Student News
Congrats Class of 2025!
Get to know a few of our newest alumni!
Q & A with Christopher Stewart (MS '25)
Get to know one if our chemical engineering graduates, Christopher Stewart. Stewart matriculated to CCE in 2023 from the United States Military Academy, West Point.
Q: Can you share a bit of background on your time with the military?
A: I entered the United States Military Academy, West Point, right out of high school in 2012 and graduated in 2016 with a degree in chemical engineering. From there, I commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Engineer branch and have held a series of military engineering roles across the continental United States. Most recently, I commanded Alpha Company, 41st Engineer Battalion out of Fort Drum, New York. Right now, I am finishing up a master’s degree here at Caltech before going back to West Point to be an instructor. It’s been an incredible and fulfilling journey that has challenged me and allowed me to meet and work with some amazing people
Q: What interested you in getting your degree at Caltech?
A: I grew up locally and visited family friends in Pasadena, where I have fond memories of splashing around in the turtle ponds as a child. Attending Caltech had always been a dream of mine and I honestly cannot believe how fortunate I am to be here. When it came time to apply to graduate schools, I knew I wanted to return to Los Angeles to be closer to my parents and felt that Caltech would be an excellent place to study. I am very thankful to Professor Wang and the CCE division for opening up a pathway for a terminal master’s degree for me.
Q: What you will be teaching at West Point?
A: As far as what I am teaching, my first year I will teach a few sections of general chemistry as a part of the core curriculum. Following that I will move on to teach a wider array of undergraduate chemical engineering courses (separations, thermo, …).
Zachary Ahmad, Wes Patel, and Karyn Seixas
New Caltech Merchandise to Raise Funds for Community Fire Relief
A collaboration between chemical engineering graduate student Wes Patel, Zachary Ahmad and Caltech Store manager Karyn Seixas, produced special Caltech merchandise aimed at raising proceeds to the Caltech and JPL Disaster Relief Fund.
Artist Julia Gash created a custom art piece that features iconic Caltech landmarks – is now on sale at the Caltech Bookstore.
Incoming Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Named Hertz Fellow
Edward Chen, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, will graduate from West Point this month with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, with honors, and a minor in engineering management. At West Point, Chen—who leads 1,099 cadets as the 1st Regiment command sergeant major and competed on the Army water polo team—conducted research focused on the applications of redox flow batteries for grid-scale renewable energy storage, work that has taken him to Army bases across the US and to the Pentagon to study energy resilience for national security.
CGSC Industry Seminar 2025:
On April 17th, the Chemistry Graduate Student Council (CGSC) hosted Dr. Vishva Dixit, Vice President of Physiological Chemistry and Research Biology at Genentech, as the distinguished speaker for the CGSC Industry Seminar 2025. The event drew a wide audience from CCE and related departments that highlighted strong interdisciplinary interest. Dr. Dixit, renowned for his groundbreaking contributions to our understanding of cell death and inflammatory signaling, delivered a inspiring seminar that traced the evolving complexity of programmed cell death pathways. The students were especially engaged by his insights into the many mechanisms by which cells can die: work that has fundamentally reshaped the fields of immunology and cell biology. Beyond the seminar, students and postdoctoral scholars had the opportunity to engage with Dr. Dixit in more informal settings including a lunch discussion, a coffee hour co-sponsored by CCE BOND and CCID, and a dinner gathering. These interactions offered valuable perspectives on Dr. Dixit’s unique career trajectory from academia to industry leadership! Through such collaborative events, CGSC hopes to continue promoting meaningful scientific exchange and community-building across CCE in the future!
CGSC board: RJ Chadha (President), Maia Helterbrand, Ashma Pandya, Eva Kercmar, Kate Gallagher, Zoe Readi-Brown