California Institute of Technology
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2008-07-11T20:52:19Z
Thingg
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/199.181.154.98|199.181.154.98]] to last version by Tholly (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
{{Infobox_University
|name = California Institute of Technology
|image = [[Image:CaltechLogo.png|150px]]
|motto = "The truth shall make you free"
|established = 1891
|type = [[Private university|Private]]
|calendar = Quarter
|president= [[Jean-Lou Chameau]]
|city = [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]]
|state = [[California|CA]]
|country = [[United States|U.S.]]
|undergrad = 864<ref name='enrollstats'>{{cite web|url=http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=4214 |title=College Board At A Glance|accessdate=2008-01-30 }}</ref>
|postgrad = 1,222<ref name='enrollstats'/>
|faculty = 293 professorial faculty<br> 979 other faculty
|campus = [[Urban area|Urban]], 124 acres (0.5 km²)
|endowment= [[United States dollar|US $]]2.328 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]]<ref name="caltech endowment">http://pr.caltech.edu/annual_report/annual_report_archive/fr_06_07.pdf</ref>
|athletics = [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] [[Division III]]
|colors = [[Orange (colour)|Orange]] and [[White]] {{color box|#FF6600}}{{color box|#FFFFFF}}
|mascot = Beaver
|website= [http://www.caltech.edu/ www.caltech.edu]
}}
The '''California Institute of Technology''' (commonly referred to as '''Caltech''')<ref name="caltech">The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; other spellings such as "Cal Tech" and "CalTech" are incorrect. The Institute is also occasionally referred to as "CIT," most notably in its alma mater, but this is uncommon.</ref> is a [[private university|private]], [[coeducation]]al [[university|research university]] located in [[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]], [[California]], [[United States]]. Caltech maintains a strong emphasis on the natural sciences and engineering. Caltech also operates and manages the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]], a [[NASA]] organization that oversees the design and operation of many unmanned [[space probe]]s. Caltech is a small school, with only about 2100 students (about 900 undergraduates and 1200 graduate students),<ref name='enrollstats'/> but is ranked in the top 10 universities worldwide by metrics such as [http://www.sciencewatch.com/sept-oct2002/sw_sept-oct2002_page1.htm citation index], [http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/universities.html Nobel Prizes], and general university rankings.
==History==
Caltech began as a [[vocational school]] founded in Pasadena in 1891 by local businessman and politician [[Amos G. Throop]]. The school was known successively as ''Throop University'', ''Throop Polytechnic Institute'', and ''Throop College of Technology'', before acquiring its current name in 1921.<ref>{{cite news
|first = Judith |last = Goodstein |date = [[1998-06-29]] |title = History of Caltech
|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/articles/goodstein/index.html | publisher = NobelPrize.org | accessdate= 2007-11-19}}</ref> Caltech and the [[Polytechnic School]], a private, college-preparatory academy across the street, were part of the same institution until 1907.
Astronomer [[George Ellery Hale]] played an important role in Caltech's early development, helping to mold the school into a major scientific institution. Hale joined Throop's board of trustees after coming to Pasadena in 1907 as the first director of the [[Mount Wilson Observatory]]. At a time when scientific research in the United States was still in its infancy, Hale saw an opportunity to create in Pasadena an institution for serious research and education in engineering and the natural sciences. Hale succeeded in attracting private gifts of land and money that were used to build well-equipped, modern [[laboratory]] facilities. He then convinced two of the leading American scientists of the time, [[physical chemistry|physical chemist]] [[Arthur Amos Noyes]] and experimental [[physics|physicist]] [[Robert Andrews Millikan]], to join Caltech's [[Faculty (university)|faculty]] and assist in establishing the college as a center for [[science]] and [[technology]].
[[Image:Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pasadena, Calif.jpg|thumb|550px|left|Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pasadena, Calif, 1908. This photo was taken on the original campus in downtown Pasadena; in 1910 the Institute moved to its present location.]]
In 1917 Hale hired architect [[Bertram Goodhue]] to produce a master plan for the 22 acre (89,000 m²) 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 [[Architecture of the California Missions|Spanish mission architecture]] of Southern California.
Under the leadership of Hale, Noyes, and Millikan (and aided by the booming economy of [[Southern California]]), Caltech grew to national prominence in the 1920s. 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, 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 the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and played an integral part in establishing Caltech as one of the world's centers for [[rocket|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." In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Caltech was the home of [[Murray Gell-Mann]] and [[Richard Feynman]], whose work was central to the establishment of the so-called "[[Standard Model]]" of particle physics. Feynman was also widely known outside the physics community as an exceptional teacher and colorful, unconventional character.
[[Image:CalTech-1912.jpg|thumb|250px|Throop Hall, 1912.]]
In 1971 a magnitude-6.5 earthquake in [[San Fernando]] caused some damage to 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. These were some of the first [[reinforced concrete]] buildings, and their plans did not contain enough details (such as how much [[rebar|reinforcing bar]] had been embedded in the concrete) to be sure they were safe, so the engineers recommended demolition. However, demolishing these historic structures required considerably more effort than would have been necessary had they been in real danger of collapse. A large [[wrecking ball]] was used to demolish Throop Hall, and smashing the concrete revealed massive amounts of rebar, far in excess of safety requirements. The rebar had to be cut up before the pieces could be hauled away, and the process took much longer than expected.
Caltech remains, to this day, a small and highly focused university, with approximately 900 [[undergraduate]]s, 1300 [[graduate student]]s, and over 1000 [[Faculty (university)|faculty]] members (including 293 [[professor]]s, 104 [[emeritus]] professors, 66 permanent research faculty, 87 visiting faculty, and over 500 [[postdoctoral researcher|postdoctoral scholars]]).<ref name = "ewjcbw">[http://www.caltech.edu/at-a-glance/ At a Glance] Caltech.edu, accessed on 2007-11-19</ref> A private institution, Caltech is governed by its [[Caltech Trustees|Board of Trustees]].
As of 2006, Caltech has 31 [[Nobel Prize|Nobel laureates]] to its name. This figure includes 17 alumni, 14 non-alumni professors, and 4 professors who were also alumni ([[Carl D. Anderson]], [[Linus Pauling]], [[William A. Fowler]], and [[Edward B. Lewis]]). The number of awards is 32, because Pauling received prizes in both [[Chemistry]] and [[Peace]]. With fewer than 25,000 alumni in total, more than one in 1,400 have received the Nobel Prize — a ratio unmatched by any other university. Five faculty and alumni have received a [[Crafoord Prize]] from the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]], while 49 have been awarded the U.S. [[National Medal of Science]], and 10 have received the [[National Medal of Technology]].<ref name = "ewjcbw"/> Other distinguished researchers have been affiliated with Caltech as postdoctoral scholars (e.g., [[Barbara McClintock]], [[James D. Watson]], and [[Sheldon Glashow]]) or visiting professors (e.g., [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Edward Witten]]).
The Spitzer Science Center (SSC), located on the Caltech campus, is the data analysis and community support center for [[NASA]]'s [[Spitzer Space Telescope]]. The SSC, part of the [[Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC)]], works in collaboration with the [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]].
==Academics==
Academics at Caltech emphasize quality over size, concentrating on a core of academic disciplines of very high caliber. Caltech is also known for interdisciplinary programs facilitated by the small physical size of the Caltech campus.
Conversely, as a small school, Caltech cannot and does not offer the breadth of academic programs possible at larger universities. It does, however, offer co-operative programs with other schools, such as the Pasadena [[Art Center College of Design]], [[Occidental College]], [[UCLA]], and [[Scripps College]].
Caltech is ranked as the fifth-best "National University", tied with [[University of Pennsylvania|Penn]], behind #4 [[Stanford]] and ahead of #7 [[MIT Rankings|MIT]], in the 2008 [[U.S. News & World Report]] survey<ref name=USNWR08>[http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php "America's Best Colleges 2008"] U.S. News & World Report College Rankings, accessed on [[2007-11-19]]</ref>; in 2007, the same ranking put it at #4, tied with [[MIT Rankings|MIT]] and [[Stanford]]<ref name=USNWR08/>. Caltech is ranked seventh in the world in the 2007 [[THES - QS World University Rankings]]<ref>[http://www.topuniversities.com/worlduniversityrankings/] A 2007 ranking from the ''[[THES - QS]]'' of the world’s research universities.</ref>, and sixth in the world in the 2006 [[Academic Ranking of World Universities]].<ref>[http://ed.sjtu.edu.cn/rank/2006/ARWU2006_Top100.htm Top 500 World Universities] Academic Ranking of World Universities from Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, accessed on 2007-11-19</ref>
[[Image:Beckman Institute, Cal Tech.jpg|thumb|Beckman Institute]]
Caltech is divided into six divisions, each of which offer several degree programs, plus a number of interdisciplinary programs. The six divisions are:
* [http://www.biology.caltech.edu/ Division of Biology]
* [http://www.cce.caltech.edu/ Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering]
* [http://www.eas.caltech.edu/ Division of Engineering and Applied Science]
* [http://www.gps.caltech.edu/ Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences]
* [http://www.hss.caltech.edu/ Division of Humanities and Social Sciences]
* [http://www.pma.caltech.edu/ Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy]
===Undergraduate program===
[[Image:Millikan Library, Caltech.jpg|thumb|left|Millikan Library, the tallest building on campus]]
Caltech is on the [[academic term|quarter system]], meaning that students have one quarter before winter break and two quarters after winter break; since there is no summer quarter, Caltech quarters are usually called "terms". Because of its schedule, Caltech's school year starts relatively late, in late September, and ends in early June rather than May as at the more common semester-system colleges. Also, Caltech is unusual in that students normally take five classes every term rather than four, as at most colleges. Instead of majors, Caltech has "options", and until 2006 offered only one minor: in Control and Dynamical Systems (CDS). During the spring term of 2006 the Humanities and Social Sciences division announced its plans to introduce four more minors in English, History, Philosophy and HPS (History and Philosophy of Science). Approximately 10% 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.
For the [[core curriculum]], students are required to take five terms of math, including [[differential equations]] and [[probability]] and [[statistics]], five terms of physics including [[quantum mechanics]], [[special relativity]], and [[statistical mechanics]], two terms of chemistry, and a term of biology, as well as two terms of laboratory classes.
[[Image:Laboratories of the Biological Sciences, Cal Tech.jpg|thumb|Laboratories of the Biological Sciences building]]
Few students fail classes or fail out of the school as a whole. This is due to several cushions that help students survive. First of all, the first two terms of freshman year are on a pass/fail grading scheme, easing the transition to college and reducing academic stress. During the second term, "shadow grades" are given to help students gauge their own progress; during the first term, there are no grades at all. Second, there is little competition; collaboration on [[homework]] is encouraged (and often necessary for success) in almost every class. This allows even students who are not doing as well as others to learn the material from their peers and not get behind in their studies. Another helpful factor is the Honor System; this system encourages take-home tests, flexible homework schedules, and other freedoms, alleviating some of the practical burdens associated with a five-to-seven course workload.
Caltech has a relatively low four-year graduation rate, compared to most leading US universities{{Fact|date=August 2007}}. This rate is currently about 80%,<ref>[http://finance.caltech.edu/budget/cds2005.pdf Caltech Common Data Set 2004-05], accessed on 2007-11-19</ref> despite the fact that entering students have consistently higher average test scores (on the [[SAT]] 1 and 2) than any other university or college, as indicated by the major [[college and university rankings|college rankings]].<ref>[http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php "America's Best Colleges 2008"] U.S. News and World Report College Rankings, accessed on 2007-11-19</ref> On the other hand, almost all students major in science or engineering, fields that traditionally suffer low graduation rates. In any case, the situation has improved recently; approximately 90% of entering students graduate in six years or less, compared to a substantially smaller fraction in the 1960s and 70s{{Fact|date=August 2007}}.
Undergraduates at Caltech are also encouraged to participate in [[research]]. About half of students do research through the annual [http://surf.caltech.edu/ Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF)] program at least once during their stay, and many continue it during the school year. Students write and submit SURF proposals for research projects in collaboration with professors, and about 70% of applicants are awarded SURFs. The program is open to both Caltech and non-Caltech undergraduate students. It serves as preparation for graduate school and helps to explain why Caltech has one of the highest percentages of alumni who go on to receive a PhD of all the major universities.
===Athletics===
Caltech has athletic teams in baseball, men's & women's basketball, cross country, fencing, men's soccer, swimming & diving, men's & women's tennis, track & field, women's volleyball, and men's & women's water polo.<ref>[http://www.athletics.caltech.edu/ Caltech Athletics], accessed on 2007-11-19</ref> Caltech's mascot is the Beaver, and its teams (with the exception of the fencing team) play in the [[Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]], which Caltech co-founded in 1915.<ref>[http://www.thesciac.org/information/about/index Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference], accessed on 2007-11-19</ref> The fencing team<ref>[http://www.athletics.caltech.edu/sports/fencing/fencing.html Caltech Athletics - Fencing Team]</ref> competes in the [[NCAA]]'s [[Division I]], facing teams from [[USC]], [[UCLA]], [[UCSD]], and [[Stanford]], among others.
On [[January 6]], [[2007]], the Beavers' men's basketball team snapped a 207-game losing streak to Division III schools, beating [[Bard College]] 81-52. It was their first Division III victory since 1996. They still carry a 245-game losing streak in [[Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|conference]] play.<ref>{{Cite news
| last = Associated Press
| first =
| author-link =
| title = Caltech crushes Bard College to end 207-game slide
| publisher = ESPN
| year = 2007
| date = [[2007-01-07]]
| url = http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2723039
| accessdate = 2007-11-19}}</ref><ref>[http://www.athletics.caltech.edu/ Caltech Athletics]</ref> The [[documentary film]] ''[[Quantum Hoops]]'' concerns the events of the Beavers' 2006-7 season.
On [[January 13]], [[2007]], the Caltech women's basketball team snapped a 50-game losing streak, defeating the [[Claremont Colleges|Pomona-Pitzer]] Sagehens 55-53. The women's program, which entered the [[Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|SCIAC]] in 2002, garnered their first conference win. On the bench as honorary coach for the evening was [[Robert Grubbs|Dr. Robert Grubbs]], 2005 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Pomona-Pitzer College vs Caltech (01-13-07 at Caltech Braun Center)
| date = [[2007-01-13]]
| url = http://www.physical-education.pomona.edu/womens/basketball/stats/2007/pom-cit.htm
| accessdate = 2007-11-19 }}</ref> The team went on to beat Whittier College on February 10th, for its second SCIAC win, and placed its first member on the All Conference team.<ref>{{cite web
| title = 2007 Women's Basketball All-SCIAC Awards
| date = [[2007-03-07]]
| url = http://www.thesciac.org/sports/wbkb/2006-07/news/wbb_allsciac_0607
| accessdate = 2007-11-19 }}</ref> The 2006-2007 season is the most successful season in the history of the program.
In early 2007, the women's table tennis team (a club team) competed in nationals. The women's [[Ultimate (sport)|Ultimate]] club team, known as "Snatch", has also been very successful in recent years, ranking 44 of over 200 college teams in the Ultimate Player's Association.<ref>[http://upa.org/scores/scores.cgi?page=22&div=34 College Women's Top UPA Rankings], Ultimate Player's Association, accessed on 2007-11-19</ref>
==Student life==
===House system===
{{main|House System at Caltech}}
During the early 20th century, a Caltech committee visited several universities and decided to transform the [[undergraduate]] housing system from regular [[fraternities and sororities|fraternities]] to a [[House System]], similar to the [[residential college|residential college system]] at [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], [[Yale University|Yale]], [[Rice University]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]. Four south houses (or ''hovses'', so named for the inscription on the gates thereof) were built: Blacker House, Dabney House, Fleming House, and Ricketts House. In the 1960s, three north houses were built: Lloyd House, Page House, and Ruddock House. During the 1990s, an additional house, [[Avery House]], was built to accommodate those who felt the original seven houses were not suitable for them. The four south houses closed for renovation in 2005 and reopened on December 15, 2006.
===Student life traditions===
[[Image:Beckman auditorium, Caltech.jpg|thumb|Beckman Auditorium]]
====Annual events====
Every [[Halloween]], Dabney House conducts the infamous "Millikan pumpkin-drop experiment" from the top of Millikan Library, the highest point on campus. According to tradition, a claim was once made that the shattering of a pumpkin frozen in [[liquid nitrogen]] and dropped from a sufficient height would produce a [[triboluminescence|triboluminescent]] spark. This yearly event involves a crowd of observers, who try to spot the elusive spark. The title of the event is an oblique reference to the famous [[oil-drop experiment|Millikan oil-drop experiment]] which measured ''e'', the [[Elementary charge|elemental unit of electrical charge]].
On '''Ditch Day''' the seniors ditch school, leaving behind elaborately designed tasks and traps at the doors of their rooms to prevent underclassmen from entering. Over the years this has evolved to the point where many seniors spend months designing mechanical, electrical, and software obstacles to confound the underclassmen. Each group of seniors designs a "stack" to be solved by a handful of underclassmen. The faculty have been drawn into the event as well, and cancel all classes on Ditch Day so the underclassmen can participate in what has become a highlight of the academic year. In 2007, Ditch Day fell on May 15. In 2008, on May 21.
Another long-standing tradition is the playing of Wagner's ominous ''[[Ride of the Valkyries]]'' at 7:00 each morning during finals week with the largest, loudest speakers available. The playing of that piece is not allowed at any other time (except if one happens to be listening to the entire fifteen hours of ''[[The Ring Cycle]]''), and any offender is dragged into the showers to be drenched in cold water fully dressed. The playing of the ''Ride'' is such a strong tradition that the music was used during [[Apollo 17]] to awaken Astronaut [[Harrison Schmitt]], a Caltech alumnus. (Unfortunately, the tradition arose at different times in different Houses, so Schmitt did not react as expected. Instead, he just became confused.)
====Pranks====
<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Caltech hollywood sign.jpg|thumb|right|Caltech Hollywood sign prank]] -->
Caltech students have been known for the many [[practical joke|pranks]] (also known as '''[[RF (practical joke)|RF]]'s''') they have pulled off.
The two most famous are the changing of the [[Hollywood Sign]] to read Caltech, by judiciously covering up certain parts of the letters, and the changing of the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] scoreboard to an imaginary game where Caltech beat [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]]. During the 1961 [[Rose Bowl Game#Trivia|Rose Bowl Game]], Caltech students altered the flip-cards that were raised by the stadium attendees to display "Caltech." This event is now referred to as the [[Great Rose Bowl Hoax]].
Recently, a group of Caltech students pulled a string of pranks during MIT's Campus Preview Weekend for admitted students. These include covering up the word Massachusetts in the "Massachusetts Institute of Technology" engraving on the main building façade with a banner so that it read "That Other Institute of Technology". A group of MIT [[Hacker (computing)|hackers]] responded by altering the banner so that the inscription read "The Only Institute of Technology". Caltech students also passed out T-shirts to MIT's incoming freshman class, with MIT on the front and "... because not everyone can go to Caltech" along with an image of a palm tree on the back.
MIT retaliated in April 2006, when students posing as the [http://www.mitcannon.com/ Howe & Ser Moving Company] stole the 130 year old, 1.7 ton Fleming House cannon and moved it to their campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts for their 2006 Campus Preview Weekend, repeating a similar prank performed by nearby [[Harvey Mudd College]] in 1986. (The name "Howe & Ser", if said rapidly, and if read recognizing that the & symbol is a ligature of the Latin word "et", sounds like [[howitzer]]; it could also mean "how we answer", since the latest prank was an answer to the 2005 prank on MIT.) Thirty members of Fleming House traveled to MIT and reclaimed their cannon on April 10, 2006.
On April 13, 2007 (Friday the 13th), a group of students from ''The California Tech'', Caltech's campus newspaper, arrived and distributed [http://tech.caltech.edu/TECH/mit/index.html fake copies] of ''The Tech'', MIT's campus newspaper, while prospective students were visiting for their Campus Preview Weekend. Articles included "MIT Invents the Interweb", "Architects Deem Campus 'Unfortunate'", and "Infinite Corridor Not Actually Infinite."
In recent years, pranking has been officially encouraged by Tom Mannion, Caltech's assistant VP for campus life. "The grand old days of pranking have gone away at Caltech, and that's what we are trying to bring back," reported the Boston Globe, which noted that "security has orders not to intervene in a prank unless officers get Mannion's approval beforehand."<ref>{{cite news
|title = Comedy on campus: MIT takes on Caltech for prank distinction
|publisher = The Boston Globe
|date = [[2006-04-19]]
|url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/04/19/comedy_on_campus_mit_takes_on_caltech_for_prank_distinction/|accessdate = 2007-11-19 }}</ref>
Caltech pranks have been documented in three [http://www.legendsofcaltech.com/ Legends of Caltech] books, the most recent of which was edited by alumni [[Autumn Looijen]] '99 and [[Mason A. Porter]] '98 and published in May 2007.
====Honor Code====
Life in the Caltech community is governed by the [[Honor code|Honor Code]], which simply states: "No member of the Caltech community shall take unfair advantage of any other member of the Caltech community." This is enforced by a Board of Control, which consists of undergraduate students,<ref>[http://donut.caltech.edu/about/boc/ug_handbook.php The Honor System Handbook from the Board of Control at Caltech.edu]</ref> and by a similar body at the graduate level, called the Graduate Review Board.<ref>[http://www.its.caltech.edu/~grb/ Graduate Review Board at Caltech.edu]</ref>
The Honor Code aims at promoting an atmosphere of respect and trust that allows Caltech students to enjoy privileges that make for a more relaxed atmosphere. For example, the Honor Code allows professors to make the majority of exams as take-home, allowing students to take them on their own schedule and in their preferred environment.
Through the late 1990s, the only exception to the Honor Code, implemented earlier in the decade in response to changes in federal regulations, concerned the sexual harassment policy. Today, there are a myriad of exceptions to the Honor Code in the form of new institute policies such as the Fire Policy, and Alcohol Policy. Though both policies are presented in the Honor Code Handbook given to new members of the Caltech Community, large portions of the undergraduate population regard them as a slight against the Honor Code and the implicit trust and respect it represents within the community<ref>{{cite news
| last =Rodriguez
| first =Juan
| title =Ricketts Pres. Apologizes
| pages = 5
| publisher = The California Tech
| date = 2003-02-24}}</ref>.
== Caltech in media and popular culture ==
* "Pacific Tech" from the comedy film ''[[Real Genius]]'', as well as the "California Institute of Science" on the [[CBS]] crime drama ''[[Numb3rs]]'', are loosely based on Caltech.<ref>[http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~erich/real_genius_refs.html Caltech References in "Real Genius"], accessed on 2007-11-19</ref> Numb3rs is also largely filmed on the Caltech campus.
* Many of the main characters from the sitcom [[The Big Bang Theory (TV series)|The Big Bang Theory]] are from Caltech.<ref>http://alpha.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/recaps/ep101/</ref>
* The [[PBS]] documentary ''Curious'' is about researchers at Caltech. <ref>[http://www.thirteen.org/curious/ "CURIOUS" from Thirteen/WNET]</ref><ref>[http://mr.caltech.edu/media/Press_Releases/PR13040.html "Documentary Focuses on Caltech Researchers"] Caltech Press Release, 1 October 2007</ref>
* [http://www.quantumhoops.com/ Quantum Hoops], a documentary released in 2007, chronicles the Caltech mens basketball team.
==Presidents of Caltech==
* [[James Augustin Brown Scherer]] (1908–1920)pres. of California Institute of Technology
Since Throop College of Technology became Caltech in 1920, it has been led by the following individuals:
* [[Robert A. Millikan]] (1921–1945), experimental physicist, Nobel laureate in physics for 1923 (his official title was "Chairman of the Executive Council")
* [[Lee A. DuBridge]] (1946–1969), experimental physicist (first to officially hold the title of President)
* [[Harold Brown (Secretary of Defense)|Harold Brown]] (1969–1977), physicist and public servant (left Caltech to serve as [[United States Secretary of Defense]] in the administration of [[Jimmy Carter]])
* [[Robert F. Christy]] (1977–1978), astrophysicist (acting President)
* [[Marvin L. Goldberger]] (1978–1987), theoretical physicist
* [[Thomas E. Everhart]] (1987–1997), experimental physicist
* [[David Baltimore]] (1997–2006), molecular biologist, Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine for 1975
* [[Jean-Lou Chameau]] (2006–present), civil engineer and educational administrator
==See also==
{{Portal|University|Platopainting.jpg}}
{{Portal|Education|Nuvola apps bookcase.svg}}
*[[Caltech Submillimeter Observatory]]
*[[List of California Institute of Technology people]]
*[[List of California Institute of Technology trustees]]
*[[Einstein Papers Project]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{Commons|Category:California Institute of Technology|Caltech}}
*[http://www.caltech.edu/ Official website]
*[http://nobelprize.org/medicine/articles/goodstein/ History of Caltech] (at the official Nobel Prize website)
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[[lv:Kalifornijas Tehnoloģiskais institūts]]
[[hu:California Institute of Technology]]
[[nl:Caltech]]
[[ja:カリフォルニア工科大学]]
[[no:California Institute of Technology]]
[[pl:California Institute of Technology]]
[[pt:Caltech]]
[[ru:Калифорнийский технологический институт]]
[[simple:California Institute of Technology]]
[[fi:California Institute of Technology]]
[[sv:California Institute of Technology]]
[[th:สถาบันเทคโนโลยีแคลิฟอร์เนีย]]
[[tr:Caltech]]
[[uk:Каліфорнійський технологічний інститут]]
[[zh:加州理工學院]]