Blogs

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Cambridge and London!

A few weekends ago, I got the chance to travel to Cambridge to meet a few former Caltech classmates. Adam is currently studying for a PhD in Churchill College (on the Churchill, Marshall, and Hertz fellowships), and Charles is studying for a Master’s at the University of Nottingham (on the Marshall), and he was visiting Adam the same weekend! It turns out, there is another Caltech graduate, Connie, studying for a Masters at Cambridge (on the Gates fellowship). Yet another Caltech grad, studying in Switzerland (on the Fulbright Scholarship) was visiting Connie that same weekend. IN ADDITION, there are three Caltech undergraduates studying abroad at Cambridge right now, in addition to a handful of Techers studying abroad at Edinburgh, who were visiting the undergrads at Cambridge the same weekend I was. We ended up all running into each other at Trinity College, and we got a picture in front of the Bridge of Sighs!

By Emily November 22, 2015

research

Midnight Donuts and Class Registration

Hi Everyone!

By Suzy November 21, 2015

academics

Winners Draft

Hi there everyone,

By Suzy November 14, 2015

clubs

Weekend at Tech

Hello there! This weekend was a pretty busy one. I suppose you last heard from me on Thursday so I have quite a bit to cover. Monday to Wednesday are my busy days (I have three sets due on Wednesdays and two due Tuesdays) so those days are usually pretty boring. On Thursday, I did some studying for my Health Ad class. It’s first responder training for students so we can respond to emergency medical situations among our classmates. While emergencies are uncommon, we’re considered part of the comprehensive safety net that Caltech has put in place. Anyway, this week we’re doing human anatomy. It’s pretty difficult, there’s a lot of things to memorize. Mostly bones. Next week we’re doing lifts, moves, and carries.

By Suzy November 8, 2015

academics

Pumpkin Pie, Coffee Shops, and School Work

It’s been a longggg time since I’ve had any homework due. Edinburgh University courses require 1-3 homework assignments (coding problem sets or essays, depending on the class) a semester, followed by an exam that is usually worth 60-80% of your final grade. At Caltech, you’ll usually have a problem set due every week, accompanied by midterm and final exams that are worth around 25-30% of your final grade, each. I’ve just finished week four of classes here in Scotland and I’ve only just now turned in my first assignment. Phew. Can’t say it was any less stressful than at Caltech, mainly because I left it very late and felt absolutely no hurry to complete it early so that it wasn’t hanging over my head.

By Emily November 6, 2015

clubs

A Weekend in London, Part 1

I had the amazing good luck to find extremely cheap flights to London for this weekend. I had another round of good luck in accommodations, in that ten Caltech students are currently studying abroad at UCL! Gauri was kind enough to let me sleep on her floor on Friday and Saturday nights, so I was able to take the weekend holiday of a lifetime for about 45 Pounds ($70). That doesn’t include the insane amount of money I spent on food, the Tube, admissions tickets to attractions, and souvenirs, obviously. London is EXPENSIVE.

By Emily November 4, 2015

clubs

Postcards from Jenny

Hi everyone! The weather was pretty generous for these first couple of weeks here in Edinburgh, but the temperature is steadily starting to drop. While i was packing</a> for this term back in late August in Texas, it was difficult for me to even begin to imagine just how cold it would be over here. Even now, I think it’s pretty cold, but the locals just keep shaking their heads and telling me otherwise.

By Jenny October 30, 2015

global

Postcards from Jenny

Hey guys! In the time since you last heard from me, I’ve been a complete tourist here in Edinburgh. Since I only have one semester here, I’ve been seizing every opportunity to explore the city. Thus, I believe I am now qualified to write the following guide: if you ever stop by Edinburgh, here is the breakdown of all the places!

By Jenny October 29, 2015

culture

Classes in Edinburgh

Class has started, and I’m fully immersed in a completely different style of learning than at Caltech. At Tech, and even in high school, most learning is done in the classroom or on problem sets. Students rely on their professors to present most of the course information to them and to explain it well. Textbook readings are assigned to hammer home certain concepts, but the textbook and lectures follow each other closely. Problem sets can introduce new material or ask students to devise their own problem solving tactics to solve problems in the same topic as that week’s lectures.

By Emily October 29, 2015

clubs

Days Off in Edinburgh

Pasadena is a pretty walkable city, unlike Los Angeles as a whole. If you have a friend with a car at Caltech, or you have a Zipcar membership (which I have, and highly recommend!), you have easy access to all that Los Angeles has to offer. Edinburgh, however, is about the size of Pasadena and everything is within walking distance of the University housing (depending, I suppose, on exactly how far you want to walk, but there are excellent buses for everything else).

By Emily October 28, 2015

research

Cal Hacks 2.0!

(Hello world!)

By Anne October 27, 2015

culture

Minnesota Nice

Hey there, all! I’ve been in Minnesota since Wednesday for my cousin’s wedding.

By Suzy October 19, 2015

research

Innovative thinking, Brights Ideas, and the Future

The BIF Stage: Where the Future is Made

By Phillip October 16, 2015

global

A Walk in Scotland

Walking, Hill Walking, and Hiking are all incredibly popular in the UK. Walking the West Highland Way is a popular way to spend a week or two, and Scotland’s scenery is so beautiful that I completely understand why. There are gorgeous mountains, beautiful fields, and picturesque villages all over the country. Honestly, there’s just more beautiful nature here than I’ve seen anywhere else. There are a few great walks and hikes in the city of Edinburgh itself (see my post on hiking Arthur’s Seat for great pictures of the city!). But my flatmates and I were looking for something especially scenic, and figured that this weekend was probably our last chance to get a great walk in. It’s starting to get cold, wet, and dark in Scotland.

By Emily October 8, 2015

research

Flying to Minnesota

Hi there, everyone!

By Suzy September 29, 2015

global

Castles Galore

Hello from the Scottish countryside!

By Emily September 27, 2015

global

I Won't Be Back Till 2016

And I’m so excited about it!

By Emily September 25, 2015

culture

Misc fun activities (including Ditch Day video!)

Sorry for the long delay in posting; summer is a time when the days begin to blend together, and a long time flies by without being noticed. I’ll catch you all up in two posts, one talking about everything fun I did (serving as a photo dump) and one with reflections on everything being learned this summer.

By Yubo August 14, 2015

clubs

Weekend Out with the Roomies

Hi all! Anita here. It turns out that I won’t be able to talk too much about Intel—confidentiality issues and all—but that’s okay, because unlike during the Caltech school year, we actually have lives outside of work during the summer! Since Hillsboro is a very suburban area, most people drive to nearby Portland to find action. It’s only about 20-30 minutes away, unless you’re stuck in traffic. My friend’s dad complained a bit about how windy the roads to Portland are but it’s definitely worth the drive, if you ask me. Our itinerary was thus: Friday Night—Dance Social and Ice Cream.

By Anita August 12, 2015

research

San Diego Sun

Hey there!

By Suzy August 11, 2015

research

KPCB Week 'o' Fun!

Hey there!

By Suzy August 10, 2015

global

A Weekend in the City

Hey there! I’ve had a pretty slow weekend. Friday night we just made an avocado feast - chicken avocado burritos and breaded fried avocado wedges. I crashed pretty quickly, I was tired.

By Suzy August 3, 2015

research

I Met Someone Important

Hey there,

By Suzy July 27, 2015

culture

Bacon and Kickboxing

I had a rough Monday.

By Suzy July 22, 2015

global

Celebrating America's Birthday Away From Home

This past July 4th weekend I was able to go up to San Francisco to meet up with a bunch of friends, all from different phases of my life, and it was an absolute blast of a time getting to see everybody! I could give the full itinerary, but it wasn’t really the most touristy and consisted of a lot of just “chilling.” If anything it was a welcome contrast to the breakneck pace at Caltech; even as I love pushing myself harder intellectually than I’d have ever expected, I can’t like hanging out with good friends any less.

By Yubo July 21, 2015

research

Sun and Surf

Hello, there! On Friday, I got to stage four of five on my summer project, submitted a pull request, and went home (a little early!). My roommates and I coordinated a fancy dinner: sauteed shrimp and lemon quinoa with a side of twice-baked potatoes. I love cooking with people, it’s so satisfying. We get all together and set the table all fancy. Also it tastes really good.

By Suzy July 20, 2015

clubs

2 Weeks of Summer

Hi there! This is Suzy, writing from my apartment in San Francisco.

By Suzy July 8, 2015

research

The Second Week is...Over!

Hi again,

By Nikita Sirohi July 7, 2015

global

A weekend of fun

Hey guys! This past weekend was a crazy one for me! I saw more of LA that I had ever seen before and ate literally every moment of the day. I’m excited to share with you guys the awesome time I had! On Saturday, I was able to attend the Gold Cup event at Santa Anita Racetrack with Tom Mannion. For some of my friends, it was their first time watching horse-racing and they were extremely excited. I personally had lived in Kentucky for several years, where attending the Derby was an event everyone did. However, American Pharoh, the first winner of the Triple Crown in 40 something years, was going to be there! It would be like meeting a real celebrity.

By Phillip July 6, 2015

research

More food adventures

A few more food adventures kicked off the beginning of summer for me; I promise I’ll get back to more productive matters in a bit.

By Yubo July 3, 2015

research

The most important two points of my time at Caltech. And some cookies.

While I’m positively bursting to tell the story of my most two important points, I will go in chronological order and first talk about the delicious, delicious cookies I baked with a friend.

By Yubo July 1, 2015

academics

Back to back birthday bashes!

Having a birthday so near the end of the school year as me is always a dilemma, since so many friends can’t make it being busy for finals. Nonetheless, we still managed to have a nice celebration or two.

By Yubo June 24, 2015

research

My first fake Ditch!

Well, I just posted about Ditch Day, what better than to talk about my firstFake Ditch Day!

By Yubo June 8, 2015

research

Thai Food and Greenhouse Gases

This term I’m enrolled in Bi1, Principles of Biology. The first half of the term was focused on basic biology – transcription, translation, three kingdoms, what defines life – and biological techniques/experimental design. Some of the topics were review, and it all went really well with the lab work I was doing in preparation for my SURF. The second half of the term has been focused on metabolism, which is quite a bit more complicated, and new to most of us. We discussed the molecular mechanisms of oxidative phosphorylation (respiration and photosynthesis), for example, drawing out the electron transport chains and redox reactions involved. After delving into those details, we applied the concepts of metabolism to different organisms and communities of organisms, understanding symbiosis through metabolic processes.

By Gloria June 4, 2015

culture

Walking a 5k

Back in high school, we ran 2.5 miles every other day, and the whole school ran a 5k at the end of every year as our final fitness test. Keeping up with running in college is a little harder. First term, I ran every morning with two of my friends, waking up at a bright and early 7:30 a.m. I also occasionally ran in the evenings/middle of the night with Avery Running Group. Second term, I ran very occasionally (due to an injury), and same for third term. Can you see the negative trend here? When I saw the emails about the Caltech Beaver 5k, an event put on by Caltech’s health education advisory league (HEAL), and Catalina Community Associates (CCA), I thought it would be a great way to get back into running. Then I saw that walking was also an option, and decided to do that instead.

By Gloria June 2, 2015

culture

Beach Weekend

So here we are, the weekend before finals, and I’ve done zero homework since Wednesday. To be fair, I don’t have anything due until this coming Thursday, but whatever. Feeling lazy? Not so much. I’ve got a friend visiting from home (all the way from Philly for the weekend!) and we’ve been doing the “Caltech experience.” Except for the homework, which is a pretty integral part of the Caltech experience.

By Emily May 30, 2015

culture

Trying New Things, Noms Edition

I like having default things – default favorite color, favorite food, favorite book, favorite movie – and I don’t step far out of those boundaries. Moving from Illinois to California hasn’t shaken most of those, but it has changed my food boundaries. For the most part, it’s been different Asian foods. Before I came here, I never knew of the existence of niangao, a Shanghainese, stir-fried rice cake dish. We use rice cake, or “dduk,” a lot in Korean cuisine. There’s rice cake soup, or ddukgook, and spicy rice cakes, or ddukbokki. I was intrigued to see rice cakes, in the shape used in rice cake soup, in another cuisine. I’ve been wanting to try this for at least 1.5 terms, after hearing raving reviews from some upperclassmen. Two weeks ago, I was walking back from Teaspots with some people in my a cappella group, when a car stopped by (John from Avery, champion of niangao) and asked if we wanted to come get dumplings. I shrugged and joined, and was delighted to learn that the dumpling place (Juicy Dumpling in San Gabriel) also had niangao. It was delicious!

By Gloria May 29, 2015

culture

Bubble Soccer Alley Event!

Page house alley event number 199835892: bubble soccer! One of our UCCs, Chi Chi, rented a set of “bubbles” for 24 hours, and we went HAM on them. We only spent about an hour playing soccer with them, and spent the rest of the time fooling around.

By Emily May 29, 2015

culture

What do Snoop Dogg, Alice in Wonderland, and a German heavy metal band have in common?

Friday, May 22, 2015 was the real senior Ditch Day, and it was glorious. Below I will chronicle the day’s events.

By Gloria May 25, 2015

research

And people say Caltech doesn't care about humanities (trip to the Huntington Libraries!)

If I can give any advice to students trying to choose school to apply to (or attend after they’ve been accepted), it’s to read the course catalog for every school you are considering. Go to the registrar’s website and you should be able to find it from there. Something I didn’t realize when I was looking for colleges: not all colleges offer the same classes. Weird, right? Even in departments that are lauded for being top ten in the country, you’ll find that class offerings are strictly dependent on the professors that are employed at that university, and the courses will be tailored to what those professors like to teach or are good at teaching, which will skew greatly towards their own areas of research. That’s how you get a bioengineering department at Caltech that is world renowned for their biomolecular engineering, but not so much for biodevices. That’s also how you get a Caltech computer science department that will teach you everything the world has to offer on algorithms, tractability, completeness, etc., but not offer you a class in computer security. You’ll find the greatest disparities in course offerings between small schools and big schools, mainly because of the woman/manpower to teach every topic under the sun.We just don’t have a professor that studies computer security.

By Emily May 23, 2015

clubs

Inter A Cappella Funtimes, Part 2

Ever since the Pipettes began, we’ve been looking forward to watching Pitch Perfect 2 together. All girls group, a cappella, mashups? Right down our alley. The May 15 premiere seemed infinitely far in the future, but as the months flew by, our dreams of singing all the way to the theater didn’t seem so distant. There were also thoughts of somehow organizing all of the a cappella groups to go together, but that seemed like a scheduling mess, considering the pains it takes to schedule one rehearsal for one group (see: The Pipettes).

By Gloria May 22, 2015

research

Inter A Cappella Funtimes, Part 1

A cappella funtimes, you ask? Isn’t a cappella always a fun time? Well yes, we have our rehearsals twice a week, occasionally hang out at Teaspots or Chouse afterwards, and have a lot of fun singing and chatting as a group. Recently, however, we’ve had some inter a cappella events thrown into the mix.

By Gloria May 22, 2015

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