BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//mce.divisions.caltech.edu//Events//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Caltech events: https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/ical X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles LAST-MODIFIED:20230407T050750Z TZURL:https://www.tzurl.org/zoneinfo-outlook/America/Los_Angeles X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZNAME:PDT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 DTSTART:19700308T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZNAME:PST TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 DTSTART:19701101T020000 RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:International Student Orientation: iBegin@Caltech DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250918T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250920T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:International Student Orientation: iBegin@Caltech@Thu Sep 18 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/international-student-orientat ion-ibegincaltech-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Check-In for Undergraduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250921T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250921T160000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:New Student Check-In for Undergraduates@Sun Sep 21 10:00:00 2025@mce.d ivisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-check-in-for-under graduates-87966 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Orientation for Undergraduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250921T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250928T160000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:New Student Orientation for Undergraduates@Sun Sep 21 10:00:00 2025@mc e.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-check-in-for-under graduates-87967 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Check-in for Graduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250922T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250922T160000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:New Student Check-in for Graduates@Mon Sep 22 09:00:00 2025@mce.divisi ons.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-check-in-for-gradu ates-87968 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Orientation for Graduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250922T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250926T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:New Student Orientation for Graduates@Mon Sep 22 12:00:00 2025@mce.div isions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-orientation-for-gr aduates-87969 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250925T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250925T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting@Thu Sep 25 13:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/undergraduate-academic-standar ds-and-honors-committee-meeting-87972 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Beginning of Instruction of Fall Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250929T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20250930T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Beginning of Instruction of Fall Term@Mon Sep 29 00:00:00 2025@mce.div isions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/beginning-of-instruction-of-fa ll-term-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Engineering Emergent Material Behaviors with Controlled Microstruc tures DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251002T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251002T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering@Thu Oct 2 11:00:00 2025@mce.division s.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Marcia A. Cooper\, Associate Professor\, J. Mike Walker '66 De partment of Mechanical Engineering\, Texas A&M University\nMechanical and Civil EngineeringTitle: "Engineering Emergent Material Behaviors with Cont rolled Microstructures"Abstract: The performance of advanced materials has traditionally been controlled by engineering ordered\, periodic microstru ctures\, but this approach can often be performance-limiting. Recent resea rch has shown that disordered microstructures can enhance material propert ies by leveraging inherent irregularities to tune macroscale responses. Th is talk will explore the emergent behaviors of both ordered and disordered systems through two case studies: the dynamic responses of multi-material additively manufactured kerf structures and the DC electrical conductivit ies of metal-ceramic powder mixtures. Additionally\, the challenges of cha racterizing irregular\, particle-based systems—where a disordered networ k of hard elements is cemented by soft bonds—will be contrasted with new opportunities for tailoring performance in shock environments. The discus sion will highlight how engineering irregularity can unlock novel material behaviors for a wide range of applications.Bio: Marcia Cooper is an Assoc iate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering department at Texas A&\;M University with a courtesy appointment in the Materials Science and Engine ering department. Her Dynamic Material Response Lab at the Texas A&\;M University Turbomachinery Laboratory center combines aspects of shock phys ics\, mechanics of materials\, material science\, thermal science\, and co mbustion to study the performance of materials in severe environments. Pri or to joining Texas A&\;M in fall 2021\, she was a Senior Scientist in the Component Science\, Engineering\, and Production Center at Sandia Nati onal Laboratories in Albuquerque\, New Mexico. She currently serves as Cha ir of the American Physical Society\, Compression of Condensed Matter Topi cal Group. She is an associate technical editor for Experimental Technique s and on the advisory board for Propellants\, Explosives\, and Pyrotechnic s. Marcia has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Purdue University (199 9)\, and a M.S. (2000) and a Ph.D. (2004) in mechanical engineering from t he California Institute of Technology. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89903 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"Bridging Air and Sea: Physics-Inspired Models for Wind-Wave Inter actions" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251008T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251008T110000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering: Trailblazer Seminar@Wed Oct 8 10:00 :00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Manuel Ayala\, Ph.D. Candidate\, Department of Mechanical Engi neering\, Johns Hopkins University\nMechanical and Civil EngineeringTitle: "Bridging Air and Sea: Physics-Inspired Models for Wind-Wave Interactions "Abstract: Accurately modeling the interaction between ocean waves and the atmosphere is vital for improving weather forecasts\, climate predictions \, and offshore wind energy design. However\, current methods are either c omputationally expensive or rely heavily on empirical tuning\, limiting th eir practicality and accuracy. In this talk\, I introduce two physics-insp ired models—MOSD and SWARL—that bridge this gap by capturing essential wave-atmosphere dynamics while remaining simple to implement and computat ionally efficient. The Moving Surface Drag (MOSD) model enables large-eddy simulations to account for wave-induced drag without resolving full wave fields\, reducing computational cost by orders of magnitude. The Surface W ave-Aerodynamic Roughness Length (SWARL) model estimates surface roughness directly from wave statistics\, outperforming traditional empirical model s. Together\, these models offer a robust\, low-cost alternative for study ing wind-wave interactions\, with applications ranging from offshore wind energy to atmospheric science.Bio: Manuel Ayala is a Ph.D. candidate in Me chanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Originally from Venezuel a\, he earned his B.S. from Universidad de Oriente\, where he continues to mentor undergraduates in computational fluid dynamics. He completed his M .S. in Aerospace Engineering at Old Dominion University\, where he occasio nally serves as adjunct faculty. His current research focuses on developin g physics-inspired models to enhance predictions of wind-wave interactions \, with applications in offshore wind energy and weather forecasting—wor k that has led to collaborations with the National Renewable Energy Labora tory. Committed to advancing equity in STEM\, Manuel mentors Latinx studen ts\, supports first-year Ph.D. scholars\, and serves on international wind energy and diversity committees. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-trailblazer-seminar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"The "Underestimated" Unseen in Digital Image Correlation: Digital Twin in Material Identification\, Full-Field Model Validation and Fractur e Mechanics" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251009T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251009T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Oct 9 11:00:00 2025@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Pascal Lava\, Managing Director\, MatchID\nMechanical and Civi l Engineering Seminar SeriesTitle: The "Underestimated" Unseen in Digital Image Correlation: Digital Twin in Material Identification\, Full-Field Mo del Validation and Fracture MechanicsAbstract: Digital Image Correlation ( DIC) is gradually becoming a standard tool in experimental mechanics\, for both industry and academia. Despite the fact that the measurement system is often sold with the argument of being easy in use and setup\, a poor un derstanding of issues arising in the whole measurement chain (imaging\, no ise\, correlation algorithm\, smoothing\, …) can result in poor or misin terpreted results. In this presentation\, a digital twin methodology will be presented that relies on the use of synthetic speckle image deformation to generate ground-truth strain images [1]\, enabling to properly evaluat e the spatial resolution and inherent systematic and random errors of DIC. Next\, this strategy will be invoked to elaborate on the concept of mate rial testing 2.0 [2] and geometry optimization\, applied to composites\, e lastomers and sheet metal. In a second part\, the difficult question of ho w to validate FEA simulations via full-field DIC data is addressed. The un derpinning novelty is the fact that it takes into account the filtering ef fects of DIC\, which according to the authors\, is a compulsory step to ob tain robust validation [3]. Finally\, the digital twin concept will be app lied to uncertainty quantification of DIC on fracture properties\, such as crack-tip position\, crack growth\, stress intensity factors and energy r elease rate using J-Integrals. Bio: In June 2002 Pascal Lava obtained a ma ster degree in mathematics at Ghent University\, followed by a PhD in nucl ear physics at Ghent University in 2006. From January 2008 till April 2014 \, he worked as a professor at the MTM department at Leuven University. He is a co-founder of the spin-off company MatchID\, developing optical meas urement solutions or Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to assess materials a nd structures. Currently\, he is Managing Director and CTO within MatchID with a specific focus on the integration of DIC with design and developmen t: from the calibration of material models towards the validation of FEA s imulations. His personal drive is to improve the general knowledge about D IC and its error sources\, increasing the technique's range of credibility and applicability in a plethora of verticals. Pascal is the author of mor e than 50 peer-reviewed journal papers\, a fellow and board member of the International DIC Society and received the SEM A. J. Durelli Award for out standing contributions to DIC. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89901 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"Compression-Driven Gas-Liquid Displacement" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251016T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251016T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Oct 16 11:00:00 2025@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Chris MacMinn\, Professor\, Department of Engineering Science\ , University of Oxford\nMechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar SeriesTit le: "Compression-Driven Gas-Liquid Displacement"Abstract: The gas-driven d isplacement of a viscous liquid from a confined geometry is a classical cl ass of problems in interfacial fluid dynamics. This process also features in a variety of practical applications\, including the operation of a fuel cell\, the subsurface storage of carbon dioxide or hydrogen\, and even th e squeezing of ketchup out of a bottle. In all of these scenarios\, the co mpression of the gas provides the driving force and the viscosity of the l iquid provides the resistance. However\, both the amount of compression an d the amount of resistance are typically coupled to the amount of liquid t hat has been displaced. Here\, we show that the tight coupling of these ba sic mechanical ingredients leads to surprising behavior\, even in the simp lest of settings. We study the impact of gas compression on gas-liquid dis placement in capillary tubes and Hele-Shaw cells using laboratory experime nts\, minimal mathematical models\, linear stability analysis\, and fully nonlinear numerical simulations. We show that a steady rate of squeezing c an generate a strongly unsteady flow and we identify a new dimensionless p arameter\, the compressibility number\, that controls the evolution of the flow. We show that increasing the compressibility number can trigger a su dden flow transition in a capillary tube and can systematically delay the onset -- and decrease the ultimate severity -- of viscous fingering in a H ele-Shaw cell.Bio: Chris is a Professor of Engineering Science at the Univ ersity of Oxford. He is an engineer and applied scientist with an interest in physical mathematics\, fluid and solid mechanics\, and interfacial phe nomena. His research group -- the Poromechanics Lab -- is an interdiscipli nary team of engineers\, physicists\, mathematicians\, and geoscientists w ho use modelling\, simulation\, and multi-scale experiments to study flow\ , transport\, and deformation in porous media and other multiphase systems . Their work has applications in subsurface science and engineering\, soft materials\, and biology and medicine. Prior to joining Oxford in 2013\, C hris earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and was then a Post doctoral Fellow at Yale University. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89902 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Adding Courses and Removing Conditions and Incomplete s DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251017T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251017T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Last Day for Adding Courses and Removing Conditions and Incompletes@Fr i Oct 17 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-adding-courses-an d-removing-conditions-and-incompletes-87948 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:The Challenges\, Mysteries\, and Promises of Metal Combustion DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251023T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251023T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:David G. Goodwin Memorial Lecture@Thu Oct 23 16:00:00 2025@mce.divisio ns.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Nick Glumac\, Shao Lee Soo Professor\, Mechanical Science and Engineering Department\, University of Illinois\, Urbana-Champaign\nThe va st majority of combustion involves hydrocarbons. Metals are known to burn at very high temperature and with generally high heat content and can comb ust in water and carbon dioxide. These properties have led metals to be co nsidered for many applications\, though historically use has been limited to propellants and explosives\, primarily due to challenges associated wit h high ignition temperatures\, low burning rates\, and solid product gener ation. The emergence of new technologies\, including production of nanosca le and nanoengineered materials\, mechanical alloying\, mixed metal hydrid es\, and other developments\, has generated new interest in metal combusti on and opened up many avenues for research. In this talk\, I'll review rec ent developments in metal combustion\, including changes in the way combus tion chemistry and transport are modeled for fine particle systems. I'll a lso discuss potential applications in transportation and energy that could emerge from expanded use of metal combustion. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/david-g-goodwin-memorial-lectu re-4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Midterm Examination Period DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251029T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251104T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Midterm Examination Period@Wed Oct 29 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.calt ech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/midterm-examination-period-879 49 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"Multimaterial Additive Manufacturing for Shape-Morphing Structure s and 4D Printing" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251030T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251030T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Oct 30 11:00:00 2025@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Jerry Qi\, Woodruff Endowed Professor\, George W. Woodruff Sch ool of Mechanical Engineering\, Georgia Institute of Technology\nMechanica l and Civil Engineering Seminar SeriesTitle: "Multimaterial Additive Manuf acturing for Shape-Morphing Structures and 4D Printing"Abstract: 3D printi ng (additive manufacturing\, AM)\, where materials are deposited in a laye r-by-layer manner to form a 3D solid\, has seen significant advances in re cent decades. 3D printing has the advantage in creating a part with comple x geometry from a digit file\, making them an idea candidate for making ar chitected materials. Multimaterial 3D printing is an emerging field in rec ent years in additive manufacturing. It offers the advantage of placement of materials with different properties in the 3D space with high resolutio n\, or controllable heterogeneity. In this talk\, we present our recent pr ogress in developing multimaterial additive manufacturing methods. In the first approach\, we present a new development where we integrate two AM me thods\, direct-ink-write (DIW) and digital light processing (DLP)\, into o ne system. In this system\, the DLP can be used to print complex bulk part s while DIW can be used to print functional inks\, such as conductive inks and liquid crystal elastomers. In the second approach\, we recently devel oped a grayscale DLP (g-DLP) 3D printing method where we can print a part with gradient material properties. We further investigate how to use machi ne learn to help the inverse design of 4D printing of shape-morphing struc tures with multimaterial additive manufacturing.Bio: Dr. H. Jerry Qi is th e Woodruff Professor in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engine ering at Georgia Institute of Technology and is the site director of NSF I UCRC on Science of Heterogeneous Additive Printing of 3D Materials (SHAP3D ). He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Tsinghua Univer sity and a ScD degree from MIT. After one-year postdoc at MIT\, he joined the University of Colorado Boulder in 2004 and moved to Georgia Tech in 20 14. Prof. Qi's research is in the broad field of nonlinear mechanics of po lymeric materials and focuses on developing fundamental understandings of multi-field properties of soft active materials through experimentation an d constitutive modeling\, then applying these understandings to applicatio n designs. He and his collaborators have been working on a range of soft a ctive materials\, including shape memory polymers\, light-activated polyme rs\, and covalent adaptable network polymers\, for their interesting behav iors such as shape memory\, light actuation\, healing\, reprocessing\, and recycling. In recent years\, he has been working on integrating active ma terials with 3D printing. He and his collaborators pioneered the 4D printi ng concept. He is a recipient of NSF CAREER award (2007)\, Sigma Xi Best F aculty Paper Award (2018)\, Gerhard Kanig Lecture by the Berlin-Brandenbur g Association for Polymer Research (2019)\, the James R. Rice Medal from S ociety of Engineering Science (2023)\, the T. H. H. Pian Award from Intern ational Conference on Computational &\; Experimental Engineering and Sc iences (2024)\, and the ASME Warner T. Koiter Medal (2024). He was listed as one of the highly cited researchers by Clarivate in 2024 and 2025. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89904 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Due Date for Midterm Grades DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251110T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251110T090100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Due Date for Midterm Grades@Mon Nov 10 09:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.cal tech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/due-date-for-midterm-deficienc y-notices-87951 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Extreme environment materials testing: thermochemical life predict ion and improved material design DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251112T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251112T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Materials Science Research Lecture@Wed Nov 12 16:00:00 2025@mce.divisi ons.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Elizabeth Opila\, Department Chair\, Rolls Royce Commonwealth Professor of Engineering\, Materials Science and Engineering\, University of Virginia\n***Refreshments at 3:45pm in Noyes lobbyAbstract:Structural m aterials are key for applications in extreme environments of propulsion an d hypersonic leading edge systems. Materials development can be limited by lack of lab scale test capability that achieve relevant environments by e conomical "bench-top" means. In this presentation capabilities for studyin g materials thermochemical stability in propulsion and hypersonic environm ents are described. First\, a steam jet furnace capable of temperatures\, steam partial pressures\, and gas velocities relevant for hot sections of aeroturbine engines is described. Results for steam-induced material volat ilization from binary oxides and complex oxides are presented demonstratin g both improved engineering life prediction and fundamental science gains. Next a microplasma resistive heating system with temperatures and dissoci ated oxygen contents relevant for hypersonic reentry environments is descr ibed. Oxidation results for selected transition metals and carbides in the se extreme environments will be presented. Mechanistic understanding devel oped in both environments enables improved life prediction. More about the Speaker:Elizabeth Opila is Chair and Professor of Materials Science and E ngineering\, the Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Professor of Engineering at the University of Virginia with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Me chanical and Aerospace Engineering. She is also the Director of the Rolls- Royce University Technology Center for Advanced Materials Systems at the U niversity of Virginia. Prior to 2010\, she held the position of Materials Research Engineer at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland\, OH for 19 years where she worked primarily on ceramics for applications in turbin e engines\, rocket engines\, hot structures for thermal protections system s\, and other power and propulsion applications. Her current research focu s includes understanding thermodynamic and kinetic mechanisms for material degradation in extreme environments\, development of life prediction meth odology based on understanding of fundamental high temperature chemical re action mechanisms\, and materials development for protection of materials from extreme environments. She studies thermochemical stability of ceramic matrix composites\, refractory metals and alloys\, ultra-high temperature ceramics\, and environmental and thermal barrier coatings using a variety of specialized experimental approaches\, materials characterization\, and computational methods. Prof. Opila received her BS in Ceramic Engineering from the University of Illinois\, her MS in Materials Science from the Un iversity of California Berkeley\, and her PhD in Materials Science from th e Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is Fellow of the American Cer amic Society and the Electrochemical Society and recipient of the 2021 Ame rican Ceramic Society's Arthur L. Friedberg Award. She has approximately 1 50 publications\, is editor of 10 proceedings volumes\, and coinventor on seven patents. LOCATION:Noyes 147 (J. Holmes Sturdivant Lecture Hall) URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/materials-science-research-lec ture-8970334444255828333785624988500453332345665013266603356322152 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"Chaos in "Confinement: Using Polymers to Mix Fluids and Speed Up Chemical Reactions in Porous Media" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251113T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251113T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Nov 13 11:00:00 2025@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Sujit Datta\, Professor\, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering\, Caltech\nMechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar SeriesTit le: "Chaos in Confinement: Using Polymers to Mix Fluids and Speed Up Chemi cal Reactions in Porous Media" Abstract: Many energy\, environmental\, i ndustrial\, and microfluidic processes rely on the viscous flow of polymer solutions through porous media. These fluids are typically shear-thinning \; however\, these solutions can unexpectedly flow thicken when forced thr ough confined\, tortuous spaces such as in porous media. The reason why ha s been a puzzle for over half a century. In this talk\, I will describe ho w by directly visualizing the flow in a transparent 3D porous medium\, we have found that this anomalous flow thickening reflects the onset of an el astic instability in which the fluid exhibits chaotic velocity fluctuation s reminiscent of inertial turbulence\, despite the vanishingly small Reyno lds number. In addition to characterizing this fascinating flow state\, we have found that this phenomenon can be harnessed for improving mixing&nbs p\;and the efficiency of flow-mediated chemical reactions \;— with i mplications for a broad range of processes that are typically limited by p oor mixing. Bio: Sujit Datta is a Professor of Chemical Engineering\, Bio engineering\, and Biophysics at Caltech\, where his group integrates exper iment\, theory\, and computation to study transport processes \;of com plex fluids\, gels\, and microbes in complex environments. He is also Edit or-in-Chief of Reviews of Modern Physics. Prior to moving to Caltech in 20 24\, Sujit was Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies of Che mical &\; Biological Engineering at Princeton University. Sujit's schol arship has been recognized by awards from a range of different communities \, including three awards from the APS (Early Career Award in Biological P hysics\, Andreas Acrivos Award in Fluid Dynamics\, and Apker Award)\, the Allan P. Colburn and 35 Under 35 Awards of the AIChE\, \;Pew Biomedica l Scholar Award\, Arthur Metzner Award of the Society of Rheology\, Unilev er Award of the ACS\, Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award\, NSF CAREER A ward\, and Soft Matter Lectureship of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Suji t received his undergraduate degrees in Physics and Mathematics at the Uni versity of Pennsylvania\, his PhD in Physics from Harvard\, and postdoctor al training at Caltech. \; LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89905 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Dropping Courses\, Exercising Pass/Fail Option\, and Changing Sections DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Last Day for Dropping Courses\, Exercising Pass/Fail Option\, and Chan ging Sections@Wed Nov 19 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-dropping-courses- exercising-passfail-option-and-changing-sections-21 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Failure Modes in Oxide Solid State Electrolytes: Direct Observatio ns of the Stress Accompanying Dendrite Growth DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251119T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Materials Science Research Lecture@Wed Nov 19 16:00:00 2025@mce.divisi ons.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:W. Craig Carter\, Professor\, Materials Science and Engineerin g\, Massachusetts Institute of Technology\n***Refreshments at 3:45pm in No yes lobbyAbstract:Although solid-state batteries with metal anodes promise to enable safer\, higher energy density batteries\, metal protrusions (de ndrites) short-circuit the cell when charging faster than a critical curre nt density. Dendrite growth is accompanied by stress and we have previousl y shown that applied stresses affect a dendrite's growth. We used operando birefringence microscopy to directly observe dendrite-induced stresses. T he stress intensity is determined by fitting the experimentally measured s tress distribution to that expected around an internally loaded crack. The se operando experiments\, combined with cryogenic scanning transmission el ectron microscopy (STEM) characterization of the dendrite tip\, allow sepa rate study of electrochemical and mechanical phenomena underlying dendrite growth in ceramic electrolytes. All experiments were conducted on the mos t electrochemically stable Li-ion conducting solid electrolyte (tantalum-d oped lithium lanthanum zirconium oxide).This work is in collaboration with Cole Fincher\, Yet-Ming Chiang\, Brian SheldonMore about the Speaker:W. C raig Carter is the Toyota Professor of Materials Science at MIT. His resea rch interests are theory and modelling of materials. He has worked on many subfields of materials science including microstructural evolution\, inte rface thermodynamics\, electro-chemo-mechanics\, and reliability. He is in terested in innovations in teaching materials science. LOCATION:Noyes 147 (J. Holmes Sturdivant Lecture Hall) URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/materials-science-research-lec ture-89703344442558283337856249882500453332345665013266603356322153 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Registration for Winter Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251120T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251205T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Registration for Winter Term@Thu Nov 20 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.ca ltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/registration-for-winter-term-8 7920 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Admission to Candidacy for the Degrees of Master of S cience and Engineer DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251121T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251121T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Last Day for Admission to Candidacy for the Degrees of Master of Scien ce and Engineer@Fri Nov 21 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-admission-to-cand idacy-for-the-degrees-of-master-of-science-and-engineer-87946 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"Multiscale Models for Sea Ice" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251204T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251204T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Dec 4 11:00:00 2025@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Kenneth Golden\, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics\, Depa rtment of Mathematics\, University of Utah\nMechanical and Civil Engineeri ng Seminar SeriesTitle: "Multiscale Models for Sea Ice"Abstract: Polar sea ice is a multiscale composite material with complex structure on length s cales ranging over many orders of magnitude. A principal challenge in sea ice modeling and computation is how to use microstructural information to find effective or homogenized behavior relevant to large-scale mechanical\ , thermodynamic\, and ecological models. From tiny brine inclusions to ice pack dynamics on oceanic scales\, and from microbes to polar bears\, we'l l tour recent advances in modeling sea ice\, its ecosystems\, and related composite media. We'll encounter fractal geometry\, percolation\, random m atrix theory\, Anderson localization\, mushy layers\, anomalous diffusion\ , and even twisted bilayer graphene.Bio: Ken Golden's main research intere sts are in mathematics of sea ice\, composite materials\, polar ecology\, statistical physics\, and remote sensing. He's been on nineteen polar expe ditions to obtain data that inform sea ice models\, and given over 500 inv ited lectures on six continents\, including four presentations to the U.S. Congress. Golden has won awards for teaching\, mentoring\, and science co mmunication. His research has been covered by media around the world\, inc luding profiles in Science\, Scientific American\, Physics Today\, and the BBC. He is an Inaugural Fellow of the American Mathematical Society\, a F ellow of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics\, cited for "e xtraordinary interdisciplinary work on the mathematics of sea ice\," a Fel low of the Electromagnetics Academy\, and a Fellow of the Explorers Club\, whose members have included Neil Armstrong and Jane Goodall. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89906 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day of Classes for Fall Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251205T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251206T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114126Z UID:Last Day of Classes for Fall Term@Fri Dec 5 00:00:00 2025@mce.divisio ns.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:This is the last day of classes for fall term and the last day to register for winter term without a $50 late fee URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-of-classes-for-fall-t erm-87921 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Study Period DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251206T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251209T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Study Period@Sat Dec 6 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/study-period-87939 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Final Examinations for Fall Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251210T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251212T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Final Examinations for Fall Term@Wed Dec 10 08:00:00 2025@mce.division s.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/final-examinations-for-fall-te rm-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:End of Fall Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251212T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251213T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:End of Fall Term@Fri Dec 12 00:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/end-of-fall-term-87924 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:From Models to Data: Toward a Unified Framework forAgile and Safe Bipedal Locomotion" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251212T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251212T140000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar: PhD Thesis Defense@Fri Dec 1 2 13:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Min Dai\, Graduate Student\, Mechanical Engineering\, Caltech\ nAbstract:Achieving agile\, efficient\, and robust locomotion in bipedal r obots remains a grand challenge of robotics.Traditional model-based contro l methods are theoretically grounded but are often sensitive to model mism atch andstate-estimation uncertainty\, limiting their adaptability to real -world environments. Conversely\, data-driven approachessuch as reinforcem ent learning produce remarkable behaviors but often lack interpretability\ , require non-trivial rewardshaping\, and raise safety concerns.This thesi s bridges these two paradigms through a unified framework that begins with model-based behavior synthesisand culminates in data-driven adaptation. T he first part focuses on constructing walking behaviors and controllers us ingreduced-order models of locomotion. A hierarchy of planners and control lers is developed to enable robust walking forflat-footed and multi-domain gaits\, as well as safety-critical locomotion over constrained footholds such as stairs andstepping stones. Additionally\, this work introduces RoM oCo\, a modular open-source architecture\, a modular open-source architect ure designed to unify reduced-order planning\, output synthesis\, and whol e-body control across multiplebipedal platforms.Building on this foundatio n\, the second part introduces data-driven mechanisms that enable robots t o improve andpersonalize their behaviors through various forms of data. Ep isodic data collected during repeated executions are used tocorrect modeli ng errors and reduce constraint violations. Human preference data facilita tes automatic gain tuningthrough interactive feedback. Online robot data e nables adaptation of reduced-order models by learning step-to-stepdynamics directly from real executions. Environmental interaction data inform high -level planners for navigatinginfeasible paths. Finally\, large-scale simu lation data support a reinforcement-learning framework designed for hardwa redeployment\, where model-guided rewards enable efficient training and in troduce perception inputs\, yielding policiescapable of dynamic stepping-s tone traversal on real robots.Together\, these contributions form a progre ssion from theoretically grounded model-based control to data-enabledadapt ation\, demonstrating that reduced-order models and data-driven learning a re complementary. Their integrationenables bipedal robots such as Cassie a nd G1 to walk safely\, robustly\, and efficiently across diverse terrains\ , marking astep toward human-level agility in legged locomotion. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 115 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-phd-thesis-defense-40 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Winter Recess DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251213T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260104T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Winter Recess@Sat Dec 13 08:00:00 2025@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/winter-recess-87925 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251217T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251217T090100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports@Wed Dec 17 09:00:00 2025 @mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/due-date-for-instructors-final -grade-reports-87943 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Beginning of Instruction of Winter Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260105T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260106T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Beginning of Instruction of Winter Term@Mon Jan 5 00:00:00 2026@mce.d ivisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/beginning-of-instruction-of-wi nter-term-87929 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260106T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260106T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting@Tue Jan 6 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/undergraduate-academic-standar ds-and-honors-committee-meeting-87965 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Characterizing and Utilizing Terrain Responses for Robot-aided Ear th and Planetary Explorations DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260108T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260108T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Jan 8 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Feifei Qian\, Assistant Professor\, Department of Electrical a nd Computer Engineering\, University of Southern California\nMechanical an d Civil Engineering Seminar SeriesTitle: " Characterizing and Utilizing Te rrain Responses for Robot-aided Earth and Planetary Explorations "Abstract : Robot-aided exploration is central to advancing Earth and planetary sci ence\, yet many high-value scientific targets\, such as Martian dunes\, lu nar craters\, muddy forests\, and snowy mountains\, remain difficult to ac cess. These environments are characterized by loose\, deformable substrate s whose mechanical behavior is governed by complex granular rearrangement\ , porosity\, cohesion\, and particle–fluid or particle–ice interaction s. Such processes control whether a substrate behaves in a solid-like or f luidized manner\, directly challenging robotic mobility\, sensing\, and sa mpling.To address these challenges\, my group integrates granular physics\ , locomotion science\, and proprioceptive sensing\, to develop new strateg ies for robotic characterization of deformable terrains on Earth and other planetary bodies. Our work focuses on linking substrate force responses a nd yield behaviors to robot locomotion and sensing outcomes.In this talk\, I will begin with force responses in dry\, homogeneous granular media\, s howing how the relationship between applied stress and yield stress govern s solid-like versus fluid-like behavior and\, in turn\, robot mobility. Le veraging the high force transparency of direct-drive actuators\, we demons trate that legged robots can use their limbs as proprioceptive sensors\, i nferring terramechanical properties opportunistically from every step. I w ill then extend this discussion to cohesive substrates\, including wet san d and mud\, where attractive interparticle forces and pore-fluid effects i ntroduce new locomotion failure modes and necessitate different locomotion strategies. Finally\, I will discuss our ongoing efforts to understand ic e-cemented regolith\, highlighting newly observed force responses\, locomo tion failure modes\, and their underlying physical mechanisms. I will conc lude with a broader vision of how systematic characterization and utilizat ion of terrain responses can enable enhanced robotic mobility and new scie ntific discovery across Earth and planetary environments.Bio: Feifei Qian is an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Unive rsity of Southern California. Qian received her PhD in Electrical Engineer ing and M.S. in Physics from Georgia Institute of Technology. Prior to her appointment at USC\, she worked in the GRASP lab at University of Pennsyl vania as a postdoctoral fellow. Her research interests include bio-inspire d robotics\, legged locomotion\, terrain mechanics\, proprioceptive sensin g and human-robot teaming\, with applications to robot-aided earth and pla netary explorations. Qian's research has been recognized with NSF CAREER a ward\, Charles Lee Powell Foundation Faculty Research Award\, Best student paper award from the Robotics Science and Systems (RSS) conference\, and has been featured by media outlets including BBC News\, CBS News\, Reuters \, NPR Weekend Edition\, IEEE Spectrum\, Wired\, and R&\;D Magazine. Sh e currently serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L). She has also served as an Associate Editor for the 2023 I EEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)\, the Organ izing Committee for the 2025 Robotics Science and Systems (RSS) conference \, and the Program Committees for the 25th International Conference on Cli mbing and Walking Robots (CLAWAR)\, the 2021 Robotics Science and Systems (RSS) Inclusion Program\, and the 2019 Robotics Science and Systems (RSS) Pioneer Program. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89909 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Efficient Planning and Learning for Contact-rich Manipulation via Structured Exploration DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260115T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260115T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Jan 15 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Pang Tao\, Senior Research Scientist\, RAI Institute\nMechanic al and Civil Engineering Seminar SeriesTitle: "Efficient Planning and Lear ning for Contact-rich Manipulation via Structured Exploration"Abstract:The success of Reinforcement Learning (RL) in dexterous\, contact-rich manipu lation has left much to be understood from a model-based perspective\, whe re key challenges include (i) locally\, the hybrid\, non-smooth contact dy namics renders planning and control methods for smooth dynamical systems i neffective\, and (ii) globally\, the non-convex cost landscape requires no n-trivial global exploration strategy. This talk first demystifies RL's su ccess\, attributing it to the implicit randomized smoothing provided by it s stochastic nature. I will then present how smoothing\, the primary insig ht from RL\, can be incorporated into classical planning and control algor ithms to efficiently and explicitly address the local and global challenge s introduced by contact dynamics. Finally\, I will demonstrate how the eff iciency gained from model-based insights can empower prevailing robot lear ning paradigms\, serving as a powerful data generation engine for Behavior Cloning (BC) and RL\, especially on robot embodiments for which teleopera tion-based data collection is challenging.Bio: Tao Pang received his PhD f rom the Massachusetts Institute of Technology\, where his work on global p lanning for contact-rich manipulation earned an Honorable Mention for the IEEE T-RO King-Sun Fu Memorial Best Paper Award. His research interests li e at the intersection of robotics\, optimization and machine learning\, wi th a focus on building robots with human-level dexterity. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89912 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Nonholonomic Stabilization and Pursuit-Evasion: Not-so-hard After All DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260122T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260122T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Jan 22 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Miroslav Krstić\, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Resear ch\, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering\, University of Ca lifornia\, San Diego\nMechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar SeriesTitle : "Nonholonomic Stabilization and Pursuit-Evasion: Not-so-hard After All"A bstract: In the polar coordinates\, the unicycle/Dubins vehicle passes Bro ckett's condition. Hence\, stabilization - even global - by static feedbac k is achievable. I present feedback designs for several categories of prob lems. For steering-controlled\, constant-velocity unicycles\, finite-time stable parking is achieved. Shifting the attention from static targets and ground vehicles to moving-target interception\, a kinematically inferior evader is captured\, in spite of the evader's arbitrarily vigorous maneuve ring. In the language of control\, ISS with an asymptotic gain = 0 is achi eved in pursuit-evasion games. The new ideas are (a) treating the distance -to-target as time in the feedback design and (b) converting the vehicle's inability to slow down from a challenge into an asset. For parking and sp acecraft docking\, with direction-reversible velocity control on top of st eering\, global STRICT CLFs are sought - a problem open for 42 years - and found using integrator forwarding and backstepping. Thanks to the DRIFTLE SS nature of the unicycle\, the strict CLFs then yield (1) optimality with out solving HJB PDEs and (2) infinite gain margins. Bio: Miroslav Krstic i s Distinguished Professor\; founding director of UC San Diego's Center for Control Systems and Dynamics (CCSD) and the US Navy-funded Naval Innovati on\, Science\, and Engineering Center (NISEC)\; and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research. He has received the IEEE Brockett Control Systems (Field) Award\, Bellman Award\, Bode Lecture Prize\, SIAM Reid Prize\, AS ME Oldenburger Medal\, ASME Nyquist Lecture Prize and Paynter Award\, Raga zzini Education Award\, and several IFAC awards (Chestnut Textbook Prize\, Nonlinear Control Systems Award\, Ruth Curtain Distributed Parameter Syst ems Award\, Adaptive and Learning Systems Award\, Time-Delay Lifetime Achi evement Award). Krstic is Fellow of IEEE\, AIAA\, IFAC\, ASME\, SIAM\, AAA S\, IET\, and Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts. Krstic has coauthored nineteen books on adaptive/nonlinear control\, extremum seeking\, and PDE control. His industrial transitions have been in chip photolithography and advanced arresting gear on carriers. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89915 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Adding Courses and Removing Conditions and Incomplete s DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260123T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260123T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day for Adding Courses and Removing Conditions and Incompletes@Fr i Jan 23 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-adding-courses-an d-removing-conditions-and-incompletes-87949 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Homogenizing Origami and Kirigami Metamaterials DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260129T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260129T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Jan 29 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Paul Plucinsky\, Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanic al Engineering\, Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering\, Univ ersity of Southern California\nMechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar Se riesTitle: "Homogenizing Origami and Kirigami Metamaterials"Abstract: Shap e-morphing finds widespread utility\, from the deployment of small stents and large solar sails to actuation and propulsion in soft robots. Kirigami and origami metamaterials\, formed by repeating patterns of slits\, creas es and panels\, are a versatile platform for shape-morphing\, inspiring th e design of many morphing structures and devices. However\, it remains a c hallenge to predict the response of these and other metamaterial systems t o a broad range of loads and stimuli\, especially under large deformations .This talk describes general theoretical principles for homogenizing origa mi and kirigami metamaterials. Our broad goal is to derive\, from first pr inciples\, an effective mechanical theory for their bulk deformations\, va lid in the limit of a large number of building blocks. The first part disc usses kirigami\; the second discusses origami. We present the foundational ingredients of the theory\, along with numerical and experimental demonst rations of its predictive power.Bio: Paul Plucinsky is an Assistant Profes sor in the USC Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. His res earch interests lie at the interface of solid mechanics\, materials scienc e and mathematic\, where he applies a theory-guided approach to range of t opics including the design and modeling of origami and kirigami metamateri als. Prior to joining USC in 2020\, Paul was a Postdoctoral Scholar in Aer ospace Engineering and Mechanics at the University of Minnesota. He receiv ed his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering at Caltech in 2017\, and a B.S. in Civil Engineering and M.S. in Structural engineering at the University of Michigan in 2011. He received the NSF CAREER Award in 2023. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89916 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"Variational phase-field modeling of fracture: toward second-gener ation models" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260203T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260203T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:James K. Knowles Lectures and Caltech Solid Mechanics Symposium@Tue Fe b 3 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Laura De Lorenzis\, Professor of Computational Mechanics\, ETH Zürich\nJames K. Knowles LectureTitle: "Variational phase-field modeling of fracture: toward second-generation models"Abstract:Variational phase-f ield models of brittle fracture are powerful tools for studying Griffith-t ype crack propagation in complex scenarios. However\, as approximations of Griffith's theory—which does not incorporate a strength criterion—the se models lack flexibility in prescribing material-specific strength surfa ces. Consequently\, they struggle to accurately capture crack nucleation u nder multiaxial stress conditions. For this reason\, many recently propose d models have given up the elegance and the theoretical and practical adva ntages of the variational setting to achieve greater flexibility in reprod ucing experimental observations.In this presentation\, we explore recent s trategies developed in the group of the speaker to endow variational phase -field models with sufficient flexibility to overcome current limitations\ , potentially paving the way for a second generation of variational phase- field fracture models. For fracture under multiaxial stress states\, we fi rst illustrate the pros and cons of models based on the notion of energy d ecomposition and propose a new model of this type that controls the compet ition between nucleation under compressive and tensile stresses. Then\, we illustrate a novel phase-field model of cohesive fracture that allows for an arbitrarily shaped convex strength surface\, thereby reconciling fract ure nucleation and propagation within a unified framework. Finally\, we il lustrate further recent results on phase-field modeling of cohesive fractu re in anisotropic materials and under dynamic conditions.Bio:Laura De Lore nzis received her Engineering degree and her PhD from the University of he r hometown Lecce\, in southern Italy\, where she began her academic career . In 2013 she moved to the TU Braunschweig\, Germany\, as Professor and Di rector of the Institute of Applied Mechanics. Since 2020 she is Professor of Computational Mechanics at ETH Zürich. She was visiting scholar in sev eral institutions\, including Chalmers University of Technology\, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University\, MIT (with a Fulbright Fellowship)\, the Uni versity of Hannover (with an Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship)\, the Univ ersity of Texas at Austin and the University of Cape Town. She is the reci pient of several prizes\, including the RILEM L'Hermite Medal 2011\, the A IMETA Junior Prize 2011\, the IIFC Young Investigator Award 2012\, the Eur omech Solid Mechanics Fellowship 2022\, the IACM Fellowship 2024\, two bes t paper awards and two student teaching prizes. In 2011 she was awarded a European Research Council Starting Researcher Grant. She has delivered ove r 30 plenary lectures at international conferences and authored or co-auth ored more than 160 papers on international journals on different topics of computational and applied mechanics. Since 2023 she is Editor of Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89914 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Midterm Examination Period DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260204T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260210T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Midterm Examination Period@Wed Feb 4 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.calt ech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/midterm-examination-period-879 50 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:What a Digital Twin Can Learn from Data\, Thermodynamics\, and Act ion Principles for Damage Assessment in Complex Materials DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260212T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260212T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Feb 12 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Jiun-Shyan (JS) Chen\, William Prager Chair Professor\, Depart ment of Structural Engineering\, University of California\, San Diego\nTit le: "What a Digital Twin Can Learn from Data\, Thermodynamics\, and Action Principles for Damage Assessment in Complex Materials"Abstract:This talk explores the interplay between data\, thermodynamics\, and action principl es in the development of thermodynamics‑aware digital twins for damage a ssessment in complex materials microstructures. Data is leveraged in two k ey ways: image data is used to represent as-built material microstructures \, while measurable material state data supports data-driven computation. The link between microstructure\, material state\, and structural damage r esponse is grounded in thermodynamic principles and the principle of least action. The Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm is employed for automa tic microstructure segmentation\, enabling direct model discretization fro m image pixels without the need for body-fitted mesh generation. Inelastic material behavior is modeled in a purely data-driven manner\, bypassing t raditional constitutive models that often lack generalizability across loa ding conditions. To capture localized damage and microstructural features with coarse discretization\, we introduce neural network (NN) enrichment o f the RKPM framework. The NN approximation is formulated through energy mi nimization\, with optimal parameters encoding the location\, orientation\, and transition behavior of damage zones. Regularization ensures discretiz ation-independent solutions\, and convergence properties are analytically derived and numerically verified. For transient dynamics\, the NN-enriched formulation is based on action minimization and symplectic integration\, yielding solutions consistent with classical field theory. The effectivene ss of this digital twin framework is demonstrated in modeling damage evolu tion in composite materials and structures\, and comparison with experimen tal results validated the accuracy and reliability of the proposed computa tional framework.Bio: J. S. Chen is the William Prager Chair Professor and Distinguished Professor of Structural Engineering Department\, Mechanical &\; Aerospace Engineering Department\, and the Founding Director of Ce nter for Extreme Events Research at University of California San Diego (UC SD). Before joining UCSD in 2013\, he was the Chancellor's Professor of UC LA Civil &\; Environmental Engineering Department\, Mechanical &\; A erospace Engineering Department\, and Mathematics Department\, where he se rved as the Department Chair of Civil &\; Environmental Engineering dur ing 2007-2012. J. S. Chen's research is in computational mechanics\, meshf ree methods\, multiscale materials modeling\, machine-learning-enhanced co mputational mechanics\, and physics-informed data-driven computing. He is the Past President of US Association for Computational Mechanics (USACM) a nd the Past President of ASCE Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI). He ha s received numerous awards\, including the John von Neumann Medal from the US Association for Computational Mechanics (USACM)\, the Belytschko Medal from USACM\, the Raymond D. Mindlin Medal from ASCE EMI\, the Computation al Mechanics Award from the International Association for Computational Me chanics (IACM)\, the Grand Prize from Japan Society for Computational Engi neering and Science (JSCES)\, the Ted Belytschko Applied Mechanics Award f rom ASME Applied Mechanics Division\, the Computational Mechanics Award fr om Japan Association for Computational Mechanics (JACM)\, the ICACM Award from International Chinese Association for Computational Mechanics (ICACM) \, among others. He is the Fellow of USACM\, IACM\, ASME\, EMI\, SES\, ICA CM\, and ICCEES. He received PhD in Theoretical &\; Applied Mechanics f rom Northwestern University. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/james-k-knowles-lectures-and-c altech-solid-mechanics-symposium END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Due Date for Midterm Grades DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260217T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260217T090100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Due Date for Midterm Grades@Tue Feb 17 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.cal tech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/due-date-for-midterm-deficienc y-notices-87952 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:"The Inherent Resilience of Large Cities to Natural Hazards: Recor ds\, Evidence and Predictions" DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260219T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260219T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Feb 19 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Nicos Makris\, Professor of Structures and Mechanics\, Addy Fa mily Centennial Professor in Civil Engineering\, Civil and Environmental E ngineering\, Southern Methodist University\nMechanical and Civil Engineeri ng Seminar SeriesTitle: "The Inherent Resilience of Large Cities to Natura l Hazards: Records\, Evidence and Predictions"Abstract:In view that cities will continue to house the majority of the world's population at an incre asing rate in association with the face of climate change\, in this semina r we quantify urban resilience to natural hazards by examining the respons e history of the mean-square displacement of the citizens of large cities prior and upon natural hazards strike. The recorded mean-square displaceme nts of large numbers of cell-phone users from the cities of Houston\, Miam i and Jacksonville when struck by hurricanes Harvey 2017\, Irma 2017 and D orian 2019 together with the recorded mean-square displacements of the cit izens of Dallas and Houston from traffic-flow data when experienced the 20 21 North American winter storm\, revert immediately to their pre-event ste ady-state response\, suggesting that large cities when struck by natural h azards are inherently and invariably resilient within the context of "engi neering resilience". During the talk we explain how the mean-square displa cement from a random (stochastic) process is intimately related to determi nistic\, emergent time-response functions. This overarching relation which emerges from the theory of Brownian motion in association with the record ed data presented in this study also leads to a mechanical model for citie s\, recently developed by the speaker\, which is rooted in Langevin dynami cs. Our mechanical model predicts precisely what the recorded data uncover —that following a natural hazard\, large American cities revert immediat ely to their initial steady-state regime and resume their normal\, pre-eve nt activities.Bio: Professor Nicos Makris\, an internationally recognized expert in structural-earthquake engineering and structural mechanics-dynam ics\, is the Addy Family Centennial Professor in Civil Engineering at Sout hern Methodist University\, Dallas\, Texas. Makris received his Ph.D (1992 ) and Master of Science (1990) from the State University of New York at Bu ffalo\, USA\; while he holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from the Natio nal Technical University\, Athens\, Greece (1988). He has previously serve d on the faculty of the University of Notre Dame\, Indiana (1992-1996)\; t he University of California\, Berkeley (1996-2005)\; the University of Pat ras\, Greece (2003-2014) and the University of Central Florida (2014-2018) . He has published more than 140 papers in archival journals\, while he ha s supervised 16 Ph.D thesis and more than 40 MSc and 5th year Diploma thes is. He has served as the Editor of the Journal Earthquakes and Structures\ ; the Associate Editor for the Journal of Engineering Mechanics\, ASCE\, a nd the Chair of the Dynamics Committee on the same Journal. He is a member of Academia Europaea "The Academy of Europe"\, a foreign member of the Se rbian Academy of Sciences and Arts\, a Fellow of the American Society of C ivil Engineers (ASCE) and a distinguished Visiting Fellow of the Royal Aca demy of Engineering\, UK\; while\, he has been honored with several intern ational prizes and awards including the George W. Housner Structural Contr ol &\; Monitoring Medal and the J. James R. Croes Medal (two times) bot h from ASCE\, the Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize from AS CE\, the T. K. Hsieh Award from the Institution of Civil Engineers\, U.K.\ , the Shah Family Innovation Prize from the Earthquake Engineering Researc h Institute (EERI)\, USA and the CAREER Award from the National Science Fo undation\, USA. During the years 2003-2009\, Professor Makris has served as the Director of Reconstruction of the Temple of Zeus in Ancient Nemea\, Greece: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsxPSeWS52Q LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-89913 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Dropping Courses\, Exercising Pass/Fail Option\, and Changing Sections DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260225T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260225T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day for Dropping Courses\, Exercising Pass/Fail Option\, and Chan ging Sections@Wed Feb 25 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-dropping-courses- exercising-passfail-option-and-changing-sections-22 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Registration for Spring Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260226T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260311T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Registration for Spring Term@Thu Feb 26 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.ca ltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/registration-for-spring-term-8 7935 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:How to Improve the Performance of an Airtanker Drop DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260226T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260226T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Theodore Y. Wu and Chin-Hua Wu Lecture@Thu Feb 26 16:00:00 2026@mce.di visions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Dominique Legendre\, Professor\, Fluid Mechanics\, Toulouse IN P\, National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse\nTitle: "How to Improve the Performance of an Airtanker Drop"Abstract: Airtanker firefighting is a fa scinating tool used to fight wildland fires. Airtankers are\, however\, de veloped based on empirical methods\, and their performance is only discove red after drop tests made above a grid of cups distributed on a flat field with no vegetation (the cup &\; grid method)\, developed during the 19 90s. Dropping a liquid from an aircraft seems easy to achieve because the released liquid directly falls to the ground due to gravity. However\, the fluid dynamics processes that govern this practice are characterized by r ich and varied physical phenomena\, and controlling the resulting fluid di stribution of the drop pattern raises many scientific issues.The liquid co lumn penetration in the air\, its large-scale fragmentation\, and an inten se surface atomization give shape to the rainfall produced by the airtanke r and the final product deposition onto the canopy. The respective roles o f these mechanisms are described and analyzed here in order to determine t he parameters of importance for improving airtanker drop performance for m ore efficient firefighting.Bio: Prof. Dominique Legendre graduated with a PhD in Fluid Mechanics from Toulouse INP\, France\, in 1996. He has been a Professor of Fluid Mechanics at Toulouse INP since 2007\, and he is Deput y Director of IMFT (Institut de Mécanique des Fluides de Toulouse)\, one of the leading fluid mechanics institutes in Europe. He has been Chairman of the Governing Board of the International Conference on Multiphase Flows (ICMF) from 2022 to 2025.His main line of research is multiphase flows\, in particular bubble and drop dynamics\, including heat and mass transfer\ , icing\, and wetting phenomena. Over the last decade\, he has developed a n original research program on airtanker firefighting efficiency with a st rong connection to the aerial firefighting industry. In particular\, he ha s developed the NaSCa code to model ground deposits of liquid dropped by a ny aerial system. In 2019\, a patent was granted for a new delivery system \, KIOS\, in collaboration with Kepplair Evolution\, and he is now an expe rt for the KE72 project to transform an ATR72 into an airtanker. He has le d several international publications on the subject\, in particular a cont ribution to the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics in 2024. In 2023\, in Was hington\, DC\, he delivered an invited keynote lecture on the fluid mechan ics of airtanker firefighting at one of the most prestigious international fluid mechanics conferences (the Annual Meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics of the American Physical Society). For all his contributions\, he received the "Transfert Technologique" Award of Toulouse University in 20 22. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-285 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Intelligent Learning Strategies for Thermal Science in the AI Era DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260305T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260305T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Mar 5 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Yoonjin Won\, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineerin g\, UCI Samueli School of Engineering\, University of California\, Irvine\ n\nTitle: "Intelligent Learning Strategies for Thermal Science in the AI E ra"Abstract: Multiphase phenomena are observed in our everyday life in na ture and many industrial applications\, ranging from dew condensation on i nsects\, water harvesting\, electronics cooling\, climatology prediction\, hydrogen generations\, and manufacturing. While the fundamentals of multi phase processes have been studied for over a century\, key scientific ques tions remain regarding the fundamental mechanisms governing complex phenom ena. The intricate interplay between the evolution of phase boundaries and mass transport results in nonlinear behavior\, where subtle changes in on e parameter can have profound and unexpected effects on others. The multim odal\, multidimensional\, and transient nature of these processes presents challenges for investigation and comprehension. Additionally\, interpreti ng experimental data and predicting multiphase phenomena remain significan t challenges. To address these challenges\, our research group seeks to in tegrate cutting-edge computer vision and machine learning strategies. In t his talk\, Dr. Yoonjin Won introduces a paradigm shift: AI-enabled Thermal Science. By integrating high-speed computer vision with "physics-informed " machine learning\, Dr. Won's research group transforms raw visual data o f bubble and droplet dynamics into actionable physical insights. She will discuss the development of the vision framework\, which autonomously extra cts high-fidelity physical descriptors at extreme spatio-temporal resoluti ons. Dr. Won will demonstrate how these intelligent learning strategies al low us to move beyond traditional observation\, enabling the inverse desig n of predicting complex heat transfer behaviors. This intersection of data science and thermal physics provides a roadmap for the future of sustaina ble energy systems and advanced electronic cooling. Bio: Yoonjin Won is cu rrently a Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Univers ity of California\, Irvine\, with courtesy appointments in Electrical Engi neering and Computer Science\, and Materials Science Engineering. Dr. Won' s research focuses on multiphase thermal science\, integrating AI for scie nce and experiment\, scientific machine learning\, and materials design. S he is a leader of the DoD funded multi-university research initiative (MUR I)\, ML4HEAT. She is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER Award\, the ASME Electronic &\; Photonic Packaging Division Early Care er Award\, the ASME Electronic &\; Photonic Packaging Division Women En gineer Award\, the ASME ICNMM Outstanding Leadership Award\, the Emerging Innovation/Early Career Innovator from UCI Beall Innovation Center\, Facul ty Excellence in Research Awards (Mid-Career) from UCI\, and numerous best paper and poster awards. Yoonjin Won received her B.S. degree in Mechanic al and Aerospace Engineering from Seoul National University\, and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. For more information on Dr. Won's qualifications and research group\, please visit won.eng.uci.edu. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-281 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:ME72 Engineering Design Competition DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260310T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260310T140000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:ME72 Engineering Design Competition@Tue Mar 10 11:00:00 2026@mce.divis ions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:41st Annual Engineering Design CompetitionApex Cleanup: Summit \, Mint\, BankIn the 41st Annual ME72 Capstone Design Competition\, teams of mechanical and civil engineering students design and build robotic syst ems to compete in a fast-paced engineering challenge. The competition cent ers on a striking central structure: a four-foot-tall\, steel-skinned pyra mid with 37-degree sloped faces. The summit is a flat 3 ft × 3 ft deck. T he pyramid defines the game's visual identity and shapes its core challeng e. Robots must climb the inclined steel faces. Robots must crest the summi t. Robots must operate on the top platform while competing directly with o ther teams. During each match\, robots collect scattered Hot Pellets from the field. Robots transport the pellets to the pyramid's summit. Pellets d eposited at the summit are converted into Energy Credits. The Energy Credi ts are returned to the field. Energy Credits are banked at ground-level Va ults to score points. The pyramid is both an obstacle and the central mech anism through which higher-value scoring is achieved\, rewarding teams tha t can combine mobility\, control\, and strategic decision making. The comp etition emphasizes speed\, strategy\, and physical interaction in a shared arena. The arena is often congested. Teams must operate reliably under ti me pressure. Across the Fall and Winter quarters\, students enroll in the two-term ME72a/b Capstone Design course sequence. Students progress throug h the entire engineering design cycle\, encompassing concept development\, analysis\, prototyping\, fabrication\, testing\, and iteration. The Capst one course experience culminates in a public tournament. One team emerges victorious and hoists the ME72 trophy.*Please help us keep our gym floors neat by wearing tennis shoes or soft rubber soled shoes. Thank you! LOCATION:Brown Gymnasium URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/me72-engineering-design-compet ition-3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar: PhD Thesis Defense DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260310T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260310T153000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar: PhD Thesis Defense@Tue Mar 1 0 14:30:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Alex Mori Carroll\, Graduate Student\, Mechanical Engineering\ , Caltech\nAbstract:The four giant planets\, Jupiter\, Saturn\, Uranus\, a nd Neptune\, contain most of the mass and angular momentum of our planetar y system and thus are believed to have played a critical role in the forma tion and evolution of our solar system. Additionally\, the giant planets r epresent the most frequently observed class of exoplanets\, and therefore present a uniquely interesting and relatively accessible analog for exopla netary research. Despite this\, the giant planets are the least studied in our solar system. Our knowledge of them is primarily based on remote sens ing from Earth-based observatories and space telescopes\, which have inher ent limitations when compared to in situ probe measurements. For these rea sons\, future probe missions to the giant planets have been identified as top priorities for the planetary science community.The upper atmospheres o f the giant planets are primarily composed of gaseous hydrogen (H₂) and helium (He). During atmospheric entry\, a shock wave forms in front of the probe. Under the high temperatures found in the post-shock region\, H₂ molecules dissociate and H atoms become electronically excited\, eventuall y ionizing to form protons (H⁺) and electrons (e⁻). To predict heat lo ads and design mass-efficient thermal protection systems\, it is necessary to model each of these non-equilibrium thermochemical processes accuratel y. The primary objective of this thesis is to investigate the thermochemis try of H₂/He shock layers and to develop accurate yet computationally-ef ficient kinetic models for future giant planet probe missions.First\, a no vel one-temperature diatomic dissociation model is developed to capture th ermal non-equilibrium and non-Boltzmann effects for H₂ dissociation. In particular\, the rovibrational state-specific master equations are used to derive macroscopic chemical source term and rovibrational energy expressi ons that are valid in all three key limits/regimes of dissociation-dominat ed flows\, i.e.\, the thermal equilibrium limit\, the quasi-steady-state ( QSS) regime\, and the pre-QSS regime.Next\, optimal fits for H₂ dissocia tion rate constants are developed through a comprehensive literature revie w of available experimental and computational data. This includes data fro m high-temperature shock tube experiments (2\,000 to 8\,000 K)\, low-tempe rature discharge-flow experiments (<\; 350 K)\, and ab initio computatio nal studies.Then\, a detailed literature review of the electronic excitati on and ionization rate constants of atomic H (by both electron and heavy-p article impact) is performed. Using the best estimates of these rate const ants along with the newly developed H₂ dissociation model\, an 11-specie s thermochemical model with state-specific kinetics for atomic H is develo ped. To validate the kinetic model\, 1-D steady shocks are simulated using a space-marching inviscid code that explicitly accounts for shock tube bo undary layer effects. The resulting radiance profiles are compared to expe rimental data from the NASA Ames Electric Arc Shock Tube (EAST) facility a nd are found to reproduce the measured values reasonably accurately while capturing the distinct induction zone behavior observed in the experiments .Finally\, a reduced-order non-Boltzmann kinetic model for H ionization is constructed using an analogous QSS framework to the one developed for dia tomic dissociation. This model reproduces the majority of the results of t he state-specific H ionization model\, despite treating H as a single bulk species in the flowfield calculations. LOCATION:Gates Annex B122 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-phd-thesis-defense-41 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day of Classes for Winter Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260311T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260312T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day of Classes for Winter Term@Wed Mar 11 00:00:00 2026@mce.divis ions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:This is the last day of classes for winter term and the last d ay to register for spring term without a $50 late fee URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-of-classes-for-winter -term-87936 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Study Period DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260312T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260315T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Study Period@Thu Mar 12 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/study-period-87940 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Talking To Cells Using Mechanically Unusual Proteins And Ultrasoun d DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260312T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260312T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Mar 12 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Mikhail G. Shapiro\, Max Delbrück Professor of Chemical Engin eering and Medical Engineering\; Investigator\, Howard Hughes Medical Inst itute\, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering\, California Inst itute of Technology\nTitle: " Talking To Cells Using Mechanically Unusual Proteins And Ultrasound "Abstract: Studying biological function in intact organisms and developing targeted cellular therapies requires methods to i mage and control the function of specific cells deep inside the body. Fluo rescent proteins and optogenetics serve this purpose in small\, translucen t specimens\, but are limited by the poor penetration of light into deeper tissues. In contrast\, most non-invasive techniques such as ultrasound an d magnetic resonance imaging – while based on energy forms that penetrat e tissue – are not effectively coupled to cellular function. Our work at tempts to bridge this gap by engineering biomolecules with the appropriate physical properties to interact with sound waves and magnetic fields. In this talk\, I will describe our recent work on biomolecular reporters and actuators for ultrasound. The reporters are based on gas vesicles – a un ique class of air-filled protein nanostructures derived from buoyant photo synthetic microbes. These proteins scatter sound waves\, enabling their de tection with ultrasound. I will describe our progress in understanding the biomechanial and acoustic properties of these biomolecules\, introducing them genetically into various cell types of interest for in vivo imaging\, and turning them into dynamic sensors of intracellular molecular signals. In addition to their applications in imaging\, gas vesicles can be used t o control cellular location and function by serving as receivers of acoust ic radiation force or seeding localized bubble cavitation. Additional cont rol is provided by thermal bioswitches – biomolecules that provide switc h-like control of gene expression in response to small changes in temperat ure. I will describe how these functionalities allow the development of re mote-controlled cell therapies and diagnostics. Bio: Mikhail Shapiro is th e Max Delbrück Professor of Chemical Engineering and Medical Engineering\ , an HHMI Investigator\, and Director of the Center for Molecular and Cell ular Medicine at Caltech. The Shapiro laboratory develops biomolecular tec hnologies allowing cells to be imaged and controlled inside the body using noninvasive methods such as ultrasound. These technologies enable the stu dy of biological function in vivo and the development of cell-based and ge ne-based diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Mikhail received his PhD in Bi ological Engineering from MIT and his BSc in Neuroscience from Brown. He c onducted post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and the Unive rsity of California\, Berkeley\, where he was a Miller Fellow. Mikhail's a wards include the NIH Pioneer Award\, the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promis e\, the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award\, the Carl Hellmuth Hertz Ul trasonics Award and the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair. Mikhail is an inducted Fellow of the World Molecular Imaging Society. Alongside a cademic research\, Mikhail has been involved as a founder and adviser to s everal biotechnology and medical device startups. More information about t he Shapiro Lab can be found online at shapirolab.caltech.edu. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-282 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:End of Winter Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260318T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:End of Winter Term@Wed Mar 18 00:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/end-of-winter-term-87939 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Spring Recess DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260329T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Spring Recess@Thu Mar 19 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/spring-recess-87940 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260323T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260323T090100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports@Mon Mar 23 09:00:00 2026 @mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/due-date-for-instructors-final -grade-reports-87944 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Beginning of Instruction of Spring Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260330T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260331T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Beginning of Instruction of Spring Term@Mon Mar 30 00:00:00 2026@mce.d ivisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/beginning-of-instruction-of-sp ring-term-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260331T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260331T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting@Tue Mar 31 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/undergraduate-academic-standar ds-and-honors-committee-meeting-87966 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Data-Driven Modeling of Turbulent Flows: Nonlinear Modal Dynamics and Transient Forecasting DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260402T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260402T154900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Apr 2 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Oliver Schmidt\, Associate Professor\, Mechanical and Aerospac e Engineering\, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering\, Unive rsity of California\, San Diego\nTitle: "Data-Driven Modeling of Turbulent Flows: Nonlinear Modal Dynamics and Transient Forecasting"Abstract: Turbu lent flows pose two closely related challenges for data-driven modeling: p redicting high-dimensional transient evolution and extracting the nonlinea r interactions that mediate energy transfer across scales. This talk prese nts two recent methods that address these problems from complementary pers pectives. First\, I will present triadic orthogonal decomposition\, a new framework for revealing nonlinear flow physics through coherent structures that optimally capture spectral momentum transfer. TOD identifies coupled modal interactions\, quantifies their energy exchange\, and localizes the regions where nonlinear transfer occurs. Second\, I will introduce space –time projection\, a forecasting framework based on extended space–tim e POD modes that provides an interpretable and competitive approach for pr edicting time-resolved flow data. The method naturally combines dimensiona lity reduction and time-delay embedding\, requires minimal tuning\, and ha s been shown to perform strongly on both transient and statistically stati onary high-dimensional datasets. Applications to canonical and engineering turbulent flows\, using both numerical and experimental data\, illustrate how these methods address two key aspects in the data-driven forecasting and analysis of turbulent flows.Bio: Oliver Schmidt is an Associate Profes sor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the Unive rsity of California San Diego. He earned his Ph.D. in Aeronautical Enginee ring from the University of Stuttgart in 2014 and subsequently held a post doctoral position in Mechanical and Civil Engineering at the California In stitute of Technology before joining UC San Diego. Schmidt's research focu ses on the simulation and data-driven modeling of complex turbulent flows\ , with an emphasis on both method development and real-world applications. His group develops advanced tools for reduced-complexity modeling\, inclu ding modal decomposition techniques\, mesh-free numerical methods\, and st ochastic modeling approaches. These methods are applied across a range of engineering and natural systems\, including aeroacoustics\, aero-optics\, noise control\, thermal management\, and design optimization. He is best k nown for his contributions to modal decomposition of turbulent flows\, wid ely disseminated through review articles and open-source software that has been downloaded thousands of times and adopted by researchers worldwide. His work is currently supported by the NSF\, ONR\, AFOSR\, and DOE. Schmid t is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award and was recently named one of ASM E's Rising Stars of Mechanical Engineering. He currently serves as co-chai r of the AIAA Reduced-Complexity Modeling Discussion Group\, leading a com munity challenge for data-driven model reduction in turbulent flows that p rovides benchmark datasets with baselines from both machine learning and c lassical model-order reduction methods. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-286 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Safety Filters for Autonomous Systems: When They Misbehave and How to Fix Them DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T160100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Apr 9 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Pol Mestres\, Postdoctoral Scholar\, Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering\, California Institute of Technology\nTitle: Safety Filters for Autonomous Systems: When They Misbehave and How to Fix ThemAbs tract: Control Barrier Function (CBF)-based safety filters have become ubi quitous in modern safety-critical control\, and are being deployed across an expanding range of autonomous systems\, ranging from humanoid robots\, self-driving vehicles\, and aerospace systems. Their appeal is clear: give n any nominal controller\, possibly precomputed to optimize some performan ce metric\, a safety filter provides a principled\, minimally invasive cor rection that provably keeps the system within a desired safe set. Their si mplicity\, generality\, and modularity has driven their rapid and widespre ad adoption. Despite this widespread use\, in this talk we argue that thei r dynamical behavior is still far from being well-understood. We provide a variety of examples showing how closed-loop dynamics induced by CBF-based safety filters are far richer (and possibly far more dangerous) than thei r design intent suggests. Those include examples with unbounded trajectori es\, limit cycles\, and undesired equilibria that can even be locally stab le. These pathologies are not edge cases: we show that they arise for broa d classes of nominal controllers and safe set geometries\, including conve x ones. Fortunately\, for an important class of systems and safe sets (pri marily linear dynamics paired with affine or quadratic CBFs) we identify c oncrete design principles that provably preclude these undesirable behavio rs. We hope these results serve as a foundation for extending such guarant ees to more general classes of systems\, with the ultimate goal of providi ng safety filters with more rigorous stability and performance guarantees. Bio: Pol Mestres received the bachelor's degree in mathematics and the bac helor's degree in engineering physics from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya\, Barcelona\, Spain\, in 2020\, and the master's and Ph.D. degr ees in mechanical engineering in 2021 and 2025 respectively from the Unive rsity of California\, San Diego\, La Jolla\, CA\, USA. He is currently a p ostdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology. His researc h interests include safety-critical control\, motion planning\, and reinfo rcement learning. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-287 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Recent Progress on Liquid Jet Atomization DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Apr 16 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Stéphane Zaleski\, Professor of Fluid Mechanics\, Institut Je an Le Rond d'Alembert\, Sorbonne Université\nTitle: "Recent Progress on L iquid Jet Atomization"Abstract: Atomization is one of the CFD fields with the most striking progress. It has natural\, industrial and fundamental in terest. In natural sciences\, spray formation on wave crests\, molten rock breakup in asteroid impacts and lava breakup in volcanic eruptions are al l examples of atomization. In engineering\, combustion of liquid fuels is the most studied application\, although other have emerged such as molten metal atomization for the fabrication of powders used in additive manufact uring\, or milk atomization for the production of dried milk powder. On th e fundamental side\, atomization is a nonlinear multiscale physical phenom enon with strong analogy with single phase turbulent flow. The fundamental problem of turbulence is to find a statistical probability distribution f unction for turbulent fields\, The spectral energy density is known with s ome degree of confidence to follow the Kolmogorov -5/3 law. What would be the equivalent of such a statistical theory in atomization? Instead of the power spectrum\, one may wish to predict the droplet sizes. The PDF is th en the equivalent of the spectrum. In the talk\, I shall discuss how numer ical simulations of atomization\, following the VOF method\, allow to make advances on this problem.Bio: Stéphane Zaleski is Professor of Mechanics at Sorbonne Université and member of the "Institut Jean Le Rond d'Alembe rt". He spent his early years at the Physics Laboratory of Ecole Normale S upérieure in Paris where he obtained his PhD under the supervision of Yve s Pomeau. After three years at the Applied Math group of MIT he joined the Mechanics group at Sorbonne Université. He investigates numerical method s for multiphase flows with applications to atomization\, cavitation\, por ous media flow\, nucleate boiling\, hydrometallurgy\, moving contact lines and droplet impact. Methods include the Volume of Fluid method\, the Edge -Based Interface Tracking method and the Diffuse Interface method. He has written several computer codes for the simulation of multiphase flow inclu ding PARIS Simulator and is involved in the development of the Basilisk pl atform. He is Associate Editor of J. Comput. Phys. and of Computers and Fl uids. He has led the ERC-Advanced project TRUFLOW on mass transfer at larg e Schmidt numbers and is a member of Institut Universitaire de France.Awar ds and Honors: 2024: Medal of the Section of Mechanics and Informatics of the Paris Academy of Sciences LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-288 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Adding Courses and Removing Conditions and Incomplete s DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260417T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260417T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day for Adding Courses and Removing Conditions and Incompletes@Fr i Apr 17 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-adding-courses-an d-removing-conditions-and-incompletes-87950 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Nano-architected Composites Across Scales and Strain Rates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260420T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260420T100000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar: PhD Thesis Defense@Mon Apr 2 0 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Kevin Nakahara\, Graduate Student\, Mechanical Engineering\, C altech\nAbstract:Transportation\, infrastructure\, personnel protection\, and all other applications requiring dynamic impact resistance drive the d emand to develop advanced manufacturing for structural materials that are simultaneously lightweight and superior at energy absorption. Polymer matr ix composites (PMCs) are widely used in mechanical applications due to the ir high strength-to-weight ratios\, high stiffness-to-weight ratios\, corr osion resistance\, and design flexibility. However\, these composites ofte n suffer from matrix and interfacially driven failure mechanisms under dyn amic compression. Nano-architected materials are an emergent class of meta materials capable of achieving high-stiffnesses and strengths while also e xhibiting high specific energy absorptions under micro particle impacts. M ost studies of nano-architected materials focus on periodic lattices geome tries or other cellular solids while their use as reinforcements in compos ites\, especially at large-scales\, remains limited. Combining the works o f nano-architected metamaterials and PMCs\, we create nano-architected com posites possessing high mechanical energy absorptions under dynamic compre ssion without the need for dense constituent reinforcement materials.We fi rst explore how nano-architected materials are fabricated at large-scales\ , and we demonstrate how they can be incorporated with epoxy polymer matri ces to create nano-architected composites using molding methods. Subsequen tly\, we characterize these nano-architected composites\, showing how chan ging fabrication parameters can produce various configurations of nano-arc hitecture within samples\, and how fabrication limitations can result in d efects at multiple scales. Through various quasi-static and dynamic testin g methods\, we study how nano-architectures deform\, fail\, and contribute to composite performance - decoupling their effects from defects. Our stu dy shows that while composite performance can be mitigated by defects\, in creasing the amount of nano-architectures present in composites leads to h igher strengths and delayed catastrophic failure. In-situ observations of these tests allow us to directly connect deformation and failure mechanism s to enhanced stress-strain performance. We then use phenomenological mode ling to relate mechanical performances across loading rates showing high n ano-architected rate sensitivities and verifying the role of nano-architec tures in delaying catastrophic failure. Nano-architected performance is co mpared against classical PMCs reported in literature demonstrating their h igh energy absorptions and unique capability to address shortcomings of fi ber- and particle-reinforced composites.Our nano-architected composites of fer a new way to toughen polymer matrix composites\, utilizing small scale architectures rather than changes to constituent material composition to delay catastrophic failures. These nano-architected composites are a uniqu e demonstration of the capabilities of nano-architectures to perform under high rates\, loads\, and energies\, paving the route to new possibilities for composite design. Our modeling work of nano-architected composite per formance shows the potential of these materials to absorb energies through the introduction and control of nano-architected structures.---------Also available to attend over Zoom: https://caltech.zoom.us/j/84099990742 LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 115 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-phd-thesis-defense-42 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Resource-aware Quantum Benchmarking Symposium DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260422T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260422T150000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Resource-aware Quantum Benchmarking Symposium@Wed Apr 22 09:30:00 2026 @mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Join us for a symposium on quantum benchmarking with leading r esearchers in academia and the quantum industry!9:30 - 9:45am Coffee Recep tion (235 Gates-Thomas)9:45 - 10:00am Symposium IntroductionAustin Minnich (Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics\; EAS Division D eputy Chair\, Caltech)10:00 - 10:30am TITLE TBDManuel Endres (Professor of Physics\, Caltech)10:30 - 11:00am Context‑Aware\, Resource‑Conditione d Benchmarking of Neutral‑Atom Quantum ProcessorsRamon Szmuk (Product So lutions Physicist\, Quantum Machines)11:00 - 11:30am Quantum Science and T echnology with Rare-Earth Ions and Nano-photonicsAndrei Faraon (William L. Valentine Professor of Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering\; Fletc her Jones Foundation Director of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute\, Caltech )11:30am - 12:00pm From Hardware to Algorithms: Quantum Platforms for Near -Term Scientific and Engineering ImpactRoger Luo (Co-founder\, Anyon Compu ting)12:00 - 1:00pm Lunch (235 Gates-Thomas)1:00 - 1:30pm Benchmarking a S pin-Based Quantum Sensor in a Two-Dimensional MaterialJoonhee Choi (Assist ant Professor of Electrical Engineering\, Stanford University)1:30 - 2:00p m Quantum Simulation at the Classical Frontier: Benchmarking the Path to A dvantageGavin Hartnett (Senior Lead Scientist and head of the Applications and Algorithms team\, Q-CTRL)2:00 - 2:30pm High-fidelity probing of magno ns on a hybrid analog-digital quantum simulatorTrond Andersen (Senior Rese arch Scientist\, Google Quantum AI)2:30 - 3:00pm Measurement-induced entan glement phase transition on a superconducting quantum processor with mid-c ircuit readoutAustin Minnich (Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Appl ied Physics\; EAS Division Deputy Chair\, Caltech) LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/resource-aware-quantum-benchma rking-symposium-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Elasto-Plastic Stochasticity: The Role of Atomic Level Fluctuation s on Mesoscale Deformation Properties in Complex Alloys DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260423T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260423T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Apr 23 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Jaime Marian\, Professor\, Department of Materials Science and Engineering\, University of California\, Los Angeles\nTitle: "Elasto-Plas tic Stochasticity: The Role of Atomic Level Fluctuations on Mesoscale Defo rmation Properties in Complex Alloys"Abstract: Materials deformation is ul timate controlled by physical processes at the atomic scale. In many cases \, these processes are controlled by fluctuations characterized by highly stochastic behavior. While we have learned to subsume this stochasticity i nto continuum laws that describe average behavior\, as science and technol ogy pushes down the boundaries of what is observable in terms of time and length scales\, the mean field approach becomes to be questionable. Specif ically\, important phenomena in metals deformation such as creep\, dynamic strain aging\, solute hardening\, and deformation processes in chemically complex alloys cannot be properly studied without capturing atomic-level fluctuations and their effect on meso/macroscopic behavior. In this presen tation\, I will discuss the development of models that take into account t hermal and compositional fluctuations explicitly and how their results can be extended into larger length and longer time scales. Results for refrac tory transition metals\, ferritic materials\, and high-entropy alloys will be shown.Bio: Professor Jaime Marian has a joint appointment in the Mater ials Science and Engineering and Mechanical and Aerospace Depts. at UCLA s ince 2014. Prior to that\, he was a staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory\, where he worked on the development of physics models for materials under extreme conditions. He holds an industrial engineerin g degree from the Polytechnic University of Madrid\, and a PhD in computat ional materials and mechanics. He did postdoctoral work at Caltech and was visiting professor at the IMDEA Materials Institute in Madrid. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-289 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Midterm Examination Period DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260429T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260505T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Midterm Examination Period@Wed Apr 29 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.calt ech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/midterm-examination-period-879 51 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Robots That Learn To Model The World By Playing DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260430T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260430T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu Apr 30 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Anirudha Majumdar\, Associate Professor\, Mechanical and Aeros pace Engineering (MAE) department\, Princeton University\nTitle: "Robots T hat Learn To Model The World By Playing"Abstract: Predictive models of the world are fundamental to robotics — from planning\, to evaluation\, to reinforcement learning. However\, despite decades of investment in physics -based simulation\, we do not have models that can endow robots with gener al manipulation capabilities. In this talk\, I will discuss the potential of action-conditioned video generation models to serve as general-purpose world models for robotics. Their ability to generate photorealistic observ ations\, to simulate complex physical interactions with non-rigid objects\ , and to be improved with data make them an attractive alternative to trad itional physics-based models. But\, how should we learn such world models? I will argue that autonomous play may hold the key. Just as self-guided p lay is critical for children to explore and learn the dynamics of the worl d\, autonomous robot play provides a scalable pathway for capturing the co mplex\, long-tailed physical interactions essential for manipulation. I wi ll show how world models learned through play demonstrate significant impr ovements in accuracy compared to models trained on data from human tele-op eration. I will also show how the resulting world models can be used (i) a s "simulators" for evaluating the reliability and safety of robot policies \, and (ii) for training policies via reinforcement learning in the world model. I will end by discussing recent work on world models that know when they don't know through rigorous uncertainty quantification.Bio: Anirudha Majumdar is an Associate Professor at Princeton University in the Mechani cal and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) department\, and founding co-Director of the Princeton Robotics Initiative. He also holds a 20% research scienti st position at Google DeepMind in the Robotics Safety &\; Alignment tea m. Majumdar received a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Scienc e from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2016\, and a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvani a in 2011. Subsequently\, he was a postdoctoral scholar at \;Stanford& nbsp\;University from 2016 to 2017 at the Autonomous Systems Lab in the Ae ronautics and Astronautics department.Majumdar is a recipient of the Sloan Fellowship\, ONR Young Investigator Program (YIP) award\, NSF CAREER awar d\, Google Faculty Research Award (twice)\, Amazon Research Award (twice)\ , Young Faculty Researcher Award from the Toyota Research Institute\, Best Student Paper Award (as advisor) at the Conference on Robot Learning (CoR L)\, Paper of the Year Award from the International Journal of Robotics Re search (IJRR)\, Best Conference Paper Award at the International Conferenc e on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)\, Alfred Rheinstein Faculty Award (Pri nceton)\, and the Excellence in Teaching Award (Princeton SEAS). \; LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-290 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:No Small Measure: Using Nanostructure to Create Materials with Sup erior Toughness DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260507T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260507T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu May 7 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Lucas Meza\, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering\, D epartment of Mechanical Engineering\, University of Washington\nTitle: "No Small Measure: Using Nanostructure to Create Materials with Superior Toug hness"Abstract: Nanomaterials leverage size-dependent effects to achieve e xtraordinary mechanical properties\, including high strength\, flaw resist ance and enhanced ductility. Natural systems like shell and bone have intr icate nanoscale architectures that effectively dissipate energy and impede cracks\, and while the effect of architecture has long been explored\, th e role of size on toughness is not well understood. This talk examines how different ordered and stochastic nanoarchitected materials can be used to enhance toughness\, and how fracture size-effects can alter the emergent ductility of materials at small length scales. Topics include: 1) polymeri c nano-Bouligand architectures with twisted nanofibers that dissipate ener gy through nanoscale-enhanced ductility\, 2) nanocellular polymeric foams that defy traditional toughness scaling laws\, 3) shell-inspired spinodal architectures with structural gradients that slow crack growth\, 4) layere d architectures that exploit size-enhanced ductility for exceptional tough ness\, and 5) interpenetrating lattices that have toughness 6x higher than their bulk constituents. This work reframes ductility and toughness as ar chitecture- and size-dependent properties\, revealing how nanoengineering can break classic trade-offs between strength\, density\, and toughness.Bi o: Lucas Meza is an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at the U niversity of Washington. His research investigates new ways of engineering material properties at the micro- and nanoscale. He did his postdoc at th e University of Cambridge\, where he studied the micromechanical behavior of 3D woven fiber composites. He obtained his PhD in 2016 in mechanical en gineering from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) for his wo rk on ultralight\, hierarchical metamaterials composed of nanoscale cerami cs. His work is supported in large part by the National Science Foundation . LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-283 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Due Date for Midterm Grades DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260511T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260511T090100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Due Date for Midterm Grades@Mon May 11 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.cal tech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/due-date-for-midterm-deficienc y-notices-87953 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Imaging Soil Plus Something Else: Ice Lenses And Plant Roots DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260514T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260514T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu May 14 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Cino Viggiani\, Professor\, Laboratoire 3SR\, Université Gren oble Alpes\nTitle: "Imaging Soil Plus Something Else: Ice Lenses And Plant Roots"Abstract: In this talk\, I will present results from two studies th at use time-series X-ray tomography to observe processes unfolding inside soil. The first examines the progressive formation of ice lenses in clay d uring freezing. The second follows the growth of a plant root as it naviga tes through sand. In both cases\, the technique allows us to look inside t he material as the processes evolve\, capturing their dynamics in four dim ensions. Combined with targeted image analysis\, these observations provid e both qualitative insight and quantitative measurements\, offering a deep er understanding of how soil deforms and interacts with water/ice and livi ng roots over time.Bio: Gioacchino (Cino) Viggiani was born in Napoli\, It aly\, and earned his MSc in Civil Engineering from Università di Napoli F ederico II. He received his PhD from Sapienza Università di Roma and his H.D.R. from Université Joseph Fourier. He has been Professor at Universit é Grenoble Alpes since 2004\, conducting research at Laboratoire 3SR on t he mechanics of geomaterials.After postdoctoral work in the USA and France \, he pioneered experimental and imaging techniques linking microscale pro cesses to macroscopic geomaterial behavior. He has published extensively\, supervised many graduate researchers\, and co-founded the journals Acta G eotechnica and Open Geomechanics. He founded and directs the international master's program "Geomechanics\, Civil Engineering and Risks" at UGA. He has held major leadership roles\, including serving as head of 3SR and pre sident of ALERT-Geomaterials. LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-284 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Scheduling Examinations for the Degress of Doctor of Philosophy and Engineer DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260515T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260515T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day for Scheduling Examinations for the Degress of Doctor of Phil osophy and Engineer@Fri May 15 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-scheduling-examin ations-for-the-degress-of-doctor-of-philosophy-and-engineer-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Seniors to Remove Conditions and Incompletes DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260515T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260515T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day for Seniors to Remove Conditions and Incompletes@Fri May 15 0 8:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-seniors-to-remove -conditions-and-incompletes-87948 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Dropping Courses\, Exercising Pass/Fail Option\, and Changing Sections DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260520T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260520T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day for Dropping Courses\, Exercising Pass/Fail Option\, and Chan ging Sections@Wed May 20 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-dropping-courses- exercising-passfail-option-and-changing-sections-23 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Registration for Fall Term and Registration for Summer Graduate Re search DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260521T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260605T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Registration for Fall Term and Registration for Summer Graduate Resear ch@Thu May 21 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/registration-for-fall-term-and -registration-for-summer-graduate-research-87951 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:X-ray Based Full Field Stress-Strain Measurements in Metals DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260521T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260521T122400 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Mechanical and Civil Engineering Seminar@Thu May 21 11:00:00 2026@mce. divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Angkur Shaikeea\, Assistant Professor of Aerospace\; Bren Scho lar\, The Lynn Booth & Kent Kresa Department of Aerospace\, California Ins titute of Technology\nTitle: "X-ray Based Full Field Stress-Strain Measure ments in Metals"Abstract: We are developing an X-ray instrument to measur e spatially resolved elastic strain fields in metals. Because stress is co njugate to elastic strain\, these measurements enable reconstruction of fu ll-field stress distributions. When combined with digital image correlatio n (DIC)\, the method captures full-field stress–strain behavior and prov ides much needed data for data-driven discovery in metals. It enables prob ing of local stress–strain responses in heterogeneous materials\, includ ing additively manufactured metals\, and supports investigation of crack-t ip stress fields and the micromechanics of metamaterials. The capability a dvances understanding of microscopic behavior under mechinical loading and supports the design of next-generation materials.Bio: LOCATION:Gates-Thomas 135 URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/mechanical-and-civil-engineeri ng-seminar-291 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day of Classes for Seniors and Graduate Students DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260529T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260530T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day of Classes for Seniors and Graduate Students@Fri May 29 00:00 :00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-of-classes-for-senior s-and-graduate-students-87952 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day for Presenting Theses for the Degrees of Doctor of Philos ophy and Engineer DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260529T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260529T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day for Presenting Theses for the Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Engineer@Fri May 29 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-for-presenting-theses -for-the-degrees-of-doctor-of-philosophy-and-engineer-87953 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Study Period for Seniors and Graduate Students DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260530T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260602T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Study Period for Seniors and Graduate Students@Sat May 30 08:00:00 202 6@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/study-period-for-seniors-and-g raduate-students-87954 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Final Examinations for Seniors and Graduate Students for Spring Te rm DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260603T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260605T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Final Examinations for Seniors and Graduate Students for Spring Term@W ed Jun 3 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/final-examinations-for-seniors -and-graduate-students-for-spring-term-87955 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Last Day of Classes for Undergraduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260605T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260606T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Last Day of Classes for Undergraduates@Fri Jun 5 00:00:00 2026@mce.di visions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:This is the last day of classes for undergraduates for spring term and the last day to register for fall term without a $50 late fee URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/last-day-of-classes-for-underg raduates-87956 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Study Period for Undergraduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260606T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260609T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Study Period for Undergraduates@Sat Jun 6 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions .caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/study-period-for-undergraduate s-87957 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports for Seniors and Grad uate Students DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260608T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260608T090100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports for Seniors and Graduate Students@Mon Jun 8 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/due-date-for-instructors-final -grade-reports-for-seniors-and-graduate-students-87958 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Final Examinations for Undergraduates for Spring Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260610T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260612T235900 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Final Examinations for Undergraduates for Spring Term@Wed Jun 10 08:00 :00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/final-examinations-for-undergr aduates-for-spring-term-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Commencement DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260612T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260612T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Commencement@Fri Jun 12 10:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION:Caltech's 132nd Commencement exercises will take place on Frid ay\, June 12\, 2026\, at 10 a.m. on Beckman Mall.Kip Thorne (BS '62)—the oretical astrophysicist\, distinguished alumnus\, and Nobel laureate—wil l deliver the 2026 Commencement address.No tickets are required for our Co mmencement ceremony and guest seating is on a first-come\, first-served ba sis. Please note that\, due to space constraints\, in the general guest se ating area on Beckman Mall there are approximately four guest seats availa ble per graduating student. Guests are asked to be mindful of this limitat ion and courteous to other guests. Saving seats is not permitted. For over flow guests without a seat on Beckman Mall or for those who prefer an air- conditioned option\, multiple indoor livestream viewing locations will be available on campus.As the event approaches\, graduating students and thei r guests can refer to the Caltech Commencement website for timely news and information\, including the graduating student checklist\, news and annou ncements\, the 2026 events and activities schedule\, the visiting guest gu ide\, FAQ\, and more.Students eligible to participate in the 2026 Commence ment event will begin receiving regular email updates in January 2026 from commencement@caltech.edu. Others who wish to receive regular email update s about Caltech's 2026 Commencement event\, may sign up to receive Commenc ement emails. URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/commencement-87960 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Summer Term begins DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260615T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260616T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Summer Term begins@Mon Jun 15 00:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/summer-term-begins-87964 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports for Undergraduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260617T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260617T090100 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Due Date for Instructors' Final Grade Reports for Undergraduates@Wed J un 17 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/due-date-for-instructors-final -grade-reports-for-undergraduates-87963 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260624T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260624T120000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting@Wed Jun 24 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/undergraduate-academic-standar ds-and-honors-committee-meeting-87967 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:End of summer term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260901T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260902T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:End of summer term@Tue Sep 1 00:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/end-of-summer-term-87965 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:International Student Orientation: iBegin@Caltech DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260917T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260919T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:International Student Orientation: iBegin@Caltech@Thu Sep 17 08:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/international-student-orientat ion-ibegincaltech-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Check-In for Undergraduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260920T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260920T160000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:New Student Check-In for Undergraduates@Sun Sep 20 10:00:00 2026@mce.d ivisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-check-in-for-under graduates-87968 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Orientation for Undergraduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260920T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260927T160000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:New Student Orientation for Undergraduates@Sun Sep 20 10:00:00 2026@mc e.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-orientation-for-un dergraduates-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Check-in for Graduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260921T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260921T160000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:New Student Check-in for Graduates@Mon Sep 21 09:00:00 2026@mce.divisi ons.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-check-in-for-gradu ates-87969 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:New Student Orientation for Graduates DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260921T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260925T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:New Student Orientation for Graduates@Mon Sep 21 12:00:00 2026@mce.div isions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/new-student-orientation-for-gr aduates-87970 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260924T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260924T170000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors Committee Meeting@Thu Sep 24 13:00:00 2026@mce.divisions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/undergraduate-academic-standar ds-and-honors-committee-meeting-87973 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Beginning of Instruction of Fall Term DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260928T000000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260929T000000 DTSTAMP:20260414T114127Z UID:Beginning of Instruction of Fall Term@Mon Sep 28 00:00:00 2026@mce.div isions.caltech.edu CATEGORIES: DESCRIPTION: URL:https://mce.caltech.edu/events/seminars/beginning-of-instruction-of-fa ll-term-2 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR