First. That is before all others; earliest in time or serial order, foremost in position, rank, or importance.
Freq. as a numeral adjective, the ordinal of ONE.
adj., n., and pron. (written 1st).
—Oxford English Dictionary
Scroll on to learn about some Caltech firsts.
Dory blew her competition out of the water. Well, not literally. She didn’t even use her torpedoes. But she did outperform 36 other robots in the 2016 Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International RoboSub Competition. Find out more about Dory and her makers—the Caltech Robotics Team.
She’s got dexterity, speed, and all-around smarts. And her impatience is a virtue.
When she found out she got into Caltech and received a full scholarship, Bianca Lepe (BS ’16) screamed—and her mom cried. Watch to learn more about Bianca’s road to and through Caltech.
Are Caltech’s contributions to the world immeasurable? One quantifiable assessment: Per capita, Caltech’s alumni are more likely than any other U.S. university’s to be elected to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Here are a few more ways that Caltech faculty members and alumni have been recognized for their creative and important contributions.
First Glimpse of His Quantum Future
Professor John Preskill, trained as a particle physicist, on first feeling the lure of the quantum world (where Schrödinger’s cat does, and does not, live):
“In 1994, I heard about a remarkable development. Peter Shor (BS ’81) had created an algorithm that would let a quantum computer—assuming we could build one—solve problems that ordinary computers couldn’t. He showed that information is different in the quantum and classical worlds.
“I was awestruck. At a month-long workshop on black holes, I studied Shor’s paper instead.
“Many physicists thought a quantum computer was a fantasy—impossibly error-prone. But at Caltech, we have freedom to do what we think is important. I got into the question of whether we could build one. In 1996, an idea from my particle physics background helped me find a way to fix errors. Now, people are realizing that method in the lab. And Caltech is setting the quantum agenda for the next 25 years.”
Preskill is the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics and holds the Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair in Caltech’s Institute for Quantum Science and Technology. The Davis Chair comes with philanthropic funding that Preskill uses to offer early-career scholars the freedom he had.
First Investigations
Sarah Antilla, an undergraduate in chemical engineering (class of 2018), on her first try at hands-on research:
“I can still remember the first time I interpreted a mass spectrometer reading, the first time I pushed the button to warn that the laser was in operation, and the first time I got to use a micropipette. Over time, all of these tasks became less remarkable and more routine. But each of those smaller firsts was adding up to real-world research. I was testing synthetic complexes to determine whether any could potentially function as diagnostic probes for DNA mismatches. It’s work that one day might help improve early detection of cancer. And it always feels good to know you’re contributing to something important.”
Most Caltech undergraduates participate in research supported in large part by philanthropy. Antilla’s first Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) was funded by an endowment from the Rose Hills Foundation and discretionary funds from the lab of Jacqueline Barton, Caltech’s John G. Kirkwood and Arthur A. Noyes Professor of Chemistry and holder of the Norman Davidson Leadership Chair in the Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering.
From the First
Changhuei Yang, Caltech’s Thomas G. Myers Professor of Electrical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Medical Engineering, on first arriving at Caltech:
“I have been pursing medical engineering solutions at the intersection of mathematics, engineering, and physics ever since graduate school. I came to Caltech in 2003 and knew right away that this would be an ideal place for me, and not just because of Caltech’s interdisciplinary problem-solving style. At that time, I wanted to improve medical imaging resolution and depth penetration using entirely different approaches and altogether new techniques for peering deeper into biological tissue—the medical equivalent of creating car headlights that can cut through dense fog. I knew three things: progress would be slow, results were not guaranteed, and Caltech was one of the few places where I could follow these what-ifs.”
Yang’s research is bringing us closer to a future with incisionless laser surgery, new techniques for studying the brain, and earlier diagnosis of cancer. He is a member of the recently endowed Andrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering at Caltech and the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center, which was bolstered by a campaign gift.
First Voyage
Zach Erickson, a graduate student in environmental science and engineering, on his first research cruise to the Western Antarctic Peninsula:
“I’m from Minnesota so I was prepared for the cold. After all, November is springtime in the Southern Hemisphere. But I wasn’t prepared for going days without seeing land. I remember finishing my night shift, and as the sun was rising, another scientist ran into my lab shouting, ‘Mountains ahead!’ During the night we had gone from open ocean to entering the Gerlache Strait, and the mountains seemed close enough to touch. It’s my favorite Caltech experience.
“Coming to Caltech, I never imagined being in the Antarctic. I intended to study atmospheric chemistry but I took a class that unexpectedly piqued my interest in oceanography.”
Erickson’s first year of studies was supported by a Caltech Associates graduate fellowship. He works with Andrew Thompson, professor of environmental science and engineering, to collect information about how the Southern Ocean is impacted by Earth’s changing climate. Ronald (MS ’62, PhD ’64) and Maxine Linde have initiated a giving challenge to support climate science research at Caltech.
First Class
Cindy Weinstein, Eli and Edythe Broad Professor of English, vice provost, and chief diversity officer, on the first course she taught at Caltech:
“I arrived at Caltech in 1989 and met my first class: 16 young people with science and engineering on their mind, all wondering what they would get out of reading Moby Dick. Some gained an appreciation for the complexities of Herman Melville’s writing, and all came away from the course with stronger analytic skills, which are essential to any career they would go on to pursue. Plus they got tee-shirts emblazoned with ‘Call me Ishmael.’”
Another recent first for the English professor is her role as co-principal investigator on the California Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, an NSF grant designed to increase diversity in STEM fields in higher education. In addition to writing books about nineteenth-century American literature, Weinstein oversees the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach, Caltech’s flagship for teaching excellence and learning innovation. Support for CTLO from alumni, Institute friends, and foundations, including the Twenty-Seven Foundation, helps to create programs that enrich the campus community.
First Play
Michael Wong, a graduate student in planetary science, on the night of his first performance on stage—playing Sulu in Theater Arts at Caltech’s 2016 production Boldly Go!, an original Star Trek parody:
“Opening night, right before the show started, we sang one of the first songs, ‘Boldly Go!,’ together as a cast in the anteroom. We’re all in uniform and we’re singing this song about space-faring shenanigans, and I’m almost crying. I tried not to, because it would mess up the makeup.
“I knew my lines, I knew the songs, and finally I could somewhat sing. I thought I was ready. But being on stage—doing it for people who aren’t expecting what you’re about to say—is an overwhelming experience. They respond, they laugh, they cheer. I found out how much gratitude and fulfillment I get from knowing that I’ve made other people happy.”
Boldly Go!—and other opportunities for students and faculty members to try their hands at theater—was made possible by the Bing Fund for the Arts and the Moore-Hufstedler Fund.
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