California Tech v. 118:4, October 20, 2014

The California Tech VOLUME CXVIII NUMBER 4 PASADENA, CALIFORNIA TECH.CALTECH.EDU OCTOBER 20, 2014 Students present at Seminar Day Moon Festival Gala NEERA SHAH The culmination of his SURF observing these objects on different Editor-in-Chief was a project titled "Characterizing nights throughout the summer, we offers food and fun M-dwarf Eclipsing Binaries in the measured radial velocities for each On Oct. 18, Caltech students Kepler Field." DeFelippis explained of the stars to accurately calculate NANCY WEN Auditorium to nearly full capacity, who participated in the Summer his research as a focus on using the their masses and radii (also using Contributing Writer to watch the free performance. Undergraduate Research Keck telescopes to observe eclipsing light curves from the Kepler The performances showcased Fellowship (SURF) program presented their research at the annual SURF Seminar Day. Of the 392 students that were awarded a SURF this year, 318 were Caltech students. Every year, some non-Caltech students are given a SURF to participate in research on campus. Similarly, a few Caltech students use the opportunities of the SURF program pursue research interests at other locations. (More detailed statistics can be found in the table.) Senior Daniel DeFelippis completed his third SURF this summer-he has done research both on campus and at JPL before. This year, he worked with Professor Jon Swift in astrophysics on campus. Comparing his past experiences with this year's, DeFilippis said, "All of the [previous] projects have been various forms of data analysis, but this was the first one where I actually participated in creating source lists for observing Kayané Dingilian explains her project to a SURF Seminar Day attendee. Photo Courtesy of Neera Shah binaries. According to DeFilippis, "Eclipsing binaries are stars that orbit each other in such a way that they pass in front of each other at regular time intervals when viewed from Earth. In this case, both of the stars in the eclipsing binaries were M-dwarfs, a small, cool type of star which are very common in our galaxy but not well understood. In mission). Doing so would triple the number of measured M-dwarfs and provide a big step towards better understanding these stars." As most students do, DeFelippis learned a lot about both his field and about research in general throughout his SURF: "I sort of Continued on page 2 Laughter would be the best word to sum up this year's 2014 Moon Festival Gala hosted by the Caltech Chinese Association (CaltechC). It was more than polite chuckles; the auditorium was ringing with bellyaching laughter. Gala organizers made a smart move to make this year's performance focused fun and humor, rather than the nostalgia of spending the Moon Festival away from home. On Oct. 18, the CaltechC hosted the 2014 Moon Festival Gala in Ramo Auditorium to celebrate the Moon Festival and to welcome new incoming students. It was a night filled with delicious Chinese food, and delightful performances. The Moon Festival is an important holiday in the lunar calendar that symbolizes the joy of family reunion. For many of the new international students here at Caltech, this year's Moon Festival was the first one they spent away from their families. The goal of the Moon Gala was to bring people together and welcome them to the bigger Caltech family. The CaltechC the many talents of Caltech students, from opera to K-Pop from Chopin to crosstalk. The majority of the performances were by Caltech students or by Caltech-affiliated people. However, there were also notable guest performers from other schools in Southern California, including Tonghui Zhu, a talented Guzheng player from UC Irvine who was discovered by Jiyun (Ivy) Xiao, the current CaltechC president, at a different performance and invited to come perform at the CaltechC. Her song Snow Mountain in Spring was the only performance that showcased a traditional Chinese instrument. Many of the other musical performances had an interesting fusion effect of playing Chinese songs on Western instruments such as piano, guitar, and violin The audience was treated to a virtuosic rendition of Chopin's Fantasie Impromptu by 11-year-old Shanshan Wang. Her calm stage presence and passionate performance such • your age earned murmurs of approval and also being in the observing room all night." What is going on in Hong Kong? CASEY HANDMER Contributing Writer Constitutional Development implement the recommendations which was subsequently ratified of the Green Paper. To the by the National People's Congress original wording they added Hong Kong is one of the most vibrant, prosperous cities in the world. Rising to power and prominence under British colonial rule, it was formally handed over to the People's Republic of China in 1997. Despite being part of China, Hong Kong has always enjoyed a privileged administrative status under the One Country, Two Systems model with a substantially different economic structure and a vibrant political life. Hong Kong is ruled by a Chief Executive (something like a governor) who is elected by an Election Committee of (today) 1200 entities, representing individuals, districts, large business interests and other organizations, and serving up to two consecutive 5-year terms. Not unlike the governing structure of a modern multinational corporation, economic power carres real political power. In 2007, the Chief Executive the time, Donald Tsang, published the Green Paper on Standing Committee, the relevant the stipulation that the Election governmental body in mainland Committee must preselect two or China. Since the end of British three candidates who "love the rule there have been only three country and love Hong Kong, Chief Executives. They preside in and that any election by universal a responsive way over the rapidly- suffrage must contain institutional developing economy and political safeguards for this purpose. climate, leading to a much more While historically all elected Chief dynamic constitutional framework Executives have been Nonpartisan than that to which we are (pro-Beijing), a general election accustomed in the US. This Green may upset this balance and lead Paper was seen as a compromise to the legitimization of separatist between mainland China and the policies. Beijing worries that this Pan-Democratic movement, which would set a dangerous precedent. enjoys the support of about 60% The proposed vetting of candidates of the population, as it ruled out by >50% approval from the (mostly the possibility of a general election pro-Beijing) Election Committee by universal suffrage in 2012 largely obviates this concern, as but allowed for the possibility of does the process by which Beijing election of the Chief Executive and must officially appoint the Chief Legislative Council (something Executive for the duration of their like the US Senate) by universal term. suffrage in 2017, then a decade It is thus important to realize away. that the resulting protests are not Fast-forward to 2014, and it is pro-democracy in the sense that now time for the National People's Beijing is removing pre- Congress (the Chinese governing assembly) to decide how to Continued on page 4 Chen Ma is dancing to the Guzheng song Snow Mountain in Spring. Photo Courtesy of Michael Wong aims to bring together members of the Caltech Chinese community while promoting Chinese culture on campus. The Moon Gala was widely attended with around 350 tickets sold for the $5 dinner buffet from 5-7 p.m., according to Taokun (Xander) Zheng, vice president of CaltechC and one of the lead organizers of the Moon Gala. A local Chinese restaurant called Oriental Express catered the dinner. The food featured more recognizable dishes such as pork chops and crispy chicken, as well vegetarian options such as braised tofu. It was well-received by the attendees, as many went back for seconds and thirds. More people arrived at 7 p.m., filling up Ramo throughout the audience. The funniest performance of the night was the Two-Man Act with Lingxin Liu and Yefei Wang Dressed in similar Chinese robes and both bespectacled, Liu and Wang were a formidable comedic duo. They began their act as if was stand-up comedy, with Liu as the funny man and Wang as the straight man. But soon they launched into Shuang Huang (which literally Teals "double yolk"), in which the person who is speaking hides behind the other person who is lip-synching and acting. The result was so hilarious that even the non-Chinese-speakers in the audience were cracking up with laughter. Continued on page 4 IN THIS ISSUE FEATURE | PAGE 3 HELEN REVIEWS NAK WON HOUSE SPORTS | PAGE 5 CROSS COUNTRY TEAM EXCELS FEATURE PAGE 7 CIRQUE ZUMA ZUMA PERFORMANCE WOWS AUDIENCE HUMOR PAGE 8 STUDENTS COMPETE IN THE CLASSROOM 2 OCTOBER 20, 2014 Caltech Y Column CALTECH Y The Caltech Y Column serves to inform students ofupcoming events and volunteer opportunities. The list is compiled by Neera Shah from information given by the Caltech Y and its student leaders. More information about the Caltech Y and its programs can be found at https://caltechy.org. The office is located at 505 S. Wilson Avenue. Upcoming Events: 1. Caltech Y - Washington DC Science Policy Trip trip flight to DC and back to LA) or $350 (with one way flight to DC) - Y-Outdoors Committee meets twice a month at the Caltech Y. Contact Jeremy Sandler jsandler@ caltech.edu for more information. Caltech YExComm Meetings Every Thursday (started October 16) | Noon | Caltech Y RSVP to caltechY@caltech.edu The Caltech Student Executive Committee (ExComm oversees all Caltech Y programs - which includes a wide variety Outdoor Adventures, Cultural Events, Social Activities, Activism and Leadership opportunities - and plans many in ExComm Meetings is open to any students interested in helping to coordinate programs or learning more about the Caltech Y. Please caltechY@ caltech.edu if you are interested in at www.caltechY.org and due to the Caltech Y - by Tuesday, October 21st. Join us for an exploration into Science Policy on an exciting trip to the Nation's capitol. The five day trip includes flights, lodgings, and most meals; discussions with those who have played a role in setting and implementing science policy for the United States including: Academics, Lobbyists, Scientists, Politicians, and Caltech Alumni ... and of course the opportunity to see Washington, DC landmarks like the White House, the Memorials; Smithsonian Museums; the National Archives; and the Capitol. Don't miss this opportunity! The Washington, DC Science Policy Trip is coordinated by the Caltech Y with generous support from the George Housner Fund. Questions and applications may be directed to caltechy@caltech.edu 2. Caltech Y Social Activism Speaker Series (SASS) Committee Meetings Every Other Tuesday (started October 14) | 11:00 AM - Noon | Caltech Y The Caltech Y Social Activism Speaker Series (SASS) was developed to promote awareness of global issues and to challenge members of the Caltech community to seek ways of addressing world needs. SASS organizes a variety of campus lectures as well as a Science Policy Lunch Series. The SASS Committee is open to any students interested in planning events with this purpose in mind. The SASS Committee meets twice a month at the Caltech Y. Please join us. Contact Brenna Krieger at bkrieger@caltech.edu for more information. 3. Caltech Y Outdoors Committee Meetings Every Other Tuesday (started October 14) | 1:00 - 2:00 PM | Caltech Y The Y-Outdoors Committee is open to any students interested in planning group-focused outdoor adventure trips for students. The Y-Outdoors organizes a wide variety of outings for students of all skill levels that have included hiking, camping, biking, sea kayaking, and backpacking as well as Adventure 101 educational talks on a variety of outdoor adventure topics. The Sycamores, a group that supports local underprivileged but motivated high school students. There are a variety of ages and subjects being tutored. The service trip includes about an hour of travel time and 2 hours of tutoring. Transportation is included. For more info and to RSVP email Sherwood Richers at srichers@tapir.caltech.edu. 5b. Pasadena LEARNS Every Friday | 3:00 - 5:00pm | Madison and Jackson Elementary School | Pasadena Come volunteer at Madison and Jackson Elementary are partnered with the Pasadena LEARNs program and work with their Science Olympiad team or do regular tutoring along with occasional experiments. Transportation provided. For more information and to RSVP, contact vkkumar@ caltech.edu Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities: 1. Pasadena Unified School District Tutors Needed Pasadena High Schools have started after-school tutoring programs coordinated by teachers. Tutors are needed at each school to help out with the tutoring. This is a great way to work directly with teachers and students. Tutors may volunteer on any days for which they are available. High School tutoring/homework help hours are as follows: - Blair High School M-F 3:20-4:30 (Math) contact Ronaldo Hunter at (626) 720-2578 - Marshall High School M-F 3:05-4:30 (All Subjects) contact Cati Acevedo at (626) 720-2587 - Muir High School M-Th 3:20-6:00 (All Subjects) contact Nicole Stephens (626) 720-2567 - Pasadena High School 3:20-6:00 (All Subjects) contact Arman Ter-Grigoryan at (626) 720-2589 If you have any questions feel free to contact the Caltech Y at caltechy@caltech.edu. NEWS THE CALIFORNIA TECH Caltech students discuss SURF research projects Continued from page 1 already knew this, but observing can be very frustrating! For one of our observing nights, fog came in about 3 hours before the night was over, which caused them to close the dome before we could get all of the data we wanted." In addition, being part of a research lab allows students to participate in conversations with peers about similar research. DeFilippis was a part of the weekly group meetings in the lab he worked in. "I actually really enjoyed listening to what research other people were doing at the weekly group meetings. Since this is Caltech, all of it was really cutting edge and neat," he said. Junior Emily Jensen worked in a completely different field, humanities and social sciences. Her project, "Effect of Social Influence Human Vincent Park studied GC content in bacterial DNA for his SURF scholar in neuroscience, to study social influence on decision making. This was Jensen's first SURF and said, "I had the best lab group that I could have gotten into. Everyone was very friendly and reasonable in what they expected of me as a first-time SURF student. They were always patient in describing new techniques or general methods of doing things." She also sat in on the lab group's meetings and was Photo Courtesy of Neera Shah able to gain even more exposure to the field by talking with post-docs in the group Jensen needed an MRI machine to collect some of her data, which she said was a great experience: "I got to use really powerful machines, which made me feel like I had more experiment. "I got to meet a lot of really cool, random people. I really enjoy talking to strangers in short conversations, so I had a blast meeting each of our subjects and just talking about what they did for a living. I heard everything from an elementary school teacher, to [al student studying psychology, and to a part-time 'professional subject," Jensen added. Senior Ratnalekha Viswanadham also did a SURF in humanities and social sciences, but instead of doing a direct behavior study she worked more with data. Off-Campus SURF International SURF She did her research off-campus at the Haas School of Business at Universityof California The table shows the field distribution of the 318 Caltech SURF students. Berkeley. Although Statistics Courtesy of Student-Faculty Programs Viswanadham found authority than I actually did. But, living there relatively inconvenient, truly, I had a fun time learning as it is easier and more simple to how to use the MRI machines arrange for housing at Caltech, she and watching the scans as they was able to pursue a new interest occurred." Something she learned in research During a previous that surprised her was that taking a SURF, she had also studied hammer within 3 feet of the magnet decision making but her research (MRI machine) would rip the this year was a new approach: she hammer right out of your hand. She used genetic analysis and data also encountered some interesting from a "strong vs. weak opponent' people as her study involved 26 strategic game from 217 subjects to subjects who participated in the identify parameters for a reduced linear fit model to show how genetic variations can affect an individuals decisions. Sophomore Vincent Park was a first-time SURFer this summer and studied temperature, motility, and oxygen requirements of bacteria to make a phylogenetictreeand decide whether there was an evolutionary advantage that may arise from having a certain GC content in DNA. He worked with staff scientist Alex Müller and Professor William Clemons, Jr., in chemistry and chemical engineering. "[The experience] made me into a better scientist and more inquisitive, and I learned a different field-this was more about data, and my previous experience was in biology. Field # Students Biology and Biological Engineering 33 Chemistry and Chemical Engineering 54 Engineering and Applied Science 70 Geological and Planetary Sciences 16 Humanities and Social Sciences 10 Physics, Math, and Astronomy 63 Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) 37 26 318 Emily Jensen used behavioral studies to determine the social influence on decision making. Photo Courtesy of Shinsuke Suzuki Continued on page 3 FEATURE THE CALIFORNIA TECH OCTOBER 20. 2014 3 Student-Faculty Programs hosts SURF Seminar Day Continued from page 2 experience. Her the Explore JPL Seminar Series research on studying This is a lunch series where JPL It opened my eyes to how I could the effect of different scientists and engineers incorporate the two in the future pressures of air on 50- down to campus to talk about their and inspired me to keep looking 100 nm nanoparticles work and available projects for for new things," Park said. stuck a surtace interested SURF students. It was In the field of mechanical Optimizing the Stability of CIBER 2's earned her a trip to well attended and this summer engineering, sophomore Sheila Instrument Shutter Deployment shella Murthy the International we jumped from 25 to 37 Techers Murthy spent her summer Jamie Bock Society of Exposure SURFing at JPL. We are continuing designing the shutter assembly Science conference in the series this fall on Mondays at for CIBER2, which "measures the Cincinnati during the noon and hopefully the numbers of cosmic microwave background week of Oct. 13. JPL SURFs will continue to grow." radiation, and compared it for Candace Rypisi, The SURF program began in vibration testing which ensures that director of student- 1979 and continues as the primary the more fragile components will faculty programs, way students get involved with be stable in space-like conditions." reflected on the 2014 research at Caltech. Some students Murthy was especially interested in SURF program and presented their research earlier this this project as she "wanted to build thought it went well: summer at the end of the 10-week skills in solid works" and found the "For a few years we've SURF period, but most presented research intriguing. been Also in chemical engineering, working on at Seminar Day. All presenters were increasing the number eligible to compete to become a junior Kayané Dingilian had of Caltech students semi-finalist in the Doris S. Perpall an emphasis in environmental Sheila Murthy spent the summer working on CIBER2's shutter assembly. who SURF at JPL. Speaking Competition, which will research during this first SURF Photo Courtesy of Neera Shah Last fall we began be held in January 2015 Nak Won House: a reasonable choice for late-night meals HELEN EVANS make you self-conscious-a sound unlimited refills, so feel free to fill soup made with potato, leek, and is also a very filling dish. However, Contributing Writer business strategy, all in all. up on them to your heart's content beef, a first for me. While warm the majority of their menu options Upon arrival, the waitresses are It's before the "actual meal" shows up. and comforting, it was otherwise like my dumpling broth dish fall 12:30 a.m. Seven hours fairly quick to seat your party at a With the appetizers and tea to unremarkable, but nonetheless a around $8.99, quite reasonable have passed since you last had table and begin taking orders; while tide you over, the wait for your food solid purchase for the wee hours. given the plentiful appetizers and sustenance-or has it been longer their English is slightly lacking, to come is less excruciating than it Best of all, particularly for those with small- to moderate- than that? The hunger is starting they are genial and to cloud your mind; you can scarce generally might otherwise be. The primary considering their reasonably large sized stomachs, the significant provide good service. They begin novelty of many dishes is that they portion sizes, Nak Won won't burn amount of leftovers that is often remember 10 minutes ago now, let by serving a round of barley tea, come still in their final stages of too big of a hole in your wallet. At achieved. I highly recommend Nak alone 10 hours. You wonder faintly a dull orange-brown liquid, cooking, sizzling in their pots as $13.99, the BBQ beef dish is on the Won House to those on the prowl if you would really miss a couple plastic pitchers with a matching steam rises from the depths with expensive side of their prices, but it for delicious late-night food. of toes or if that is just society's set of cups. The tea has a vaguely a high probability conditioning talking. And all the dusty flavor that can be strange and of fogging many while, the growling is growing off-putting on first blush, but after pairs of glasses. louder. a sufficient quantity is imbibed, it For example, We're not just t-shirt printers. Yes, we've all been there: the is a most quenching drink indeed. common favorite late night hours of desperation, This is followed by several small, is the BBQ beef, when scrounging up odd, cold dishes of appetizers, including rich, sweet We can print anything otherwise thoroughly unattractive a spicy daikon kimchi, a green bean meat dish that is brew of fast food seems the only jelly slathered in a vaguely spicy complimented for Techers! way to stave off starvation. For soy sauce, creamy white potato well by the onions those with non-pedestrian modes salad, and mild bean sprouts. As and separate Hats, mugs, pens, bags, water bottles, of transportation and a few free these dishes are meant to be shared rice comes hours, though, there are many across the table, it is perfectly served with. On aprons, USB drives, notebooks. decent late-night restaurants. reasonable to grab your chopsticks my most recent You name it! One such place is Nak Won and dig right in. Additionally, both visit, I ordered House, a small 24-hour restaurant the appetizers and the tea offer their about 15 to 20 minutes dumpling from campus. Located in LA, it is tucked into a complex of other small Now Filling Vacancies! Asian restaurants that is on the popular side, which can make parking difficult, but Nak Won itself is usually not too busy late at night, aside from maybe a smattering of people occupying a few tables. Crown City Ringers, Pasadena's premier community Handbell choir, is seeking musicians with advanced skills to join its ranks this fall ellens " bontind prdute Little is striking about the place as you enter. The décor looks as though it was lifted straight from If interested in becoming a member, please contact us for an audition. a B-list Korean drama: small wooden tables, their surfaces covered in panes of glass, are Rehearsals start soon! laid out neatly across the room, matched with Crown City Ringers inexpensive wooden chairs; the walls are ellens plastered in menus with Silkscreening • Embroidery pictures of their food to Contact us at: make you salivate and Promotional Products full-length mirrors CrownCityRingers@yahoo.com 609-529-3979 1500 Mission Street, South Pasadena, CA 91030 (626) 441-4415 • www.ellenssilkscreening.com FEATURE Various groups lead peaceful protests in Hong Kong existing rights, but that they are punting promised progress on the issue. Hong Kong has never had anything like representative democracy. It is also far from clear that populist majority government would naturally serve the best interests of the people, who enjoy prosperity borne by the freewheeling economic nature of the city, a prosperity certain to be harmed in any chilling of relations with the mainland. The resulting protest is not by a singulargroup, but actuallyinvolves representatives of four distinct groups. The first participants in the protest were student-led groups who announced and executed a weeklong class strike. Comprised of Scholarism, representing secondary school students, and Hong Kong Federation of Students, representing tertiary school students, they began their protest by ditching school for a week to really get their point across. Of course, no longer in school, these students sought to occupy public spaces and subsequently had antagonistic encounters with police. While tame by the standards of the Arab Spring or even Occupy Wall Street, the use of pepper spray and tear gas against secondary school students galvanized the movement, leading to the accelerated involvement of the third group, Occupy Central with Love and Peace, a non-violent local branch of the Occupy movement. The fourth movement, the pan-democracy camp, is an alliance of the many pro-democracy political factions in Hong Kong. They must be the most patient advocates of democracy in existence. The student-led groups have stated their goals are •universal suffrage 4 OCTOBER 20. 2014 Continued from page 1 •resignation of the incumbent Chief Executive CY Leung, partly in responseto perceived disingenuous statements and actions as the protests proceeded •the withdrawal of the decision of the National People's Congress •the submission of new electoral reform plan that includes civil nomination of candidates for the Chief Executive This not your garden variety protest. International coverage focused on the largely peaceful nalure of the To protests. date there has not been a single death, and a relatively tiny fraction of injuries. The protests, which have consisted of disruptive occupation of central arterial streets,havebeen exceptionally well organized, with guest lectures, homework, decentralized distribution of food, water, clothing, shelter, and the development of mobile medical facilities. Communication has also stepped up-lessons learned during Egypt's short-lived revolution now translate to dedicated apps for encrypted peer-to-peer mesh networks, although many participants' phones were also compromised by phishing attacks distributed by SMS. The protests became known as the Umbrella Movement due to the innovative use of umbrellas to deflect tear gas canisters, which were, as protesters noted, often manufactured in the US. THE CALIFORNIA TECH As usual, mainstream media school children, all recorded and communication tools of extreme coverage has downplayed the instantly shared on the Internet. efficiency have a strong interest size of the protests, especially in This blunder is probably the single gaining unfettered access to mainland China, but the protests greatest contributor to the current the political process both within regularly drew around 100,000 detente, especially in contrast Hong Kong and China more participants, easily occupying with the overworked Hong Kong generally. Although the state has several blocks of the city with police, who have also protected a jealously guarded monopoly multi-leveled roads recognizable the pro-democracy protesters from on violence, it is likely that any in the astonishingly prescient violent attacks by pro-business or suppressive response is likely to film Pacific Rim. Confrontations Triads-linked counter protesters. spawn matching unrest on the between police typically escalated As of this week, many protesters mainland, with the possibility of future Tiananmen Square-like trouble. Although the main sources of endemic unrest on the mainland—perceived economic inequality—are less relevant in Hong Kong, the possibility of a forged common cause is likely to lead to some tense meetings in the halls of power. At the least, token concessions carefully measured to avoid encouraging disruptive protest action are nonetheless likely to materialize in order to appease ongoing frustration in the youngest generation. Perhaps the least terrible hypothetical oulcome is the eventual formation of a second Protesters in Hong Kong occupy Harcourt Road in September. Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons lower house of government, chamber of the people, to the firing of tear gas and arrests of dozens (but not hundreds) when protesters or police managed (often inadvertently) to surround each other. Arrested protesters have consistently been released soon after detention. As the protest has developed, protesters and police have generally interacted with a great deal of mutual respect, as the politically unaligned police clearly work long hours to keep the peace and have largely eschewed the earlier tactical error of appearing in riot gear and wielding batons. Perhaps the greatest strategic error and outbreak of violence occurred when police unfamiliar with social media were brought in from the mainland and beat up a bunch of have returned to school, but still return to the streets in substantial numbers in rapid response to progress or lack thereof during ongoing negotiations. What is the outcome? In many respects the protests have been atypical. Protesting about a proposed political process three years in advance is unprecedented. The key stakeholders, consisting of entrenched business interests aligned with Beijing, as well as a Beijing extremely wary of local movements for separatist or autonomous political innovation, are unlikely to budge. On the other hand, a new generation of youths educated with relatively unfiltered access to the Internet and personal elected by universal suffrage to complement senate-like body of the Election Committee and Legislative Council, where the Chief Executive becomes in essence a powerful Secretary of the Treasury. Meanwhile a Secretary of State elected by the lower house leads the government and bargains hard for Hong Kong's ongoing semi-autonomy and ensures that Hong Kong's continued prosperity is adequately shared. If moves in this general direction are not made officially, it is only a matter of time until app-based consensus gains enough legitimacy to claim a seat at the table of real power, with or without the approval of the existing governance structure. CaltechC celebrates Moon Festival with community on stage. The result is a close-knit group of performers who have fun while rehearsing and share their joy with the audience through their wide Badminton Table Tennis and various hiking throughout the year. 'Tournament Tournament, excursions More informationon events and activities hosted by the CaltechC can be found on their website at www.its.caltech.edu/~chinese/. performances. The CaltechC was founded 1985 and currently has over 200 members, including undergraduates, ming a special kind nan act." It i formers ing fro out leaki CaltechC members (Jiyun Xiao, Chujun Lin, and Hao Zhang) try their hand at a K-pop dance to the song "The Boys" from the band SNSD. graduates, postdoes and faculty Continued from page 1 In addition to musical and comedic performances, the audience also received some words of wisdom from Professor Yuk Yung of Caltech's Department of Planetary Science, who performed two of his original pieces of poetry with the latter poem written for his wife in celebration of their ruby anniversary (40 years of marriage). He offered this gem: "To be successful in academia, you must write papers. To be successful in love, you must write poetry." According Xiao, the Moon Gala has a rich history as it has been held every year since 1995. Preparations for the Moon Gala start even before classes at Caltech begin. Auditions are held the first weekend of the fall term, after the new members of the CaltechC have gotten to know each other. The auditions are fairly informal, and performances are sometimes adapted or combined in order to give everyone a chance members The CaltechC also hosts all event for the Spring Festival Gala to celebrate the Chinese New Year. In addition to these celebrations, the CaltechC organizes events such as the campus- Lingxin Liu acts out and lip-synchs the words being saza oy refer wang, wno is maden venina Liu. I neu "Double Yolk" act relies on accurate synchroniza-tion of their words and actions. Tonghui Zhu, dressed in ethereal white, plays Snow Mountain in Spring on a Guzheng, a traditional Chinese musical instrument. rnotos courtesy or Michael Won; SPORTS THE CALIFORNIA TECH OCTOBER 20, 2014 5 Soccer team plays very well, other team plays better GOCALTECH.COM Actual Sports Content Editor several chances go begging in the the top of the penalty box, first 45 minutes, but were unable to but his shot went right into break through against the Caltech the hands of the Bulldogs PASADENA, Calif. (Oct. 15, 2014) - Sophomore John David Feist (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit College Prep) and the rest of a resurgent Caltech men's soccer team pushed the University of the Redlands to the edge before falling by the narrowest of margins in a 1-0 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference defeat Wednesday afternoon. The Bulldogs improve to 8-7 overall and retain their third-place position in the SCIAC at 7-4, while the Beavers are now 0-13-1 (0-10-1). rearguard anchored by impressive goalkeeper. sophomores Jared Reed (Miami, Six minutes later, the Fla. / Westminster Christian) and Bulldogs' Nico Johnson Feist, who made 10 saves on the swung in a looping cross that day. found the head of Charles The halftime scoreline of 0-0 Izydorek at the back post for marked the fifth time in the last six the game's only goal. games that Caltech has recorded "I am very proud of the a first half shutout. A formation team's performance in the change looked to improve on the last six SCIAC games," Beavers' first 45 minutes and, when Uribe said. "I have been the second half began, it was clear here a long time and never that while Redlands continued to experienced the great soccer hold onto the ball, they were being and fight this team has denied any serious opportunities shown over this period. We by the Beavers. can compete with any team Having cruised through the teams' last meeting, Redlands struggled to get anything going against what has been one of the top defenses in the conference over the past month. Redlands enjoyed the majority of possession and had A tactical change by Head in the SCIAC and our results Coach Rolando Uribe 15 minutes show that. It is a remarkable into the half nearly paid off as a improvement from last counterattack down the right side year, and to have given up ended with a low cross that found 22 fewer goals than last JD Feist is blown away by his team's dedication and what the power of friendship can sophomore Kevin Gao (Los Alamos, season at this same point is acmeve. N.M. / Los Alamos) unmarked at awesome." -gocaltech.com We did the thing and we did it well: Cross Country Edition GOCALTECH.COM Actual Sports Content Editor A quartet of seniors followed sophomore Joel Kosmatka Bhagavathi across the finish line (Encinitas, Calif. Cathedral in quick succession, with Ian Koss Catholic) also turned in strong LA MIRADA, Calif. (Oct. 17, 2014) - Led by new school records in both the men's and women's races, the Caltech cross country teams turned in many strong performances at the SCIAC Multi-Duals at La Mirada Park on Friday evening. Junior Aditya Bhagavathi (Plainsboro, N.J. / West Windsor- Plainsboro) paced the squad with a third-place finish as every men's runner recorded a personal-best time. Bhagavathi posted his second successive career-best performance, shaving another 28 seconds off his time to finish with a program-record 25:38.18, which bested the previous mark of 25:44 set in 2001 (records kept since (Fort Collins, Colo. / Poudre) varsity performances with big time- coming in at 27:27.79, Eric Martin drops of 45 seconds (29:29.91) (The Woodlands, Texas / The and 1:26 (29:47.90), respectively. Woodlands College Park) finishing Sophomores Nick Haliday and with a 27:39.74, Jared Forte (Lake Rishabh Pipada continued the Elsinore, Calif. / Elsinore) posting a trend with each dropping over one 27:54.85 and Juan Adame (Sylmar, minute to post times of 30:06.77 Calif. / Sylmar Math/Science Tech. and 30:59.23. Freshman Mason Magnet) rounding out the scoring MacDougall (La Mirada) recorded at 28:11.45. the biggest improvement of the Caltech earned sizable wins day, dropping 2:25 to come in at against Chapman University, 34:09.76, while freshman Gene California Lutheran University and Vaughan (Sharyland) finished up the University of La Verne while with a 31:31.55 and senior Alex coming up just short against the Port (Denver, Colo. / George University of Redlands, 27-28, for Washington) rounded out the a dual meet record of 3-5, marking squad with a 37:39.28. the most wins in over a decade Not to be outdone, the women's (2003). Junior Elliot Simon (Alexandria, squad continued the Beavers record-breaking efforts with nine Va. / Thomas Jefferson) and out of 10 runners posting seasonal We were running a little low on pictures PLYR BLKS KILLS bests. Senior Stephanie Reynolds (Tallahassee, Fla. / Lawton Chiles) dropped over one minute from her time just two weeks prior to run her way into the record books, establishing a new 6k school record of 23:00.45, and finish 21st overall. Freshman Caroline Atyeo (Marjory Stoneman Douglas) improved her previous time by 1:23 to run a 24:05.58 and move up to fourth on the all-time list. Racing together for the first time, sophomores Emily Mazo (Bala Cynwyd, Pa. / Harriton) and Gauri Shastri (West Lafayette Jr-Sr) displayed excellent teamwork, pushing each other to strong performances 26:48.55 and 26:49.85 to finish in 87th and 88th overall as Shastri dropped 1:14 and Mazo shaved 26 seconds from last year. Freshman Gillian Kopp rounded out the scoring for the women, finishing in 29:06.17, a 24-second improvement from two weeks prior. Junior Sheila Lo (Arcadia, Calif. / Arcadia) had a breakout performance with her 29:55.68, an improvement of 2:18. Freshman Caroline Howard, competing in the hrst cross country rac of her life, rounded out the top seven, finishing in 29:57.54. She was followed by junior Emily Jensen (Modesto, Calif. / James Enochs) at 30:45.18, senior Carla Watson (San Diego, Calif. / Westview) in 31:11.41 - a 33-second improvement - sophomore Kate Evans Suwanee, Ga. / Lambert) at 31:13 - a 1:08 improvement - and freshman Tiffany Zhang, who made her cross country debut in 32:31.53. Scoreboard CALTEC 25 WON Women's Volleyball Tues. Oct. 14 vs. CMS - L, 3-0 Fri. Oct. 17 vs. Redlands - L, 3-0 Sat. Oct. 18 vs. Chapman - L, 3-0 Men's Soccer Wed. Oct. 15 vs. Redlands - L, 1-0 Sat. Oct 18 vs. Cal Lutheran, L, 5-1 Cross Country SCIAC Multi-Duals Men's Score - 3-5 Women's Score - 0-8 CALIFO OF 1 The important parts of this picture are 1) the winning score and 2) jazz hands. I was perusing the website and I came across this groovy photo of Beems. Upcoming Games Women's Volleyball Fri. Oct. 24 @ 7:30p - La Verne Sat. Oct. 25 @ 6p - Whittier Tue. Oct. 28 @ 7:30p - Cal Lutheran Men's Water Polo Wed. Oct. 22 @ 5p - La Verne Wed. Oct. 22 @ 7p - Chaffey College Men's Soccer Wed. Oct. 22 @ 4p - Chapman Sat. Oct. 25 @ 11a - Pomona-Pitzer Mon. Oct. 27 @ 7p - La Verne -gocaltech.com -gocaltech.com 6 OCTOBER 20, 2014 ANNOUNCEMENTS CALLORNA TECH ASCIT Minutes ASCIT Board of Directors Meeting Minutes for 12 October 2014. Taken by Sean McKenna. Officers Present: Catherine Jamshidi, Nima Badizadegan, Connie Hsueh, Patrick Nikong, Annie Chen, Sean McKenna Guests: Elliott Simon, Ellora Sarkar, Chris Dosen Call to Order: 9:05 Agenda: President's Report (Cat): • Dean Dabiri has announced that he will be moving to Stanford on July 1". The BOD will be working hard to complete "wish-list" items in the few months that remain. Contact a member of the BOD if you suggestions for what should be finished before Dean Dabiri's term expires. Officer's Reports: • V.P. of Academic Affairs (ARC Chair: Nima): • Student-Faculty Conference planning is still happening. • Vice Provost's office would like to work with the ARC on experimental teaching (MOOCs), improving TOFRs and other evaluations, and scientific writing. • The Honor Code committee will present a preliminary report to the Faculty Board soon, which will be made available to students sometime in the future. • ARC Frosh Reps will be selected on Wednesday. Signups will be taken down on Monday. V.P. of Non-Academic Affairs (IHC Chair: Connor): • We're still in a drought! Water conservation is important. Particularly, if you notice that a sprinkler is positioned incorrectly and is watering the sidewalk or something, report it to sustainability@caltech.edu. Director of Operations (Connie): • Club Funding is happening on Sunday the 26th. Applications are due on Monday the 20th. • Patrick is going to get ASCIT's budget for 2014-2015 finished this week. Social Director (Annie): 40 people signed up for Annie's Socteam. She'll be using them as her support staff and has chosen not to set up an Executive Social Committee in addition to • Annie is still working with administration on setting up a timeline and financial details for Big I, but this information will be distributed to the houses as soon as it's available. • Tom is working with the Alumni Association to set up an Interstellar event at the beginning of December. ASCIT projector and SAC Courtyard ping pong table have been approved. Secretary (Sean): • ASCIT now has a twitter account! Follow @ASCIT tweets. If anyone has any questions or concerns about a section of the minutes please email the appropriate officer. We are happy to answer any questions. The next meeting will take place on October 19th, 2014 at 2pm in SAC 15. Meeting Adjourned: 10:00 ORNA All Students Are Invited to Celebrate the Inauguration of President Rosenbaum! Thursday, October 23, 8 p.m. Beckman Auditorium Panel Discussion "Science and the University-Government Partnership Come hear what a panel of distinguished scientists and leaders has to say about the future of innovation at places like Caltech. Friday, October 24, 2 p.m. Beckman Mall Inauguration The ceremony starts at 2 p.m., and all students are encouraged to attend. An all-campus reception on the Olive Walk will follow. In honor of inauguration, and to make it easy for all students to participate in this very special event, October 24 has been declared an academic holiday. For information about the ceremony and related events, please visit inauguration.caltech.edu NOMINATE YOUR FAVORITE PROFESSOR FOR THE FEYNMAN TEACHING PRIZE!!! The California Tech Editors-in-Chief Monica Enlow 117. awe Neera Shah Nehaly Shah Here's your chance to nominate your favorite professor for the 2014 15 Richard P. Feynman Prize for Excellence in Teaching! You have from now until January 5, 2015 to submit your nomination package to the Provost's Office to honor a professor who demonstrates, in the broadest sense, unusual ability, creativity, and innovation in undergraduate and graduate classroom or laboratory teaching. Advisor Richard Kipling Contributing Writers Helen Evans Casey Handmer Parul Pubbi Tim Sinclair Nancy Wen Additional information including guidelines for the prize and FAQ may be found at http://provost.caltech. edu/FeynmanTeachingPrize. Further information can also be obtained from Karen Kerbs (626-395-6039; kkerbs@ caltech.edu) in the Provost's Office. REMINDER FROM THE COUNSELING CENTER: Meditation Mob (drop-in mindfulness meditation group) meets every Tuesday Bottom floor of Winnett from 12:00-12:50 pm Caltech 40-5o, Pasadena, CA 91125 Contact tech@caltech.edu The Tech is published weekly except dur- in? Vacauon ana examinaton perioas D the Associated Students of the Calitornia Institute of Technology, Inc. The opinions expressed herein are strictly those of the autnors ana aaverusers Letters and submissions are welcome:e mail submissions to tech@caltech.edu as plain-text attachments, including the au- thors name, Dy rmlaay or the week peror publication. The lech does accept anony mous contributions under special circum stances. The editors reserve the right to eal and abriare all subinissions lor an reason. All written work remains propert The advertising deadline is 5 PM Friday all aaverusine snoula ve sudmittea elec tronically or as camera-ready art, but The allansetchl advertising inquiries snoula ve alrecrea to the business man ager at tech acaltech.edu. ror subserintion information, please send mail to "Sub- THE CALIFORNIA TECH FEATURE Cirque Zuma Zuma awes at Beckman PARUL PUBBI Contributing Writer physical demands performing places. I had a chance to speak with the girl whom I'd watched Performers from Africa (representing the countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania) landed in sunny Pasadena for a performance on Oct. 18 called Cirque Zuma Zuma, a Cirque du Soleil-inspired demonstration of human talent. The high-energy show began with vocalists in bright ensembles: graphic leopard print pants made way for a tribal dance in zebra print. The first demonstration of human talent came with limbo, when a performer gave "How low can you go?" another meaning by bending backwards and walking under a pole about a foot above the ground. move her body like putty after the performance; she was just 22 and had been working to increase her flexibility since she was 12. It took five years of focus to reach a point where she could perform. I don't think five years would be sufficient for me to be near the point where I could remotely bend like that, even though I've danced for years. It only took about five minutes of watching her perform to drop my jaw to the ground, though! I didn't know it was possible to walk circles around yourself while keeping your head upside down in the same place. Around Fleming house, I've been pushing for yoga Saturdays. If this show wasn't motivation to Crossword 2 14 76 13 14 9 15 18 19 20 21 22 23 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 135 36 137 38 40 41 43 44 |45 46 47 49 50 51 52 56 57 58 59 61 63 164 165 166 68 71 Across 42. A great distance 2. Concur 1. Yore 43. Annoy 3. Angle 5. Curved masonry 44. Male red deer 4. Variety construction 46. Smother 5. Biblical boat 9. River duck 48. Cereal grass seed 6. Make resentful or 13. Horrible looking 49. Sense organ angry 14. Uncommon 50. Ale 7. Wicker fish basket 15. Impressive display 51. Jinx 8. Part of a shoe 17. Snare 52. Singe 9. Restaurant bill 18. Leg joint 53. Perform 10. Mistake 19. Saltwater 56. Reverberate 11. Desiccated 20. Religious doctrine 59. Scintilla 12. Bring ashore 22. Seaweed 61. Lesser in scope or 16. Affirmative Photo Courtesy of Cirque Zuma Zuma 24. Betting ratio effect 21. Novice 25. Up to now 63. Mentally responsive 23. Consortium The next act began with an follow through, I'm not quite sure 26. Shout 65. Ceremonial staff 27. Fish unassuming green chair: as what is. Watching a man balance a 28. Paddle 67. Wander 29. Historic period female vocalist crooned soothing candelabra on a small stick held in beats, 30. Large woody plant 68. Pester 30. Attempt an acrobat showed the his mouth made me very aware of 31. Written record of 69. Metallic element 31. Circuit audience what the phrase "To the my lack of coordination as well. events 70. Notion 32. Petty quarrel top!" really means by performing Next on stage was a comedy 32. Summit 71. Liberate 33. Ellipse handstands on one, then two, then act with a man who was more 35. Security group 72. Look after 34. Funeral mound three, then four chairs (easily over expressive with a whistle than many 38. Wan 73. Transmitted 35. Brace 20 feet above ground). This was people are with words. Acrobats 39. Vine with evergreen 36. Askew followed by a juggling dance; if who made poses that didn't begin leaves Down 37. Receive something the Caltech men's basketball team to compare to my high school's 40. Not present 1. Used to secure panes was as good as dribbling one ball cheerleading team were up next, 41. Gratuity of glass given 38. Domestic swine as the performer was with seven, closely followed by a performance we might actually win a few games. of gumboot, a traditional dance Sudoku This was closely followed by that originated in the mines. By pushups and handstands to beats; definition, cirque involves "adding this alone would be impressive, theatricality" to circus acts, but 1 but it was heightened by the fact this part felt a bit gimmicky for my that this was done while jumping taste. rope. A line of performers taking One of the best indicators of how turns somersaulting through two compelling a show is, is how much small hoops brought and balanced the audience feels involved and Vil blaze seemed superhuman. engaged, and the show's capacity to Whether or not America has talent make an audience lose themselves, 2 4 6 9 8 5 4 is debatable, but these African if only for an hour. The answer- performers definitely did. and-call session that followed, as The next act was perhaps my well as the concluding high-energy favorite of the night: a female body number that brought most of the 9 contortionist named Salaam from audience to their feet, dancing Ethopia who slinked to the stage along, served as pretty compelling 3 3 7 4 6 in a bright yellow suit and bended evidence for considering the to poses that put the Kama Sutra to cirque quite a successful show. 6 7 shame. The introduction pamphlet The acrobats behind the show given at the event claimed that many also specialize in club and fire 9 2 7 3 members of the African Acrobats juggling, which wasn't on display International Academy, the group at Beckman; all in all, though, behind the feats demonstrated, it was quite a spectacular show typically can't perform onstage with charismatic performers that after the age of 30 due to the entertained from start to finish. OCTOBER 20, 2014 7 10 24 42 62 11 |12 32 33 39 16 134 153 54 155 -puzzlechoice.com 41. Seaman 42. Atmosphere 44. Understand 45. Cab 46. Large body of water 47. Limited period of time 50. Lighthouse 51. Gymnastic apparatus 52. Gaze 53. Positively charged electrode 54. Gathering of witches 55. Delicacy 56. Consume 57. Musical notation written on a staff 58. Take heed 60. Leave out 62. Part of the eye 64. Golf peg 66. Conclusion 9 27|5 7 9 5 1 5 82 -puzzlechoice.com THE CALIFORNIA TECH Caltech student sets academic record TIM SINCLAIR Contributing Writer "It was like no one was even trying to beat me." Cody Smarts, 18, makes everything seem easy when he's in his zone. That particular zone is Baxter Lecture Hall, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Through the first two weeks of classes, Smarts holds the highest in-class score in Math 1a. But Smarts' performance so far is not just amazing: it is historic. No student has ever asked as many questions, or pointed out as many mistakes on the board as Smarts has through the first two weeks of any Math 1a class. "I'm a competitive person by nature," Smarts tells us. "Most Caltech students don't understand that class is a competition, not a learning environment." Yes, interrupting class comes naturally to Smarts, but he does set his record under different circumstances than the previous record holders. We asked Jon Buscutti, a senior math major who has tutored Math 1a since he was a sophomore, what was different this year. "Usually, math professors won't call on students this often. Nets Katz, who started teaching the course last year, seems to be calling on students at a higher-than-average rate. We started seeing signs that a record could be set soon when, after the midterm last year, Katz explained one of the problems in class, and answered 15 questions on that problem alone." When Smarts first arrived at Caltech, he was full of talent. Bored in high school one too many times, Smarts decided to have more fun by interrupting class whenever he could. "I'll admit that at some point I realized that if I slow down class enough, I could actually do better against the curve, because the teacher wouldn't be able to get through all the material in time. I learn better from books anyway. I quickly realized that was unethical and stopped using it to my advantage. It's like betting on a professional sports game as a player. I felt it distracted from the spirit of the game." Since attending an introductory organic chemistry class at a local community college over the summer before his senior year of high school, Smarts' skills as a student have matured. Bobby Jenson, another student in Math 1a, explained why Smarts has been so successful. "He's completely changing the game. Cody knows how to get the professor's attention in a million different ways. He can get the professor to call on him with just a facial expression. "He can believably both understand a lecture well enough to ask a question that demonstrates how much he knows, and also get baffled by a tiny mistake on the board that wasn't important. I mean, obviously he's not confused by most of the mistakes he finds because they take a lot of knowledge of the subject to notice; he just sells it so well." The last student to record the most class interruptions during the first two weeks of Math 1a went on to record the most class interruptions during the entire term of any Math 1a course. That student, of course, was Georgia Fu, who set her record exactly a decade ago in Fall term, 2004. Fu is the first international student to hold the record and represents a growing academic super-power: China. "I think the other students are a little more accepting of Smarts' interruptions than they usually would be," Buscutti explained. "It's like they want to bring the trophy back to America. Our education system might be behind China's in math, science, and reading, but we can at least show our dominance in forcing all the other students to pay attention to us. It's the American way." To get updates on Smarts' progress throughout the year, follow@Sh**CaltechSays on twitter. The Iterated Manifold is a weekly column by Timothy Sinclair, who liked Caltech so much he matriculated before going to prefrosh weekend. HUMOR Acquired Taste CINEMA GONE GIRL @ This should be fun! OCTOBER 20, 2014 8 Dr. Z CINEMA CONE GIRL Trust no one Turtle Lover did u hear abut the famus italien chef who jus died no he pasta way oh dad Answers to previous Sudoku 3 2 4 2 7 2 5 14 3 5 8 9 3 5 1 6 5 The California Tech Caltech 40-58 Pasadena, CA 91125 Answers to previous crossword GON R A R N ERRAN G SPEC WID ANG PEE E N E K SHOP scope ANEL NENT R D PE A L FRY R Y ALTAR LAWN -puzzlechoice.com