Caltech to Inaugurate Ray Jayawardhana at Pasadena Ceremony, Host Space Panel

Caltech will formally inaugurate astrophysicist Ray Jayawardhana as its 10th president at a public ceremony in Pasadena on Thursday, Oct. 29, following a discussion on the future of space exploration.

The two-day program will bring NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and technology executive Eric Schmidt to the Pasadena campus on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

The ceremony will formally install  Jayawardhana, who has led the institute since July 1.

The Thursday ceremony begins at 10 a.m. on Beckman Mall, at Caltech’s campus at 1200 E. California Blvd. It is scheduled to run until noon and will feature remarks from trustees, faculty and community members, an inaugural address by Jayawardhana and musical performances.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is appreciated but not required, Caltech says. Guest seating opens at 9 a.m. and is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The ceremony will be livestreamed beginning at 9:45 a.m.

A campus celebration follows at noon on Olive Walk, with complimentary lunch and science demonstrations. Caltech says Pasadena-area neighbors are welcome alongside students, faculty, staff and members of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory community. The institute will waive guest parking charges on Thursday.

The preceding evening, Caltech’s “First Light: The Brave New Space Age” program begins at 5:30 p.m. with interactive science and engineering displays outside Beckman Auditorium. The activities include demonstrations from Caltech and JPL, refreshments and live music. A new exhibition of JPL archival material is also part of the program.

A panel discussion on the opportunities and challenges of commercial space exploration starts at 7:30 p.m. Its speakers include Isaacman; Schmidt, former chief executive of Google and current chair and chief executive of Relativity Space; and Lindy Elkins-Tanton, director of the University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory and principal investigator of NASA’s Psyche mission. CBS News correspondent Jo Ling Kent will moderate.

Advance registration for the Wednesday discussion has reached capacity, according to Caltech. A standby line may be available, but admission is not guaranteed. The institute advises prospective standby attendees to arrive by 6:50 p.m. Doors are scheduled to open at 7 p.m.

Caltech’s communications office described the events as a chance to examine the institute’s future as a Pasadena research institution and the country’s future in space exploration. The program’s “First Light” theme refers to a telescope’s first observation, when astronomers first gather light from a new instrument.

Jayawardhana succeeded Thomas F. Rosenbaum, who led Caltech for 12 years. Previously provost of Johns Hopkins University, Jayawardhana studies the formation of stars and planets, including worlds beyond the solar system. Caltech manages JPL for NASA, a connection reflected in the inauguration’s space-focused events.

NEED TO KNOW

Event: Inauguration of Caltech’s 10th President: Inauguration Ceremony. When: Thursday, Oct. 29. Time: 10 a.m. to noon; campus celebration at noon. Cost: Free; registration appreciated. Where: Beckman Mall, Caltech, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena. Parking: Free guest parking on campus Oct. 29. Watch online: https://inauguration.caltech.edu/watch. For more, visit https://inauguration.caltech.edu/events.