Bay Area Professional Summit

Mentorship, Career Conversations, and Culinary Science

Experience a day of mentorship, career exploration, and shared Caltech perspectives at the exclusive Bay Area Professional Summit.

This event is designed for mentors and mentees to participate in small-group discussions and share insights, experiences, and career advice — all facilitated by Caltech Career Achievement, Leadership, and Exploration (CALE). Come for the whole day or just the networking hour and culinary science night with Harold McGee (DAA ’10, BS ’73) and Tom Mannion. 

Shuttle service to the venue in San Francisco will be provided to those in the Peninsula area. Pick-up location and time to be determined.

Evening Program
Connect with the Caltech community over food and conversation, and enjoy an engaging culinary science demonstration exploring the how and why behind cooking. The evening program features Tom Mannion, Caltech’s Senior Director of Student Activities and Programs and instructor in Cooking and Food Science, and Harold McGee, acclaimed food science author of On Food and Cooking. They will share insights on the chemistry and techniques of cooking, offer live demonstrations, and invite questions and conversation throughout.

Preliminary Schedule
11:30 a.m. – Light lunch and coffee on arrival (mentors)
12:00 p.m. – Onboarding session for mentors with Phil Naecker (BS ’76) and Claire Ralph, director of CALE, and lecturer in Computing and Mathematical Sciences; light lunch and coffee on arrival (mentees)
1:00 p.m. – Individual mentoring sessions (45 minutes each); additional mentee activities planned
3:15 p.m. – Coffee break
3:30 p.m. – Continued mentoring sessions
5:00 p.m. – Networking reception: All alumni, postdocs, and students are welcome to join!
6:00 p.m. – Culinary exhibitions and discussions with Harold McGee (DAA ’10, BS ’73) and Tom Mannion.

There will be three types of registration:

Mentors: Alumni who graduated five or more years ago, bringing professional experience and industry-specific insights to guide fellow Techers.
Mentees: Current students, postdocs, and alumni who graduated within the past five years, seeking professional insights, career advice, and connections within the Caltech community
Networking-Only Participants: Any member of the Caltech community—including alumni, postdocs, and students—who wishes to attend the reception and culinary science program without joining the mentorship sessions.

To balance the mentor–mentee ratio, alumni will be confirmed as mentors by August 15.

Registration is now closed. For questions, contact Claire Ralph at career@caltech.edu.