Lynn Booth and Kent Kresa (Photo – Caletch)
The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has received a $50 million donation from Trustee Lynn Booth and Life Member Kent Kresa, former chair of the Board of Trustees.
By News Desk
The gift, made through their family foundations, will endow and rename the aerospace department to the Lynn Booth and Kent Kresa Department of Aerospace.
Home to the Graduate Aerospace Laboratories (GALCIT), the department has made groundbreaking contributions to aerospace technology, from early advancements in aerodynamics to cutting-edge developments in robotics, hypersonics, and autonomous systems. The new gift will expand research in areas such as space infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, bio-inspired engineering, and quantum devices, while also enhancing faculty recruitment and retention.
Booth and Kresa, long-time supporters of Caltech, made a similar donation in 2017 to establish the Booth–Kresa Leadership Chair for the Center for Autonomous Systems and Technologies (CAST). Their latest gift further strengthens Caltech’s role in pioneering research in collaboration with NASA, JPL, and the private sector.
The donation will also fund the Booth–Kresa Graduate Fellowship and Postdoctoral Fellowship programs, supporting the next generation of aerospace scholars. Additionally, the Booth–Kresa Faculty Recruitment and Retention Fund will help attract top talent to the department.
This $50 million gift continues a legacy of support for Caltech’s aerospace research and education, ensuring the Institute remains at the forefront of technological innovation in space exploration.
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