Community & Outreach
The Kavli Nanoscience Institute respects all individuals who comprise our scientific community. We understand that the diverse experiences, identities and backgrounds of individual researchers help to strengthen their teams' abilities to solve complex challenges, and we seek to promote an environment of inclusivity where all persons are welcome and ideas are challenged with equal regard.
The KNI SURF-the-WAVE prize fellowships program provides support for undergraduate students from marginalized and non-traditional backgrounds to conduct a summer research project in nanoscience at Caltech. Our annual KNI Catalyst Award recognizes and celebrates change agents in the KNI community who have helped to make STEM more accessible, inclusive and equitable.
The KNI has a longstanding commitment to education and outreach within our local, regional, and global communities. We record and post our lectures and seminars when possible and make them available on the KNI YouTube page. We gladly host tours for students and prospective users of the KNI Laboratory -- please contact Tiffany Kimoto ([email protected]) for more information or to request a tour.
We actively partner with other resource centers on campus, including the Center for Teaching, Learning & Outreach, the Caltech Center for Inclusion and Diversity, the Student-Faculty Programs Office, Caltech Y, and more. The KNI supports Caltech Connection, a near-peer mentorship program that pairs undergraduate students from local community colleges and minority-serving institutions with Caltech grad student and postdoc mentors.
Additionally, we are a contributor and partner of the NSF ATE Micro- and Nano-Technology Education Center (MNTEC) at Pasadena City College, which provides resources and opportunities for students and educators in nanoscience.