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.

This 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 90245
Menu: Available on Brewport’s website.

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.

Nathan plans for this meetup to continue on the second Friday of each month.

This month’s meetup: Friday, July 10, noon–1:15 p.m. PT
Location: Foothill Restaurant, 2835 E. Foothill Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91107
Menu: Available on Foothill Restaurant website
Cost: No registration fee; guests purchase their own lunch.

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.

Alumni, 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.

“What Makes a Person? Modeling Traits and States from Psychological and Neuroscience Data”
by Ralph Adolphs, Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Biology

Personhood 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.

What 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.

In 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.

Integrating 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.

We 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.

About the Speaker

Ralph 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).

He 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).

He switched to human neuropsychology as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Iowa (advisor: Antonio Damasio) where he first became interested in emotions.

Since 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.

His 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).

Ultimately, 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.

To attend, please click this link to register for the event.

Our Alumni Volunteers‍

The following alumni work together to serve you: Avni Gandhi, Dave Adler, Eilleen Zhang, Jane Frommer, Ralph Pursifull, Reeya Chenanda, Susan Huynh, and Peter Tong.

Tables for Techers: One Weekend, Tables Worldwide

Tables for Techers is a global event that brings the Caltech community together through intimate, local gatherings where curiosity meets conversation over great food. Last year, over 800 Techers gathered at events across the U.S. and the world. Whether you’re an undergrad, grad student, postdoc, alumnus, or faculty member, there’s a table you can host or a seat you can take during this special weekend in July.

– Host Registration: Monday, March 30 to Tuesday, May 19, 2026.
– Guest Registration Friday, June 5 to Tuesday, July 7, 2026.

Saturday, July 25 – Sunday, July 26, 2026

Various times and locations worldwide

Mentorship, Career Conversations, and Life After Caltech

Hosted in West LA, the Career Alumni Mentoring Program (CAMP) gives alumni across Los Angeles a chance to meet Caltech students in a focused setting and share the kind of perspective they cannot get from a job posting, class, or online search. Whether your path has been traditional, unexpected, technical, creative, entrepreneurial, academic, or hard to explain in one sentence, your experience can be valuable.

The program includes brunch and refreshments, opening remarks from Joseph Greenwell, associate vice president for Student Life and chief student affairs officer, mentor orientation with Phil Naecker (BS ’76) and Claire Ralph, director of Career Achievement, Leadership, and Exploration (CALE), and structured mentoring rotations with students.

Valet parking is included for registered mentors.

Preliminary Schedule

11:30 a.m. – Alumni mentor arrival and check-in; brunch and refreshments served
11:50 a.m. – Speaking program begins
12:30 p.m. – Student arrival and check-in
12:45 p.m. – Mentoring sessions and rotations begin
3:30 p.m. – Event concludes

Registration

– CAMP West LA is free for registered mentors and includes brunch, refreshments, mentor orientation, and valet parking.
– To support a strong mentor-student experience, alumni mentor registrations will be reviewed and confirmed in advance of the event.
– Alumni who register to mentor will be notified of their confirmation status beginning Monday, July 13. Mentor support is highly needed, and all interested alumni are encouraged to register.

Register by Friday, July 24.

For questions, contact Xochiltl Bravo at info@alumni.caltech.edu or 626-395-6592.

Experience the 2026 Total Eclipse in Spain
This program is sold out.

Stay Connected

Accurate contact information ensures invitations reach the full Caltech community. Alumni and former postdocs in Europe are encouraged to share this event or provide updated contact details at info@alumni.caltech.edu.

Featured Guests

A Four-Country Journey Through Southeast Asia

Stay Connected

Accurate contact information ensures invitations reach the full Caltech community. Alumni and former postdocs in Europe are encouraged to share this event or provide updated contact details at info@alumni.caltech.edu.

Featured Guests

From Harbors to Fiords

Begin in Auckland, set between two natural harbors shaped by volcanic geology and maritime trade, where a guided introduction and curator-led visit to the Auckland Museum provide context on Maori taonga and cultural history. Continue to Wellington for panoramic views from Mount Victoria and an evening exploration of Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary, an ambitious urban conservation project focused on restoring endemic species.

Cross Cook Strait to the South Island and arrive in the Marlborough wine region, where climate and terrain converge to produce world-class vintages. Travel along the Kaikoura coast for a whale-watching excursion in nutrient-rich waters influenced by deep ocean currents before continuing to Christchurch, a city balancing heritage and post-earthquake innovation.

Board the TranzAlpine Train across the Canterbury Plains and into the Southern Alps, then walk through temperate rain forest to view Franz Josef Glacier, where geology and climate intersect in dramatic fashion. Conclude in Queenstown with visits to Arrowtown, panoramic views from Bob’s Peak, and a cruise through Doubtful Sound in Fiordland National Park. This small-group journey features first-class accommodations, expert guides and lecturers, immersive cultural experiences, and a comprehensive meal plan with wine at dinner.

Stay Connected

Accurate contact information ensures invitations reach the full Caltech community. Alumni and former postdocs globally are encouraged to share this event or provide updated contact details at info@alumni.caltech.edu.

A Front-Row View of a Rare Astronomical Event

Stay Connected

Accurate contact information ensures invitations reach the full Caltech community. Alumni and former postdocs in Europe are encouraged to share this event or provide updated contact details at info@alumni.caltech.edu.

Featured Guests