Caltech Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

In collaboration with City of Pasadena - Public Agency 's Public Health Department, a team of researchers in Prof. Ismagilov's lab are working on an ongoing study to better understand how the amount of the COVID-19 virus changes in a person's body after they are infected. Read more about the lab's research efforts :

On International Women’s Day, join us in celebrating our incredible faculty for their contributions to CCE, Caltech and the field of chemical sciences. You’ve made #STEM a more inclusive place for all scientists. #IWD2021

This week’s #BlackHistoryMonth post features Professor Steve Mayo. Dr. Steve Mayo earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at Caltech in 1987. In 1992 he became Caltech’s first Black tenured faculty member. Most recently, he served as the chair of the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering. Dr. Mayo is currently the Bren Professor of Biology and Chemistry. His research focuses on the development of computational approaches to protein engineering.

This week during Black History Month, we’re highlighting James King, Jr the first Black Ph.D hired at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Dr. James earned his masters degree in chemistry in 1955 and a doctorate in chemistry with a minor in physics in 1958 at Caltech. In 1961, he joined NASA’s JPL as a senior scientist in chemistry. Dr. King had numerous managerial roles over the years at JPL and in 1993, he became the Director for Engineering and Science at the Lab. #BlackHistoryMonth

In honor of #BlackHistoryMonth, we will be highlighting trailblazing Black figures in CCE throughout February. This week, we’re recognizing Dr. James LuValle, a chemist and an Olympic athlete. LuValle was the first Black Ph.D graduate at Caltech. He studied under future Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling and earned his degree in physical chemistry with a minor in Mathematics. To learn more about James LuValle, watch the Caltech Archives presentation, Becoming Caltech (34:00): https://bit.ly/39STEhd

Congratulations to Prof. Frances Arnold on being appointed Co-Chair to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST)! PCAST advises the president on matters involving science, technology, education and innovations policy as well as information needed to inform public policy relating to multiple national topics. On January 16th, Arnold and her fellow PCAST chairs will meet with President-elect Biden for the official announcement.

In order to cultivate a truly diverse and inclusive community at the forefront of science and technology, Caltech believes that it must reckon and reconcile wit...h its history. It is in this light that Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, acting on the unanimous recommendation of a campus committee and the authorization of the Institute's Board of Trustees, today announced the removal from buildings, assets, and honors the names of six historical figures affiliated with eugenics and the Human Betterment Foundation. The individuals are Robert A. Millikan, Harry Chandler, Ezra S. Gosney, William B. Munro, Henry M. Robinson, and Albert B. Ruddock. Caltech believes the act of renaming is an opportunity to reconcile actions with principles, and it ultimately sets a course for Caltech that both remembers where we came from as an institution and lays the groundwork for the times to come. Eugenics, and the biases that fueled it as a movement, are morally deplorable and inconsistent with what Caltech is and aspires to be. Caltech is unambiguous in its repudiation of any affiliation with eugenics. In so doing, Caltech acknowledges that figures who shaped what would become one of the world’s most eminent universities simultaneously were, in their other engagements, prominent actors and fiduciaries of the Human Betterment Foundation. Caltech intends to remember and preserve these figures in their totality recognizing their achievements and their flaws to inform and educate the campus community and the public. While this is only one step on Caltech’s path to building a truly diverse and inclusive community, it is a crucial step to heal some of the pain and suffering in the community and to bring about Caltech’s diverse and inclusive future. We hope our community will continue to engage in the thoughtful and constructive conversation that helped us arrive at this important moment. We encourage you to explore the full materials made available regarding this effort: https://www.caltech.edu//caltech-to-remove-the-names-of-ro

Mark your calendars, Diversity in Chemistry Initiative will be hosting a webinar panel with Gilead Sciences on Tuesday, January 12 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned for more information about this virtual event.

Congratulations to Professor Shapiro! The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative has awarded a $1 million grant to fund his research into acoustic biosensors.

Fall is in full swing. Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend!

On Saturday, we held our FUTURE Ignited CCE event that gave aspiring young scientists of color the opportunity to engage in science discussions with Caltech students & faculty, attend panels on topical research areas, receive help with the graduate school application process and more. A big thank you to all the attendees, the FUTURE Ignited CCE coordinating council, faculty, students, staff and Caltech for making this event possible!

Congratualtions to Professor Kim See on her selection as a 2020 Packard Fellow!

On #adalovelaceday a day to recognize and celebrate women in #STEM we want to highlight Caltech Women in Chemistry. This group’s mission is to support the careers of women in chemistry and related sciences and are led by a board of dedicated grad students and post-docs. To learn more about Caltech Women in Chemistry, please visit: http://wic.caltech.edu/

Thanks to OrbNet, a new quantum chemistry tool that uses machine learning, quantum-chemistry calculations can be performed 1,000 times faster than previously possible, allowing accurate quantum chemistry research to be performed faster than ever before. This new computing tool was developed by CCE Professor Tom Miller and EAS Professor Anima Anandkumar. Read more about OrbNet's capabilities here:

A big congratulations to Assistant Professor Lu Wei on receiving a grant from the High-Risk, High-Reward Research (HRHR) Program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)! Wei works on developing new spectroscopy and microscopy techniques to track molecules in real time inside cells and to visualize them with high precision and information throughput.

Today is #InternationalPodcastDay , and to celebrate, we have the perfect podcast to recommend. Listen to Prof. Jackie Barton, in episode two of Caltech's The Lonely Idea podcast, as she reveals how looking at the electrons as a communication tool led to a breakthrough in understanding the electron transfer reactions Visit here to learn more about the podcast and how you can listen: https://thelonelyidea.caltech.edu/

Check out some of these neat photos dating over 100 years ago from Caltech Archives! Gates Laboratory of Chemistry construction, c. 1916 Laboratory in Gates, c. 1917 Laboratory in Gates, 1921 To learn more about the beginnings of chemistry at Caltech, listen to their presentation, "Chemistry Comes to Caltech" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4Kz6Saiauw&t=140s

The Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Caltech invites applications for a tenure-track, Assistant Professor faculty position in Chemical Engineering. Anyone interested is encouraged to apply! https://applications.caltech.edu/jobs/chemeng

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. (And if you are strolling through campus, please wear a mask!) : Thank you to @bkcoastalcal on Instagram for sharing.

Our 10th annual CCE Seminar Day is just around the corner! All CCE students and faculty are invited to attend this year's virtual event celebrating graduate student research. Registration for this event is required.

Read more about new microbial shift research from Prof. Ismagilov’s lab:

Congrats to chemistry professor Brian Stoltz!