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83-573: The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) established the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) in the late 1950s with a radio interferometer consisting of two 27-meter (89 ft) dishes to study radio galaxies. The radio interferometer continued to be expanded with larger and better radio telescopes . In 1979, the two dishes were retired from the radio interferometer and were repurposed to be used as an array dedicated to solar observation. The Owens Valley Solar Array

166-409: A prism or by diffraction by a diffraction grating . Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy is an example. These spectrometers utilize the phenomenon of optical dispersion . The light from a source can consist of a continuous spectrum , an emission spectrum (bright lines), or an absorption spectrum (dark lines). Because each element leaves its spectral signature in the pattern of lines observed,

249-405: A spectral analysis can reveal the composition of the object being analyzed. A spectrometer that is calibrated for measurement of the incident optical power is called a spectroradiometer . Optical emission spectrometers (often called "OES or spark discharge spectrometers"), is used to evaluate metals to determine the chemical composition with very high accuracy. A spark is applied through

332-464: A time-of-flight mass spectrometer . When a fast charged particle (charge q , mass m ) enters a constant magnetic field B at right angles, it is deflected into a circular path of radius r , due to the Lorentz force . The momentum p of the particle is then given by where m and v are mass and velocity of the particle. The focusing principle of the oldest and simplest magnetic spectrometer,

415-533: A Pass/Fail basis. There is little competition; collaboration on homework is encouraged and the honor system encourages take-home tests and flexible homework schedules. Caltech offers co-operative programs with other schools, such as the Pasadena Art Center College of Design and Occidental College . According to a 2018 PayScale study, Caltech graduates earn a median early career salary of $ 83,400 and $ 143,100 mid-career, placing them in

498-624: A collaboration between the Naval Ordnance Test Station and the Manhattan Project. Caltech scientists worked on a variety of assignments, including B-29 airdrop tests of model atomic bombs and the manufacturing of explosives for use in the atomic bomb’s implosion mechanism. Additionally, the Salt Wells Pilot Plant at Inyokern was developed with Caltech scientists in response to concerns about

581-594: A division of biology was established under the leadership of Thomas Hunt Morgan , the most distinguished biologist in the United States at the time, and discoverer of the role of genes and the chromosome in heredity. In 1930, Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory was established in Corona del Mar under the care of Professor George MacGinitie . In 1926, a graduate school of aeronautics was created, which eventually attracted Theodore von Kármán . Kármán later helped create

664-450: A gas. The first spectrometers were used to split light into an array of separate colors. Spectrometers were developed in early studies of physics , astronomy , and chemistry . The capability of spectroscopy to determine chemical composition drove its advancement and continues to be one of its primary uses. Spectrometers are used in astronomy to analyze the chemical composition of stars and planets , and spectrometers gather data on

747-594: A grant to evaluate the SRBL system to continue the improvements of the system to create the Korean-SRBL. California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech ) is a private research university in Pasadena, California , United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes of technology in

830-537: A heavy load, and registrations above 51 units require an overload petition. Approximately 20 percent of students double-major. This is achievable since the humanities and social sciences majors have been designed to be done in conjunction with a science major. Although choosing two options in the same division is discouraged, it is still possible. First-year students are enrolled in first-term classes based upon results of placement exams in math, physics, chemistry, and writing and take all classes in their first two terms on

913-410: A high voltage on the surface which vaporizes particles into a plasma. The particles and ions then emit radiation that is measured by detectors (photomultiplier tubes) at different characteristic wavelengths. Some forms of spectroscopy involve analysis of electron energy rather than photon energy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is an example. A mass spectrometer is an analytical instrument that

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996-439: A master plan for the 22 acres (8.9 ha) campus. Goodhue conceived the overall layout of the campus and designed the physics building, Dabney Hall, and several other structures, in which he sought to be consistent with the local climate, the character of the school, and Hale's educational philosophy. Goodhue's designs for Caltech were also influenced by the traditional Spanish mission architecture of Southern California. During

1079-407: A physical phenomenon. Spectrometer is a broad term often used to describe instruments that measure a continuous variable of a phenomenon where the spectral components are somehow mixed. In visible light a spectrometer can separate white light and measure individual narrow bands of color, called a spectrum. A mass spectrometer measures the spectrum of the masses of the atoms or molecules present in

1162-601: A sign on the library bearing the simple phrase " Impeach Nixon ". The following week, Ross McCollum, president of the National Oil Company, wrote an open letter to Dabney House stating that in light of their actions he had decided not to donate one million dollars to Caltech. The Dabney family, being Republicans, disowned Dabney House after hearing of the protest. Since 2000, the Einstein Papers Project has been located at Caltech. The project

1245-745: A solar astronomer from the University of Chicago , founded the Mount Wilson Observatory in 1904. He joined Throop's board of trustees in 1907, and soon began developing the university, and the whole of Pasadena, into a major scientific and cultural destination. He engineered the appointment of James A. B. Scherer , a literary scholar untutored in science but very capable in administration and fund-raising, to Throop's presidency in 1908. Scherer persuaded retired businessman and trustee Charles W. Gates to donate $ 25,000 in seed money (equivalent to $ 800,000 in 2023) to build Gates Laboratory,

1328-572: A striking illustration of one way in which the Research Council can secure co-operation and advance scientific investigation. This institution, with its able investigators and excellent research laboratories, could be of great service in any broad scheme of cooperation. President Scherer, hearing of the formation of the council, immediately offered to take part in its work, and with this object, he secured within three days an additional research endowment of one hundred thousand dollars. Through

1411-556: A visiting-scholars program soon after joining Caltech. Notable scientists who accepted his invitation include Paul Dirac , Erwin Schrödinger , Werner Heisenberg , Hendrik Lorentz and Niels Bohr . Albert Einstein arrived on the Caltech campus for the first time in 1931 to polish up his Theory of General Relativity , and he returned to Caltech subsequently as a visiting professor in 1932 and 1933. During World War II, Caltech

1494-491: Is governed by a permanent trustee committee and administered by an investment office. The institute is organized into six primary academic divisions: Biology and Biological Engineering (founded 1927), Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (founded 1926), Engineering and Applied Science (founded 1926), Geological and Planetary Sciences (founded 1927), Humanities and Social Sciences (founded 1926), Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy (founded 1926). Given Caltech's historical prestige and

1577-646: Is located approximately 11 mi (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles , in Pasadena. First-year students are required to live on campus, and 95% of undergraduates remain in the on-campus housing system at Caltech . Students agree to abide by an honor code which allows faculty to assign take-home examinations . The Caltech Beavers compete in 13 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division III 's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Scientists and engineers at or from

1660-605: Is the largest ever for environmental sustainability research and the second-largest private donation to a US academic institution (after Bloomberg's gift of $ 1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins University in 2018). On account of President Robert A. Millikan's affiliation with the Human Betterment Foundation , in January 2021, the Caltech Board of Trustees authorized the removal of Millikan's name (and

1743-414: Is used to identify the amount and type of chemicals present in a sample by measuring the mass-to-charge ratio and abundance of gas-phase ions . The energy spectrum of particles of known mass can also be measured by determining the time of flight between two detectors (and hence, the velocity) in a time-of-flight spectrometer . Alternatively, if the particle-energy is known, masses can be determined in

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1826-509: The California Legislature calling for the establishment of a publicly funded "California Institute of Technology," with an initial budget of a million dollars, ten times the budget of Throop at the time. The board of trustees offered to turn Throop over to the state, but the presidents of Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley successfully lobbied to defeat the bill, which allowed Throop to develop as

1909-714: The Fat Man implosion bomb, crucial to the Trinity Test and the subsequent bombing of Nagasaki . Lauritsen’s team at Caltech developed detonators that would later be used in atomic bombs. In November 1943, Caltech and the U.S. Navy established the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) in Inyokern, California , near the Mojave Desert to work on aircraft ordnance and rocket development. One of

1992-491: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) owned by NASA and operated as a division of Caltech through a contract between NASA and Caltech. In 2008, JPL spent over $ 1.6 billion on research and development and employed over 5,000 project-related and support employees. The JPL Director also serves as a Caltech Vice President and is responsible to

2075-713: The National Research Council to coordinate and support scientific work on military problems. While he supported the idea of federal appropriations for science, he took exception to a federal bill that would have funded engineering research at land-grant colleges, and instead sought to raise a $ 1 million national research fund entirely from private sources. To that end, as Hale wrote in The New York Times : Throop College of Technology, in Pasadena California has recently afforded

2158-473: The origin of the universe . Examples of spectrometers are devices that separate particles , atoms , and molecules by their mass , momentum , or energy . These types of spectrometers are used in chemical analysis and particle physics . Optical spectrometers (often simply called "spectrometers"), in particular, show the intensity of light as a function of wavelength or of frequency. The different wavelengths of light are separated by refraction in

2241-516: The 1960s, Caltech underwent considerable expansion, in part due to the philanthropy of alumnus Arnold O. Beckman . In 1953, Beckman was asked to join the Caltech Board of Trustees. In 1964, he became its chairman. Over the next few years, as Caltech's president emeritus David Baltimore describes it, Arnold Beckman and his wife Mabel "shaped the destiny of Caltech". In 1971 a magnitude-6.6 earthquake in San Fernando caused some damage to

2324-681: The 1990s, the United States Air Force was looking for a cost-effective replacement of its aging Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN) which was operated in fixed frequencies. Caltech team proposed the Solar Radio Burst Locator (SRBL) which would use the technique of frequency agility that was studied at the OVSA. Under a contract with the United States Air Force, prototypes were developed at

2407-626: The 2021–2022 school year was $ 56,394 and total annual costs were estimated to be $ 79,947 excluding the Caltech Student Health Insurance Plan. In 2012–2013, Caltech awarded $ 17.1 million in need-based aid, $ 438k in non-need-based aid, and $ 2.51 million in self-help support to enrolled undergraduate students. The average financial aid package of all students eligible for aid was $ 38,756 and students graduated with an average debt of $ 15,090. The full-time, four-year undergraduate program emphasizes instruction in

2490-671: The Caltech campus. Engineers who evaluated the damage found that two historic buildings dating from the early days of the Institute—Throop Hall and the Goodhue-designed Culbertson Auditorium—had cracked. New additions to the campus include the Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics and the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Center for Information Science and Technology, which opened in 2009, and

2573-654: The Class of 2027 (enrolled Fall 2023), Caltech received 13,136 applications and accepted 412 applicants for a 3.14% admit rate; 270 enrolled. The subsequent year, for the Class of 2028, Caltech reduced the number of seats by almost one hundred, accepting 315 applicants out of approximately 13,000 total applications. For the Class of 2025, 32% were of underrepresented ancestry (which includes students who self-identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, Black/African American, and/or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander), and 6% were foreign students. Undergraduate tuition for

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2656-637: The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and played an integral part in establishing Caltech as one of the world's centers for rocket science . In 1928, construction of the Palomar Observatory began. Millikan served as "Chairman of the Executive Council" (effectively Caltech's president) from 1921 to 1945, and his influence was such that the institute was occasionally referred to as "Millikan's School". Millikan initiated

2739-562: The National Research Council, Hale simultaneously lobbied for science to play a larger role in national affairs, and for Throop to play a national role in science. The new funds were designated for physics research, and ultimately led to the establishment of the Norman Bridge Laboratory, which attracted experimental physicist Robert Andrews Millikan from the University of Chicago in 1917. During

2822-413: The OVSA site, about 10 meters (33 ft) away from one of its antennas. SRBL was a spectrometer using an automated 1.8-meter (5.9 ft) parabolic dish antenna with spiral antenna receiving element that was capable of observing 120 frequencies from 610 MHz to 18 GHz at 4.8 second interval. Additionally, 245 and 410 MHz frequencies can be observed from a dual Yagi antenna attached to

2905-549: The Owens Valley Radio Observatory. Initially, the plan was to deploy SRBL to co-locate with RSTN sites within 1 to 2 years to supplement the optical observations of the Solar Observing Optical Network . Research-grade prototypes were developed with the hardware and software that were based on the OVSA system. The field testing started in 1994 with one antenna in Hawaii and the other antenna located near

2988-598: The President of the Institute for the management of the laboratory. Caltech is a small four-year, highly residential research university with slightly more students in graduate programs than undergraduate. The institute has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 1949. Caltech is on the quarter system : the fall term starts in late September and ends before Christmas,

3071-512: The SAT Physics Subject Test was 760–800; SAT Chemistry Subject Test was 760–800; SAT Biology Subject Tests was 760–800. In June 2020, Caltech announced a test-blind policy where they would not require nor consider test scores for the next two years. The moratorium was extended twice, starting July 2021, but was subsequently cancelled starting with the Class of 2029. The institute is need-blind for domestic applicants. For

3154-560: The Sun. It is sensitive to both thermal radiation from the chromosphere and corona of the Sun, and to non-thermal radiation from high-energy electrons accelerated in solar flares . The array has also been used in the discovery and study of the effects of solar radio bursts on wireless communication systems, including cell phones and the Global Positioning System (GPS). Such effects are aspects of Space weather . In

3237-416: The United States that are devoted to the instruction of pure and applied sciences. The institution was founded as a preparatory and vocational school by Amos G. Throop in 1891 and began attracting influential scientists such as George Ellery Hale , Arthur Amos Noyes , and Robert Andrews Millikan in the early 20th century. The vocational and preparatory schools were disbanded and spun off in 1910, and

3320-435: The United States among national universities overall, 11th for most innovative, and 15th for best value. U.S. News & World Report also ranked the graduate programs in chemistry and earth sciences first among national universities. Admission to Caltech is extremely rigorous. Prior to going test blind, Caltech students had the highest test scores in the nation. In admissions for the Class of 2028 (entering 2024), Caltech

3403-524: The University Librarian. Faculty are responsible for establishing admission requirements, academic standards, and curricula. The Faculty Board is the faculty's representative body and consists of 18 elected faculty representatives as well as other senior administration officials. Full-time professors are expected to teach classes, conduct research, advise students, and perform administrative work such as serving on committees. Founded in 1930s,

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3486-630: The Warren and Katherine Schlinger Laboratory for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering followed in March 2010. The institute also concluded an upgrading of the South Houses in 2006. In late 2010, Caltech completed a 1.3 MW solar array projected to produce approximately 1.6 GWh in 2011. Caltech is incorporated as a non-profit corporation and is governed by a privately appointed 46-member board of trustees who serve five-year terms of office and retire at

3569-489: The access roads. The environmental assessment was conducted and the alternative was chosen to minimize the impacts. In October 2010, the National Science Foundation awarded a $ 5 million grant to start working on the expansion. The project was to also replace existing control systems, wiring, and signal processing systems to newer technologies. The project would result in key diagnostic observations of

3652-411: The age of 72. The trustees elect a president to serve as the chief executive officer of the institute and administer the affairs on the institute on behalf of the board, a provost who serves as the chief academic officer of the institute below the president, and ten other vice presidential and other senior positions. Thomas F. Rosenbaum became the ninth president of Caltech in 2014. Caltech's endowment

3735-641: The arts and sciences and has high graduate coexistence. Caltech offers 28 majors (called "options") and 12 minors across all six academic divisions. Caltech also offers interdisciplinary programs in Applied Physics, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Computation and Neural Systems, Control and Dynamical Systems, Environmental Science and Engineering, Geobiology and Astrobiology, Geochemistry, and Planetary Astronomy. The most popular options are Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Physics. The most popular majors of

3818-439: The campus tripled in size. DuBridge, unlike his predecessors, welcomed federal funding of science. New research fields flourished, including chemical biology , planetary science , nuclear astrophysics , and geochemistry . A 200-inch telescope was dedicated on nearby Palomar Mountain in 1948 and remained the world's most powerful optical telescope for over forty years. Caltech opened its doors to female undergraduates during

3901-519: The class of 2023 were Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Electrical Engineering. Prior to the entering class of 2013, Caltech required students to take a core curriculum of five terms of mathematics, five terms of physics, two terms of chemistry, one term of biology, two terms of lab courses, one term of scientific communication, three terms of physical education, and 12 terms of humanities and social science. Since 2013, only three terms each of mathematics and physics have been required by

3984-539: The college assumed its present name in 1920. In 1934, Caltech was elected to the Association of American Universities , and the antecedents of NASA 's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , which Caltech continues to manage and operate, were established between 1936 and 1943 under Theodore von Kármán . Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphasis on science and engineering, managing $ 423 million in sponsored research in 2022. Its 124-acre (50 ha) primary campus

4067-522: The course of the war, Hale, Noyes and Millikan worked together in Washington on the NRC. Subsequently, they continued their partnership in developing Caltech. Under the leadership of Hale , Noyes , and Millikan (aided by the booming economy of Southern California ), Caltech grew to national prominence in the 1920s and concentrated on the development of Roosevelt's "Hundredth Man". On November 29, 1921,

4150-512: The department and look for another organization to take over the BBSO instead. By the spring of 1996, Caltech announced that New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) would run the BBSO. The agreement was signed in early 1997 to have NJIT lease the BBSO land and buildings from Caltech until 2048. The instruments and grants of the BBSO, worth about $ 1.6 million a year at that time, would be transferred to NJIT on 1 July 1997. At that time Dale Gary, who

4233-498: The eighth president, announced on February 19, 2013, that he would be stepping down to accept the presidency at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology . Thomas F. Rosenbaum was announced to be the ninth president of Caltech on October 24, 2013, and his term began on July 1, 2014. In 2019, Caltech received a gift of $ 750 million for sustainability research from the Resnick family of The Wonderful Company . The gift

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4316-426: The end of the war, Caltech had essentially become an extension of the U.S. Navy’s Bureau of Ordnance , with its rocket research providing important technology to U.S. combat capabilities. From April to December 1951, Caltech was the host of a federal classified study, Project Vista . The selection of Caltech as host for the project was based on the university's expertise in rocketry and nuclear physics. In response to

4399-409: The energy spectrum of alpha particles in an alpha particle spectrometer, of beta particles in a beta particle spectrometer, of particles (e.g., fast ions ) in a particle spectrometer, or to measure the relative content of the various masses in a mass spectrometer . Since Danysz' time, many types of magnetic spectrometers more complicated than the semicircular type have been devised. Generally,

4482-473: The feed. The system observed the full solar disk was able to locate microwave burst positions by a single dish without using interferometry or mechanical scanning. Eventually, Raytheon Company was under a contract to manufacture the production quality instruments. The SRBL prototype antenna was left at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory and had been in operation since 1998. In 2005, the Korean government awarded

4565-458: The first science building on campus. In 1910, Throop moved to its current site. Arthur Fleming donated the land for the permanent campus site. Theodore Roosevelt delivered an address at Throop Institute on March 21, 1911, and he declared: I want to see institutions like Throop turn out perhaps ninety-nine of every hundred students as men who are to do given pieces of industrial work better than any one else can do them; I want to see those men do

4648-672: The funds went into the support of Caltech programs and projects. In 2010, Caltech, in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and headed by Professor Nathan Lewis , established a DOE Energy Innovation Hub aimed at developing revolutionary methods to generate fuels directly from sunlight. This hub, the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis , will receive up to $ 122 million in federal funding over five years. Since 2012, Caltech began to offer classes through massive open online courses (MOOCs) under Coursera , from 2013, edX , and bootcamps. Jean-Lou Chameau,

4731-493: The hotel, Vista del Arroyo Hotel, which housed the study. The study operated under a committee with the supervision of President Lee A. DuBridge . William A. Fowler , a professor at Caltech, was selected as research director. More than a fourth of Caltech's faculty and a group of outside scientists staffed the project. Moreover, the number increases if one takes into account visiting scientists, military liaisons, secretarial, and security staff. In compensation for its participation,

4814-403: The institute, with the remaining two terms each required by certain options. A typical class is worth 9 academic units and given the extensive core curriculum requirements in addition to individual options' degree requirements, students need to take an average of 40.5 units per term (more than four classes) to graduate in four years. 36 units is the minimum full-time load, 48 units is considered

4897-460: The kind of work that is now being done on the Panama Canal and on the great irrigation projects in the interior of this country—and the one-hundredth man I want to see with the kind of cultural scientific training that will make him and his fellows the matrix out of which you can occasionally develop a man like your great astronomer, George Ellery Hale. Also in 1911, a bill was introduced in

4980-455: The magnetic and thermal structure of the solar atmosphere, the release of magnetic energy in the corona, and the space weather consequences of solar activity. The array employs its seven antennas to perform radio interferometry at up to 86 radio frequencies ranging from 1 to 18 gigahertz ( microwave range). The combination of spatial and spectral resolution is called microwave imaging spectroscopy, which provides rich diagnostic information about

5063-493: The most successful innovations was the development of the 5-inch High-Velocity Aircraft Rocket , commonly known as the " Holy Moses ," which was used in combat against enemy fortifications and ships. The partnership between the Navy and Caltech continued to deepen throughout the war, leading to the creation of several military technologies, and by 1945, the focus of Caltech’s war contributions expanded further with Project Camel ,

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5146-625: The names of five other historical figures affiliated with the Foundation), from campus buildings. Caltech's 124-acre (50 ha) primary campus is located in Pasadena, California , approximately 11 miles (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles . It is within walking distance of Old Town Pasadena and the Pasadena Playhouse District and therefore the two locations are frequent getaways for Caltech students. In 1917 Hale hired architect Bertram Goodhue to produce

5229-411: The older antennas. This would bring the array to have the total of 15 antennas with 13 smaller antennas in a three-arm spiral configuration that span across the 900-meter (3,000 ft) radius (see layout on the right). This would required all existing smaller antennas to be relocated and thirteen new antenna pads to installed. A new control building would be erected and cable trenching would be done along

5312-552: The only individual in history to win two unshared prizes). In addition, 66 National Medal of Science Recipients, 43 MacArthur Fellows , 14 National Medal of Technology and Innovation recipients, 11 astronauts , 5 Science Advisors to the President , 4 Fields Medalists , and 6 Turing Award winners have been affiliated with Caltech. Caltech started as a vocational school founded in present-day Old Pasadena on Fair Oaks Avenue and Chestnut Street on September 23, 1891, by local businessman and politician Amos G. Throop . The school

5395-438: The only scientific research-oriented educational institute in southern California, public or private, until the onset of World War II necessitated the broader development of research-based science education. The promise of Throop attracted physical chemist Arthur Amos Noyes from MIT to develop the institution and assist in establishing it as a center for science and technology. With the onset of World War I , Hale organized

5478-462: The presidency of Harold Brown in 1970, and they made up 14% of the entering class. The portion of female undergraduates has been increasing since then. Protests by Caltech students are rare. The earliest was a 1968 protest outside the NBC Burbank studios, in response to rumors that NBC was to cancel Star Trek . In 1973, the students from Dabney House protested a presidential visit with

5561-641: The safety of explosive production at Los Alamos and began producing high explosives just days before the Trinity Test in July 1945. Early in the war, Caltech scientists, including Lauritsen’s son, Thomas Lauritsen , worked on various rocket designs at the Kellogg Radiation Laboratory. These rockets, including the " Tiny Tim " and the " Mighty Mouse ," were used in critical military operations, from naval engagements to land assaults. By

5644-543: The second term starts after New Year's Day and ends in mid-March, and the third term starts in late March or early April and ends in early June. Caltech was ranked within the top ten universities in the world by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings , QS World University Rankings , and Academic Ranking of World Universities . For 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked Caltech as tied for 9th in

5727-419: The semicircular spectrometer, invented by J. K. Danisz, is shown on the left. A constant magnetic field is perpendicular to the page. Charged particles of momentum p that pass the slit are deflected into circular paths of radius r = p/qB . It turns out that they all hit the horizontal line at nearly the same place, the focus; here a particle counter should be placed. Varying B , this makes possible to measure

5810-517: The small size of its faculty in many major fields, the institution is exceptionally careful in selecting candidates. This rigorous process can result in some positions remaining unfilled for several years until the right candidate is found. Caltech dedicates significant resources to attract top-tier faculty and provides them with substantial financial support to foster their research and academic endeavors. The voting faculty of Caltech include all professors, instructors, research associates and fellows, and

5893-448: The top 5 among graduates of US colleges and universities. The average net return on investment over a period of 20 years is $ 887,000, the tenth-highest among US colleges. Caltech offers Army and Air Force ROTC in cooperation with the University of Southern California . Spectrometer A spectrometer ( / s p ɛ k ˈ t r ɒ m ɪ t ər / ) is a scientific instrument used to separate and measure spectral components of

5976-502: The trustees declared it to be the express policy of the institute to pursue scientific research of the greatest importance and at the same time "to continue to conduct thorough courses in engineering and pure science, basing the work of these courses on exceptionally strong instruction in the fundamental sciences of mathematics, physics, and chemistry; broadening and enriching the curriculum by a liberal amount of instruction in such subjects as English, history, and economics; and vitalizing all

6059-537: The university have played an essential role in many modern scientific breakthroughs and innovations, including advances in space research , sustainability science , quantum physics , and seismology . As of October 2022 , there are 79 Nobel laureates who have been affiliated with Caltech , making it the institution with the highest number of Nobelists per capita in America. This includes 46 alumni and faculty members (47 prizes, with chemist Linus Pauling being

6142-515: The university received about $ 750,000. From the 1950s to 1980s, Caltech was the home of Murray Gell-Mann and Richard Feynman , whose work was central to the establishment of the Standard Model of particle physics. Feynman was also widely known outside the physics community as an exceptional teacher and a colorful, unconventional character. During Lee A. DuBridge 's tenure as Caltech's president (1946–1969), Caltech's faculty doubled and

6225-577: The war in Korea and the pressure from the Soviet Union, the project was Caltech's way of assisting the federal government in its effort to increase national security. The project was created to study new ways of improving the relationship between tactical air support and ground troops. The Army, Air Force, and Navy sponsored the project; however, it was under contract with the Army. The study was named after

6308-475: The war, some scientists from Caltech, including J. Robert Oppenheimer , Richard Tolman , and Robert Bacher , were instrumental in the Manhattan Project and contributed to critical aspects of the atomic bomb's development. Caltech was also directly involved in other bomb-related research with a group led by Charles Lauritsen which assisted in the development of the high-explosive lenses used in

6391-529: The work of the Institute by the infusion in generous measure of the spirit of research". In 1923, Millikan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics . In 1925, the school established a department of geology and hired William Bennett Munro , then chairman of the division of History, Government, and Economics at Harvard University , to create a division of humanities and social sciences at Caltech. In 1928,

6474-677: Was a research associate in Astrophysics at Caltech and the Principal Investigator at the Owens Valley Solar Array lab, moved to NJIT to become a faculty member. The management of the Owens Valley Solar Array was then transferred to NJIT in 1997. In 2004, two more 1.8-meter (5.9 ft) dishes were added, forming a 7-antenna interferometer. In 2010, NJIT proposed to expand the Owens Valley Solar Array to add 8 additional 2.1-meter (6.9 ft) and upgrade

6557-428: Was established in 1986 to assemble, preserve, translate, and publish papers selected from the literary estate of Albert Einstein and from other collections. In fall 2008, the freshman class was 42% female, a record for Caltech's undergraduate enrollment. In the same year, the Institute concluded a six-year-long fund-raising campaign. The campaign raised more than $ 1.4 billion from about 16,000 donors. Nearly half of

6640-489: Was established with the two dish interferometer under the direction of professor Harold Zirin who also directed the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). Three 1.8-meter (5.9 ft) dishes were later added to the interferometer. In 1995, when professor Zirin announced his intent to retire as the director, Caltech began to search for a successor. Eventually, the university decided to change the focus of

6723-425: Was known successively as Throop University , Throop Polytechnic Institute (and Manual Training School) and Throop College of Technology before acquiring its current name in 1920. The vocational school was disbanded and the preparatory program was split off to form the independent Polytechnic School in 1907. At a time when scientific research in the United States was still in its infancy, George Ellery Hale ,

6806-580: Was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. The United States Navy also maintained a naval training school for aeronautical engineering , resident inspectors of ordinance and naval material, and a liaison officer to the National Defense Research Committee on campus. During

6889-416: Was ranked the hardest college in America to gain acceptance to by admit rate, at an all-time low of 2.7%. For the freshmen who enrolled in 2019 (Class of 2023) the middle 50% range of SAT were 740–780 for evidence-based reading and writing and 790–800 for math, and 1530–1570 total. The middle 50% range ACT Composite score was 35–36. The SAT Math Level 2 middle 50% range was 800–800. The middle 50% range for

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