International Education Week
2025 | Fall Term | Monday, Nov 17 - Friday, Nov 21
Celebrating international education and exchange, International Education Week (IEW) is an initiative of the U.S. Dept of State and the U.S. Dept of Education.
From Caltech to China: Our Tsinghua Travel Diary - By Ellie Wang and Ying Tan.
Monday, Nov 17 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Hameetman Multipurpose Room | Lunch Provided.
Caltech students Ellie Wang and Ying Tan share their experience conducting summer research abroad at Tsinghua University. Mentored under Professor Yanan Sui (Caltech PhD ‘17) in the Learning and Neural Systems Lab, they explored individual projects at the intersection of machine learning and robotics while experiencing life at one of China's best research universities. They'll highlight what it was like to live and work in a close-knit interdisciplinary lab community—complete with bilingual research meetings, karaoke nights, and canteen-hopping adventures—and reflect on the cultural, academic, and personal growth that came with their time abroad. Their talk offers an authentic glimpse into what it's like to conduct research internationally, build cross-cultural friendships, and connect science with a global perspective. Ellie is an undergraduate sophomore Studying Computer Sciences at Caltech and Ying is an undergraduate junior studying Mechanical Engineering at Caltech.
Archaeological Excavation in Mongolia - By Maria Schmeer, Abby Keebler and Eran Funaro.
Tuesday, Nov 18 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Hameetman Multipurpose Room | Lunch Provided.
Maria, Abby, and Eran traveled to Mongolia with 14 other members of the GPS department. They met up with geology students from the Mongolian Institute of Science, hopped in purgons, and spent two weeks barreling across the steppe. They hiked sand dunes in the Gobi, weathered thunderstorms, toured a copper mine and Buddhist monasteries, climbed through mountain and river valleys, searched for dinosaurs, and camped alongside rivers and nestled within granites. Along the way, they learned how Mongolia's rich geologic history intersects with human history, culture, and lifestyles–from the influential Mongol empire to the nomadic, herding-based ways of life that many past and present Mongolians follow. Come and learn how these Caltech earth scientists explored the natural and human landscapes of Mongolia. Maria, Abby and Eran are graduate students studying geology at Caltech.
A Trip Down Memory Lane: Relearning Spain's History while Exploring the Different Regions of Spain - By Areeg Al-Dayni.
Wednesday, Nov 19 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Hameetman Multipurpose Room | Lunch Provided.
Join Areeg on a journey through Spain that goes beyond the familiar tales of colonialism and the Reconquista. In this talk, she will explore the rich influence of Islamic dynasties on Spanish culture, architecture, and daily life, the traces of which still visible in the vibrant streets of cities like Granada, Córdoba, and Seville. Along the way, she'll share her personal experiences as a FASA Fellowship recipient and discuss how the program helped her rediscover history through travel and reflection. Areeg is a second-year Bio engineering student at Caltech.
Across Fault Lines: My Summer in Iceland - By Natalia Hernandez.
Thursday, Nov 20 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Hameetman Multipurpose Room | Lunch Provided
Natalia spent the summer in Iceland studying dormant volcanoes and modeling caldera collapses. But this summer taught her so much more than programming and geophysics. She learned to craft friendships, explore fearlessly, and live independently. In the end, the greatest lesson she learned was gratitude. Natalia is a third-year undergraduate studying geological and planetary sciences at Caltech, with a special interest in geophysics
A Kiwi Adventure to New Zealand - By Otis Otieno.
Friday, Nov 21 | 12:00 - 1:00 PM | Hameetman Multipurpose Room | Lunch Provided.
Whether it's tapping onto nature's high or exploring Middle Earth, New Zealand is no doubt a hotspot for outdoor zealots. From endless rolling hills to glaciers that feed the crystal clear waters in the valleys and the Hobbiton movie set, New Zealand is a paradise for spirited eyes. Beyond the eye, stories of ancient and present rattles of Maori hakas to how rugby became a symbol of national unity and pride, there is also stories for the attentive ear. We invite you on this grand adventure of New Zealand through story in the hopes that you might go on a grand adventure yourself, or simply enjoy the tales. Otis is a junior at Caltech studying Applied and Computational Mathematics.
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