Convocation Archive

Joy of Discovery

The program includes greetings from President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and an introduction to student life at Caltech by Vice President for Student Affairs Kevin Gilmartin and the following speakers:

Featured Speakers:
Laurie Leshin
Director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Alex Burr
Undergraduate Student, Biology, Minor in Computer Science

Matt Ratanapanichkich
Graduate Student, Chemical Engineering (PhD)

Matteo Guareschi
Graduate Student, Bioengineering (PhD)

Sustainability and Sustainability Education at Caltech

The program includes greetings from President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and an introduction to student life at Caltech by Vice President for Student Affairs Kevin Gilmartin and the following speakers:

Featured Speakers:
Theodor Agapie
Professor of Chemistry; Executive Officer for Chemistry

Jess F. Adkins
Smits Family Professor of Geochemistry and Global Environmental Science

Holly Barnhart
Graduate Student, Geochemistry

Mission to Mars: The Future of Mars and Space Exploration

The program includes greetings from President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and an introduction to student life at Caltech by Vice President for Student Affairs Kevin M. Gilmartin, and featured the following speakers:

Prof. Kenneth A. (Ken) Farley, Mars 2020 Mission Project Scientist
W.M. Keck Foundation Professor of Geochemistry
Perseverance on Mars

Hemani Kalucha, graduate student
My Time on Mars (So Far)

Eva Linghan Scheller, graduate student
From Study Abroad Semester at Caltech to Five Years on Perseverance

Nathan Stein (PhD '20), postdoctoral scholar
Journeying to Mars from Caltech

Katie Stack Morgan (PhD '15), Mars 2020 Mission Deputy Project Scientist
Exploring the Surface of Mars with the Curiosity and Perseverance Rovers

CALTECH Y AND RISE PROGRAM

The program included greetings from President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, featured a special cameo appearance and welcome from a Caltech alumnus NASA Astronaut Bob Behnken , as well as a brief introduction by Kevin Gilmartin, Vice President for Student Affairs, and featured the following speakers:

Laura Hu, Undergraduate Student, and Caltech Y Student Ex-Comm President
Welcome from the Caltech Y

Liz Jackman, Caltech Y Associate Director of Student Programs
Rise Program

Cam Buzard, Graduate Student
Being a Grad Student Rise Mentor

Melba Nuzen, Undergraduate Student
Experiences of a Rise Tutor

Athena Castro, Caltech Y Executive Director
Closing Remarks from the Caltech Y

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AT CALTECH

The program included greetings from President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, and a brief introduction to student life at Caltech by Joseph E. Shepherd, Vice President for Student Affairs, and featured the following speakers:

Candace Rypisi, Director, Student-Faculty Programs

Eric Moreno, Junior, Physics
"Caltech to CERN: My SURF Journey"

Morgan Hooper, Fourth-Year Graduate Student, Aerospace
"Paying It Forward: How Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers Has Prepared Me for the Future, While Helping to Build an Inclusive Community"

David Van Valen, Assistant Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering
"From Student to Professor: Why Everyone Benefits from Undergraduate Research"