Commencement 2002 draws near

As the academic year comes to a close, Caltech’s 108th commencement and its related activities will offer graduates, their families, and friends numerous opportunities to celebrate.

For graduates, commencement will be the culmination of their many years of hard work and achievement. An estimated 254 candidates will receive the BS degree, 111 the MS, and 134 the PhD.

This year’s ceremony takes place on Friday, June 14, at 10 a.m. on the Beckman Mall, and features actor Alan Alda as keynote speaker. A longtime friend of science and of the Institute, Alda is best known for portraying Hawkeye Pierce in the television series M*A*S*H, and currently stars as the late Caltech Nobel laureate Richard Feynman in the play QED. The ceremony is open to the public; overflow parking and shuttle service will be available at the Huntington Library, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The festivities begin on Thursday, June 13, with a full day of events. First-time visitors can take a self-guided tour of campus between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., starting at the Office of Public Relations, 315 South Hill Avenue.

At 11 a.m., International Student Programs will host a reception at the Center for Student Services for all graduating international students and their families. Over at Avery House, the deans and directors of Student Affairs will welcome visiting families with a buffet lunch, starting at 11:30.

The popular “Slices of Caltech Student Life,” giving visitors a look at what undergrads really do in their time here, will begin at 1 p.m. in Ramo Auditorium. The program will include a presentation by Professor Erik Antonsson, inventor of Caltech’s renowned Mechanical Engineering 72 design competition; award-winning speakers from the 2001 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships; and videos of the infamous Ditch Day rite of passage. Photos and relics from Ditch Day “stacks” can be seen from 3 to 5 p.m. between Dabney and Parsons-Gates halls.

At 4 p.m., President David Baltimore, Alice Huang, faculty associate in biology, and the Alumni Association will host a reception in the President’s Garden for all grads and their families. Afterward, starting at 6 p.m., seniors will host a banquet for family and friends at the Athenaeum, while grad students and their guests will attend a banquet at the Doubletree Hotel, given by the Graduate Office and Graduate Student Council. The day will conclude with a free public concert by the Caltech Chamber Singers and other student performers, at 8:30 p.m. in Dabney Lounge.

On Friday, following the commencement ceremony, a final reception and luncheon will be held for all graduates and their guests, starting at noon on the Athenaeum lawn. Lunch will be served at 12:30, and the festivities will end at 2 p.m.

For more information on Commencement, visit http://pr.caltech.edu/commencement/02/ or e-mail commence@caltech.edu.
•