Scheduled tours of featured labs, the Caltech campus, and new buildings will return to Seminar Day!
Plan Your Perfect Lab Tour
- Tour sign-ups are first-come first-served on event day. No advance registration is available.
- Sign-ups for all tours will take place on-site during morning check-in
- Sign up at the Lab Tours tent located on Beckman Mall
- One tour per guest will allow everyone to participate
- Some tours have special requirements; requirements may not be waived for any reason
- Meet at the Lab Tent for your confirmed tour at the scheduled time; you will be escorted to the lab as a group
Biophotonics Laboratory research focuses on the development of novel tools that combine optics and microfluidics to tackle diagnostic and measurement problems in biology and medicine. Simon Mahler, PhD and graduate student Max (Yu Xi) Huang will showcase two recently developed laser speckle imaging devices: one for non-invasive imaging of cerebral blood flow to aid in diagnosing neurological disorders such as stroke and brain injury, and another for non-invasive imaging of blood vessels in chicken eggs to assess viability and evaluate antihypertensive drugs effects.
Tours Available: 2
Guests per tour: 10
Requirements: Must be 18 or older. Not recommended for guests with sensitivity to laser and lights.
The Caltech Optical Imaging Laboratory (COILab) is dedicated to the development of novel imaging technologies and physics at the classical–quantum interface. Graduate student David Garrett and postdoc Jake Guang, PhD will showcase techniques which (i) image spatial scales ranging from the entire human body to subcellular structures and (ii) image dynamic scenes at trillions of frames per second.
Tours Available: 2
Guests per Tour: 8
Requirements: Closed-toe shoes are required. Shoe covers will be provided before entering the lab. Guests must be able to walk up and down a flight of stairs.
The Kavli Nanoscience Institute Laboratory is a multi-user cleanroom facility dedicated to nanofabrication. The KNI Lab provides 24/7 access and a team of dedicated staff who train students and researchers from Caltech and beyond on advanced instrumentation for electron-beam lithography, deposition, etching, electron microscopy, photolithography and more. Graduate student Suki Gu will be leading a tour of the lab’s featured equipment and capabilities.
Tours Available: 2
Guests per tour: 8
Requirements: Full gowning, closed-toe shoes, long pants, and shirts covering your shoulders. Not appropriate for guests with physical limitations.
The Ecology and Biosphere Engineering Facility (EBEF) is a new multi-user facility dedicated to the isolation, cultivation, and genetic manipulation of (micro)organisms. It is located in the new Resnick Sustainability Center (RSC), home to multiple new facilities to advance global sustainability and education. The EBEF director Dr. Nate Glasser will lead a tour of the RSC and showcase the EBEF’s capabilities, including microbe and plant cultivation for sustainability research.
Tours Available: 2
Guests per Tour: 10
Requirements: Closed-toe shoes are required, preferably with pants or longer dresses/skirts (no shorts). Elevator access is available.
The Seismo Lab is an arm of the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences (GPS) and is internationally recognized for excellence in geophysical research and academics. Home to outstanding facilities in seismic networks and mineral physics, the Lab serves as a focal point for earthquake information in Southern California and the world. Margaret Vinci, Office Manager of Earthquake Programs, will lead the lab tour and also discuss USGS collaborations with the Southern California Seismic Network.
Tours Available: 2
Guests per Tour: 25
Requirements, if any: Ramp and elevator access into the building is available.
The goal of the Thomson Lab is to understand how unexplained properties of biological systems, including their mechanical organization and their ability to process information, emerge from collective interactions. Our lab investigates basic principles of self-organization and collective behavior in biological systems, formulating predictive mathematical models using high-dimensional data and applying those models to reprogram and engineer biological systems to achieve new behaviors.
Tours Available: 2
Guests per Tour: 10
Requirements: Closed-toe shoes are required.
Campus Admissions Tour
Join Caltech student ambassadors on a tour of campus to hear about what makes Caltech unique today, from innovative curriculum and student traditions to world-class faculty and pioneering research.
Tours Available: 2
Guests per Tour: 25
Requirements: No specific requirements, be prepared for walking around campus.
