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December 2019 Dear Caltech Y Friends, I joined the Caltech Y my freshman year after participating in the DC Science Policy Trip. During the trip, we met with Caltech alumni working on the Hill and discussed science advocacy and our roles in shaping science policy. It was an eye opening and inspiring experience. I still remember asking Athena, the Y’s Executive Director, "What if we had a tech policy trip to complement the science policy trip?" Athena supported the idea and suggested that I become a student leader to organize the trip. After the DC trip, I attended Y meetings and started leading programs. During Spring Break the following year, the Tech Policy trip I suggested as a frosh became a reality, and I was able to lead a group to San Francisco to meet with experts in tech policy. Thanks to the Y, I was also able to explore Gujarat, India through the annual India Ki Khoj program as well as the American South on a civil rights focused trip, a program I helped organize. I am grateful for these experiences. They helped me build a deeper understanding of social and global issues. Along the way, I realized that the Caltech Y offered a range of opportunities, from global to local experiences, such as tutoring through the Rise Program or volunteering through Make-A-Difference (MAD) Day. I cannot even begin to imagine the magnitude of impact the Y’s service programs have had on its participants. I know for me, the Y has made a world of difference in my Caltech experience. I was honored to be elected the President of the Student ExComm, and I gained more insight into the work the Y staff and board do to ensure our programs are funded and successful. None of our programming would be possible without the contributions of generous donors like you who understand the value of the Y in enriching student lives and helping us create positive change. The Y has provided me with a sense of community and a support system while rounding out my academic experience in ways that allowed me to explore my interests and passions. For me, the most unique part of the Y is that these opportunities are all student-driven and student-led. I’ve learned so much from all the successful events that ExComm coordinates and even more from the hiccups along the way. We are all working hard to ensure that the Y continues to serve as a resource for students, complementing students’ academic experiences with other opportunities to engage the community. If you have already made your annual gift, thank you for your support. If you have not had the opportunity to join the Friends of the Caltech Y or send in your annual gift, I hope you will consider generously supporting the Caltech Y. Your contributions are essential to the Y’s programming, help us accomplish our mission, and truly help make a difference. Thank you! Sincerely, Sunny Sunny Cui (Class of 2020) Student ExComm President

This past Spring Break, a group of twelve Techers consisting of undergraduates, graduate students, and Caltech Y staff with various backgrounds were able to go to Geneva as part of the Caltech Y’s inaugural global science policy trip. This Alternative Spring Break trip consisted of one week in Switzerland with meetings and discussions with policy leaders at various international organizations including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO), and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Geneva, and a day of sight-seeing at Bern, a UN designated World Heritage Site. A particularly memorable and informative session was at CERN where we learnt about CLOUD, the chamber they have constructed to study cloud formation, and their connections to Caltech as well as the involvement of the United States overall with CERN endeavors. Our discussion at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was very impactful as we learnt about the need for students with tech and scientific backgrounds in public policy and UNCTAD’s efforts to produce science and technology reports at the requests of various countries. At the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), we saw interesting presentations on the history and goals of the organization as well as climate change. Our questions about the influence this research has on science policy were answered and we also learned more about the balance between conducting research, and the need to differentiate between fact and opinion when talking to government officials. At another session, we also specifically discussed the Internet Society and various privacy standards. More generally, we worked to understand the ability of research and recommendation based organizations to influence initiatives and regulations. The students’ individual backgrounds in fields including climate change, artificial intelligence, global health issues and among others enhanced our discussions. A particularly memorable and informative session was at CERN where we learnt about CLOUD, the chamber they have constructed to study cloud formation, and their connections to Caltech... For me, this trip was a dream come true. It is inspiring and informative to be in an international hub like Geneva and have questions about the feasibility of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, fake news, climate change, equitable access to technology and medical advances, and what impact we as science and engineering students can have in international policy answered by global experts who are working on tackling these issues every single day. Beyond the educational aspect of the trip, Switzerland was absolutely beautiful with a flower clock and lighthouse along Lake Geneva as well as cathedrals and towers we could climb in Bern. We also learnt that Bern is the only place where Toblerone is made and sampled plenty of chocolate while we were there. I also hit a personal record in my walking meter according to my phone, which tracked our day in Bern at 11.7 miles! I truly enjoyed this trip and the access to individuals just willing to talk about various issues and initiatives added further context to my work as an electrical engineer. I also met other students on campus interested in science policy and learned about their specific interests, which added many different perspectives to our discussions. Thanks to everyone who supported us and helped make this trip possible. In particular, I want to especially thank the Caltech Y staff for always encouraging us to figure out ways to make this trip happen even though it seemed like a large challenging endeavor when we first started out. Hopefully, this trip will be able to be offered again in the future and I would highly recommend going! The global policy spring break trip was made possible with generous funding from the Frank and Elsie Stefanko Fund - established by Mike and Paula Stefanko (’70) in memory of Mike's parents. The fund provides opportunities for students to travel to a location outside of Southern California to pursue an interest outside of their Caltech studies.

The Caltech Y Executive Committee (ExComm) is happy to announce a new cabinet. ExComm President – sunny cui (bs '20) Sunny is a junior in Lloyd House studying electrical engineering. She is from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Sunny got involved with the Y when, in her freshman year, she went on the Washington, D.C. Science Policy trip. She says, “I learned so much and made a lot of new friends. The experience showed me the value of the Y’s programming and made me want to get involved!” Her favorite Caltech Y program is the Explore LA series. Sunny’s hobbies include hiking, drawing, playing piano, and baking. As ExComm President she says, “I would like to put together more events that bring in members of the Caltech community who are not yet engaged with the Y. I would like to find out what their needs and interests are, and how the Y can help enrich their Caltech experience.” Vice President of internal affairs – evan yeh (bs '20) Evan is a junior in Avery House studying electrical engineering. He is from Plano, Texas. Evan got involved with the Y when an upperclassman introduced him to MAD (Make-A-Difference) Day and he has been going to ExComm meetings ever since. He loves being outdoors, and some of his hobbies are playing Ultimate Frisbee, taking pictures of his friends, and giving his dog (and all dogs) well-deserved pats. Evan says people would be surprised to learn that he was born and raised in Texas but half of his pre-college education was in Taiwan. His favorite Caltech Y program is MAD DAY because “Not only do we get to help out the community, we also get to meet people from other groups on campus (graduate students, faculty, staff) we wouldn’t otherwise.” As ExComm Vice President of Internal Affairs, “I’d like to see more diversity and representation in Student ExComm. On top of that, I’d like to bring more awareness and engagement to the Y newsletters.” Vice President of external affairs – laura hu (bs '21) Laura is a sophomore in Ruddock House studying computer science. She is from Bellevue, Washington. Laura got involved with the Y when she learned about student involvement from staff member Agnes Tong. When she attended ExComm meetings, she got excited about the Y‘s many activities and began participating in Y programs. Some of her hobbies are writing (vignettes and literary Romanticism), painting (Impressionist-influenced landscapes) and cooking (mostly Asian food). Laura says people would be surprised to learn that she scribbles. She says it is very hard for her to choose a favorite Caltech Y program. “There are so many to choose from! This past winter I went with the Y to India, which was a thoroughly eye-opening experience guided by IIT Gandhinagar. The experiences and discussions we had about Indian culture and society were both jarring and insightful.” As ExComm Vice President of External Affairs, “I want to connect different enclaves of the Caltech community (undergrads, grads, friends and more), through the Caltech Y's mission and programs. I would also like to interact with the other student bodies on campus and increase awareness of what the Y has to offer.” vice president of operations – hazel dilmore (bs '20) Hazel is a junior in Avery House, majoring in geobiology. She is from Lake Mary, Florida. Hazel got involved with the Y when Agnes Tong was her mentor in the Center for Diversity’s Women Mentoring Women program and encouraged her to join ExComm. Some of Hazel’s hobbies are yoga, baking, dog watching, and trying new cafes. She says people would be surprised to learn that she loves country music. Her favorite Caltech Y program is the Rise Tutoring Program, because “My students are the highlight of my week.” As ExComm Vice President of Operations she says, “I want to introduce the Caltech Y and all that we do to new populations of the campus community!” We are excited to have the new cabinet on board and are looking forward to the year ahead. We would also like to thank our outgoing cabinet members, Kavya Sreedhar and Sirisha Gudavalli. It was a pleasure to work with you. We so appreciate your time and efforts serving the Caltech Y!

On April 13, we had our fourth Annual Hummel - Gray Travel Fund luncheon with our student awardees, Lily Kitagawa, Johanna Karras, Kai Klocke, and Laura Hu, together with Doctors Paul and Carla Hummel, and Professors Harry and Shirley Gray. Lily Kitagawa (’21) will be attending the Ninteenth Annual Conference of the Vision Science Society in May 2019 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. She will be attending the conference with the Shimojo lab (for which she was a SURF fellow and which she continues to work in) and is excited about learning the newest developments in unconscious visual perception, which is her field of research. Johanna Karras (‘21) will be attending The Grace Hopper Celebration conference in October 2019 in Orlando, Florida. Johanna plans to network with leaders, fellow students, and companies in technology and is excited to attend lectures on cutting-edge new developments, research, and training seminars in computer science that she would not otherwise have the opportunity to hear. Kai Klocke (‘19) attended the American Physical Society's March Meeting in Boston. Kai presented his work, entitled "Exploring self-organized criticality in driven cold gases." This paper describes the results from efficient numerical simulations of a system of cold Rydberg atoms which has been physically realized in recent experiments in Germany. In addition to exposure to ongoing research and the opportunity to interact with research professionals, Kai attended several workshops for undergraduates aimed at improving professional skills. Laura Hu (‘21) will be attending the European Women in Tech event in November 2019 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. As a computer science major, she is excited to connect both personally and professionally with women in tech from all around the world. She would like to grow as a leader and will attend leadership-focused workshops to learn from the real experiences of female professionals who were once in her place. The Patrick Hummel and Harry Gray Travel Fund supports undergraduate travels to academic conferences and provides leadership development opportunities for our students. Thank you to Patrick Hummel (who couldn't be here with us), Paul and Carla Hummel, Harry and Shirley Gray for their continuous support of our students!

A few years ago, I attended a talk on “effective altruism” as part of the Caltech Y’s Social Activism Series. The speaker mentioned the importance of ensuring that donating your time and/or money truly has an effective positive impact. I took this statement to heart and hope to do just that every time I go to Kids Reading to Succeed (KRS). KRS is a program that aims to inspire a love for reading among young students who are struggling with reading in school. Many of these students do not speak English at home and KRS offers them an opportunity to practice reading outside of a school, one-on-one with tutors who are volunteers like myself and my peers at Caltech. Every time I work with a student at KRS, I work to meaningfully and “effectively” improve their reading skills, whether it is teaching them how to break larger words into smaller known parts or concretely learn the definitions for several words they have not encountered before. I enjoy seeing something click for a once-struggling reader and enabling that child to read more independently. I love seeing them have fun reading and eager to choose their own books to read. Many of these students do not speak English at home and KRS offers them an opportunity to practice reading outside of a school, one-on-one with tutors who are volunteers like myself and my peers at Caltech. In the interactive part of KRS, we have done science experiments with the kids including making slime, creating lava lamps, building towers out of newspapers, and constructing balanced durable boats. Through these activities, we have fun seeing the students enjoy learning about fundamental scientific concepts and applying them in a tangible fun manner as well as helping them in this endeavor. KRS does more than simply help children read words. It provides both individual attention and a variety of activities to nurture a love of reading in these youngsters. I am grateful to be a part of that.

Four years ago, three undergraduate students who wanted to make a difference in the community started the Pasadena LEARNs program. Today, the program thrives with volunteers heading to Madison Elementary school in Pasadena every Friday where the volunteers lead science demos and coach the Science Olympiad team. The second and fifth graders’ eyes light up every time the Caltech volunteers walk through the gate. Their goal is simple - to get these young students excited about math and science by exposing them to real scientists. And it’s working! Check out the excited voices in the video below as Caltech volunteers Nora Linzer and Bekari Gabritchidze give a science demo on acids and bases. Thank you to Nora, Bekari and all our LEARNs volunteers for making science fun for these young scientists! https://www.facebook.com/CaltechY/videos/1029988920539993/

A Q&A with Don and Judy Collins, Caltech Y Board Members What is your hometown? Judy was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Tucson, Arizona when she was in grade school. Don was born in Tucson and lived there off and on through college. They met when they were sophomores at Tucson High School and married after Don graduated from the University of Arizona. Judy received her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy at the same time that Don received his MS in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona. Caltech was the next stop. Do you support any sports teams? Our favorite team will always be the 2014 Polytechnic High School Girls Tennis team; CIF Southern Section Champions, and CIF Southern Section Individual Singles and Doubles Champions. What are your interests and hobbies? We enjoy gardening, golf, reading, long walks, and hanging out with family and friends in Mammoth. What is/was your line of work? Judy is a retired clinical pharmacist having spent most of her career at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena specializing in pulmonology and oncology. Don spent his professional career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena focusing on fluid dynamics, biological oceanography and data management. How did you get involved with the Caltech Y? Judy met Athena through the Caltech Women’s Club. We both knew long-time Caltech Y Friends, Peter and Doreen Mason, through an early association with the Caltech Women’s Club baby-sitting pool during our time in graduate school and later at JPL, and through serving on the Athenaeum House Committee with Doreen. Our relationship with the Y was cemented at a Caltech Y Friends dinner in which John Dabiri was the speaker. What’s your favorite Caltech Y program or event and why? I believe that our favorite program must be the tutoring because of the continuing impact on the local community and the nation in general. This has been most effective in propagating the values of STEM and education in general. Our favorite events are the Friends Dinners because of the opportunity to interact with students and members of the Caltech community. What would people be surprised to know about you? Don spent many early years traveling from place to place following his father’s Air Force career, but his formative years were spent on a farm in southern Arizona. He attended second and third grade in a one-room school near the Mexican border where he also taught the first grade. He spent the fourth grade in a two-room school in what is now a ghost town in rural southern Arizona with his mother as both his and his brother’s teacher. Judy grew up as a city girl. If you could invite anyone (living of dead) to a Friends Dinner, who would it be? Caltech Students The Friends are the primary supporters of the Caltech Y. It is through generous contributions of our Friends that the Y is able to continue its long-standing mission of reaching out to the Caltech community with fresh ideas, student programming and active community service. To find out more please visit www.caltechy.org/support-us or contact us at caltechy@caltech.edu.

This past winter, the Social Activism Speaker Series (SASS) hosted three events that encompassed diverse topics, including career paths in public policy, immigration, reproductive justice, and nuclear policy. These events attracted a total audience of more than 130 members from the Caltech community. For our first event, we invited SASS alumnus Dr. Asa Hopkins to share his fascinating journey from studying physics at Caltech, to serving the public in Vermont, and eventually to working as a consultant in energy economics. In 2004, as a PhD student at Caltech and enthusiast in politics, Asa Hopkins invited the then Vermont congressman Bernie Sanders to give a SASS lecture on civil rights. His experience at Caltech led him to pursue a career in public service and eventually become the Vermont Director of Energy Policy and Planning. Recently, Dr. Hopkins entered the private sector and is now the vice president of an energy consulting firm. An inspiring raconteur, Dr. Hopkins stressed the influence of Bernie Sanders and other prominent political figures on his values and career goals, and urged the students in the audience to engage more in politics and social justice. Our second event featured the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Renee Tajima-Peña, where a screening of her documentary, No Más Bebés, followed by a Q&A session took place. No Más Bebés tells a powerful but little-known story about the sterilization of Mexican immigrant women by multiple Los Angeles county doctors that occurred in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which eventually led to the landmark civil rights lawsuit Madrigal v. Quilligan in the late 1970s. The sterilization procedures were performed, often through coercion, while the non-English speaking mothers were giving birth. Forty years later, Tajima-Peña decided to retell the story via her camera lens, and spent five years tracking down the sterilized mothers and witnesses in the Madrigal v. Quilligan case. As each mother is introduced in the film, they recount the day of the sterilization, and describe the pain and sorrow they suffered throughout the rest of their lives. After the screening ended, Tajima-Peña received an extended ovation from the audience. During the Q&A session, the filmmaker described the toil in making this documentary, as well as her motivation to draw the world’s attention to minority groups. She emphasized that, although there were clear victims in this lawsuit and the doctors were widely criticized, as a filmmaker she remained relatively detached emotionally to either side to ensure that the stories were told objectively. Our third event was a lecture by Dr. Brian Toon, Professor in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Toon has studied the environmental impact of past and, potentially, future nuclear wars for more than thirty-five years. In this talk, he mainly discussed the possibilities of a “nuclear winter” following a future nuclear war, where the state-of-the-art nuclear weapons are so destructive the entire planet Earth would be covered by a thick cloud of soot that would block sunlight for years, a scenario resembling the aftermath of the asteroid impact that caused the extinction of dinosaurs. Dr. Toon then proceeded to describe the inaction of the United States and other major governments in the world with regard to the potential consequences of a nuclear winter. When a military decision is made as to whether a nuclear bomb should be detonated, only the immediate, localized consequences are considered, while the global, decade-long negative impact is omitted. This is especially dangerous, Dr. Toon cautions. Finally, the speaker urged the audience to help prevent a nuclear winter by using their background in science to advocate for more comprehensive nuclear policies. With the knowledge gained and inspiration drawn from these speakers, we look forward to an enlightening spring term where we continue dialogues with renowned scientists and policy makers.

The 2018-19 Rise Program is supported by The Roethke Family Funds. Rise student scholarships are funded by the Caltech Y Tom M. Apostol Fund for Science and Math Outreach. New Rise equipment is funded through a grant from The Tournament of Roses Foundation.