2 10 22 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/904fd5b7c7f7880409610c3e8bf302e1.jpg bf7e06ee5d22ebc33a6d75b31d667116 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/9135031886854322c6585c0f8f2b4f4d.jpg f4b3e2472b8e38967ed5f7ac40ec7438 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/8eadefe54f9fd25bee17b0a0090239b3.jpg fe27490e773fed2cf803138a607f16e3 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph & Paper Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 6" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Group Photograph of Sorensen, Millikan, and other Prominent Scientists at the California Institute of Technology Description An account of the resource This is a puzzling rare photograph where Professor Sorensen and Dr. Millikan are captured together. Professor Sorensen, head of the Electrical Engineering department at Caltech and Dr. Millikan, Nobel Prize winning physicist, had worked together to develop the vacuum switch. Sorensen tested and patented, with Millikan’s institutional support, vacuum switches to eliminate the arcing problems at Caltech’s High Volts Lab [3]. While this creation is often highlighted as a solitary endeavor, a patent dispute with Talma Greenwood proves otherwise. In it, Sorensen testified that the vacuum switch was born from our "desire to have a positive mechanical connection between the movable switch electrode and the exterior mechanism," stating that the idea was the "result of long discussions" with Millikan [5]. Sorensen emphasizes this joint collaboration. Millikan also confirmed this, stating the invention "grew out of discussions... going on for two or three years" [5]. Sorensen highlights that he approached Millikan because he knew that “Dr. Millikan has also been studying the phenomena of arcing in a vacuum and that they agreed to operate together in their investigations of this subject” [5]. This collaboration proved immensely valuable as the patent was sold to General Electric in 1930 for $100,000 which is just a little under $2 million today [4]. Works Cited [1] “100 Years Young: Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant Still Going Strong.” Edison International | Newsroom, https://newsroom.edison.com/stories/100-years-young:-big-creek-hydroelectric-plant-still-going-strong. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026. [2] “Power Lines Around Los Angeles: Isolation, Interconnection, and Aesthetics.” Boom California, 21 May 2020, https://boomcalifornia.org/2020/05/21/power-lines-around-los-angeles-isolation-interconnection-and-aesthetics/. [3] Fox, Donna, Robert J. McEliece, and Babak Hassibi. “An Electrifying Century: An Early History of the Caltech EE Department.” ENGenious, 8 Oct. 2010, engenious.caltech.edu/articles/history-EE-Department-century. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026. [4] Heilbron, J. L., and Robert W. Seidel. Lawrence and His Laboratory: A History of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California Press, 1990. UC Press E-Books Collection, https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft5s200764&chunk.id=[section identifier]. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026. [5] Millikan, Robert A., and Royal W. Sorensen. Brief for Millikan and Sorensen. Robert A. Millikan and Royal W. Sorensen v. Talma T. Greenwood, Interference No. 56557, United States Patent Office, [Year, e.g., 1928], [Collection Name, e.g., Royal W. Sorensen Papers], [Box 3], Caltech Archives, Pasadena, CA. [6] Ornelas, Gabriela. “Big Creek’s Powerhouse 8 Marks 100 Years of Hydroelectric Power.” Energized by Edison, 8 Oct. 2021, energized.edison.com/stories/big-creeks-powerhouse-8-marks-100-years-of-hydroelectric-power. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026. [7] Record, Historic American Engineering. Big Creek Hydroelectric System, East & West Transmission Line, 241-Mile Transmission Corridor Extending between the Big Creek Hydroelectric System in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County and the Eagle Rock Substation in Los Angeles, California, Visalia, Tulare County, CA. Still image. California -- Tulare County -- Visalia, https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ca3976/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026. [8] Sorensen, Royal W., and Hallan E. Mendenhall. “Vacuum Switching Experiments at California Institute of Technology.” Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, XLV, Jan. 1926, pp. 1102–07. Semantic Scholar, https://doi.org/10.1109/T-AIEE.1926.5061306. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Caltech Archives and Special Collections, Royal W. Sorensen Papers (SorensenRW), Box 3 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/4b500d859e635257c13a2d8f7551ba31.pdf 40c68c30137d45eb9696d03b6104dbec Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typewritten and Signed Contract Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource High Voltage Laboratory Lease Between Southern California Edison and Caltech Description An account of the resource This lease contract between SCE and Caltech describes the terms for the High Voltage Lab, which marks the most direct collaboration between Caltech and industry since Caltech’s founding. SCE provided $105,000 to build the million volt transformer, while Caltech provided $34,915 to cover additional costs (D. M. Trott). SCE funded the High Voltage Lab so that they could complete the technical research needed to raise transmission to 220,000 volts (J. L. Heilbron and Robert W. Seidel). The lease states that Caltech “will make available to the Company…the advice and learning of the staff of the Institute” (Southern California Edison and Caltech). As a result, Caltech personnel often helped SCE personnel (Frederick Lindvall). The lease also dictates that research produced at High Volts and profit from patents were “the property jointly” of Caltech and SCE (Edison and Caltech). For example, when Sorensen and Millikan patented their vacuum switch, the patent was jointly sold by Caltech and Edison to General Electric for $100,000 in 1930, which almost repaid the cost of the lab (Heilbron and Seidel). Though the lease guaranteed SCE 25 years in the laboratory, their involvement decreased as they completed their research (Edison and Caltech, Lindvall). Caltech continued to use High Volts for physics research until it was renovated in 1960, solidifying a successful chapter of Caltech’s collaboration with industry. Sources: D. M. Trott. “High Voltage Laboratory Audit Bill.” Audit Bill. Pasadena, CA, 7 Oct. 1924, Caltech Archives, Arthur Fleming Papers, High Voltage Laboratory Building 1924, Box 1, Folder 16. Frederick Lindvall. “Frederick C. Lindvall Oral History Interview.” 17 Nov. 1978, Caltech Archives. Transcript. J. L. Heilbron and Robert W. Seidel. Lawrence and His Laboratory. University of California Press, 1989, http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft5s200764/. A History of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Southern California Edison and Caltech. “High Voltage Laboratory Lease.” Lease Contract. 23 Jan. 1923, Caltech Archives, Arthur Fleming Papers, High Voltage Laboratory Building 1924, Box 1, Folder 16. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Southern California Edison and the California Institute of Technology Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Caltech Archives, Arthur Fleming Papers Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1923-01-23 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Typewritten Document https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/b9d31c9accaffa6077f4ab4c155f129d.jpg 911fc00ada1afbfba375088417e5d3e5 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 8" × 10" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource High Voltage Research Laboratory Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource G. Haven Bishop Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Southern California Edison Photographs, Huntington Library Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1929-01-14 Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://catalog.huntington.org/record=b1868904 Description An account of the resource In 1923, Caltech and the Southern California Edison Company built the High Voltage Research Laboratory, the first university laboratory in the world to feature a million volt transformer. The building, sometimes called High Volts, was only the sixth building on Caltech’s new campus, so it was surrounded more by trees and lawns than by other laboratories. For its time, High Volts was an unusual partnership between a corporation, which supplied electricity and paid most of the $140,000 construction cost, and a university, which provided land. High Volts was architecturally bold: Internally, it was a single large room which held the massive transformer and other electrical apparatus. Edison engineers designed a steel frame, the second constructed in Pasadena. Architect Bertram Goodhue designed the exterior, which used a diamond pattern to provide texture in the absence of windows. Architectural sculptor Lee Lawrie produced a relief over the entry which represented the electrical research performed within. Brought together by members of Caltech’s board of trustees who also served on Edison’s board of directors, the two organizations would share the facility: Edison needed a laboratory in which to test high voltage electrical transmission equipment, including insulators and transmission lines which were later used to transmit electricity to Southern California from the Hoover Dam in Nevada. Caltech physicists, led by Robert Millikan, sought to use high voltage electricity to dismantle the nucleus of the atom. Millikan and his colleagues were not immediately successful in this effort, but in the late 1920s Charles Lauritsen and Ralph Bennett did use the High Volts transformer as a power supply to the world’s first 750,000 volt x-ray tube. A few years later, his student H. Richard Crane modified his own x-ray tube into a particle accelerator, and Caltech physicists joined the founders of the new field of nuclear physics. https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/7c0c4cf631e1d1c1fd25e0f4541f3312.pdf 0d6f8de6d4571699e0bb5457578d1245 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Paper Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Investigation of Transformer Burn Outs at Kern Substation Description An account of the resource This report describes Professor Sorensen’s experiments on the Kern substation, owned by Pacific Light and Power (PL&P). Sorensen was a Consulting Engineer for PL&P from 1913 to 1917, where he performed troubleshooting experiments at PL&P facilities (“Orange and White”). In 1913, Sorensen was asked to fix the transformer burn outs at Kern substation. Sorensen hypothesized that the cause was the contamination of the oil in the transformer. He based this hypothesis on previous lab experience. As he states in the report, in 1907, he dealt with “transformer trouble” caused by the “notion of sulphur in the oil.” To test this hypothesis, Sorensen chemically confirmed the presence of sulfur. Sorensen also saw this experiment as an opportunity to apply Caltech’s oscillograph (or oscilloscope, in today’s terms) to confirm that no other factors were causing the burn outs. This report demonstrates the importance of Caltech’s technical expertise and equipment to LA’s electrical infrastructure. Without Sorensen’s previous experience, it would have been difficult for PL&P’s engineers to immediately identify the issue. Sorensen’s particular contribution to commercial power transmission was acknowledged in Caltech’s 1920 yearbook, where students credited him with having “designed and installed all the large electrical machinery in California” (“Orange and White”). The impact of Caltech’s EE department as a whole was confirmed by an oral interview in 1978 with Professor William Pickering, a former professor in Electrical Engineering, who stated that the department “had done some very useful work in helping the Edison Company develop the first long-distance transmission lines” from Fresno down to Los Angeles (William Hayward). In Pickering’s words, it was this initial work that eventually helped Sorensen and Caltech obtain Edison’s support in building the High Voltage Laboratory (William Hayward). Sources: “Orange and White : A History of the California Institute of Technology, 1919-1920.” Big T [Pasadena, CA], Caltech Student Yearbook, nos. 1919–1920, 1920,<a href="https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechCampusPubs:20110726-143937916"> https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechCampusPubs:20110726-143937916</a>. William Hayward. “William Hayward Pickering Oral History Interview.” 7 Nov. 1978, Caltech Archives. Transcript. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Royal W. Sorensen Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Caltech Archives, Royal W. Sorensen Papers Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1913-02-28 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Written Report Type The nature or genre of the resource Technical Report https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/2666ae867f78b93ac0faeabe08b8e9d7.jpg da106ca86603d2bee11e9e889c277e69 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/ad2c2423daf0f0cafa1d8211fa86596c.jpg b97559b0218295db85aa8b61e3afbc78 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/e0106baba736ab2bf8b055a49f65af1c.jpg 8893318d28a8dff0ee36dbdada66314c https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/19165f9709ec4a4f7b3d6f2cd0a9e242.jpg ad5d30e65429cc651bfa60ce53c6a22b https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/c6c3d5f094c65b25c3b15943557eac85.jpg 1075f5cc23f7e5126b366640efb076a0 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Letter Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 8.5"x11" Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter From Westinghouse Electric to Royal W. Sorenson Description An account of the resource A decade after the Borel plant began operation, electricity requirements in Southern California had grown drastically. To meet the new demands, Henry Huntington commissioned engineer John S. Eastwood to design a new power plant to be built in the San Joaquin Valley, named Big Creek power plant (Hanson). Royal W. Sorenson, electrical engineer who worked at Caltech (then called Throop Institute) and inventor of the vacuum switch, was a consulting engineer for Huntington's Power Company (Caltech Office of Strategic Communications). This document is correspondence between Sorenson and Westinghouse Electric before the plant opened, who replied after Sorenson sent a report of "hunting" in the generators at Big Creek Station No. 2. Hunting occurs when the generator searches for the right frequency to operate at, causing power output fluctuations and damage to equipment. Westinghouse Electric instruct Sorenson in this letter to increase the voltage of the generators, as they suspect the issues were caused by underload. Big Creek powerhouse No. 2 opened in December 1914 (SCE), a decade after Borel. It marked one of the first major collaborations between Huntington and Caltech, which would eventually lead to the construction of the High Volts laboratory. <div class="csl-bib-body" style="line-height:2;margin-left:2em;text-indent:-2em;"> <div class="csl-entry">California’s Promethean Past by Victor Davis Hanson, City Journal Summer 2013. 26 Mar. 2014, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140326171900/http://www.city-journal.org/2013/23_3_henry-huntington.html">https://web.archive.org/web/20140326171900/http://www.city-journal.org/2013/23_3_henry-huntington.html</a>.</div> <div class="csl-entry">Caltech. “Royal W. Sorenson Faculty Portrait.” Caltech Magazine, Caltech Office of Strategic Communications, <a href="https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/1250/1/Sorenson.pdf">https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/1250/1/Sorenson.pdf</a>. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.</div> <div class="csl-entry">Catren, Robert Charles. A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Department of History University of Southern California.</div> <div class="csl-entry">Southern California Edision Company. “Initial Information Package for the Big Creek Hydroelectric System.” SCE, 2000, <a href="https://www.sce.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/2000_iip.pdf">https://www.sce.com/sites/default/files/inline-files/2000_iip.pdf</a>.</div> <div class="csl-entry">Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. 23 July 1914, California Institute of Technology Archives, Sorenson Papers Box 1.</div> </div> Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Caltech Archives, Sorenson Papers Box 1 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 23, 1914 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Physical Letter Big Creek Huntington Sorenson https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/4c37ab94b7236506e6fe014295bc5b14.png 70eae0335c5f0a4821fd26862c91045a Physical Object An inanimate, three-dimensional object or substance. Note that digital representations of, or surrogates for, these objects should use Moving Image, Still Image, Text or one of the other types. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Map Of Campus - 1926-1927 Handbook of the California Institute of Technology Description An account of the resource Every incoming Caltech undergraduate student receives the latest edition of the campus handbook, the little t. In the 2025–2026 edition, the little t has the “primary purpose of helping frosh get acquainted with the Institute” (Emily et.al “Preface”). However, the little t did not exist in its current form during Caltech’s earliest years. In 1926, it still bore its original name, Handbook of the California Institute of Technology. Even so, the handbook served a similar purpose. One section in particular has remained present from 1926 to 2026 for over a hundred years: the Caltech campus map and directory of buildings. Although the 2025–2026 little t provides only a link to a virtual interactive map, the 1926 handbook includes an engineering-style hand-drawn map, reproduced at the very front of the book. The building blocks are represented in little rectangular boxes, which does not represent the real shape of the infrastructures from an aerial view. They are more served as symbols that tell students where to go. Interestingly, the 1923 Caltech Catalogue has more detailed descriptions of the buildings on the map, but note that some buildings, such as Caltech’s Electrical System, are temporary (Catalogue 44). Bulletin of the California Institute of Technology Catalogue. Published by the Institute, vol. 32, no. 101, Dec. 1923. Handbook of the California Institute of Technology. Caltech. 1926-1927 Yu, Emily, Foster, Melissa, Yang, Benjamin. The little t 2025-2026. Published by ASCIT Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource The Institute Editors Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1926-1927 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Handbook/booklet Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Caltech https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/2282de192b0f114285c51cb37b7fd137.jpg 737ad52cc897528d30e8b6018d4a01f3 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/72508d59f9c43b07dede5e0ca1deb5c6.jpg 76c80d50e92793596e5aa230414229af https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/e680e2db9f2a9941d6e599eaef1bf7cd.jpg 566e62e401c1919c7362eacbf7db6853 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Typed memorandum, 3 pages Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Memorandum Regarding Kellogg Radiation Laboratory Research, Future Plans, and Caltech's Physics Curriculum Description An account of the resource Lauritsen and Fowler’s 1948 memorandum defines the Kellogg Lab’s post-WWII pivot from high-voltage X-rays toward fundamental nuclear research. This transition is clear when we look at Caltech's 1942 Big T, a student yearbook prior to end of WWII. It emphasized the connection from the High Voltage Laboratory to the broader LA community, like Hollywood recording studios, through Westinghouse and the Southern California Edison Company (California Institute of Technology). However, this emphasis on high-voltage transmission and X-rays faded, as seen through the Kellogg Lab's new goals shown in the memorandum. Robert Millikan failed at sustaining X-ray medical technology research at Caltech - a key focus of the Kellogg Lab - due to funding challenges and medical X-ray commercialization (Holbrow). Soon afterwards, the memo shows how the lab shifted towards stellar energy research. The institution as a whole responded through the formalization of physics courses like Ph 12abc and Ph 109abc that moved away from high-voltage transmission and urban electrification towards atomic discovery. Works Cited <div> <div> California Institute of Technology. The Big T, 1942 - CaltechCampusPubs. resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechCampusPubs:20111024-135709577. </div> Holbrow, Charles H. “The Giant Cancer Tube and the Kellogg Radiation Laboratory.” Physics Today, vol. 34, no. 7, July 1981, pp. 42–49. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2914646. </div> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Caltech Archives and Special Collections; California Institute of Technology Historical Files, Series A: Academic Division & Programs, Division of Physics, Math & Astronomy, Box A12, Folder 10. [Accessed March 17, 2026: <a href="https://collections.archives.caltech.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/104749">https://collections.archives.caltech.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/104749</a>] Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 8, 1948 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Typed memorandum (3 pages) Scanned as digital image (.jpg) https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/a8d332a2c7eb29278de96e8dc5c6a768.jpg d9d95286aabd760d25b424025a197114 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/be9472504f31f620a5544f6522b346fe.jpg 03e7662875d9d921d866620f077a5241 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Photograph Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 4" x 6 " Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Millikan-Sorensen Vacuum Switch Description An account of the resource Transmission of power is dangerous when high voltage drives immense amounts of current. When Big Creek finished construction, ultra-high voltage (up to 220 kV) was generated and ready to be transmitted [7]. Thus, significant safety challenges arose, specifically in regards to interrupting electrical arcs. The traditional oil circuit breakers that relied on oil to quench arcs faced growing problems such as fire risk, large size, and high maintenance [7]. Recognizing this, in 1923, Southern California Edison partnered with Caltech to build a high-voltage laboratory [4]. The photo above depicts all three switches that were developed and tested [8]. The bottom center shows the first prototype followed by the second on the left and the third prototype on the right. The large metal caps apart of the second and third switch were used to create vacuum-tight joints for the lead-in conductors [8]. The second vacuum switch was a larger version of the switch Sorensen and Mendenhall first tested [8]. From a 1926 paper by Sorensen and Mendenhall titled “Vacuum Switching Experiments at California Institute of Technology,” high success is reported as “the switch was operated as a single-pole switch to open and close this circuit more than 500 times without showing any burning of the switch contacts” [8]. It was even tested at the Torrence substation of the Southern California Edison Company where it was able to interrupt currents as high as 600 amperes at 12,780 volts [8]. Subsequently, the third switch was brought to Laguna-Bell substation where it was able to interrupt 926 amperes at 41,500 volts [8]! Works Cited [1] “100 Years Young: Big Creek Hydroelectric Plant Still Going Strong.” Edison International | Newsroom, https://newsroom.edison.com/stories/100-years-young:-big-creek-hydroelectric-plant-still-going-strong. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026. [2] “Power Lines Around Los Angeles: Isolation, Interconnection, and Aesthetics.” Boom California, 21 May 2020, https://boomcalifornia.org/2020/05/21/power-lines-around-los-angeles-isolation-interconnection-and-aesthetics/. [3] Fox, Donna, Robert J. McEliece, and Babak Hassibi. “An Electrifying Century: An Early History of the Caltech EE Department.” ENGenious, 8 Oct. 2010, engenious.caltech.edu/articles/history-EE-Department-century. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026. [4] Heilbron, J. L., and Robert W. Seidel. Lawrence and His Laboratory: A History of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California Press, 1990. UC Press E-Books Collection, https://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft5s200764&chunk.id=[section identifier]. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026. [5] Millikan, Robert A., and Royal W. Sorensen. Brief for Millikan and Sorensen. Robert A. Millikan and Royal W. Sorensen v. Talma T. Greenwood, Interference No. 56557, United States Patent Office, [Year, e.g., 1928], [Collection Name, e.g., Royal W. Sorensen Papers], [Box 3], Caltech Archives, Pasadena, CA. [6] Ornelas, Gabriela. “Big Creek’s Powerhouse 8 Marks 100 Years of Hydroelectric Power.” Energized by Edison, 8 Oct. 2021, energized.edison.com/stories/big-creeks-powerhouse-8-marks-100-years-of-hydroelectric-power. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026. [7] Record, Historic American Engineering. Big Creek Hydroelectric System, East & West Transmission Line, 241-Mile Transmission Corridor Extending between the Big Creek Hydroelectric System in the Sierra National Forest in Fresno County and the Eagle Rock Substation in Los Angeles, California, Visalia, Tulare County, CA. Still image. California -- Tulare County -- Visalia, https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/ca3976/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026. [8] Sorensen, Royal W., and Hallan E. Mendenhall. “Vacuum Switching Experiments at California Institute of Technology.” Transactions of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, XLV, Jan. 1926, pp. 1102–07. Semantic Scholar, https://doi.org/10.1109/T-AIEE.1926.5061306. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context https://digital.archives.caltech.edu/collections/Images/10.33-29/ Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Caltech Archives and Special Collections, High Voltage Research Laboratory Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1924-1926* https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/b7d0f57259b55d6035abd897161154dc.pdf c47f003358a8aa5b6be4f9180c34f333 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Robert E. Millikan and Royal W. Sorensen vs. Talma T. Greenwood Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Caltech Archives and Special Collections, Royal W. Sorensen Papers (SorensenRW), Box 3 https://www.electrifying.collopy.net/files/original/45f38d56beef2705d9e125353ef075de.pdf 66f9e74a97e3ed583785ec0061a5052e Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Technical Report on Hydraulic Machinery Laboratory Description An account of the resource In 1933, the greater Los Angeles region saw renewed interest in hydraulics as a source of energy and began laying the foundations for a modern Western water–energy infrastructure. Drawing on a lifelong interest in hydraulics, Theodore von Kármán championed the creation of a hydraulics program at Caltech, arguing it would hold “a unique position in this country and almost in the whole world” (Boronkay, 1985). The document shown here is a technical report describing the establishment and early work of the Cooperative Hydraulic Machinery Laboratory (informally known as the Caltech pump lab), a joint research facility created by Caltech and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. In November 1933 the two organizations signed a three-year agreement to design and build the laboratory, which was completed in August 1934 and soon placed into continuous operation. At the time, the laboratory’s primary engineering challenge was addressing problems faced by District engineers in the design of pumping plants for the Colorado River Aqueduct. The aqueduct was planned to deliver roughly 1,600 cubic feet of water per second across nearly 300 miles from the Colorado River to Southern California municipalities. To reach the Los Angeles basin, the water would need to be lifted nearly 1,700 feet, requiring approximately 350,000 horsepower—making it the largest pumping project in existence at the time (Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, n.d.). Under the supervision of von Kármán, R. L. Daugherty, and R. T. Knapp, the laboratory conducted pump studies and precision model tests to guide the aqueduct’s engineering design. Von Kármán himself played a central role in shaping the laboratory’s direction and work and was marked as an irascible personality within the team (Housner, 1984). WORKS CITED: Boronkay, C. (1985). The sleeping giant must stir. Focus on Water, no. 3. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Housner, G. W. (1984, July 2, 3, & 11). Interview [Interview]. Conducted by R. Prud'homme. Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology Archives.<a href="http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Housner_G"> http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Housner_G</a> Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. (n.d.). Colorado River Aqueduct virtual tour. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from<a href="https://www1.mwdh2o.com/vr-tours/CRA.html?appid=a5e959ec1c544e1cbeaf63d6ecd56128"> https://www1.mwdh2o.com/vr-tours/CRA.html?appid=a5e959ec1c544e1cbeaf63d6ecd56128</a> Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Report on Hydraulic Machinery Laboratory, Box: 107, Folder: 10. Theodore von Kármán Papers, 10143-MS. Caltech Archives and Special Collections. https://collections.archives.caltech.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/46089 Accessed March 17, 2026. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Caltech Archives and Special Collections Repository 1200 East California Blvd. MC B215-74 Pasadena California 91125 United States of America Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1933 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Technical Report, Physical Document