Welcome back! Caltech Letters is kicking off our fall publication cycle with our annual "Year in Review," highlighting some of our favorite articles of the last academic year. caltechletters.org/science/year-i… Interested in science communication? Get in touch at [email protected].

Today's academia leaves less room for basic science than ever before. My new piece for Caltech Letters on why this is ruining humanity's future — and how trainees can fight back: caltechletters.org/viewpoints/in-…

In our first feature article of the term, graduate student Kian Faizi calls for a renewed commitment to the pursuit of basic science. caltechletters.org/viewpoints/in-…

"To my fellow graduate students: resist the deforming gaze of today’s academia, which compels the commodification of your innate curiosity. You have the freedom to direct your research; this is a unique privilege." - Kian Faizi, Caltech Biology Graduate Student (Kian Faizi)

Would you reach into a black box if there was a chance a tarantula lurked inside? What if you were paid to reach in? In this week's article, Sharon Chen discusses how fear and anxiety affect our decisions. caltechletters.org/science/scienc…

The artwork for this week's article from Sharon Chen (Sharon Chen) on the science of fear and decision-making is by Caltech graduate student Julie Inglis. You can view more of Julie's work at julieinglis.com

"I am confident that continued research into the complex nature of fear could one day yield deep insights into human behavior, allowing us to better understand and control our decision-making in the real world." - Sharon Chen, former Caltech graduate student

After a supernova explosion, what’s left is an extremely high-density neutron star. It’s so dense that a spoonful of a neutron star weighs more than the Himalayas! Theyprovide a gigantic reservoir of neutrons for the synthesis of heavier elements. caltechletters.org/science/star-s…

The artwork for this week's article, on the stellar origins of the elements, is by our graphics director, Sarah Zeichner. You can view more of Sarah's work at sarahzeichner.com

"In the bellies of these stars— seemingly serene dots in the sky—a high-pressure inferno begins to squeeze together atoms of lighter elements and combine them into heavier ones." -- Kaustav Das, Caltech Astronomy graduate student

In this week's Viewpoint, Caltech alumna Jadzia Livingston '20 calls for a re-examination of undergraduate "burnout culture." caltechletters.org/viewpoints/stu…

The artwork for last week's article, on burnout culture at Caltech, is by Caltech alumna and research scientist Jennah Colborn '22. #caltech #caltechletters

"The time pressure undergraduates experience at Caltech forces students to choose between central aspects of the traditional college experience. A lot of undergrads at Caltech don’t go to lectures, and many that do are late or exhausted." -- Jadzia Livingston, Caltech '20

In this week's viewpoint, Chemistry Graduate Student and Caltech Letters Managing Editor Skyler Ware describes inventive ways of bridging the gap between scientists and their communities. caltechletters.org/viewpoints/dun…

The artwork for this week's viewpoint - on relationship-centered approaches to science outreach - is by Caltech alum and scientist Jennah Colborn. You can find more work by Jennah and other artists on our website at caltechletters.org.

"Building trust through shared values might not be a typical focus during outreach, but I’m hopeful that by prioritizing those relationships, we can grow lasting, authentic, and impactful educational partnerships." - Skyler Ware, Caltech Chemistry Graduate Student

In this week's Viewpoint, organizers for C/GPU argue why graduate students and postdocs at Caltech should unionize. caltechletters.org/viewpoints/we-…