Support Bioengineering at Caltech

Together we can accomplish what alone we cannot.

Breakthroughs in science and technology require community participation.

A corporate or individual gift to the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center shows you support cutting-edge bioengineering research, training and education at Caltech. Through a variety of programs, the Rosen Bioengineering Center integrates the participation of students, faculty and staff across the Institute to drive bioengineering research forward. We also work closely with Caltech researchers to develop large-scale projects that leverage our interdisciplinary nature and the small, close-knit scientific community at our Institute.

Your gift will ensure the Rosen Center can be responsive when serendipitous strategic opportunities arise to fund promising research projects, hire and fund the strongest postdoctoral scientists, recruit the strongest graduate students from around the world, and develop educational programs and materials that enhance training for the future generations of bioengineers.

Here, we highlight only a few examples of the impacts your gift might have. With nearly 50 Caltech faculty members leading labs involved in bioengineering research, the impacts of your gift are truly innumerable.

World-Class Research

One highly visible way The Rosen Center supports bioengineering research is through the Center’s Pilot Research Grants. These grants are awarded to pairs of faculty in support of a new collaborative project, with the goal of collecting preliminary data that will make the project more competitive for external funding. In the last year, the Center has awarded six of these Pilot Research Grants. Many of the projects will involve building and testing new tools that will enable researchers to tackle questions that cannot be answered with current technology. Several others will use novel imaging methods to gain deeper understanding of disease progression and biofilm formation at the molecular level. These grants enhance the reach of the Center by supporting not only the faculty members involved, but also graduate students and postdoctoral scientists who receive world-class research training.

A corporate or individual gift will allow the Rosen Center to provide more grants and graduate scholarships to advance bioengineering breakthroughs.

Hands-On Training

In addition to supporting individual students through graduate scholarships, the Rosen Center is a key participant in Caltech's Biotechnology Leadership Pre-doctoral Training Program (BLP). Partially funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the BLP brings together faculty with a focus on advances in micro/nanomedicine. Impressive Caltech graduate students are nominated then selected to participate as trainees in the program. The BLP takes a modern approach to produce world-class investigators who can perform high-risk/high-reward fundamental research and also apply what they learn to the solution of real-world problems. Entirely different from existing training programs at Caltech, the BLP offers an integrated experience, complementing research and coursework with workshops, company site visits and a 2-3 month full-time industry internship. This enriched approach will enhance our trainees ability to pursue a variety of fulfilling careers in biotechnology research.

The Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center and the Bowes Leadership Fund co-sponsored Caltech’s entry in the 2014 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition. Under the guidance of graduate students and a professor, the undergraduates spent a summer fully immersing themselves in the experimental and modeling processes of molecular biology. Along with 250 teams from around the world, the Caltech students presented their investigation—in which the theoretical application would aide diabetics in controlling their blood sugar—and received a bronze medal.

Your corporate or individual gift will help programs like this grow and engage additional students by providing funds that support scholarships and hands-on training experiences.

Innovative Education

Caltech recognizes and puts a premium on training future leaders in bioengineering, helping them build strong foundations in research design and methods as well as developing their quantitative skills. Rosen Center support has been fundamental to the development of innovative educational programs at Caltech. Providing our graduate students with extensive practice in critical thinking broadens their possibilities for future careers beyond academia, whether they choose to move into industry or government positions, or even pursue entrepreneurial ventures.

With financial support from the Rosen Center, Bioengineering Lecturer Justin Bois (PhD) has developed two courses that have gotten rave reviews from students and faculty. First piloted in Fall 2014, Data Analysis in the Biological Sciences covers basic tools needed to analyze quantitative data in biological systems, both natural and engineered. Students analyze real data in class and in homework, learning and using modern computer programming tools in the process. Order of Magnitude Biology, first piloted in Winter 2015, encourages students to develop skills in the art of educated guesswork and apply them to the biological sciences. Building from a few key numbers in biology, students use hypotheses and inference to “size up” biological systems.

Rosen Center financial support was also critical in the completion of a unique textbook by Rob Phillips, who is the Fred and Nancy Morris Professor of Biophysics and Biology at Caltech. Cell Biology by the Numbers uses question-driven vignettes and "back of the envelope" calculations to help students investigate some of the key numbers in cell biology. This engaging and conversational textbook has been recommended by readers as "... a fun and enlightening read that will have you thinking about cells in new ways as you begin to attach some concrete numbers to the conceptual ideas of traditional molecular biology."

Your corporate or individual gift allows the Rosen Center to directly support excellent teachers who have developed novel ways to engage their students.

Community Engagement

The Rosen Center sponsors symposia that celebrate Caltech’s role as a nexus for research that enables the formation of entirely new fields of study. These symposia attract attendees from all over the world who converge on the Institute to learn, network and enjoy our lovely campus. The interactions at symposia like these have led to innumerable successful and productive collaborations that were sparked during casual conversations. Your support will enable us to sponsor even more of these events in the future.

Your corporate or individual gift can sponsor events that bring scientists from all over the world to Caltech to learn, share ideas, network and collaborate.

My company would like to support the Rosen Center and bioengineering at Caltech

There are several ways for your company to support breakthrough bioengineering research, education and training at Caltech through a gift to the Rosen Center. We encourage you to refer to the information here, and reach out to start a conversation.

To learn more about developing collaborative research partnerships with Caltech scientists, contact the office for Corporate Partnerships.

I am an individual

Your gift on behalf of the Rosen Bioengineering Center will benefit all types and levels of bioengineering work done at Caltech. Please indicate your intentions to support bioengineering at Caltech by specifying 'Rosen Center' in the 'other designation' box on the Caltech Giving Form linked below.

Caltech Giving Form

If you prefer to send a check, please make payable to Caltech and include a short memo or letter stating that you would like to specifically support the Rosen Center. Mail to:
California Institute of Technology
MC 5-32
1200 E. California Boulevard
Pasadena, CA 91125

We invite you to explore our resources for donors. If you would like assistance planning your gift, please contact our Development Office.