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Vibrations
The Newsletter for the EAS Community
Selected Upcoming Events
March 28, 2023, 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Electrical Engineering Seminar: "Using Speckle Dynamics to Measure Blood Flow and Tissue Dynamics" - David Boas, Director of Neurophotonics Center, Boston University
Location: Moore B270
March 29, 2023, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Consciousness & Reality Colloquium: "From Beast Machines to Dreamachines" - Anil Seth, Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience, University of Sussex
Location: Online
March 29, 2023, 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm
KISS Lecture: "Field Exploration and Life Detection Sampling through Planetary Analogue Research (FELDSPAR)" - Professor Amanda Stockton, Georgia Tech
Location: Guggenheim 133 (Lees-Kubota Lecture Hall)
April 5, 2023, 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Charge Up! Entrepreneurship Series: "Alumni Fireside Chat - Engineer Goes Rogue" - Kevin Noertker (BS '09), Co-Founder and CEO of Ampaire
Location: Jorgensen Laboratory Room 224 and Online
April 6, 2023, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar: "Bulging and Poking of 2D Materials" - Nanshu Lu, Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, Biomedical Engineering, Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
Location: Gates-Thomas 135
April 7, 2023, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Medical Engineering Distinguished Seminar Series: "E-Tattoos and E-Skins Bridging Humans and Robots" - Professor Nanshu Lu, University of Texas at Austin
Location: Annenberg 102
April 7, 2023, 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
NASA Astronaut Jessica Watkins: "Propelled to Space by Science"
Location: Beckman Auditorium (Advanced registration online is recommended)
May 17, 2023, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Wouk Lecture: "Rethinking Evaporation: Thermal and Optical Evaporation from Pure Water and Hydrogels" - Gang Chen, Carl Richard Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering, MIT
Location: Ramo Auditorium
Spotlight On Our People
Sara Gorske
Graduate Student, Applied Physics and Materials Science
I am a G3 in materials science in Professor Katherine Faber's lab, where we work on interdisciplinary research topics in the field of ceramics. Currently, I study brittle fracture mechanics and the role of microstructure in determining crack paths. My other research interests lie at the intersection of art and science, specifically the impact of chemical and mechanical deterioration on the lifetime of artistic and archaeological artifacts. You can read more about these projects through my website. Outside of research, I am also a professional yoga instructor, a runner, and a poet. I recently published my debut chapbook of poems, I Left a Piece of Me in a Dream and Now I Don't Fit Together Anymore, through Bottlecap Press, which is a collection of works I wrote during my graduate endeavors so far.
Aiden Swann
Undergraduate Student, Mechanical and Civil Engineering
I am a senior undergraduate studying Mechanical Engineering and Control and Dynamical Systems. My research interest lies in using elegant mathematics, machine learning, and mechanical innovation to build dexterous robots which can accomplish human-like tasks. I am especially interested in how reinforcement learning can be further extended with theoretical guarantees and physics-based frameworks. In my research at Caltech, I have developed safety guarantees to improve the safety of quadrotors. I was a member of the 2022 NASA Big Idea team here at Caltech which developed LATTICE, an innovative cable-based lunar transportation framework that was awarded the most innovative concept by NASA. I am grateful to have such incredible support and opportunities throughout my time at Caltech. In my free time I love photography, racing quadrotors, and spending time on the beach. You can learn more about my hobbies and interests on my website.
We'd like to feature you!
New Resource: High-Value Surplus EAS Equipment
A new website is available for EAS labs to post (or find) working, valuable equipment that is no longer needed by the posting lab. To post equipment: please send a description, specs, and photo to commofc@caltech.edu. Please also include the date you will e-waste if there are no takers. It is assumed that the equipment is working and generally available at no-cost to others at the Institute, aside from transport to be mutually arranged. This website is only available on the Caltech network.
EAS News Highlights
Team MechE Wednesdays with the ME72 trophy
- Caltech's Battle of the Bots Returns for 38th Year
- ‘Smart' Bandages Monitor Wounds and Provide Targeted Treatment
- Conversations on Artificial Intelligence: The Future of Personalized Medicine
- From the EAS alumni e-newsletter: Trailblazers of Medical Engineering
- Three EAS Faculty Receive a Multidisciplinary Research Funding Award from the U.S. Department of Defense
- The New Blauvelt Fellowship Supports Graduate Students in Charting Their Own Paths
Calls for Nomination & Funding Opportunities
Caltech’s Office of Foundation Relations maintains an online database and email subscription service of primarily non-federal funding opportunities as a resource for the Caltech community. Opportunities include calls for proposals released by private foundations, public charities, associations, corporations, internal Caltech opportunities and federal limited opportunities.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation - Matter-to-Life Grant (Faculty)
Sloan's new Matter-to-Life program aims to sharpen our scientific understanding of life by supporting curiosity-driven research falling within three focus areas: Building Life, Principles of Life, and Signs of Life. These areas define a broad scientific scope for understanding the physical principles and mechanisms governing living systems, while also highlighting an openness to exploring life broadly conceived by instantiating the distinctive functions of living systems in entities built using various matter platforms. The program will also support scientific meetings that promote information exchange, the development of collaborations, and self-organizing. Submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Total Award: $50,000 to $2,500,000
2023 Chapman Memorial Award - Call for Nominations
We are soliciting nominations for the 2022 Richard Bruce Chapman Memorial Award, a $1,500 prize to be awarded at Commencement. The prize is for "a graduate student who has distinguished him/herself in research in the field of hydrodynamics." The original records of the fund mention Chapman’s interests in the fields of "Free-surface phenomena, free-surface waves, cavities and jets, and ship hydrodynamics." Nominations should include a copy of the student’s thesis (electronic version) and a brief letter of support from the thesis advisor. If a student is expecting to finish soon, a preliminary draft can be considered. Please submit the nominations to Melissa Hill in the EAS Division office by Monday, May 15, 2023.
Chen Institute Diversity and Inclusion Award
The Chen Institute for Neuroscience is accepting nominations for the Chen Institute Diversity and Inclusion Award. The award is to support Caltech neuroscience graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who are actively working to achieve diversity and inclusion at Caltech, and/or the wider community and STEM education. Examples of efforts include, but are not limited to, education through shared experience, outreach to local communities, creating and participating in programs and organizations working to bring change and enhance diversity and inclusion. Nominations are due by 5:00 pm on April 3, 2023.
2023 Demetriades-Tsafka-Kokkalis Prizes - Call to Submit Nominations
The Demetriades-Tsafka-Kokkalis Prizes consist of four prizes (Biotechnology or Related Fields; Nanotechnology or Related Fields; Environmentally Benign Renewable Energy Sources or Related Fields; and Seismo-Engineering, Prediction, and Protection) are awarded to a Ph.D. candidate for the best thesis, publication or discovery. The prize for Entrepreneurship or Related Fields is awarded to a graduate or undergraduate student for the best business plan, proposal, start-up or related efforts at Caltech. The prizes are open to the entire Institute. Nominations from faculty should be submitted by email to Melissa Hill by sending the name and the thesis of the nominee. The deadline for nominations is Monday, May 8, 2023. For the Entrepreneurship prize, please provide the name, CV and business plan of the nominee. The announcement of the prizes will be included in the commencement brochure. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Melissa Hill with any other questions.
New Horizons DEI Fund
The EAS Division is pleased to solicit small-scale proposals for new initiatives to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts by members of the EAS division. Short proposals (1 page with a budget) can be submitted to dei.eas@caltech.edu on a rolling basis and will be reviewed by members of the EAS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. The committee is interested in new projects, such as seeding a new program that supports or impacts the EAS community or exploring a new outreach effort that engages EAS members in the local Pasadena community.
RSI Ideation Grants Program
The RSI Ideation Grants program helps Caltech innovators further the development and real-world application of their climate-tech technologies. These ideation grants are geared towards faculty, students, and post-doctoral researchers developing technologies and creating new ventures addressing climate change. Grants range from $5,000 - $15,000, and cover both projects and companies. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis but funding is limited and candidates are encouraged to apply early. Learn more about the program and find application forms here.
COVID Updates: Visit together.caltech.edu for the latest communications from the Institute.
- As of October 3, 2022, masking is voluntary in all indoor settings, with the exception of instructional spaces. Students in instructional spaces must wear N95 masks, however instructors may elect to remove their masks. If you have been exposed to a person who has tested positive for COVID-19, you must wear a high quality mask (surgical mask, N95, KN95, or KF94 respirator) in any indoor space on campus for 10 days after exposure. Read the full update.
Effective Friday, March 17, the last day of winter term, the Institute will close its Caltech-sponsored surveillance testing program, and suspend the current twice-weekly testing requirement for students and employees. Read the full update.
- Voluntary surveillance testing is available to all (more info).
- Masks at no charge are available to persons with a Caltech ID at the Bookstore.
Division of Engineering and Applied Science
