Programs Blog

August 11, 2025

We started our week of the SEA Marine Robotics Program at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), where we learned about the kind of work we will be doing when we sail on the Corwith Cramer. Here are some of the highlights!

First, we met Brandon Rodriguez, who formerly worked at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), and now is a geochemist at CalTech. His work focuses on finding iridium in slivers of rock from sites hit by asteroids. Afterwards, we then met Andy Klesh, an engineer at JPL who has worked on projects from Mars rovers to deep-sea robotics. When we were exploring campus, we came across a turtle pond, which quickly became a popular spot.

Sarah Kingston, a marine biologist at SEA, taught us about oceanography, specifically discussing wind and ocean currents and a million types of plankton. Little did we know, this would be the first of many lectures from the aforementioned scientists. Furthermore, we learned about all sorts of marine robots, such as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). These are used to explore the deep sea and under the Arctic ice.

Outside of class, we decided to host a picnic and later, an ice cream party on the CalTech lawn. Playing football gave our international students the true American Experience™ and was a great way to get to know everyone. Brandon even told us that he hadn’t seen anyone use the lawn for a picnic before, so we were able to fulfill his dream by doing so.

From,
Lizzy, Norah, Zelie, and Lucia

Groetjes aan mama, papa, en ook nog speciale vermeling een Romanie en Karien!!!
我爱你妈妈，我爱你爸爸！
¡Los extraño! Saluden a Eva de mi parte.