Discover JPL
The Discover JPL Series, hosted by the Caltech Student-Faculty Programs (SFP) Office in collaboration with the JPL Academic Engagement Office, introduces Caltech undergraduates to the innovative and exciting research found at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which Caltech manages.
Each session features short presentations from JPL scientists and engineers. Speakers share what their work looks like, how they found their path to JPL, and what opportunities are available to students. Each session closes with time for questions.
Discover JPL is a great starting point for Caltech undergraduates who are:
- Curious about the research taking place at JPL across science, engineering, and technology
- Considering applying to SURF@JPL or other JPL research opportunities
- Looking to connect with potential JPL mentors
- Interested in hearing directly from fellow Caltech students about their JPL research experiences
This series is hosted in-person at Caltech, and all Caltech undergraduates are welcome to attend.
Please note that SURF@JPL is only open to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.
2026 Discover JPL Schedule
We are excited to bring back the Discover JPL Series! Join us on Tuesday, October 27th at 12:00 PM in B122 Gates Annex for our Launch Event.
Joining us for this event is Suzanne Dodd (BS '84), Manager for Planetary Flight Projects at JPL. Following the remarks from Suzanne Dodd, Carol Casey will present a brief overview on the SURF@JPL program, and Andrea Olson will present on the NASA JPL Internship Programs.
Please RSVP for this event at: https://forms.gle/MfHqdVpoPiVeo3EJ9. For questions, contact Vincent Ton at [email protected].
About Suzanne Dodd
Suzanne Dodd (BS ‘84) joined NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a sequence engineer on the Voyager mission in 1984, shortly after earning her BS in mechanical engineering from Caltech. Early in her career, she helped plan Voyager 2's encounter with Uranus and designed the command sequence for the spacecraft's closest approach to Neptune. She later spent 11 years on the Caltech campus leading the Spitzer Science Center and IPAC before returning to JPL. Since 2010, she has managed the Voyager Interstellar Mission, overseeing NASA's two longest-operating spacecraft as they explore interstellar space. In 2026, her team carried out a major reconfiguration of Voyager 2's power systems, a high-stakes effort expected to keep the spacecraft returning data into the early 2030s. She also holds a BA in mathematics from Whitman College and an MS from the University of Southern California.
Discover JPL Session 1 will be held on Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM in B122 Gates Annex.
Joining us for this event are Drs. Marc Sanchez Net, Program Area Manager in the Telecom Projects and Oversight Office at JPL, and Charles (Matt) Bradford, Principal Scientist in Astrophysics and Space Sciences at JPL.
Please RSVP for this event at: https://forms.gle/mKnqFrWg5yE297TY9. For questions, contact Vincent Ton at [email protected].
About Marc Sanchez Net
Dr. Marc Sanchez Net is a program area manager in the Telecom Projects and Oversight Office at JPL, where he leads efforts in space communications and networking. His team onboards missions to the Deep Space Network and works with commercial lunar landers on communication experiments at the lunar south pole. Marc holds a Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and degrees in telecommunications engineering and industrial engineering from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya.
About Charles (Matt) Bradford
Dr. Charles (Matt) Bradford is a Principal Scientist in Astrophysics and Space Sciences at JPL and a Visiting Faculty Associate in Physics at Caltech. He develops new detector and instrument technology to study how stars form and how galaxies evolve across cosmic history, and he serves as Project Scientist for PRIMA, JPL's far-infrared astrophysics probe concept. Matt earned a B.S. in physics from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in astronomy from Cornell University.
JPL is bringing back its Annual Research Poster Day! As part of the Discover JPL Series, Student-Faculty Programs will provide transportation from campus to JPL for 30 Caltech undergraduates to attend this event, from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Thursday, November 12, 2026.
The bus is limited to 30 seats, so we will run a lottery. If you are interested, please complete the Lottery Submission Form by the end of the day on Friday, October 23, 2026: https://forms.gle/42qy92BR9tY7u2zr5. Selected students will be notified on Monday, October 26, and will then be asked to complete relevant documentation to receive the required JPL access badge for the event.
For questions about this offering, please contact Vincent Ton at [email protected].
Want to go on your own?
JPL Research Poster Day is open to all members of the Caltech community, including undergraduates wishing to take their own mode of transportation. On weekdays, Caltech undergraduates can use their free bus pass to take Pasadena Transit Route 53 from campus straight to JPL. You can find more information about that route here.
If you plan on going via your own mode of transportation, you will have to fill out this separate Google Form, managed by NASA JPL.
Discover JPL Session 2 will be held on Thursday, November 19, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM in B122 Gates Annex.
Joining us for this event are Dr. Glenn Orton, Senior Research Scientist and Supervisor of JPL's Planetary and Exoplanetary Atmospheres Group, and Marc Pomerantz, Technical Group Supervisor and Section Technologist in JPL's Mission Control Systems Section.
Please RSVP for this event at: https://forms.gle/BidJ4ZaUGEV5491x7. For questions, contact Vincent Ton at [email protected].
About Glenn Orton
Dr. Glenn Orton (Ph.D. '75) is a Senior Research Scientist and the Supervisor of JPL's Planetary and Exoplanetary Atmospheres Group, where he studies planetary atmospheres using Earth-based and spacecraft instruments. He has been a member of the science teams for Pioneers 10 and 11, Galileo, Cassini and now Juno, and he has led or co-led observing programs on the Hubble, Spitzer, Herschel and James Webb Space Telescopes. Since 1987, Glenn has mentored over 275 undergraduate and graduate student interns, including many in the SURF program. Glenn earned a Sc.B. in physics from Brown University and a Ph.D. in planetary science from Caltech, and he joined JPL as a research scientist in 1977.
About Marc Pomerantz
Marc Pomerantz is a Technical Group Supervisor and Section Technologist in JPL's Mission Control Systems Section, where he leads the Information and Data Management Group. With more than 25 years of software engineering experience, he has developed real-time 3D visualization, simulation and flight operations software for robotic space missions, including the Mars Science Laboratory. His current interests include digital twin systems and virtual and augmented reality for mission operations. Marc holds a B.S. in computer science from California State University, Northridge.