Outreach Programs
Educational Outreach: In the Classroom
Caltech's commitment to basic science is one aspect of the dual mission articulated in 1921 by its founders; the other is educating the next generation of world leaders in science and engineering. With a history that dates back to the 1920s, Caltech has consistently reached out to students and educators at all academic levels. Our efforts to transfer to the classroom lessons learned in the laboratory are built on the hope that direct interaction with scientists will inspire future participants in science.
Our educational outreach efforts have consisted of ongoing contributions to K-12 science education and providing forums for active intellectual exchange and cultural exposure. From tutoring services and tours of the famous Seismological Lab to science curriculum materials used nationwide, Caltech's educational outreach programs support the classroom experience of students at all grade levels.
California High School Cosmic Ray Observatory (CHICOS)
626-395-4515
The CHICOS program involves middle- and high-school students in a major research project: the detection of cosmic rays. Schools in the Los Angeles area provide the "net" of detector sites with ready-made infrastructure and a valuable population of teachers and students who participate in the project. Teachers and students from the schools hosting the detectors visit Caltech for the training, testing, and instruction needed to maintain the cosmic-ray detection array. CHICOS now boasts over 70 installation sites, with more than a dozen in the planning stage.
Caltech Classroom Connection (CCC)
The mission of the CCC is to create sustainable, mutually beneficial partnerships between local educators and Caltech researchers. Caltech students and research scholars who volunteer their time with classroom educators have the opportunity to increase precollege student understanding, appreciation, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Caltech Public Events
626.395.3841
For more than 40 years, Caltech Public Events has offered audiences a gateway to cultures and entertainment from around the globe. Caltech Public Events offers a variety of programs for K-12 students. Arts education and science programs are offered during and after school, and on the weekends.
Caltech Precollege Science Initiative (CAPSI)
626-395-3222
CAPSI is a collaborative effort of faculty members, teachers, Caltech students and staff, educators, and school administrators to improve the quality of precollege science education. CAPSI is also involved in the development and pilot testing of an inquiry-based undergraduate science course for preservice teachers, and the creation of computer simulations to complement students' hands-on experiences.
Caltech Streaming Theatre
626-395-6327
The Streaming Theatre website is a repository of videotaped programs and lectures that were offered to the Caltech community from 1999 to the present. Most of these events took place on campus in Beckman Auditorium, and feature Caltech faculty, students, or distinguished visiting speakers.
Caltech Y
626.395.6163
The Caltech Y is a unique nonprofit organization on the Caltech campus. With broad financial and volunteer support from the Institute, the Y provides students with opportunities to serve the community through volunteer efforts and to learn about the needs of society through direct participation in solving some of the complex problems facing society. These students have provided the following services: tutoring Pasadena Unified School District junior and senior high-school students, volunteering at the Union Station shelter in Pasadena, and volunteering at the Pasadena Public Library and Huntington Hospital.
Caltech Tutor-Listing Service
626.395.6361
Individuals may advertise their needs for a tutor through the Caltech Career Development Center. Interested and qualified students will contact the person directly, to be interviewed and to arrange hours, locations, and fees. Student tutors are available for most subject areas for all levels, elementary through college.
Center for the Science and Engineering of Materials (CSEM)
626-395-4637
Funded by the National Science Foundation, CSEM is a major research center on campus investigating how new materials—liquid metals, tiny medical sensors, and malleable gels—can be developed. Established in 2000, CSEM has active educational outreach programs that enrich science education at all academic levels, with a particular emphasis on reaching students who are traditionally underrepresented in science.
Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering (CNSE)
626-395-6254
Launched in 1994, the Center for Neuromorphic Systems Engineering (CNSE) focuses on the goal of translating our understanding of biologic systems into a new class of electronic devices that imitate the way animals sense and make sense of the world.
Chemistry Animation Project
1.800.514.BOOK
The Chemistry Animation Project presents CAP series, a collection of multimedia products for use in high school and introductory college chemistry classrooms. Animated using state-of-the-art computer hardware and software, each product offers insight into chemical phenomena for teacher and pupil alike.
Project Mathematics!
1.800.514.BOOK
This Caltech-based project has produced award-winning videotaped modules that use computer animation to help instructors teach basic mathematical concepts to high-school and community college students. The project is also developing interactive modules for use on the Internet.
Seismological Lab Tours
626.395.6327
The Caltech Seismological Laboratory has a long and distinguished history, reflecting both its contributions to science and its service to the public. The Seismo Lab is one of the world's most renowned centers for geophysical research. The lab regularly hosts tours by elementary and middle-school children, and provides the backdrop for up-to-date media communications in the aftermath of major earthquakes.
The Mechanical Universe... and Beyond
1.800.Learner
Broadcast nationally by PBS, this critically acclaimed series of 52 thirty-minute episodes is the basis of college-level physics. The series has been translated into nine languages, and a Spanish language version is now available for the high-school level.
CPET
626-395-6346
CPET's mission is to help members of the Caltech community become effective educators through practical training, an improved understanding of pedagogy and individual feedback. They are a group of people dedicated to improving their own teaching skills and helping others do the same.