My favorite part of every term is Geology (Ge) 136. Ge 136 is a field trip based class open any undergraduate or graduate students at the institute. Each student in the class chooses a topic, writes a brief report, and then presents on it in the field. Mostly members of…

It's always been on my bucket list to jump out of a plane. I've gone hiking and submitted mountains before, but I've always wanted to go higher and see more. So, last weekend, when one of my friends asked around for an adventurous few to go skydiving with him, I…

I have some big news! About a month ago, I adopted a kitty named Clementine as an emotional support cat. She's currently about 7 months year old, and she's one of my best friends. She's a diluted calico I met at the Pasadena Humane Society. As you can see from…

I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday break. This time of year is always a great break from all of the hullabaloo of Caltech. As engaging as classes and extracurriculars are, being able to lounge around at home (and see snow!) is always great.Specifically, celebrating holidays with my family…

Some of the sewing machines on the dining room table. One thing we're really good at at Caltech is teaching others, whether it be through research, collaborative problem sets, or TAing classes. Each person has a slightly different background and has mastered unique things. So, my House decided to put…

Hi all! Sorry for the radio silence, but my term has been super busy! One of the main reasons is due to the Committee on Undergraduate Caltech Housing, or the COUCH as it is affectionately known as. Its goal is to help analyze the potential options for the residential system…

We woke up while the sky was still filled with the Milky Way on day 3 of our backpack (which was super awesome!! I don't think I've ever seen so many stars!!). We threw on hiking shoes, grabbed a quick granola bar to eat, and were on our way. The…

We woke up pretty early for the second day of our hike: around 6:45 AM and cooked up a quick hot breakfast of oatmeal. Soon, we were on our way. Although we had fewer miles to cover than the day before, the first mile was potentially one of our steepest.…

The eclipse was amazing, but it wasn't the only thing I got to do at Grand Teton National Park. We also planned a 3 day backpacking trip. We went 28.1 miles over three days and gained over 5,000 feet in elevation. We started at the bottom of Death Canyon, climbed…

This past Monday I spent a day with one of my good friends, Pablo the turtle. He is one of my red ear sliders (yes the same breed of turtle that lives in the Caltech turtle pond, no not stolen from Caltech). When I got him from the SPCA, he…

As all of you know, the eclipse was a huge deal at Caltech! Not only are we a school with an amazing astronomy department, but we also are a school of nerdy people who are fascinated by nature. We want to capture them in our memory so we can analyze…

Over the weekend, my boyfriend, a couple friends, and I decided to try one of the newest food fads: the sushirito. For those of you who don't know, a sushirito is a hybrid between sushi and a burrito. It's the size of a burrito, but is made out of the…

After a fun, food-filled day, I was ready for the bridal shower, which promised more fun and food! My first cousin, my aunt's son, is getting married, and I am a bridesmaid. Although I was a flower girl years ago, I've never been a bridesmaid before, so I'm super psyched.…

One thing I love about Caltech summers is the free time. While learning during the year is also great, classes, extracurriculars, and research leave very little time to take a vacation (though there is plenty of free time to fill with hanging out with friends and small day trips). This…

One of my good friends loves peppers. He keeps every variety on his deck, from sweet Banana Peppers to spicy Ghost Pepper. He has more on there than any grocery store selection. The other day, he handed me one of his smallest breeds to try-- the Thai ornamental pepper. It…

Although I'm working in a geology lab, the Kirschvink Paleomagnetics Laboratory, I am primarily running electroencephalogram (EEG) experiments. An EEG is an easy way to non-invasively measure brainwaves. In a previous post, I showed you all a picture of me in the cap, which contains 64 different electrodes and tons…

As I mentioned in my last post, after leaving Pomona, my boyfriend and I got to do something really relieving: play with a bunch of cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, and turtles at the Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA (PHS)! The PHS is located only about 5 minutes away from campus,…

Turtles are one of my favorite animals. In second grade, I spent a good portion of the year studying sea turtles. When I visited St. Martin over spring break of my Senior year in high school, I went snorkeling and kayaking with the local turtle population. I adopted a few…