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VOLUME NUMBER 3 PASADENA, CALIFORNIA OCTOBER 2005
Continued on Page 8, Column 1
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intelligence, integrity, and leadership who can relate so well topeople both within and outsidethe world of science. It was David who inspired Edye and meto become interested in science.We had no background in thefield, but he made us feel comfortable. We are fortunate thathe will continue his research atCaltech."
Other events during his termhave been Caltech's acquisitionof the former St. Luke MedicalCenter in northeast Pasadena;the funding of the design-development phase of the ThirtyMeter Telescope; and the establishment of the Information Science and Technology (1ST) initiative. Baltimore championedcontemporary architecture,chosing James Freed of Pei,
By PERRY
this VISIon of excellence into the future,"said Kent Kresa, thechairman ofthe CaltechBoard of Trustees.
Baltimore, 67, assumed the presidencyon October 15, 1997.His tenure saw manysignificant events atCaltech. Early on, heoversaw the completionof a fund-raising initiative for the biologicalsciences, marked bythe construction anddedication of the BroadCenter for the Biological Sciences. Helaunched the current$1.4 billion capital campaign,which has included receipt ofthe largest gift to higher education, $600 million from Gordonand Betty Moore and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The campaign still has twoyears to run, but has alreadyraised almost $1.1 billion. Animportant aspect of Caltech isits stewardship of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, supported byNASA. Baltimore's presidencyhas seen many spectacular JPLsuccesses, notably the Mars Exploration Rovers, as well as theappointment of a new director,Dr. Charles Elachi.
"David Baltimore will godown in history as not only agreat scientist, but also as one ofthe great presidents of Caltech,"said Eli Broad, a trustee of, andmajor donor to, the Institute. "Itis rare to find someone of his
David Baltimore, the seventhpresident of the California Institute ofTechnology, will retireon June 30, 2006, after nearlynine years in the post. He willremain at the Institute, where heintends to focus on his scientificwork and teaching.
"This is not a decision that Ihave made easily," Baltimoreannounced to the Caltech trustees, faculty, staff, and students,"but I am convinced that theinterests of the Institute willbe best served by a presidential transition at this particular time in its history. By nextsummer we will be well alongin the process of implementing our plans to strengthen thefinancial foundation of the Institute. Although our $1.4 billion campaign is not scheduledfor completion until the end of2007, we have made remarkableprogress, and successful attainment of its audacious goals willremain my highest priority. Asthese important endeavors neartheir final stages, it will be timefor the Institute to once againturn to the future, guided mosteffectively by the revitalizingvision and leadership of a newpresident."
He has agreed to remain inthe position until a successor isnamed.
"David Baltimore's articulateadvocacy of the Institute's mission has played a huge role inraising the public's awarenessof Caltech as a unique nationaltreasure. Our task ahead is tofind our next president to carry
to what Alice had erroneouslycomputed to be the track sent hercrashing through the barricade,crushing concrete blocks underher robust Ford E350 frame andswiftly mounting the sand bermbeyond them. For a few breathless moments, it looked as if thereporters gathered in the pressstands would be next to sharethe concrete blocks' as thewayward robot truck barreled toward the huddled media masses.But the quick reflexes of the staffat the DARPA command centeraverted catastrophe by guidingtheir fingers to the emergencyremote disable switch, bringingAlice to a grinding halt before shecould plow through the startledcrowd. Even though the DARPAGrand Challenge is over, Alice,the product of two-and-a-halfyears of data gathering, algorithmand circuit design, coding, debugging, soldering, wire crimping,drilling, bolting, welding, andmeetings that routinely ran anhour or so late, will continue herservice to Caltech as a testbed forfuture robotics research.
By ADAM CRAIG
Photo courtesy of team.caltech.edu
Alice plows through several concrete barriers after experiencing a GPS error.
Nevada, October 8,2005, around 11 :30AM Alice, the2005 Sportsmobile 4WD successor to last year's Bob, had completed 8.3 miles of grueling desertdriving, easily avoiding obstaclesand handily navigating the tortuous course. Team Caltech's dedicated band of scruffy-chinned CS,
and CDS students hadtaken great to strengthenand refine path-followingmodule in order to avoid a repeatof last year's mishap, in whichBob strayed off course, plowedthrough a barbed wire fence, thenentangled his rear axle in anothersegment of the barbed wire fenceupon reentry. But tragedy struck
~' when, a mere 124 miles from victory, Alice passed under a powerline, which interfered with theGPS reception. Computing fromthe mangled signal that she hadgone astray, Alice veered to theright, heading at full speed for theedge of the corridor. If the obstacle avoidance software detectedthe concrete barriers lining theroad, it was to little avail, as thehigh-priority directive to return
Photo courtesy of nationalgeographic.com
A live giant squid (roughly 25 feet long) attacks a baited fishing line 2,950 feet beneath the NorthPacific Ocean in waters.
In spite of this prevailing nonchalance, several small groupsof researchers embarked on theirown expeditions, hoping to catchArchiteuthis, the giant squid, inaction. Tsunemi Kubodera ofthe Natural Science Museumin Tokyo and Kyoichi Mori ofthe Ogasawara Whale Watching Association headed one suchgroup, and, one cold morning inthe North Pacific Ocean, their efforts paid off when a squid tookthe 'bait.
Their trap was elegantly simple. A long-line dangling below the boat held the necessaryequipment. A depth recorder andcamera hung above a weightedjig, a nest of hooks and weightsto steady the line, and below thatdrifted the bait, a common Japanese squid and some choppedshrimp.
Deep beneath the ocean'ssurface lurks a slimy, tentacledbeast, a monster known to oldtime sailors and three-year-oldsalike. Dozens of grasping suckers adorn a forest of slippery tentacles, and in the center of eachsucker lies a tooth to slit the skinof anything unlucky enough tofall within the monster's grasp.A black beak clacks greedilyfrom the base of the writhing tentacles while eyes the size of dinner plates stare blankly out intothe salty darkness of the sea.
Such was the beast two Japanese scientists captured alive onfilm for the first time, as reporteda week ago in the Proceedings ofthe Royal Society B.
Many have tried in vain tophotograph a live giant squid,and most marine biologists assumed the first pictures wouldcome a lucky accident.
ByAMYHASS
2 THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY OCTOBER 10,2005
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Compiled By ALEX SHElVE
He may have only beendrawn once, but DavidBaltimore appeared inmore Crippling Depression comics than anyother real person, savethe authors. The comic'sportrayal of Baltimore asthe evil mastermind ofthe administration represented the underlying student need to put a singleface behind the loomingconcerns over shrinkingfreedoms and increasingcosts.
It is follows naturallythat Balitmore's retirement has elicited cries ofjoy from the student body.Still, few students couldname a reason to dislik:.ehim, save the fact thathe holds very large bagsof money or maybe thathe looks like the bad guyfrom X-Men 2.
One of the most influential biologists alivetoday had to put up with
called "D-Balls" orscreams of
context.
Quick, someoneshoes! ex-
penSIve.
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listening to Guero, it's listeningto Beck perform it live. Despitehis guero exterior, the man hasmoves. He never quit through anhour and a half long set, keepingthe crowd excited and engaged.At one point, his band had theirdinner out onstage while Beckplayed a short acoustic set. Immediately afterward, his bandjoined him on the next song,playing percussion and rhythmon their utensils and dinnerware. It was pretty amazing. Byfar, one of the most memorableperformances I have ever seen.Beck's wealth of talent and ongoing creativity is what makeshim an already legendary musician of his time. The only thingI have left to say about Beck canbe summed up in two words-"Hell, yes."
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into a new beast-- wild and energetic, sounding better than ever.Guero, which is a slang term inSpanish that refers to a blondeor fair-haired person, is upbeatand exciting, with catchy radiosingles like, "E-Pro." Truth betold, anyone of the tracks couldeasily be a hit single or a danceclub staple. Beck returns to histechno dance roots and playfullyraps in Spanish while keeping hisbeats steady and true. Guero is acrowd pleaser from beginning toend, making it clear that Beckis a magician, doing what hedoes best. A tour of the US followed the release of this albumthis summer, and I was luckyenough to see him in concertwith tourmates, Le Tigre. I wasblown away by his performance;if there's anything better than
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THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY OCTOBER 10, 2005
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THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY OCTOBER 10,2005 7
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pict1llres ofbefore someoneRi(;hard J:':llis, a re
search associate at the AmericanMuseum of Natural tolda National Geographic source.Many others share Ellis'ion. The rou.ghJly silghltin~~s
of thebodies thatbeaches around the world thisrt"rltm"V lead most scientists to
evidenceto be inevita
Ne:ve.rthele:ss, for scientistsa decade
thenews is a relief.
But these ,.,i{'fur",,, do not closethe book on the mysteries ofthe ocean-goingpn::dator'S, for the colossal squid,cousin to the is stillout in the awaitingphotography. the larg-est giant measure aboutfifty-five nobody knowshow large the colossal squid cangrow, although estimates rangefrom to seventy feet long.Whatever the length, scientistsagree that the colossal squid iscertainly larger in weight andsize than the giant squid, makingit a far more formidable predator.
By this time next we maybe watching instead of"Jaws." [editor's note: a Jawsstyle movie about a giant squid,called the Beast, does alreadyexist.]
For more information, go to www.athletics.caltech.edu
Continued from 1
For more infonnation about giant squid, please see the following resources:http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0927_050927-zianLsquid.htmlhttp://archives.cnn.com/2002/TECH/science/071221australia.squid!http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/09/27/japan.squid.ap/index.htmlhttp://news.nationalgeographic.com/newsI2003/04/0423_030423_seamonsters.htmlhttp://www.tonmo.com/science/public/giantsquidfacts.phphttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4288772.stmhttp://www.usforade.com/vnews/display.vIART12004/02/16/4030cf82b1581
The following althletic events take place at Caltech'sfacilities this week. Come out and support your Beavers!
Men's Water Polo vs.Fri. 10/15 @
One year ago on September30, a giant squid sight ofthe and snatched at thebait, but instead of a meal it gota surprise when one of its twoeighteen-foot tentacles caughton the The squid re-maine:d stuck to line for asUI-prisinlg four allowingKutbodeJra and Mori to take overfive hundred and ofthe uncommon but the
to free
Men's Soccer vs.Wed. 10/12 @
Women's Volleyball vs. La SierraThe. 10/11 @ 7:30 pm
itself whenin two. The squid escapc:dinto the ocean, leavingboth physical and phcJtogra.phlcevidence of its visit.
The severed tentacle was stillwhipping around when Moriand Kubodera hauled it on boardthe deck of their boat. In itslast motive moments, the suckers grasped the ship's deck andKubodera's hand. "It wasn'tas strong as I expected. It feltsticky," he told a BBC source.
On news sites across the web,the pictures of the giant squiddelighted squid fans and casualfish-watchers alike, recallingJules Verne's 20,000 LeaguesUnder the Sea and perhaps amythical tale or two. But whatdo Moti and Kubodera's fellowmarine biologists think of theirsuccess?
"I think it's wonderful thatwe've got a picture of aliving giant squid. I thought itwould only be a matter of time
he California TechCaltech 40-58
Pasadena, CA 91125
pleased he will remain as a professor, liberated to contributemore strongly to the intellectuallife of the Caltech community,"Thome said.
Walter Weisman, trusteechairman of the Caltech capitalcampaign, has worked closelywith Baltimore since its kickoff in 2002, and is pleased withthe impact Baltimore has had."David Baltimore has made anenormous contribution to ourcampaign success. I am delighted that he will continue toassist the Institute with the campaign as he moves to full-timeresearch. His legacy at Caltechwill be felt for years to come,thanks in no small part to hisfund-raising achievements aspresident of the Institute."
Gordon Moore-a Caltechalumnus who was trustee chairman when Baltimore was hiredsaid, "David's leadership overthe last nine years has significantly strengthened Caltech inmany important ways. His impact will be felt for decades."
Ben Rosen, also an alumnus and former trustee chairman, said, "During his yearsof leadership at Caltech, David Baltimore elevated the already considerable reputationand strengths of the Institute.The faculty is stronger than ithas ever been. The students aresmarter, more diverse, and better rounded. The facilities havebeen substantially augmentedto meet the growing needs ofleadnlg-~~d~;e research. IPL hasachieved after trillmph.And the ambItiouspaign thatriodin and ledergetic fund-raising willassure that future Caltech needsare met and our goals achieved.Sometime next year, David willbegin doing research full timein his biology lab, and a newpresident will lead Caltech.But because David will remainon campus, we'll still be luckyenough to share with him hismyriad interests outside of science, a small sample of whichwould include art, fly-fishing,music, architecture, travel, literature, and politics."
Caltech's Board of Trusteeswill immediately initiate thesearch process for a new president.
Baltimore is the seventhperson to lead "modem day"Caltech, his predecessors being James A. B. Scherer, Robert A. Millikan, Lee A. DuBridge, Harold Brown, MarvinL. Goldberger, and Thomas E.Everhart.
Continued from Page 1
ruses in 1975 at the age of 37,has contributed widely to theunderstanding of cancer, AIDS,and the molecular basis of theimmune response. He has continued to operate his researchlab while president and has announced many important findings while at Caltech, includingestablishing a new methodology to help fight cancer, developing a new gene therapy thatis highly effective in preventingHIV from infecting individualcells in the immune system, andcreating a new methodology forproducing transgenic mice. Hehas also joined with others inproposing a new global effortto create an HIV vaccine. Hereceived the National Medal ofScience in 1999 from PresidentBill Clinton and the WarrenAlpert Foundation ScientificPrize in 2001 for pioneeringwork leading to cancer therapy.
Not only has Baltimore beenprolific in writing about hisfindings in scientific journals,but he also raised Caltech's visibility by contributing opinionpieces to general interest mediaon such subjects as the value ofstem cell research, the unnecessary public panic that arose during the SARS epidemic, scienceresearch under the Bush administration, and maintaining thescientific workforce in the U.S.
"Throughout my years as aCaltech trustee, I have been repeatedly impressed by David'sskill at communicating the importance of Caltech to a widerange of constituencies, fromthe scientific community to potential donors to readers of daily newspapers," said Kresa, thechairman of the Caltech Boardof Trustees.
Baltimore has several outstanding administrative andpublic policy achievements tohis credit. In the mid-1970s,he played an important rolein creating a consensus on national science policy regardingrecombinant DNA research. Heserved as founding director ofthe Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT from1982 until 1990, and was president of Rockefeller Universityin 1990-91. An early advocateof federal AIDS research, hecochaired the 1986 NationalAcademy of Sciences Committee on a National Strategyfor AIDS and was appointed in1996 to head the National Institutes of Health AIDS VaccineResearch Committee.
Feynman Professor and Professor of Theoretical PhysicsKip Thome, who chaired thefaculty search committee thatselected Baltimore, feels Baltimore has accomplished whatthe search committee hoped hewould. "We attracted David toCaltech to provide leadershipin a period of change-changing relations to the federal government, changing ties to theprivate sector, and a growth inbiological sciences at Caltechwhile maintaining our traditional strengths. He has led usthrough this superbly well, andhas been a remarkable intellectual force on campus. Hispresidential shoes will be hardto fill, but
Cobb, Freed for the Broad Center, Thorn Mayne of Morphosisfor the new Cahill Center forAstronomy and Astrophysics,and Rem Koolhaas for the newWalter and Leonore AnnenbergCenter for Information Scienceand Technology. The latter twobuildings are still in the design phase. Baltimore workedtoward increasing diversity atCaltech, particularly by bringing more women into administrative roles. He also wasconcerned about the quality ofundergraduate life, appointingthe first full-time vice presidentfor student affairs and startinga $3 million fund enhanc-
student life. During the lastyear, an activity forhim has been his membershipon the Independent CitizensOversight Committee for theCalifornia stem cell initiative.
"David Baltimore is an incisive and articulate leader whohas strengthened Caltech's corecommitments to excellence inresearch and teaching and hasled several initiatives that haveensured promising avenues ofresearch can be pursued at theInstitute," said Paul Jennings,Caltech's provost. In a writtenannouncement to the campusand its trustees, Baltimore said,"It has been a privilege to serveas president of Caltech and apleasure to work with the dedicated and remarkable Caltech..«"uny, staff, students, trustees,
<UUHUJlL The administrationin at Caltech is an extraordinary group, and I will retirewith full confidence in theirabilities to effect a smooth transition. During my time in thepre:sIdent's office, I have workedto Caltech the unique andhighly effective university thatwas imagined into existenceby George Hale almost100 years ago. dedication toexcellence has been undiminished, requiring that it continually be in flux, reaching for thealtering frontiers of knowledge.The great gift from Gordonand Betty Moore has providedthe resources for maintainingour momentum and was trulya event of my time asCaltech's president."
Baltimore will remain atCaltech as a professor of biology. In June he was awarded agrant of $13.9 million by theGrand Challenges in Global
initiative for his proposal"Engineering Immunity AgainstHIV and Other DangerousPathogens," which promises toaddress the challenge of creating immunological methods todeal with chronic diseases. Thisgrant was awarded by the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation.
"David has been a wonderfulCaltech president," said Caltechfaculty chair Henry Lester, theBren Professor of Biology. "Hisenergy, articulate intelligence,and vision have resulted in astronger, more interesting, andmore diverse Caltech. Speakingalso as a Caltech biologist, I'mdelighted that he will remain oncampus to contribute to our research and teaching programs."
Baltimore, who received aNobel Prize for his work onthe genetic mechanisms of vi-
