BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Caltech Alumni - ECPv6.17.3.1//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Caltech Alumni X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Caltech Alumni REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20240310T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20241103T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20260308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20261101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20270314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20271107T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260820T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260820T190000 DTSTAMP:20260730T195012Z CREATED:20260723T225400Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260730T195012Z UID:41950-1787247000-1787252400@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“Foundation Models for Biological Structures” by Jarren Qiao\nEvolution has shaped how biological molecules work together\, allowing living organisms to communicate and transfer energy throughout the body over different distances and time periods. The ability to predict and redesign atomic-level interactions among all biological molecules has unlocked immense opportunities for molecular simulation and drug discovery. \nIn this talk\, I will discuss how AI foundation models and accelerated computing have led to major advances in understanding biological molecules and designing new ones. I will also discuss the frontiers beyond structure prediction and protein engineering. \nAbout the Speaker\nZhuoran (Jarren) Qiao is the co-founder of a Bay-area based stealth startup building foundation AI models for chemical sciences. He was a founding scientist at Chai Discovery and Iambic Therapeutics\, and a 2025 Science AI Grand Prize winner. \nJarren earned his PhD in Chemistry from Caltech with a minor in Quantum Science and Engineering\, advised by Professor Anima Anandkumar and Professor Thomas Miller. His past research centered around developing physics-driven AI approaches for problems in chemistry and structural biology. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the event. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Eilleen Zhang\, Jane Frommer\, Ralph Pursifull\, Reeya Chenanda\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. \n \n Register for the Event URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-august-2026/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260814T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260814T131500 DTSTAMP:20260729T002922Z CREATED:20260728T222131Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260729T002922Z UID:41972-1786708800-1786713300@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Pasadena (August) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow Techers for lunch in Pasadena with host Nathan Hurvitz (BS ’86) and reconnect with alumni across industries\, interests\, and class years. Whether you want to continue a conversation about science and technology\, meet alumni working in your field\, or simply spend time with other Techers in the area\, this monthly gathering offers a casual way to stay connected to the Caltech community. \nNathan plans for this meetup to continue on the second Friday of each month. \nThis month’s meetup: Friday\, August 14\, noon–1:15 p.m. PTLocation: Foothill Restaurant\, 2835 E. Foothill Blvd. Pasadena\, CA 91107Parking: Available behind the restaurant\, accessible from Daisy AvenueMenu: Available on Foothill Restaurant websiteCost: No registration fee; guests purchase their own lunch. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-pasadena-pasadena-august/ LOCATION:Foothill Restaurant\, 2835 E. Foothill Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91107 CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Caltech-Together-1500X500-10.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Nathan Hurvitz (BS %E2%80%9986)":MAILTO:nhurvitz@gmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260813T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260813T114500 DTSTAMP:20260729T203636Z CREATED:20260727T185820Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260729T203636Z UID:41962-1786621500-1786621500@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (August) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, August 13\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-august-2/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260809T073000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260809T113000 DTSTAMP:20260730T205052Z CREATED:20260730T201506Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260730T205052Z UID:42024-1786260600-1786275000@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: San Diego Second Sunday DESCRIPTION:Blue Sky Trail Hike and Waffle Brunch\nHike: 7:30 a.m. | Brunch: 9:30–11:30 a.m. \nRegister for the hike\, waffle brunch\, or both. \nJoin fellow Techers for a short\, 2.3-mile hike at Blue Sky Ecological Reserve\, followed by a waffle brunch at the Poway home of Eric Hille (BS ’89). The wide\, well-maintained trail has approximately 150 feet of elevation gain and passes through shaded riparian habitat and oak woodland. The group will turn around at the Lake Poway trail junction. \nThe brunch address will be emailed to registered guests. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Hike \n \n \n Brunch URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-san-diego-second-sunday/ LOCATION:Blue Sky Ecological Reserve\, 16275 Espola Road\, Poway\, CA\, 92064 CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Erik Hille (BS'89)":MAILTO:erikdhille@yahoo.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260716T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260716T190000 DTSTAMP:20260702T030344Z CREATED:20260623T211854Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260702T030344Z UID:41204-1784223000-1784228400@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“What Makes a Person? Modeling Traits and States from Psychological and Neuroscience Data”by Ralph Adolphs\, Professor of Psychology\, Neuroscience\, and Biology\nPersonhood matters deeply to us personally (no pun intended)\, serving as the very foundation for our ethical and legal rights. Yet\, we do not understand what constitutes a person\, or where its boundaries lie. \nWhat are the fundamental computations the brain performs that give rise to differences between individuals? Could we engineer this into AI in the future? Could we build a scientific model of what goes on in our minds that makes us who we are? I will argue that answering these questions requires a synthesis of two scientific disciplines: psychology and neuroscience. \nIn my lab at Caltech\, we leverage both disciplines to chart the taxonomy of our minds. We explore “states\,” like emotions\, that can vary day by day\, as well as “traits\,” like personality\, that define who we are over time. States and traits can be studied by neuroscience—directly within the physical brain rather than in the mind. \nIntegrating these approaches reveals three critical insights. First\, states like emotions can be isolated. They have neural mechanisms that we can dissect and manipulate. For example\, specific brain regions like the amygdala are necessary for fear. Second\, traits are complex. Enduring traits like personality can be predicted to some extent through patterns of brain activity but they defy easy mechanistic dissection. One reason for this difficulty—the third point—is that the states and traits in our current psychological inventory need a rigorous data-driven overhaul. \nWe routinely talk about states like fear\, happiness\, sadness and anger; and traits like stubbornness or shyness. But all these terms predated modern science and are unlikely to fit neatly into a future science of the mind. Truly understanding personhood\, whether in humans\, animals\, or AI\, will require us to fundamentally revise our very picture of what a mind actually is. \nAbout the Speaker\nRalph is the Bren Professor of Psychology\, Neuroscience and Biology at Caltech\, where he also chairs the Institutional Review Board (ethics and regulatory oversight of all studies in human participants). \nHe studied chemistry and biology as an undergraduate at Stanford\, and obtained his PhD at Caltech investigating how owls can hunt prey by sound alone (advisor: Mark Konishi). \nHe switched to human neuropsychology as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Iowa (advisor: Antonio Damasio) where he first became interested in emotions. \nSince 2004 his lab at Caltech studies human emotion and social behavior\, work that encompasses recordings from the brains of neurosurgical patients\, brain imaging studies of autistic people\, and collaborations with colleagues who work in animal models or engineer artificial agents. \nHis forthcoming book presents a new theory of emotions (“The new science of emotion: how brains represent what matters in the world”\, Princeton University Press\, 2027). \nUltimately\, Ralph aims to build a new science not only of emotions\, but of the mind—one that could explain how consciousness arises in humans and animals\, and how we could engineer minds into AI. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the event. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Eilleen Zhang\, Jane Frommer\, Ralph Pursifull\, Reeya Chenanda\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. \n \n Register for the Event URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-july-2026/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260712T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260712T170000 DTSTAMP:20260630T182402Z CREATED:20260630T182314Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260630T182402Z UID:41253-1783864800-1783875600@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: San Diego Second Sunday DESCRIPTION:Held on the second Sunday of the month\, this hike invites alumni\, family\, and friends to explore one of San Diego’s favorite trails. Join fellow Techers for a climb up Mount Helix\, a 5.6-mile round-trip hike with about 770 feet of elevation gain\, offering a 360° view of San Diego County. \nAlumni\, family\, friends and pets are welcome. Bring water\, sunscreen and hat. Participant will meet at the host’s house. The address will be provided after they sign up at SignUpGenius. Please register in advance so the host knows how many to expect. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-san-diego-second-sunday-july-2026/ LOCATION:Mount Helix\, 4901 Mt. Helix Park Drive\, La Mesa\, CA\, 91941\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Remy Sanouillet (MS '82%2C PhD '94)":MAILTO:cit@remy.sanouillet.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260710T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260710T131500 DTSTAMP:20260630T033601Z CREATED:20260630T033557Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260630T033601Z UID:41243-1783684800-1783689300@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Pasadena (July) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow Techers for lunch in Pasadena with host Nathan Hurvitz (BS ’86) and reconnect with alumni across industries\, interests\, and class years. Whether you want to continue a conversation about science and technology\, meet alumni working in your field\, or simply spend time with other Techers in the area\, this monthly gathering offers a casual way to stay connected to the Caltech community. \nNathan plans for this meetup to continue on the second Friday of each month. \nThis month’s meetup: Friday\, July 10\, noon–1:15 p.m. PTLocation: Foothill Restaurant\, 2835 E. Foothill Blvd. Pasadena\, CA 91107Menu: Available on Foothill Restaurant websiteCost: No registration fee; guests purchase their own lunch. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-pasadena-july/ LOCATION:Foothill Restaurant\, 2835 E. Foothill Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91107 CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Caltech-Together-1500X500-10.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Nathan Hurvitz (BS %E2%80%9986)":MAILTO:nhurvitz@gmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260709T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260709T131500 DTSTAMP:20260609T224137Z CREATED:20260609T224059Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260609T224137Z UID:41155-1783597500-1783602900@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (July) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, July 9\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-july-2/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260618T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260618T190000 DTSTAMP:20260528T180159Z CREATED:20260528T180137Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260528T180159Z UID:40957-1781803800-1781809200@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“Talking to Cells with Sound Waves for Medicine and Brain-Computer Interfaces” by Mikhail Shapiro\, Professor of Chemical and Medical Engineering\nThursday\, June 18\, 20265:30–7:00 p.m. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the event. \n“Talking to Cells with Sound Waves for Medicine and Brain-Computer Interfaces” by Mikhail Shapiro\, Professor of Chemical and Medical Engineering\nTo understand how cells work\, develop effective cell-based medicines\, and build high-bandwidth interfaces with our bodies\, we need tools to visualize and control cells inside our tissues. But how can we do this when tissues are opaque\, and cells lack the “equipment” for wireless communication? \nIn our lab\, we engineer cells to communicate via ultrasound—a form of energy that can access deep tissues while providing high resolution for imaging and control. To make cells responsive to ultrasound\, we equip them with air-filled proteins that strongly scatter sound waves. These proteins\, known as gas vesicles (GVs)\, evolved more than a billion years ago as flotation structures in aquatic cyanobacteria. By transplanting the genes that encode GVs from cyanobacteria into cancer cells\, immune cells\, neurons\, and other cell types\, we can use ultrasound to visualize and control these cells. \nIn this talk\, I will share how we discovered this capability\, how we’re applying it for biological research and medical applications\, and how it has become the foundation for a major effort to develop molecular brain-computer interfaces (merge.io). \nAbout the Speaker\nMikhail is the Max Delbrück Professor of Chemical Engineering and Medical Engineering\, an HHMI Investigator\, and Director of the Center for Molecular and Cellular Medicine at Caltech. \nMikhail received his PhD in Biological Engineering from MIT and his BS in Neuroscience from Brown. He conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and the University of California\, Berkeley\, where he was a Miller Fellow. \nAlongside academic research\, Mikhail has been involved as a founder and adviser to several biotech startups\, including Merge Labs\, funded by OpenAI and others. More information about the Shapiro Lab can be found here. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the event. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Eilleen Zhang\, Jane Frommer\, Ralph Pursifull\, Reeya Chenanda\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. \n \n Register for the Event URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-june-2026/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260612T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260612T120000 DTSTAMP:20260526T170525Z CREATED:20260526T170521Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260526T170525Z UID:40889-1781265600-1781265600@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Pasadena (June) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow Techers for lunch in Pasadena with host Nathan Hurvitz (BS ’86) and reconnect with alumni across industries\, interests\, and class years. Whether you want to continue a conversation about science and technology\, meet alumni working in your field\, or simply spend time with other Techers in the area\, this monthly gathering offers a casual way to stay connected to the Caltech community. \nNathan plans for this meetup to continue on the second Friday of each month. \nThis month’s meetup: Friday\, June 12\, noon–1:15 p.m. PTLocation: Gale’s Restaurant\, 452 S. Fair Oaks Ave.\, Pasadena\, CA 91105Menu: Available on Gale’s Restaurant websiteCost: No registration fee; guests purchase their own lunch. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-pasadena-june/ LOCATION:Gale’s Restaurant\, 452 S. Fair Oaks Ave.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91105\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Caltech-Together-1500X500-10.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Nathan Hurvitz (BS %E2%80%9986)":MAILTO:nhurvitz@gmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260611T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260611T131500 DTSTAMP:20260504T192248Z CREATED:20260504T192245Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260504T192248Z UID:40601-1781178300-1781183700@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (June) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, June 11\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-june-2/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260521T113000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260521T133000 DTSTAMP:20260430T182406Z CREATED:20260430T182402Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260430T182406Z UID:40554-1779363000-1779370200@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“AI Agents as Universal Task Solvers”\nThursday\, May 21\, 202611:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. \nMoore Foundation1661 Page Mill RoadPalo Alto\, CA 94304 \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the event. \nRSVP by May 17\, 2026Price: $32 per personAttendance is capped at 80 people \nThe catered lunch will include an assortment of sandwiches and salads. Drinks will be provided by the Moore Foundation. \n“AI Agents as Universal Task Solvers”by Stefano Soatto\, VP at AWS Agentic AI\nScaling laws predict that AI agents will steadily improve and eventually exceed human performance across a wide range of tasks. Yet at the limit lies a form of inference that involves no intelligence at all: with enough compute and memory\, a model can brute-force any verifiable task without learning anything. This raises a basic question: if scaling alone does not foster intelligence\, what does? \nI will argue that the answer is time. Building on results by Solomonoff and Levin\, I will show that the value of learning is measured not by a reduction in uncertainty — as in classical induction — but by a reduction in the time needed to solve new tasks. Data can make a universal solver exponentially faster\, with the speed-up governed by the algorithmic mutual information between past experience and unforeseen tasks. \nConnecting these ideas to modern AI requires rethinking what computation means for large language models. I will show that LLMs are maximalistic models of computation — universal\, like Turing Machines\, but operating through entirely different mechanisms. Once time is properly accounted for\, scaling laws reveal an inversion: beyond a critical point\, increasing resources improve benchmark accuracy while diminishing conceptual depth — a savant regime in which models improve while learning less. \nAbout the Speaker\nStefano Soatto is a Vice President at AWS Agentic AI\, and a Professor of Computer Science at UCLA. He received his PhD in Control and Dynamical Systems from the California Institute of Technology (MS ’93\, PhD ’96)\, his D.Ing from the University of Padova\, Italy\, and was a postdoctoral scholar at Harvard University. He is a Fellow of the ACM and of the IEEE. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the event. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Eilleen Zhang\, Jane Frommer\, Ralph Pursifull\, Reeya Chenanda\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. \n \n Register for the Event URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-may-2026/ LOCATION:Moore Foundation\, 1661 Page Mill Road\, Palo Alto\, CA\, 94304\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260517T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260517T120000 DTSTAMP:20260327T215037Z CREATED:20260327T214920Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260327T215037Z UID:40246-1779013800-1779019200@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Washington\, DC DESCRIPTION:A Morning at the National Gallery of Art\nMeet up with fellow Techers in the Washington\, DC area for a guided museum experience at the National Gallery of Art. This gathering will be hosted by Susan Chen (MS ’00) and continues a series of Caltech Together events in DC\, following last year’s museum meetup at the National Academy of Sciences. The program will feature a guided tour of America 250\, the National Gallery’s collection of American art in the West Building\, offering a focused look at works that reflect the nation’s artistic and cultural history. This event offers a small-group setting to connect with other Techers while exploring one of the country’s leading art collections. \nAdvance registration required. \n \n Register URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-washington-d-c/ LOCATION:National Gallery of Art\, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW\, Washington\, DC\, DC\, 20565\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Caltech-Together-1500X500-9.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Susan Chen (MS %E2%80%9900)":MAILTO:zwschen@gmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260514T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260514T131500 DTSTAMP:20260326T203127Z CREATED:20260325T185938Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T203127Z UID:40141-1778759100-1778764500@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (May) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, May 14\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-may/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260426T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260426T130000 DTSTAMP:20260415T234738Z CREATED:20260325T160524Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T234738Z UID:40079-1777199400-1777208400@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:Speed Mingling and Bingo with Silicon Valley Techers\nMeet up with fellow Techers in Silicon Valley for a casual Sunday gathering at Sports Basement Redwood City. \nHosted by Reeya Chenanda (BS ’23\, MS ’24) and Eilleen Zhang (BS ’23)\, this event will begin with check-in\, lunch\, and time to catch up with other alumni. The second half of the program will feature structured speed mingling and bingo\, designed to help attendees meet a wide range of Techers in a relaxed\, interactive format. \nParticipants will rotate through brief introductions and receive a bingo card with prompts to complete by finding people who match specific criteria. The format is meant to spark conversation\, make introductions easier\, and encourage broad participation across the group. \nThis event offers a fun\, low-pressure way to meet other Techers in the area\, reconnect with the alumni community\, and expand your local Caltech network. \nAdvance registration required.Registration ends April 23\, 2026. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register \n \n \n See Who's Attending URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-2/ LOCATION:Sports Basement Redwood City\, 202 Walnut St.\, Redwood City\, CA\, 94063\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Caltech-Together-1500X500-7.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Reeya Chenanda (BS '23%2C MS '24)":MAILTO:reeyac@gmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T190000 DTSTAMP:20260330T233054Z CREATED:20260330T215855Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260330T233054Z UID:40351-1776360600-1776366000@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“Drug Discovery using AI and Image-Guided Sequencing” \nThursday\, April 16\, 20265:30 – 7:00 p.m. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the webinar. \nFollowing the webinar\, join us for a post-event social via Zoom\, where you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow alumni and speak with the presenter. We look forward to seeing you! \nPeter Tong \n“Drug Discovery using AI and Image-Guided Sequencing”by Josie Kish\, Co-Founder and President of Digital Bio\nIn drug discovery\, it is still difficult to determine how molecular perturbations translate into changes in cell behavior. While profiling cell and tissue behaviors can yield rich functional insights\, connecting these observations to their underlying molecular mechanisms remains a major challenge. \nIn this talk\, I will present an AI-enabled\, image-guided sequencing approach that links complex phenotypes to their underlying molecular mechanisms. This method enables the mapping of functional cellular states to their molecular determinants. We are now applying this platform to screen and characterize novel therapeutics using 3D human tumor models. \nAbout the Speaker\nJosie received her BS in Computer Science from Caltech and her PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard. During her PhD and later while conducting postdoctoral fellowship research at Harvard’s Wyss Institute\, she invented cutting-edge methods for DNA synthesis and biological measurements. \nJosie is a recognized expert in DNA nanotechnology\, with innovation reshaping molecular measurement and DNA synthesis\, and she is an inventor of more than 10 corresponding patents. \nAs Co-Founder\, Founding CEO\, and now President of Digital Biology\, she collaborates across business areas to help realize their vision of developing better medicines through advanced molecular measurements. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the webinar. \nSpeed Mingling Mixer on Sunday\, April 26!\nMeet and connect with others at Sports Basement Redwood City’s Community Space. Please RSVP here to attend. RSVPs are open until space runs out. \nSchedule– 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.: Check-in\, social hour\, lunch.– 12:00–1:00 p.m.: Speed mingling featuring bingo!– A quick mingling game: each bingo square contains a “find someone who …” prompt. Walk around\, introduce yourself\, and try to score a bingo win. \nPrice: $15 per person (covers lunch fees). \nNote: this event can also be found on the Caltech Alumni Relations Events Calendar\, here. \nHope to see you there! Best\, Reeya Chenanda and Eilleen Zhang \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Eilleen Zhang\, Jane Frommer\, Ralph Pursifull\, Reeya Chenanda\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-april2026/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T131500 DTSTAMP:20260326T203009Z CREATED:20260325T184822Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260326T203009Z UID:40131-1775735100-1775740500@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (April) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, April 9\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-april-2/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T190000 DTSTAMP:20260224T233004Z CREATED:20260224T232554Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260224T233004Z UID:39740-1773941400-1773946800@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“Local and On-demand Production of Critical Chemicals” \nThursday\, March 19\, 20265:30 – 7:00 p.m. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the webinar. \nFollowing the webinar\, join us for a post-event social via Zoom\, where you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow alumni and speak with the presenter. We look forward to seeing you! \nPeter Tong \n“Local and On-demand Production of Critical Chemicals“by Karthish Manthiram\, Chemical Engineering Executive Officer\nChemical synthesis produces lots of carbon dioxide worldwide. This happens not only because the processes use lots of energy\, but also because hydrocarbon feedstocks can be over-oxidized or used as hydrogen sources. \nUsing renewable electricity to drive chemical synthesis may overcome these challenges. It can enable chemical production at benign conditions\, using sustainable inputs. \nWe are developing an electrosynthetic toolkit in which distributed feedstocks\, including carbon dioxide\, dinitrogen\, water\, and renewable electricity\, can be converted into diverse fuels\, chemicals\, and materials. \nIn this presentation\, we will present progress from our laboratory on making ammonia from nitrogen fixation at ambient conditions. Specifically\, we have studied a continuous lithium-based approach to produce ammonia and mapped out the reaction steps that determine how selective the process is. We have also developed non-aqueous gas-diffusion electrodes that produce ammonia at high rates under ambient conditions\, and we are exploring ways to replace lithium with cheaper metals. \nWe will also discuss using water as a sustainable source of oxygen atom to convert propylene into propylene oxide\, enabling such production in smaller and local factories. \nThese findings are part of a broader effort to develop electrosynthetic methods that could lead to local and on-demand production of critical chemicals and materials. \nAbout the Speaker\nKarthish is the Bren Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry\, and the Executive Officer for Chemical Engineering at Caltech. The Manthiram Lab develops electrified catalysts for sustainable chemical manufacturing\, with a focus on producing essential molecules used in plastics\, fertilizers\, and other materials\, using renewable feedstocks. \nKarthish received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University in 2010 and his PhD in Chemical Engineering from UC Berkeley in 2015 with Professor Paul Alivisatos. He then completed a one-year postdoc at Caltech with Professor Robert H. Grubbs. \nIn 2017\, he joined MIT as an Assistant Professor. In 2021\, he returned to Caltech as a full professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. In 2022\, he was appointed Director of the Solar Science and Catalysis Centre in the Resnick Sustainability Institute. In 2025\, he was named the Bren Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and began serving as Executive Officer for Chemical Engineering. \nKarthish’s research and teaching have received wide recognition\, including the Infosys Prize\, Moore Inventor Fellowship\, DOE Early Career Award\, NSF CAREER Award\, Sloan Research Fellowship\, Forbes 30 Under 30 in Science\, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award\, the MIT Chemical Engineering Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award\, and the MIT Teaching with Digital Technology Award. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the webinar. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Eilleen Zhang\, Jane Frommer\, Ralph Pursifull\, Reeya Chenanda\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-march-26/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260315T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260315T180000 DTSTAMP:20260212T213157Z CREATED:20260115T231737Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260212T213157Z UID:38244-1773576000-1773597600@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Baltimore DESCRIPTION:A Hands-On Playtesting Challenge\nMeet up with fellow Techers in the Baltimore area during Unpub Festival 2026\, a tabletop game playtesting event focused on thoughtful feedback and community-driven design. \nThis gathering will be hosted by Susan Chen (MS ’00) and takes place as part of Unpub Festival\, organized by the Unpublished Games Network\, a nonprofit that supports the tabletop community through playtesting events\, mentorship\, and education programs. \nUnpub Festival is free for attendees who want to playtest games. Paid tickets are required only for designers bringing a game to be tested. Playtesters are invited to try unpublished tabletop games and share constructive feedback based on personal experience and preferences\, either verbally or in writing. \nThis event offers a hands-on opportunity to connect with other Techers who enjoy tabletop games while contributing to the development of new designs in a collaborative setting. \n Advance registration required. \n \n Register URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-baltimore/ LOCATION:BWI Airport Marriott\, 1743 West Nursery Road\, Linthicum Heights\, MD\, 21090\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Caltech-Together-1500X500-6.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Susan Chen (MS %E2%80%9900)":MAILTO:zwschen@gmail.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260312T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260312T131500 DTSTAMP:20260225T012051Z CREATED:20260122T234906Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T012051Z UID:38619-1773315900-1773321300@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (March) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, March 12\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-march/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260222T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260222T163000 DTSTAMP:20260204T173127Z CREATED:20260106T205855Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T173127Z UID:37901-1771768800-1771777800@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: South Pasadena DESCRIPTION:Is Anybody Out There? The James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Tech-Enabled Search for Life\nJoin members of the Caltech and JPL communities for a shared alumni gathering hosted by the Stanford Club of Pasadena. The program features a presentation on the James Webb Space Telescope\, the largest and most powerful space telescope ever built. \nMIT Professor David W. Miller\, chief technologist for the Astronomy and Fundamental Physics Directorate at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory\, will discuss the development\, engineering challenges\, and scientific impact of the James Webb Space Telescope. Prof. Miller’s talk will be followed by a Q&A facilitated by SCP member Joel Hartman\, a research astronomer at Princeton. \nLearn more about the mission and technology behind the telescope. \nProgram Schedule2:00 p.m. Check-in and reception with light bites and beverages2:30 p.m. Presentation and Q&A3:45 p.m. Networking and conversation4:30 p.m. Event concludes \nRegistration$20 Caltech alumni\, postdocs\, and community members$10 Graduates of the Last Decade (Classes of 2015–2025) \nRegistration has reached capacity\, and registration is now closed. URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-south-pasadena/ LOCATION:South Pasadena Public Library Community Room\, 1115 El Centro Street\, South Pasadena\, CA\, 91030 CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Caltech-Together-1500X500-5.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Patty Kao (Stanford %E2%80%9893)":MAILTO:pattykao@stanfordalumni.org END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260219T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260219T190000 DTSTAMP:20260127T195437Z CREATED:20260127T195434Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260127T195437Z UID:38833-1771522200-1771527600@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“Smart Structures—Self-Sensing\, Energy Generating\, and Shielding”\nThursday\, February 19\, 20265:30 – 7:00 p.m. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the webinar. \nFollowing the webinar\, join us for a post-event social via Zoom\, where you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow alumni and speak with the presenter. We look forward to seeing you! \nPeter Tong \n“Smart Structures—Self-Sensing\, Energy Generating\, and Shielding”by Deborah D.L. Chung\, Caltech’s 2025 Distinguished Award Alumni\nStructural electronics refer to electronic functions provided by structures\, such as aircrafts\, buildings\, and 3D-printed structures. \nAn example is structural self-sensing\, i.e.\, a structure monitoring its own health with no additional sensors. Other examples include energy generation and electromagnetic radiation shielding. Such functions render a smart structure. \nThe underlying science involves understanding the relationship between the structure and the properties of its material—a relationship well established for mechanical properties\, but not electronic properties. \nIn this talk\, I will explain the electronic properties of structural materials\, an area that has long escaped the attention of the research community. \nAbout the Speaker\nDeborah D.L. Chung is the State University of New York Distinguished Professor in University at Buffalo (UB). She received her PhD in Materials Science from MIT (1977)\, and her BS and MS from Caltech (1973)\, being the first female BS engineering graduate of Caltech. \nShe is a pioneer and international leader in the fields of multifunctional structural materials\, thermal interface materials\, and electromagnetic interference shielding materials. In particular\, she is the inventor of smart concrete. \nShe has authored or coauthored over 600 archival journal papers and 10 books. \nDeborah is Fellow of American Academy of Arts and Sciences\, Fellow of American Carbon Society\, and Fellow of ASM International. Other honors received include UB President’s Medal; Honorary Doctorate from University of Alicante\, Spain; and Pettinos Award from American Carbon Society. \nShe is also one of Caltech’s 2025 Distinguished Award Alumni. \nTo attend\, please click this link to register for the webinar. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Jane Frommer\, Ralph Pursifull\, Susan Huynh\, ​​​​​​​and Peter Tong. URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-feb-26/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260212T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260212T114500 DTSTAMP:20260122T234736Z CREATED:20260122T234732Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260122T234736Z UID:38614-1770896700-1770896700@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (February) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, February 12\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-february/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260122T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260122T193000 DTSTAMP:20260119T173444Z CREATED:20251218T235820Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260119T173444Z UID:37802-1769103000-1769110200@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:“AI in the Loop: From Startup Vibe Coding to AI Memory”. Join Us for an In-Person Event.\nThursday\, January 22\, 20265:30 – 7:30 p.m. \nBox HQ900 Middlefield Road\, Redwood City\, CA 94063 \nTo attend\, please click this link to purchase tickets through Eventbrite. \nAttendance is limited to 80 people.Price: $32 per ticketSee dinner menu below. \nTicket sales will end on January 20 at 4:00 p.m. (PT)\, or when sold out. \n*Don’t click any checkboxes. They are Eventbrite’s marketing campaigns. \nWe look forward to seeing you! \nPeter Tong \n“AI in the Loop: From Startup Vibe Coding to AI Memory” by Ajay Natarajan\, Eugene Shao\, and Charles Fan\nAI is transforming how we build software and how software operates in the world. \nOn the engineering side\, vibe coding (where developers guide models with high-level intent rather than line-by-line implementation) lets startups ship production-grade systems at unprecedented speed. Ajay and Eugene\, who have built two startups together\, will share with us what vibe coding looks like in practice and the challenges they introduce. \nOn the business side\, AI agents are automating numerous mundane business tasks. In addition\, agentic AI will redefine how enterprises operate\, particularly when enabled by a new AI Memory layer. Charles\, who co-founded MemVerge (a leading AI Memory company) will cover how AI Memory is the next frontier of agentic AI. \nAbout the Speakers\nIn late 2025\, Ajay Natarajan and Eugene Shao co-founded Roadrunner\, Kleiner Perkins’ fourth incubation ever ($5M raised and currently a team of 9). At Roadrunner\, they are rebuilding a Quote-to-Cash platform\, starting with an AI-native CPQ\, to help every Account Executive structure deals instantly. \nAjay began his undergrad at Caltech at age 16 and concurrently served as a software engineer for NASA\, where he built software that is now used to help guide the Mars Rover. He graduated #2 in his class and was the first to do a double major in CS and Economics with a minor in Data Science. After graduation\, he served as tech lead at Robinhood\, where he built their only blockchain smart contract. \nThen in 2024\, Ajay and Eugene co-founded their first startup\, Athena\, where they created an AI platform to help over 2% of all U.S. college-bound students optimize their college applications. \nAt Athena\, Eugene was responsible for scaling the architecture of the platform to serve tens of thousands of concurrent users. Before that\, he developed high-throughput systems at Citadel and Meta and built software that is currently on the International Space Station. Eugene received his BS in CS and Data Science from Caltech. \nPrior to MemVerge\, Charles was the CTO of Cheetah Mobile (NYSE: CMCM)\, a leader in developing utility\, gaming and content mobile apps\, with over 600 million monthly active users worldwide. Prior to joining Cheetah Mobile\, Charles was a SVP and the GM at VMware. During his tenure at VMware\, he was responsible for VMware’s storage and availability business unit. \nBefore VMware\, Charles worked at EMC\, and was the founder and head of EMC’s China R&D Center. He joined EMC via the acquisition of Rainfinity\, which is a Caltech spin-out where he was a co-founder and CTO. At Rainfinity\, Charles led the creation of its file virtualization and high availability products. \nCharles received his PhD in EE from Caltech in 2001\, and his BSEE from the Cooper Union in 1995. \nDinner Menu\n• Turkey Havarti Sandwich• Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwich• Tunacado Sandwich• Roasted Portobello Sandwich• House Made Potato Chips• Mixed Green Salad• Balsamic Vinaigrette• Ranch Dressing• Chef’s Assortment of Desserts \nTo attend\, please click this link to purchase tickets through Eventbrite. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following Alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Jane Frommer\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-january/ LOCATION:Box HQ\, 900 Jefferson Avenue\, Redwood City\, 94063\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260108T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260108T131500 DTSTAMP:20251217T191244Z CREATED:20251217T191241Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251217T191244Z UID:37768-1767872700-1767878100@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (January) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, January 8\, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-january/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251203T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251203T180000 DTSTAMP:20251124T220028Z CREATED:20251119T001422Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251124T220028Z UID:37265-1764784800-1764784800@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: San Diego DESCRIPTION:Advances in Infant Microbiome Medicine: A Conversation with Stephanie Culler\, Co-Founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences\nThis virtual Caltech Together event will take place on Wednesday\, December 3\, 2025\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. (PST). \nThe old adage “you are what you eat” has never been more true. Poor gut health has been linked to a wide range of chronic diseases\, including inflammatory bowel disease\, obesity\, type 2 diabetes\, cardiovascular and neurological diseases\, autoimmune conditions\, and even anxiety and depression. And it could all start in infancy. \nPlease join the MIT Club of San Diego and the Caltech Alumni Association as we welcome Stephanie Culler\, co-founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences and Caltech PhD ’09\, who will discuss her company’s My Baby Biome project\, the largest and most diverse U.S. infant biome study to date. This research found that only 24 percent of the babies in the study had all of the key bacteria associated with a healthy microbiome. Gut bacteria deficiencies can lead to a greater risk of developing asthma\, allergies\, and eczema later in life. \nThis research has led to the development of the first pre-biotic and pro-biotic supplements for infants and toddlers\, which Persephone is currently launching. To support this launch\, Persephone is also in the midst of raising a round of funding. Along with sharing the company’s research\, Stephanie will provide details on both the product launch and the fundraising round. \nRegistrationClick below to sign up. A Zoom link will be emailed prior to the event. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Stephanie Culler (PhD '09)\n Co-founder and CEO\, Persephone Biosciences \n The co-founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences\, she leads a biotechnology company developing microbiome-based medicines that improve patient health. Her work spans applications in infant health\, oncology\, and food as medicine. She has presented at TEDx San Diego\, published in Science magazine\, and is recognized as a pioneer in synthetic biology. She earned her PhD at Caltech and has authored more than twenty publications and patents on synthetic biology and microbial-based technologies. URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-san-diego/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Miral Kim-E (BS '78)":MAILTO:mek@mek.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251120T173000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251120T190000 DTSTAMP:20251030T231922Z CREATED:20251021T192224Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251030T231922Z UID:37074-1763659800-1763665200@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Silicon Valley DESCRIPTION:Rove beetles show extreme evolution\, changing from free-living predators to imposters that infiltrate ant societies. This exceptional symbiotic transition helps us understand how ecological relationships are formed. Through dramatic shifts in their social behavior and chemical communication\, different species interact and develop intimate relationships. Our speaker\, Professor Joe Parker\, was just named a MacArthur Fellow. \nFollowing the webinar\, join us for a post-event social via Zoom\, where you’ll have the opportunity to mingle with fellow alumni and speak with the presenter. If you would like our alumni or professors to share with us their work/interests during a future event\, please let me know. \nWe look forward to seeing you! \nPeter Tong \n“The Rove Beetle’s Story: The Evolution of Interspecies Relationships”By Joe Parker\nThe biosphere is a network of interacting species\, connecting organisms across all scales\, from microbes to mammals. Our knowledge of the mechanisms behind these relationships and the evolutionary forces that shape them is incomplete. In this lecture\, I will describe how my lab has pioneered the study of rove beetles as a group of related species to break open basic problems in how organisms interact and where these interactions come from. \nMost of the 66\,000 rove beetle species are free-living predators. But\, from this original lifestyle\, hundreds of their relatives have changed into symbiotic organisms that specialize in living as imposters within the complex societies of ants. The shift from free-living to symbiotic is a paradigm of extreme evolution\, involving major changes in social behavior and chemical communication that allow rove beetles to blend into the social life of their host colonies. \nThe widespread evolution of this symbiosis\, combined with the tractability of studying both free-living and symbiotic rove beetles\, makes for a powerful system to understand how and why new ecological relationships emerge during evolution. \nJoe will discuss how his lab’s work is creating an integrated picture of how species recognize and interact\, illuminating the conditions leading to these interactions\, and the forces shaping their evolution into dependent and highly intimate relationships. \nAbout the Speaker\nJoe is an evolutionary biologist who has pioneered the study of rove beetles to investigate the evolution of symbiosis and species interactions. Originally from Swansea\, Wales\, he received a BS from Imperial College London and a PhD from the University of Cambridge/MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology\, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University. Currently\, he is a Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering at Caltech\, where he is the director of Caltech’s Center for Evolutionary Science. He is also a research associate in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. He was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2024. \n \n \n \n \n \n Our Alumni Volunteers‍\nThe following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi\, Dave Adler\, Jane Frommer\, Mike Klein\, Susan Huynh\, and Peter Tong. \n \n Register URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-silicon-valley-novemeber/ LOCATION:Online CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-Silicon-Valley-1500x500-1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251113T114500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251113T133000 DTSTAMP:20251028T165346Z CREATED:20251028T165343Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251028T165346Z UID:37179-1763034300-1763040600@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:LA South Bay Techers Monthly Lunch (November) DESCRIPTION:Meet fellow alumni for lunch\, connect with others in your field\, talk science\, and share Caltech memories. Whether you want to discuss research\, revisit campus stories\, or meet new Techers in the area\, it’s a great way to stay engaged. \nThis month’s meetup: Thursday\, November 13\, 11:45 a.m.–1:30 p.m.Location: Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA 90245Menu: Available on Brewport’s website. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/la-south-bay-techers-monthly-lunch-november/ LOCATION:Brewport Tap House & Kitchen\, 204 Main Street\, El Segundo\, CA\, 90245\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Caltech-Together-South-Bay-Monthly-Lunch-1500x500-1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251109T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251109T123000 DTSTAMP:20251103T194631Z CREATED:20251103T194628Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251103T194631Z UID:37198-1762678800-1762691400@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: San Diego Second Sunday (November 2025) DESCRIPTION:Held on the second Sunday of the month\, this hike invites alumni\, family\, and friends to explore one of San Diego’s favorite trails. Join fellow Techers for a climb up Iron Mountain\, a 6-mile round-trip hike with about 1\,100 feet of elevation gain and loss\, offering rewarding views at the summit. \nMeetup and timing• Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the main trailhead at the east end of Poway Road.• The group will depart shortly after gathering.• Expect to finish by 12:30 p.m. \nOptional lunchAfter the hike\, participants are welcome to gather for lunch at a nearby spot (location to be decided by the group). \nWhat to bring• Snacks and plenty of water• Sunscreen\, hat\, and sturdy shoes \nRegister on SignUpGenius so the host knows how many to expect. \nAlumni\, family\, and friends are welcome. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-san-diego-second-sunday-november-2025/ LOCATION:Iron Mountain CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/1.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Matthias Blume%2C PhD (BS %E2%80%9987)":MAILTO:matthias@ucsd.edu END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251108T140000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251108T180000 DTSTAMP:20251023T225252Z CREATED:20251016T174907Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251023T225252Z UID:37029-1762610400-1762624800@www.alumni.caltech.edu SUMMARY:Caltech Together: Caltech vs. MIT Women’s Basketball DESCRIPTION:Join Caltech and MIT alumni for a pre-game reception and an afternoon of spirited competition and Techer pride as the Caltech Women’s Basketball team takes on MIT.\n \n \n \n \n \n On Saturday\, November 8\, 2025\, the Caltech Women’s Basketball team takes on MIT in Pasadena. The fun begins at 2 p.m. with a pre-game reception on the Braun Athletic Center patio\, hosted by Bernoulli the Beaver—Caltech’s beloved mascot. Catch up with fellow alumni\, family\, and friends while enjoying complimentary refreshments before cheering on the Beavers at the 4 p.m. tipoff. \nParking is free on Saturdays in the nearby California Parking Structure\, and no permit is required.View the full season schedule here. \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n Register here URL:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/caltech-together-caltech-vs-mit-womens-basketball/ LOCATION:Braun Athletic Center\, 1200 E. California Blvd.\, Pasadena\, CA\, 91125\, United States CATEGORIES:Caltech Together ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Caltech-Together-1500X500-2.jpg ORGANIZER;CN="Rhonda MacDonald (BS '74)":MAILTO:RLMSLL@roadrunner.com END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR