Brown, Farley, and Seinfeld Elected to National Academy of Sciences

Submitted by kfesenma on Wed, 2013-05-01 09:52

Based on their distinguished achievements in original research, three Caltech professors—Mike Brown, Ken Farley, and John Seinfeld—are among the 84 members and 21 foreign associates newly elected to the National Academy of Sciences. The announcement was made this week at the 150th annual meeting of the academy in Washington, D.C.

The three new elections bring the number of living Caltech faculty members who belong to the academy to 73, including four foreign associates. In addition, three current members of the Caltech Board of Trustees are academy members.

Fifty Years of Clearing the Skies

Submitted by dsmith on Thu, 2013-04-25 21:28
Ringed by mountains and capped by a temperature inversion that traps bad air, Los Angeles has had bouts of smog since the turn of the 20th century. An outbreak in 1903 rendered the skies so dark that many people mistook it for a solar eclipse. Angelenos might now be living in a state of perpetual midnight—assuming we could live here at all—were it not for the work of Caltech Professor of Bio-organic Chemistry Arie Jan Haagen-Smit. How he did it is told here largely in his own words, excerpted from Caltech's Engineering & Science magazine between 1950 and 1962. (See "Related Links" for the original articles.)

Picking Apart Photosynthesis

Submitted by kfesenma on Tue, 2013-03-26 14:28
Chemists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory believe they can now explain one of the remaining mysteries of photosynthesis, the chemical process by which plants convert sunlight into usable energy and generate the oxygen that we breathe. The finding suggests a new way of approaching the design of catalysts that drive the water-splitting reactions of artificial photosynthesis.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Brennan Conference Room, third floor, Center for Student Services

Head TA Network Kick-off Meeting & Happy Hour

Theodor Agapie Named Cottrell Scholar

Submitted by bbell2 on Fri, 2013-03-15 10:25

Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA) has named Theodor Agapie, an assistant professor of chemistry at Caltech, a 2013 Cottrell Scholar.

The Cottrell Scholar Awards were instituted by RCSA in 1994 to recognize early-career individuals for innovative research and teaching excellence. The awards are named in honor of scientist, inventor, and philanthropist Frederick Gardner Cottrell who, in 1912, founded the organization that came to be known as RCSA.

State Legislators Honor Frances Arnold

Submitted by bbell2 on Fri, 2013-03-01 16:01

Caltech chemistry professor Frances Arnold will be honored by the California Legislative Women's Caucus at its inaugural Breaking the Glass Ceiling awards ceremony in Sacramento, California, on March 4.

The ceremony, to be held in the Assembly chambers at the California State Capital, is part of the Legislative Women's Caucus commemoration of Women's History Month. Following the ceremony, Arnold and other awardees will attend a reception at the governor's office.

John Bercaw Wins 2012 Tolman Medal in Chemistry

Submitted by bbell2 on Fri, 2013-03-01 15:45
The Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society (SCALACS) has selected John E. Bercaw, the Centennial Professor of Chemistry at Caltech, to receive the 2012 Tolman Medal. According to SCALACS, the Tolman Medal honors chemists for "achievements in fundamental studies; achievements in chemical technology; significant contributions to chemical education; or outstanding leadership in science on a national level." Awardees need not be residents of Southern California, but their award-related accomplishments must have been made here.

Visualizing Biological Networks in 4D

Submitted by katien on Fri, 2013-02-08 09:53
Every great structure, from the Empire State Building to the Golden Gate Bridge, depends on specific mechanical properties to remain strong and reliable. Rigidity—a material's stiffness—is of particular importance for maintaining the robust functionality of everything from colossal edifices to the tiniest of nanoscale structures. In biological nanostructures, like DNA networks, it has been difficult to measure this stiffness, which is essential to their properties and functions. But scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have recently developed techniques for visualizing the behavior of biological nanostructures in both space and time, allowing them to directly measure stiffness and map its variation throughout the network.

Caltech Senior Wins Churchill Scholarship

Submitted by kfesenma on Sun, 2013-02-03 14:33
Caltech senior Andrew Meng has been selected to receive a Churchill Scholarship, which will fund his graduate studies at the University of Cambridge for the next academic year. Meng, a chemistry and physics major, was one of only 14 students nationwide who were chosen to receive the fellowship this year.

Arnold Awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Submitted by abenter on Thu, 2013-01-31 14:49

Frances H. Arnold, a leader in the field of protein engineering and a member of the faculty at Caltech, was one of 11 inventors to be awarded the 2011 National Medal of Technology and Innovation. President Barack Obama presented Arnold with the medal on February 1 in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.

Watch the video from the event.

 

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