Caltech set to shine for 65th Seminar Day

What does the hypothesis that life could have hitched a ride from Mars to Earth via meteorite have in common with altruism customs among the Orma of northern Kenya? On the face of it, not much, but these are two of the intriguing seminar topics scheduled for Caltech’s Alumni Reunion Weekend and 65th Annual Seminar Day, taking place from Thursday, May 16 through Sunday, May 19.

As usual, this year’s four-day event is brimming with activities for Caltech alumni who wish to visit their alma mater, catch up with former classmates and professors, and learn more about
the groundbreaking research being conducted here.

Seminar Day falls on Saturday, May 18, and offers six hour-long sessions. In addition to the seminars delivered by faculty and researchers, the alumni will be able to attend seminars by undergraduate students who participated in the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships and won the Doris S. Perpall SURF Speaking Awards. These students will discuss their research projects and describe their own contributions to their respective fields of study. In addition, the Everhart Lecture Series will feature seminars by graduate students who describe recent research developments, problems, and controversies.

At midday, Caltech will distribute honors to a number of alumni during the Distinguished Alumni Awards session in Beckman Auditorium. The recipients this year are Milton M. Chang, PhD ’69; David A. Evans, PhD ’68; Gary Felsenfeld, PhD ’55; Baldomero M. Olivera, PhD ’66; and Kiyo Tomiyasu, BS ’40.

Gordon Moore, PhD ’54, chairman emeritus of Intel Corp., and chairman emeritus of the Caltech Board of Trustees, will deliver the general session talk, titled “The Semiconductor Revolution.” In it, Moore will examine the development of the powerful technology underlying the semiconductor industry. He will also attempt to explain why consumer technology gets cheaper as it grows more complex. The rest of the day will be devoted seminars, exhibits of the electronic nose and the new wind tunnel, other special programs throughout the campus, and a glee club concert at 8 p.m.

Just as interesting as the seminars are the special events scheduled on the days before and after Seminar Day. On the evening of Thursday the 16th, those alumni celebrating their 65th, 60th, 55th, and 50th class reunions are invited to a reception at President David Baltimore’s residence, with dinner and dancing to follow at the Athenaeum. The same groups will be invited to take a campus architectural tour on the morning of the 17th. That day will be devoted to various reunions, including the classes of 1937, 1942, 1947,1952, and other fifth-year reunions.

Preceding the reunion weekend, the Physics, Math and Astronomy division will host a special reunion beginning Monday, May 13 and running through Wednesday, May 15. This three-day event will feature talks by faculty, poster sessions, lab tours, and plenty of opportunities to socialize. It culminates with a trip to the Palomar Observatory. Further information is available from Michelle Vine at (626) 395-3817. A full schedule of events is available on line at www.pma.caltech.edu/GSR/reunion.html.
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