Caltech unveils Resnick Sustainability Center: a new era in environmental research and education

This year, much of the excitement on Caltech’s campus has centered around the opening of the Institute’s newest building: the Resnick Sustainability Center (RSC). The RSC has been five years in the making, following Lynda and Stewart Resnicks’ $750 million pledge* in 2019 – the largest in Caltech’s history.

Now fully operational and dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability research, the RSC provides Caltech scientists and engineers with the tools and resources they need, as well as common meeting spaces to foster breakthrough ideas and technologies that will make a difference in the sustainability of life on Earth.

Located on the western edge of campus along Wilson Avenue, the striking four-story, 80,000-square-foot facility is home to four research centers with specialized equipment and state-of-the-art facilities that will draw researchers from across campus and JPL, enabling them to conduct transformational research with the potential to impact global sustainability.

“It’s a truly exciting new hub for bringing the sustainability mission together on campus from all divisions, incorporating both research and education, and bringing our undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty, and staff scientists together in common cause in one space. That’s a new approach,” says Jonas Peters, Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute, which was established in 2009 with a gift from the Resnicks.

During October’s grand celebration, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, along with executives from Wonderful, joined Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and other distinguished guests to mark the official opening of the RSC. During the celebration, the Resnicks heard directly from students about the building’s impact and the excitement it has generated on campus. They also toured specific use cases for the scientists working at the forefront of addressing the planet’s most pressing problems related to energy and resource utilization.

“This opening marks a new beginning rooted in our shared determination to leave people and the planet better than we found them. By bringing together some of the world’s brightest minds to advance science-based solutions, this new center will be a force for driving innovation and hope that humanity can rise to the great existential challenge of our lifetime,” shared Stewart. “Lynda and I are honored to contribute to this essential work. We have every confidence Caltech will continue to lead in developing breakthrough solutions that make good on our duty to leave a sustainable world for future generations.”

The RSC will serve as a gateway to sustainability for researchers, students, and even pedestrians on campus. Since all first-year Caltech undergraduate students are required to take an introductory chemistry lab, all members of the class of 2028 have a lab course in the new building this term. They are helping to break in the new space, and as the year progresses, they will be surrounded by innovations in sustainability research and all the complexities it brings.

With the Resnick Sustainability Center now open, Caltech’s efforts to lead in sustainability research and education have reached a transformative new chapter, one poised to make a lasting impact on the global fight against climate change. ‍

*Funds distributed to Caltech were from The Resnicks through their foundation, and The Wonderful Company.