Back California Institute of Technology AF California Institute of Technology ALS معهد كاليفورنيا للتقنية Arabic معهد كاليفورنيا للتكنولوجيا (كالتيك) ARZ Institutu de Teunoloxía de California AST Kaliforniya Texnologiya İnstitutu AZ کالیفورنیا تکنولوژی انستیتوسو AZB Institut Téknologi California BAN Каліфарнійскі тэхналагічны інстытут BE Каліфарнійскі тэхналягічны інстытут BE-X-OLD

California Institute of Technology

California Institute of Technology
Former names
  • Throop University (1891–1907)
  • Throop Polytechnic Institute and Manual Training School (1907–1913)
  • Throop College of Technology (1913–1920)[1]
Motto"The truth shall make you free"[2]
TypePrivate research university
EstablishedSeptember 23, 1891 (1891-09-23)
FounderAmos G. Throop
AccreditationWSCUC
Academic affiliations
Endowment$3.5 billion (2022)[3]
PresidentThomas F. Rosenbaum
Academic staff
300 professorial faculty[4]
Students2,397 (2021–22)
Undergraduates987 (2021–22)[5]
Postgraduates1,410 (2021–22)[5]
Location
Pasadena
,
California
,
United States

34°08′15″N 118°07′30″W / 34.13750°N 118.12500°W / 34.13750; -118.12500
CampusMidsize city[6], 124 acres (0.50 km2)
NewspaperThe California Tech
ColorsOrange and white[7]
   
NicknameBeavers
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division III – SCIAC
MascotBernoulli the Beaver[8]
Websitecaltech.edu

The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech)[a] is a private research university in Pasadena, California. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes of technology in the United States which are strongly devoted to the instruction of pure and applied sciences.[10][11] Due to its history of technological innovation, Caltech has been considered to be one of the world's most prestigious universities.[b]

The institution was founded as a preparatory and vocational school by Amos G. Throop in 1891 and began attracting influential scientists such as George Ellery Hale, Arthur Amos Noyes, and Robert Andrews Millikan in the early 20th century. The vocational and preparatory schools were disbanded and spun off in 1910, and the college assumed its present name in 1920. In 1934, Caltech was elected to the Association of American Universities, and the antecedents of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which Caltech continues to manage and operate, were established between 1936 and 1943 under Theodore von Kármán.[12][13]

Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphasis on science and engineering, managing $332 million in sponsored research in 2011.[14] Its 124-acre (50 ha) primary campus is located approximately 11 mi (18 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles, in Pasadena. First-year students are required to live on campus, and 95% of undergraduates remain in the on-campus housing system at Caltech. Student life is governed by an honor code that allows faculty to assign take-home examinations. The Caltech Beavers compete in 13 intercollegiate sports in the NCAA Division III's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).

Scientists and engineers at or from the university have played an essential role in many modern scientific breakthroughs and innovations, including advances in sustainability science, quantum physics, earthquake monitoring, protein engineering, and soft robotics.[15][11][16] As of October 2022, there are 79 Nobel laureates who have been affiliated with Caltech, making it the institution with the highest number of Nobelists per capita in America.[17][18] This includes 46 alumni and faculty members (47 prizes, with chemist Linus Pauling being the only individual in history to win two unshared prizes). In addition, four Fields Medalists and six Turing Award winners have been affiliated with Caltech.[19]

  1. ^ "History & Milestones".
  2. ^ "Caltech: Did you know?". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  3. ^ As of September 30, 2022. The Caltech Investment Office (Report). The Caltech Investment Office. 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  4. ^ "Caltech: at a Glance". California Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Fall Enrollment 2021–22". Caltech – Office of the Registrar. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  6. ^ "College Navigator – California Institute of Technology". National Center for Education Statistics.
  7. ^ "Colors - Identity Toolkit". Identity.Caltech.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "It's Bernoulli! Caltech Beaver Name Revealed".
  9. ^ "Official Logo & Marks". Identity.Caltech.edu. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  10. ^ "California Institute of Technology | university, Pasadena, California, United States". Britannica. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "These 25 Schools Are Responsible for the Greatest Advances in Science". QZ. September 10, 2015. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  12. ^ "Member Institutions". American Association of Universities. Archived from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  13. ^ "Early History". NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on October 26, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2010.
  14. ^ "Caltech Overview 2010–2011" (PDF). Caltech Office of Marketing and Communications. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 16, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2011.
  15. ^ "Caltech – Decade of Discovery". Caltech. December 19, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  16. ^ "History of Caltech". The Nobel Prize. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
  17. ^ Wai, Jonathan. "The Undergraduate Institutions With The Most Nobel Prize Winners". Forbes. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  18. ^ Clynes, Tom (October 1, 2016). "Where Nobel winners get their start". Nature. 538 (7624): 152. Bibcode:2016Natur.538..152C. doi:10.1038/nature.2016.20757. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 27734890. S2CID 4466329.
  19. ^ "Nobel Laureates". California Institute of Technology. Retrieved October 6, 2022.


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