We came
410 Stanford alumni and guests connected in Chicago, and 106 Connectors helped make it happen.
We saw
Who were the stars of Stanford+Connects? Professors, President Hennessy... and you!
Stay connected
The event may be over but your connections have only just begun. Explore the many ways you can keep learning from, and connecting with, your Stanford community.

Schedule – Saturday, March 7, 2015
12:45 p.m.
CHECK IN & MEET UP
1:15 p.m.
FIND A SEAT
1:30 p.m.

WELCOME
Howard has led the Stanford Alumni Association and its staff since 2001. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology, with distinction, from Stanford in 1980 and his MBA from Harvard in 1985. Before his appointment as Vice President for Alumni Affairs and President, Stanford Alumni Association, he worked as both an entrepreneur and business manager in the publishing and commercial real estate development and management industries. An active alum and volunteer, as well as an avid Stanford athletics fan, he received the Stanford Associates Outstanding Achievement Award in 2000. In addition to his Alumni Association role, Howard is one of eight officers of the University and part of its senior management team, with particular responsibility for advising the University's president and the provost on alumni affairs.

PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS AND Q&A
President of Stanford University since 2000, John L. Hennessy is the inaugural holder of the Bing Presidential Professorship. He joined the faculty in 1977 and since then has served as chair of computer science, dean of the School of Engineering and provost. A pioneer in computer architecture, his technology revolutionized the computer industry by increasing performance while reducing costs. He has lectured and published widely and co-authored two textbooks on computer architecture design. Dr. Hennessy has received numerous honors, including the 2000 IEEE John von Neumann Medal, a 2004 NEC C&C Prize for lifetime achievement in computer science and engineering, a 2005 Founders Award from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the 2012 IEEE Medal of Honor, IEEE's highest award.
2:25 p.m.

EVENT HOST
Professor Seelig teaches classes on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in MS&E and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, the d.school. Professor Seelig has written 16 popular books, including What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 and inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity. She is the recipient of several national awards, including the Gordon Prize from the National Academy of Engineering, recognizing her as a national leader in engineering education.
MICRO LECTURES

Climate Change and the Midwest
Professor Diffenbaugh studies the climate system, including the processes by which climate change could impact agriculture, water resources, and human health. He is currently an editor of the peer-review journal Geophysical Research Letters, and a lead author for Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is also a recipient of the James R. Holton Award from the American Geophysical Union and a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.

Building Skills and Exploring Passions at the Graduate School of Business
Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Amanda spent her first stint at Stanford getting degrees in Psychology and Sociology. She lived in Chicago for five years prior to business school and worked for an industrial supply company in an operational management rotation program. Outside of work Amanda was the President of the Stanford Black Alumni Association of Chicago and a mentor for 8th graders on the west side of the city. After completing her MBA, Amanda will work for Apple in Cupertino, CA.

Stanford Athletics: Setting an Example in a Changing Landscape
Coach Muir brings nearly 25 years of athletic administrative experience at Delaware, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Butler, Auburn and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA). He has directed Delaware's athletic program since 2009 and, before that, was director of athletics at Georgetown from 2005 to 2009. As an undergraduate at Brown University, Muir was a four-year letter winner in basketball.

Poetic Transitions
Emma takes pride in being a founding member of MINT, Stanford's first fashion and culture magazine, competing for Stanford at the national collegiate poetry slam, and representing her hometown of Chicago with a fierce pride while on the West Coast. She was the 2012 and 2013 winner of Louder than a Bomb, Chicago's youth poetry slam.

Where Have All the Black Holes Gone?
Professor Romani has been at Stanford since 1991, studying physics of the most extreme objects in the observable universe—neutron stars and black holes. His group makes observations of such objects, using premiere telescopes on the ground and in space, and constructs theoretical models to interpret these remarkable behaviors. Professor Romani shared the 2013 Rossi Prize with Alice Harding of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for establishing a theoretical framework for understanding gamma-ray pulsars.
3:30 p.m.
BREAK
4:00 p.m.
SEMINARS

ASTROPHYSICS: Black Widows and Black Holes
What are the most extreme objects we can see? Black widow pulsars are at the limits of the observable, since with a small increase these stars will disappear as black holes. We will discuss recent work at Stanford to study how these ‘death ray pulsars’ push the envelope of known physics.
Professor Romani has been at Stanford since 1991, studying physics of the most extreme objects in the observable universe—neutron stars and black holes. His group makes observations of such objects, using premiere telescopes on the ground and in space, and constructs theoretical models to interpret these remarkable behaviors. Professor Romani shared the 2013 Rossi Prize with Alice Harding of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for establishing a theoretical framework for understanding gamma-ray pulsars.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Risks and Opportunities
In this interactive seminar, we'll discuss climate change impacts such as severe thunderstorms, extreme heat and corn production. We'll examine both the risks and scale of the challenge given the huge gap in energy access between the wealthy and most of the world's population. Professor Diffenbaugh also shares potential innovative solutions to tackle this global issue.
Professor Diffenbaugh studies the climate system, including the processes by which climate change could impact agriculture, water resources, and human health. He is currently an editor of the peer-review journal Geophysical Research Letters, and a lead author for Working Group II of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He is also a recipient of the James R. Holton Award from the American Geophysical Union and a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation.

COMMUNICATION: The Art of Persuasion
In this seminar, we'll focus on improving your personal communication skills. In particular, we will hone in on your persuasive skills—how to convince others to accept your ideas or support your position, even if they are skeptical at first.
Professor Flynn’s research centers on the topics of employee cooperation, work group dynamics, and leadership in organizations. He has worked for the Department of Commerce in the International Trade Administration, the Institute for Business and Economic Development, and the Institute for Urban and Regional Development. His work bridges the fields of management and social psychology, leading to scholarly as well as practical insights on organizational life. He has provided executive education for various companies, including Box, Facebook, Genentech, Goldman Sachs, and Kaiser.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Getting Ideas Out of Your Head and Into the World
There's an insatiable demand for innovation and entrepreneurship to help individuals and organizations thrive in a dynamic world. In this interactive seminar, Professor Seelig presents a new model, the Inventure Cycle, that illustrates how inspiration leads to implementation, including the attitudes and actions needed to bring breakthrough ideas to life.
Professor Seelig teaches classes on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in MS&E and the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, the d.school. Professor Seelig has written 16 popular books, including What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 and inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity. She is the recipient of several national awards, including the Gordon Prize from the National Academy of Engineering, recognizing her as a national leader in engineering education.

HUMANITIES: What's Next for Books, Texts, and the Digital World?
Did you know that the digital realm bears a striking resemblance to the earliest manuscript production? Using historical objects, Professor Elaine Treharne demonstrates that since communication has evolved systematically over time, it's actually the past that can shed light on what comes next in media evolution, including the future of the book.
Professor Treharne’s research and teaching focus on English texts and manuscripts from c.700 to 1200, as well as historical and modern text technologies. She is particularly interested in the materiality of the manuscript book, its tactile nature and the layers that make up the codex. Professor Treharne is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She has received many grants and honors, including an American Philosophical Society Franklin Fellowship and a Princeton Procter Fellowship. She is a Trustee and former Chair and President of the English Association, for whom she is also General Editor of Essays and Studies.
5:00 p.m.
BREAK
5:30 p.m.
SEMINARS REPEATED
6:30 p.m.
RECEPTION
Look Who Connected
First Name | Maiden Name | Last Name | Degree(s) | Parent Year(s) | City | State | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Laine | Cogan | Chicago | IL | ||||
Maria | Karpiel | Ann Arbor | MI | ||||
Ron | Allen | Chicago | IL | ||||
Ryanne | Easley | JD '04 | Chicago | IL | |||
Bill | Houston | MS '94 | Chicago | IL |
Special thanks to all the Stanford+Connects Chicago Connectors without whose help this event would not have been possible. See all local connectors.
Student Ambassadors
No Stanford event would be complete without students. That’s why these star scholars—who also happen to be athletes, activists, entrepreneurs, artists and so on—were invited to join you as your student ambassadors for the day. They’re looking forward to connecting with you, so don’t be shy!

Gloria Chua
Gloria Chua, ’17, is a sophomore majoring in product design and potentially minoring in computer science. Outside the classroom, she has performed in a contemporary dance work by Jerome Bel, turned her freshman dorm into a museum, and visited New York City with the Stanford Arts Institute. She also was one of the first in the class of 2017 to study abroad, going to Santiago as part of the first summer BOSP program. She hopes to apply her skills in design, the arts and business toward creating positive social impact, especially in the fields of education and government. She is also actively involved in the Singaporean community at Stanford.

Emma Rose Coleman
Emma Rose Coleman, ’17, is a poet, artist, and activist majoring in international relations and comparative studies in race and ethnicity. Emma takes pride in being a founding member of MINT (Stanford's first fashion and culture magazine), competing for Stanford at the national collegiate poetry slam, and representing her hometown of Chicago with a fierce pride while on the West Coast. She was the 2012 and 2013 winner of Louder than a Bomb, Chicago's youth poetry slam.

Melanie Goldstein
Melanie Goldstein, ’12, MA ’15, is a coterm in the music, science, and technology program at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics; her undergraduate major was music, with a concentration in cello performance. As a Fulbright scholar for 2012-13, she toured Italy, France, and Germany as co-principal cellist of Italy's professional training orchestra, performed under Chicago Symphony music director Riccardo Muti on Italian national television and at the Ravenna Festival, and performed solo in the Botticelli room of the Uffizi Gallery. In 2014 she was selected to the Mayfield Fellows Program, she has completed the Stanford Graduate School of Business’ Ignite Program, and serves on the student advisory committee for Floodgate, the venture capital firm.

Rocio Hernandez
Rocio Hernandez, ’18, is a sophomore majoring in urban studies. At Stanford she has found a passion for public service. Her service experience includes participation in Stanford’s Alternative Spring Break, Impact Abroad, and various service learning courses which have enabled her to engage with many communities. Rocio has been a tutor with the East Palo Alto Stanford Academy for two years. In her free time, Rocio enjoys trying new foods and exploring surrounding nature.

Amanda Johnson
Amanda Johnson, ’08, MA ’08, MBA ’15, is a second year business school student focused on operational leadership, people-focused management, and social impact. Originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Amanda spent her first stint at Stanford getting degrees in psychology and sociology. She lived in Chicago for five years prior to business school and worked for an industrial supply company in an operational management rotation program. Outside of work Amanda was the President of the Stanford Black Alumni Association of Chicago and a mentor for 8th grade students on the west side of the city. After completing her MBA, Amanda will work for Apple in Cupertino, CA.

Lora Kelley
Lora Kelley, ’17, is from Evanston, Illinois studying classics in the philosophy-literature track. At Stanford, she writes and performs with the Robber Barons Sketch Comedy group and works for the Stanford Storytelling Project. Lora is especially interested in the intersections between writing and museums, and currently serves as an intern at the Cantor Arts Center.

Chris Mathy
Chris Mathy, ’16, is a junior majoring in bioengineering and pursuing the pre-medical track. He's passionate about every side of medicine, from the lab bench to the clinic, and is currently a part of Jennifer Cochran's protein engineering lab, which develops novel therapeutics for cancer treatment and wound healing. He works with student groups all over Stanford as a peer advisor in the Office of Student Activities and Leadership and is working in student government on the ASSU Exec Funding Reform team; he is also a beatboxer and bass for the Stanford Harmonics. Born and raised in Champaign, Illinois, he enjoys playing guitar, camping, and following NBA basketball.

Christine Nguyen
Christine Nguyen, MD ’15, MS ’15, is a graduate student at the School of Medicine and Department of Health Research & Policy. She designs, implements, and evaluates new models of healthcare delivery to improve care and lower costs. Before Stanford, she graduated from Yale in 2009 and was a Gates Millennium Scholar and Fulbright Scholar. She loves golfing, running, exploring the culinary arts, and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students through Partners for Academic Excellence and Educators-4-Care, respectively.

Nikhil Ramnarayan
Nikhil Ramnarayan, ’16, is a junior majoring in biology (with a focus in neurobiology) and music. He aspires to pursue a career in pediatric neurology as a result of his interest in the development of human behavior. Nikhil is an avid musician and is involved in a variety of musical groups including the Stanford Symphony Orchestra and a touring rock band called The No Nothings. He is a tour guide and is also a counselor at Camp Kesem Stanford. He was raised in Mequon, Wisconsin.

Jordan Shapiro
Jordan Shapiro, ’15, MS ’16, is a senior from Chicago majoring in bioengineering, minoring in modern languages, and pursuing a coterminal master's degree in management science & engineering. Outside of class, he is Executive Chief of Staff for the Associated Students of Stanford University, Editor in Chief for Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society, and a tour guide. Jordan studied entrepreneurship as a Mayfield Fellow in the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and spent his last summer working in product management for a cybersecurity startup.
Stay Connected
The event may be over but your connections have only just begun. Explore the many ways you can keep learning from, and connecting with, your Stanford community.
Learn
Dive deeper with these additional resources recommended by the professors and students who spoke at Stanford+Connects Chicago.
Tina Seelig: Read her Medium piece, “From Inspiration to Implementation: Introducing the Inventure Cycle” and if you missed her seminar, check out her ecorner talk.
Emma Coleman: Read her original slam poetry work about her Stanford experience.
Noah Diffenbaugh: Check out the slides from his climate change micro lecture and seminar.
Bernard Muir: Jam out to N-E-R-D-S and to see the origin of the #HeadNerd.
Roger Romani: Check out the NASA announcement on black widow pulsars consuming their mates.
Amanda Johnson: Watch her original LowKeynote presentation and reference the paper by Yale sociology professor Andrew Papachristos on Chicago crime patterns.