News

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Toward a Sustainable Society
The Dow Sustainability Innovation Student Challenge Award (SISCA) at Caltech honors students and} scientists who have made significant contributions to finding sustainable solutions to the world's most pressing social, economic, and environmental problems. The award was established in 2009 by the Dow Chemical Company with the goal of promoting "forward thinking in social and environmental responsibility," according to the SISCA website. This year, graduate students Trevor Del Castillo and Niklas Thompson shared the $10,000 grand prize for their research developing a sustainable catalyst for nitrogen fixation. [Caltech Press Release] 02/03/2016

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A Winning Sanitation Solution
An estimated 4.5 billion people in the developing world lack access to adequate sanitation facilities—a situation that contributes to millions of deaths every year as well as environmental pollution and economic losses. But even the best sanitation systems installed in the developing world can easily be rendered useless if they break down and no one in the area knows how to fix them. [Caltech Press Release] 06/11/2015

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Caltech Wins Toilet Challenge
Caltech's solar-powered toilet has won the Reinventing the Toilet Challenge issued by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Caltech engineer Michael Hoffmann and his colleagues were awarded $100,000 for their design, which they demonstrated at the Reinvent the Toilet Fair, a two-day event held August 14–15 in Seattle. [Caltech Press Release] 08/15/2012

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Caltech Scientist Awarded Grant to Develop Solar-Powered Sanitation System
Environmental scientist and engineer Michael Hoffmann of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has received a $400,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to build a solar-powered portable toilet that could help solve a major health problem in developing countries. The grant, announced July 19 at the AfricaSan 3 sanitation and hygiene conference in Rwanda, will be used to complete the initial design, development, and testing of the unique sustainable system. Designed for use by up to 500 people per day with minimal maintenance, the sanitation unit will have the added benefit of turning waste into fuel. [Caltech Press Release] 07/19/2011

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Water's Surface—A Strange Frontier
Water is water, right? Of course it is, but it turns out that the "skin" of even the tiniest droplet of water is quite different than what lies beneath. In the last five years or so, several lines of evidence have hinted that the zone where the water molecules meet the air might be as acid as sour milk (a pH of about 4.5), even if the water within was neutral, with a pH of 7. But there has been no way to test that directly—until now. [Caltech Press Release] 06/22/2010

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Techers Take to the Sky
International Learn to Fly Day debuted this past Saturday, May 15, and Caltech's Aero Association (AACIT) observed the occasion by offering a free flying lesson to any interested member of the Caltech/JPL community. One of the Institute's more venerable clubs, AACIT has helped train more than 1,000 private pilots since it was established in 1966 by a handful of students, faculty, and staff. [Caltech Press Release] 05/17/2010

imageMichael Hoffmann Appointed Dean of Graduate Studies at Caltech
Michael Hoffmann, who is the James Irvine Professor of Environmental Science at the California Institute of Technology, has been appointed dean of graduate studies. His appointment is effective immediately. The announcement was made Monday, July 15, by Gary Lorden, acting vice president for student affairs at Caltech. Hoffmann replaces D. Roderick Kiewiet, who returned to full-time professorial duties earlier this year. [Caltech Press Release] 07/16/2002