Ion Caltech Today
Construction and Parking
Photos of construction progress at South Gate Plaza as of January 2026.
Construction Impacts
- Ginsburg Center: Construction of the main building is ongoing and progressing as scheduled. Completion of the building's roofing is scheduled for the week of February 21.
- South Gate Plaza: Construction activity in the area has increased and will continue into February.
- Downs-Lauritsen Lab: The installation of glass on the bridge connecting Downs-Lauritsen with the Ginsburg Center has been completed. Roof construction began at the end of January and will continue into February.
- Frank J. Malina Laboratory for High-Speed Flight Dynamics: Construction on the south side of the Guggenheim Laboratory is ongoing.
Parking and Traffic
- There are no new parking and traffic updates at this time.
Pedestrian Access
- There are no new pedestrian access updates at this time.
Community Member Milestones
- Welcome to Caltech:
William Phillips
On January 5, William joined Caltech as operations staff in Athletics, Recreation, and Instruction (ARI). At ARI, he will assist with the membership program, provide customer service to guests and members of the facility, and work collaboratively with the operations team and department staff. Prior to Caltech, he worked in operations and athletics at Providence Christian College.
- Celebrating a recognition:
Jonas Flygare
Jonas received the Alumnus of the Year – Rising Star award from his alma mater, Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden at the end of 2025. He was recognized for his contributions to the development of future radio astronomy, especially through the Deep Synoptic Array project at Caltech, where he leads the feed antenna design.
- Celebrating a recognition:
Isaac Aguilar
Isaac, a second-year PhD student in geobiology, won an Environment and Exposures Research Poster Award for the Caltech volunteer community ash study on the 2025 Eaton Fire. He and other Caltech researchers from the Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences presented research at the first annual LA Fires Research Conference hosted by UCLA on January 14.
- Welcome to Caltech:
Lucas Fagan
On January 5, Lucas joined Caltech as a research scientist in the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, where he'll work on building reinforcement learning agents to solve research-level math problems. Prior to this role, Lucas was a visiting student at Caltech and earned his PhD in math from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Celebrating a promotion:
Tye Welch
On December 1, Tye was promoted to associate vice president for Audit Services and Institute Compliance, where he previously served as senior director of compliance and interim associate vice president. In this new role, Tye will direct the annual internal audit and compliance plans, facilitate the Institute's enterprise risk management program, and direct numerous advisory projects.
- Welcome to Caltech:
Robbie Nock
Robbie joined Caltech on October 20 as the deputy director of the Center for Technology and Management Education (CTME) in the Division of Engineering and Applied Science, where he will advance the center's custom programs and professional education offerings. He comes to CTME from ArtCenter College of Design, where he led entrepreneurship and professional education programs as an administrator and assistant professor.
Resources
Didn’t bring lunch today? Check out what you can get on campus through the dining menus for Browne Dining Hall, Red Door Marketplace, Broad Cafe, and Avery Kitchen.
Update your contact information and download the emergency communications app, Everbridge, to receive necessary information in the event of an emergency on campus.
The SFCC’s experienced mental health professionals offer staff and faculty up to five confidential consultation sessions to assess needs and discuss next steps.
Media Mentions
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