reoriented thinking about warfare and environmental security in the next forty years.Incorporating in-depth interviews, unique archival collections, and recently declassified national security documents, Zierler examines the movement to ban ecocide as it played out amid the rise of a global environmental consciousness and growing disillusionment with the containment policies of the cold war era.Following their discussion, that explored scientists' reactions to nuclear weapon tests and their impact on the environment, the audience was invited to submit questions to the speakers.©2024 California Institute of Technology
