Join us for World Fest, a celebration of the cultural diversity at Caltech, by attending zoom talks or checking out recipes and demonstrations (a virtual version of our signature event the International Food Fair and Culture Show). World Fest is brought to you by International Student Programs and the Caltech Y. Contact caltechy@caltech.edu if you have questions or difficulty accessing the RSVP docs.
Reframing US-China Climate Relations: Competition as the Key to Climate Mitigation. A Conversation with Dr. Deborah Seligsohn
Monday | April 19th | 12-1 PM PST | RSVP for Zoom Link
The US-China climate relationship has long been recognized to be the most important element of a successful carbon mitigation strategy worldwide.And while those in the climate community generally frame the discussion in terms of how to reinvigorate US-China cooperation, it is important to rethink the relationship in terms of competition between two countries committed to Green Industrial Policy and the opportunities that opens for a new approach. What the world requires is a new paradigm for regulating a competition in carbon reduction
Dr. Deborah Seligsohn is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Villanova whose research focuses on Chinese politics, US-China relations and energy and environmental politics in China and India. Prior to her academic career, she had a career in policy, first with the US State Department and then with the World Resources Institute.Her overarching passions are trying to understand how to achieve better environmental outcomes by looking deeply at root causes and engaging students to follow their own passions as informed citizens and professionals.
Singapore Street Food
Tuesday | April 20th | 12-1 PM PST | RSVP for Zoom Link
Join us as we visit Singapore's ubiquitous hawker centers, and hear tales of family legacies through the sizzle of the wok, the gurgle of boiling broth, and the thud of a cleaver landing on a wooden cutting board. Peer through the curtains of hanging poultry or behind columns of bamboo steamers, and you’ll see the diverse faces of the cooks and their calluses-harden hands steadfastly preparing affordable meals to feed millions each day. A beloved institution since before Singapore’s founding in 1965, the hawker culture was recently inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We'll explore how these formerly itinerant food vendors became such a vital part of the growth of a country after it parted ways with its colonial rulers in the 1960s.
Our exploration will be guided by award-winning journalist (Singapore Street Food) Rachel Ng. You can also follow her adventures @rachelloveschicken.
Diplomacy, Politics and Power: A Conversation with Kathleen Doherty and Michael Nelson
Thursday | April 22nd | 12-1 PM PST | RSVP for Zoom Link
Michael Nelson and Kathleen Doherty have navigated the complex interplay of diplomacy, politics, and power at the national and international level. Join us as they share their experiences dealing with a variety of players through different administrations to provide a glimpse into US policy and international relations.
Kathleen Doherty has had a distinguished career with the U.S. Department of State, where she served as a dean of the Foreign Service Institute, the State Department’s premier training facility for U.S. diplomats, as the U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus, and in senior leadership positions in the U.S. Embassies in Rome, Moscow, and London, as well as in Washington, DC. When serving as a Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe, she received one of the State Department’s highest awards for her work on relations between the United States and the European Union and has received more than a dozen other State Department awards. She is currently the Chief Strategy and Retreats Officer for the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands.
Michael Nelson (Caltech BS ‘81) directs the Carnegie Endowment’s Technology and International Affairs Program, which helps decisionmakers understand and address the impacts of emerging technologies, including digital technologies, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Prior to joining Carnegie, he held policy positions with Cloudflare, Microsoft’s Technology Policy Group, Bloomberg Government, IBM, the Information, Communication, and Computing Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the institute for International Communications, the Senate’s Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
Welcome to Kazakhstan
Friday | April 23rd | 12-1 PM PST | RSVP for Zoom Link
Graduate student, Altyn Rymbek, takes us on a journey to her home country of Kazakhstan. Explore the unique culture and topography of the world’s largest landlocked country. Don’t miss this opportunity to get to know the real Kazakhstan from an insider’s point of view.
The presentation of speakers should not be considered an endorsement of the speaker’s views by the California Institute of Technology, Caltech International Student Programs, The Caltech Y, or The Caltech Y Student Activism Speaker Series (SASS) Committee. Views expressed are solely those of the speakers.
