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Archive for May, 2012

JD-PhD student awarded fellowship established in honor of George and Charlotte Shultz

May 31st, 2012

From left, Hoover Fellow George Shultz, Emily Warren, winner of the 2012 George P. and Charlotte Shultz Fellowship in Modern Israel Studies, and Rabbi Serena Eisenberg, executive director of Hillel.

EMILY WARREN, a doctoral candidate in economics at Stanford who will begin her first year at Stanford Law School this fall, has been awarded the 2012 GEORGE P. AND CHARLOTTE SHULTZ Fellowship in Modern Israel Studies.

The new fellowship, awarded last week during a ceremony at Hillel at Stanford, was established this year, after New York Times columnist TOM FRIEDMAN and his wife, ANN, a Stanford alumna, donated money for the fellowship to the Jewish life organization in honor of George P. Shultz’s 90th birthday.

Shultz, who is the Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution, is a former U.S. secretary of state, secretary of labor and secretary of the treasury. He also served as director of the Office of Management and Budget.

Shultz matched the gift when he learned that the Friedmans had established a fellowship in his name.

Under the fellowship, Warren will analyze Israel’s defense industrial policy to see if the country’s investments in its defense industry in the 1970s and 1980s laid the groundwork for its fast-growing civilian high technology sector. If true, Israel’s success calls into question economic theories that say industrial polices only hamper growth.

She will conduct the research project in Israel this summer.

“Secretary Shultz is the individual who, more than any other, inspired me to pursue graduate studies at the intersection of international security and economics,” said Warren, who earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Stanford in 2008. “It is an honor to receive this fellowship commemorating his work.”

Warren got to know Shultz while she was working at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation from 2007 to 2010, overseeing its Nuclear Security Initiative. Shultz served as a strategic adviser to Warren and to the president of the foundation, which is headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif.

In 2009, Warren was awarded a Marshall Scholarship, which provided one year of tuition, research, living and travel expenses at a British university of her choosing. Warren earned a master’s degree in economics research – her field was industrial organization – at the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2011.

A panel of four research and senior fellows at the Hoover Institution evaluated the research proposals submitted by Stanford students.

 

Stanford students named Google Policy Fellows

May 30th, 2012

Two Stanford students, ANDREW BLANCO and ANJNEY MIDHA, have been chosen as 2012 Google Policy Fellows. The program gives undergraduate and graduate students interested in Internet and technology policy the opportunity to work in public interest organizations at the forefront of debates on broadband and access issues, content regulation, copyright and trademark reform, consumer privacy and open government. Fellows work directly with senior staff members of a host organization. Only 15 fellows were selected from among more than 1,300 submissions.

Blanco, a graduate student in management science and engineering, will be working at Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creative content by offering free, easy-to-use copyright licenses.

Midha, a freshman majoring in economics and in public policy, will be working with the Technology Policy Institute, a think tank that specializes in the economics of innovation, technological change and related regulation, domestically and internationally.

BY KATY ASHE

Video highlights TEDxStanford presentations and performances

May 26th, 2012

A newly released video highlights presentations and performances at the recent TEDxStanford event May 19. Among those featured are composer MARK APPLEBAUM, associate professor of music; CHRIS GERDES, associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Center for Automotive Research; and SAM GAMBHIR, the Virginia & D.K. Ludwig Professor of Cancer Research and chair of the Department of Radiology.

Sterling Award won by senior Jack Trotter

May 25th, 2012
Howard Wolf and Jack Trotter

Howard Wolf, president of the Stanford Alumni Association, and senior Jack Trotter, winner of the 2012 Sterling Award

Graduating senior JACK TROTTER received the Stanford Alumni Association’s 2012 J.E. Wallace Sterling Award for outstanding service to Stanford.

HOWARD WOLF, president of the Alumni Association and vice president for alumni affairs, announced the award at a private reception on Thursday, May 17.

Trotter, who will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in management science and engineering, has been actively involved in campus life. He was a member of the men’s basketball team and the Cardinal Council, the student-athlete advisory committee. Most recently, he served as senior class president. Trotter has been integral in outreach efforts to the 6th Man Club, the student basketball fan club, and to creating events and programs to build class affinity and cohesion for the Class of ’12.

One of his nominators described Trotter’s service to the campus community this way: “His support of others, whether on or off the court, shines through his humble exterior. We think of him as ‘Mr. Stanford’ and suspect many other Stanford students do as well. It takes an extraordinary person to maintain such balance and to achieve such success.”

The Sterling Award cites Trotter “for exemplifying the greatest traditions of the Stanford student-athlete … while at the same time remaining a ridiculously dependable and refreshingly humble ‘go-to’ guy on all things off the court” and “for having a sense of Stanford spirit that is exceedingly palpable, disarmingly honest and wonderfully infectious.”

The Alumni Association presents the Sterling Award annually to a graduating senior whose undergraduate activities have made an impact on campus and demonstrate the strong potential for continued service to the university and the alumni community.

The award is named for the late J.E. Wallace Sterling, who served as Stanford’s president from 1949 to 1968.

Sherry Wren answers questions about humanitarian efforts in Open Office Hours

May 24th, 2012

SHERRY WREN is a professor of surgery and associate dean of academic affairs at Stanford, and the chief of general surgery at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. Her clinical focus is on the surgical treatment of gastrointestinal cancers and robotic surgery. In 2006, Wren began humanitarian surgery work with Doctors Without Borders. She has worked in conflict zones in Africa and used this experience to create teaching programs that prepare surgeons from high-resource settings to work in low-resource environments.

She answers questions as part of Stanford’s Open Office Hours on Facebook. Wren also recently participated in TEDxStanford.

H&S Arnice P. Streit Award presented to Chester Washington

May 23rd, 2012

Maintenance worker CHESTER WASHINGTON, a 42-year veteran of the university, was recently awarded the 2012 Arnice P. Streit Award for distinguished service to the Department of Biology, the School of Humanities and Sciences and Stanford.

The award was created in 1987 in honor of Arnice P. Streit, whose record of excellence in several key posts left an indelible impression on faculty and staff during her 27-year career in H&S.

The award was presented during a recent ceremony that also included the awarding of other School of Humanities and Sciences recognitions. Service awards went to 95 employees who represent 1,089 years of continued service, ranging from five to 40 years.

Washington was praised for his integrity, skill and resourcefulness. A faculty nominator praised Washington for a “generosity of spirit” that “infects the people he helps so much. He is such an open-hearted person that just talking with him puts me in a good mood for a week.”

Also honored with the Dean’s Award of Merit were ALYCE BOSTER, office manager in the Department of English, PAMELA HUNG, administrative associate in the Department of Biology, GABRIELA MAGANA, administrative associate in the Department of Linguistics, and PAMELA WIDRIN, administrative associate in the Department of Psychology.

Frost Amphitheater comes alive again

May 22nd, 2012

The indie rock band Modest Mouse plays to a packed house at the revival of Frost Amphitheater on Saturday afternoon.For the first time in a long time, Frost Amphitheater saw a lot of action over the weekend between national headlining acts and Stanford’s own homegrown entertainment.

First up in Saturday’s Frost Revival Concert was Benjamin Francis Leftwich, a singer-whisperer-songwriter from York, England, who just ended his national tour. He delivered a short set that warmed up the crowd, just he and his guitar, followed by an animated performance by Provo, Utah’s, Eyes Lips Eyes. Front man Tony Hello, sporting blond locks that hark back to Robert Plant from back in the day, kicked around a trash can for a bit and danced with the Stanford tree before relinquishing the stage to the headliner, Modest Mouse (above).

Modest Mouse delivered. The band played 14 songs in the hot sun, including a debut performance of Heart of Mine from its upcoming release before returning to the stage for a three-song encore. The 4,500-plus members of the audience could not have been happier.

Sunday’s Blackfest saw a smaller crowd, but the devoted fans of E-40 and Kendrick Lamar filled Frost with high energy.

Contributing to the festivities before the headliners were Stanford Greeks and the East Palo Alto youth empowerment group Mural Music & Arts Project. MMAP’s breakout star, Fat Boy, treated the crowd to some inspired Dougie moves during an on-stage dance-off while impromptu dance lines popped up in the crowd.

E-40 and Kendrick Lamar delivered short, impactful sets that had the audience singing along and bouncing in rhythm to the beats. Lamar wrapped up the show by jumping down into the crowd and communing with the fans. He came back for a one-song encore and finished for good at precisely 6:59 p.m. – just in time to catch the solar eclipse.

The Amy J. Blue Awards ceremony honors staff members and the memory of Amy Blue

May 21st, 2012

STEVE PAPIER, supervisor of engineering trades in Land, Buildings & Real Estate; DENNI DIANNE WOODWARD, associate director of the Native American Cultural Center; and DONNOVAN SOMERA YISRAEL, manager of relationship and sexual health programs at Vaden Health Center, were recently honored with Amy J. Blue Awards.

The annual awards recognize staff members who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work. The recent ceremony also featured remembrances of the late AMY BLUE, who was an associate vice president for administrative services and facilities known for her leadership and dedication to Stanford.

Legendary swim coach Skip Kenney to retire

May 18th, 2012
kenney

Skip Kenney

One of the most respected coaches in the world of swimming, SKIP KENNEY, Stanford’s Goldman Family Director of Men’s Swimming, announced his retirement following 33 years at the helm of the Cardinal program.

Kenney will coach the Cardinal through the U.S. Trials, ending July 2.

“Who would have ever have thought it? I grew up in California and in Fresno, went to Long Beach State, and Stanford was always the big name,” said Kenney. “We exceeded all levels of expectation. The kind of people you get to work with here, the athletes that come through here. You pinch yourself when you are really here. It’s just unbelievable.”

“Coach Kenney is one of the iconic figures in college swimming and he has had a profound impact in shaping the lives of hundreds of young men,” said BOB BOWLSBY, the university’s Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics. “Skip has always been a coach that put the team first, and in doing so he has taught lifetime lessons about how to weave the fabric of a high-achieving organization. The Stanford Men’s Swimming Program under Coach Kenney’s guidance has established many standards that will never be equaled in the PAC 12 or nationally.”

Read the complete story on the Stanford Athletics website.

‘Bite-sized’ reading from SUP

May 17th, 2012

Harvey, the press' deputy director and editor-in-chief, has been named as the new director, effective July 1.

Our reading life is increasingly onscreen nowadays – and the demand is growing for texts that are faster and shorter, “bite-sized.” Stanford University Press has responded with a digital imprint called “Stanford Briefs.” The short e-originals – about 20,000 to 40,000 words – will focus on a variety of academic topics.

The first, The Physics of Business Growth by Edward D. Hess and Jeanne Liedtka, will be available this week for $9.99. According to ALAN HARVEY, incoming director of the press, it is “crisp and keenly focused on approaches for business readers to grasp and implement.”

Stanford Briefs will be available through all major e-book sellers, as well as on the press’ website, www.sup.org. The press also will offer print-on-demand trade paperbacks.

“There’s an underlying philosophy for the briefs here at the press,” said Harvey. “They’ll be accessible but not simplified, and should be digestible in one or two sessions – bite-sized – and not require a month of reading. In philosophy and literature, I anticipate the books having more parallels to the traditional essay format.

“Stanford has long had its eye on the marketplace for new electronic offerings. We were just waiting for the right concept to inspire us.”

Future titles include Moving Forward: Understanding U.S. Health Care Under the Affordable Care Act and Working The System: How to Resolve Organizational Quandaries by Engaging Systems Thinking. The press is considering other briefs in the areas of humanities, security studies, Asian and Middle East studies and political science.

“We’ve got our second brief coming in for peer review in a couple of weeks,” said Harvey. “We have two or three more manuscripts due this summer, and are fielding proposals from authors for more.”

“We’d initially thought six to eight per year would suffice, but we’ll expand as far as needed. If there are 20 excellent projects, we’ll take them on.”

 

— BY CYNTHIA HAVEN, Stanford University Libraries