We came
342 Stanford alumni and guests connected in Monterey, and 38 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 15, 2014
12:45 p.m.
Check In and Meet Up
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.
1:40 p.m.

President Hennessy 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.
2:15 p.m.

Event Host
Klein’s teaching taps into improvisation, design thinking and high-performance communication to help adults access their childlike creative reserves. A longtime improv instructor of beginning and advanced improvisation, he has helped create student groups including the Robber Barons (original sketch comedy), the Flying Treehouse (children’s theater) and Stanford Improvisors, an improv troupe that has performed on campus and in the community for 25 years.
2:20 p.m.
Micro Lectures

How and Why We Age
Stuart Kim’s research focuses on functional genomics and aging and the search for genes that can either speed up or slow down aging, in particular with respect to the kidney. He looks to the C. Elegans worm to unlock some of the clues to human longevity. He has been a Markey Scholar, a Searle Scholar, and an Ellison Scholar for his research on the genetics of aging, and has won multiple awards for his research. He is an editor of PLOS Genetics and is on the National Science Advisory Council for the American Federation for Aging Research.

Sentinel Geophysics: Imaging Saltwater Intrusion from Monterey to Santa Cruz
Rosemary Knight’s research focuses on the development of geophysical methods to understand what's occurring in the top 100 meters of Earth. By acquiring images of the near-surface region, researchers can monitor systems and extract information to help inform decisions regarding the evaluation and management of groundwater resources. In 2000, she developed and still currently teaches The Water Course, where students complete projects describing the source, quantity, and quality of water in their hometowns to gain a perspective on water-related issues. She believes "geo-literacy" should be a requirement of all graduates. To that end, she pioneered I-Earth (Introduction to Planet Earth), a set of courses exploring the intersection of natural systems, social systems, and human expression.

When is a Book not a Book?
Elaine 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.
3:00 p.m.
Break
3:30 p.m.
Seminars

Causes of Aging and Strategies to Extend Longevity
Why do some people live so long? Drawing on insights gleaned from long-lived humans (up to 122 years) and animals (>500 years), Professor Stuart Kim discusses some of the defining characteristics of extreme longevity. He’ll demonstrate new data that challenges us to modify our old views of the causes of aging, and he’ll present new long-term strategies to slow down the process and extend the healthy portion of our lives.

The Improviser’s Mindset: Effortless Creativity, Agility and Resourcefulness
How often do you think and act outside of your own box? Lecturer Dan Klein, whose students named him Teacher of the Year in 2009, taps into improvisation, design thinking and high-performance communication to help adults access their childlike creative reserves. In this hands-on workshop, learn how to channel ideas and express them in a compelling way on demand, onstage and beyond.

Our Freshwater Future: Using Advanced Technologies to See into Earth
Will our freshwater supplies meet the needs of the 21st century? Professor Rosemary Knight is partnering with groundwater districts in the western U.S. to develop and demonstrate new technologies that would allow us to image the groundwater systems that contain 97% of our liquid freshwater. In the same way that medical imaging has revolutionized health care, the adoption of these "Earth-imaging" technologies may be a game-changer in the management our freshwater resources.

From Wall-Paintings to Wiki: The History of Human Text
Did you know that 5th-century sculpture fragments bear a striking resemblance to modern-day tweets, or that ancient poetic techniques have everything to do with voice recognition software? Using historical objects, Professor Elaine Treharne will help us understand how communication has evolved throughout the millennia and what we can predict for the future.
4:30 p.m.
Break
4:50 p.m.
Seminars
6:00 p.m.
Closing Session

A Scientist and a Novelist Walk into a Bar: Crafting Compelling Environmental Narratives
Stephen Palumbi teaches and researches evolution and marine biology at Stanford University. His interests range from the evolution and genetics of sea urchins, whales and corals to the influences of climate change on ocean species. He has received numerous awards for research and conservation, including a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation, and he has written several books for non-scientists, including The Death and Life of Monterey Bay: A Story of Revival. His newest book, co-authored with his son Tony Palumbi, ‘06, and published in March 2014, is The Extreme Life of the Sea.

Climate Change and the Bay: Monterey Prepares for the Future
Meg Caldwell has dedicated her career to environmental law, having worked as an attorney, professor and board member in the field. Her scholarship focuses on the environmental effects of local land use decisions and on developing private and public incentives for natural resource conservation. Caldwell directs the Environmental and Natural Resources Law and Policy Program at the law school. In her appointment with the Woods Institute she directs the Center for Ocean Solutions, a collaboration between Stanford, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. She formerly chaired the California Coastal Commission and she currently serves on the Blue Ribbon Task Force for the California north coast.
6:30 p.m.
Reception
Look Who Connected
First Name | Maiden Name | Last Name | Degree(s) | Parent Year(s) | City | State | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kathy | Parker | Carmel | CA | ||||
Nan | Freehafer | Pheatt | '71 | Seaside | CA | ||
Margaret | Eaton | Carmel | CA | ||||
Taryn | Upchurch | '98, MA '99 | San Jose | CA | |||
Brian | Grossi | '73, MS '73 | Pebble Beach | CA |
Special thanks to all the Stanford+Connects Monterey 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 six star scholars 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!

Zachary Brown, PhD. 14
Zachary Brown, a sixth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Earth System Science, grew up in the small Alaskan coastal town of Gustavus, near Glacier Bay National Park, where he developed a passion for oceans and conservation. After studying chemistry at Pomona College, Zachary had the opportunity to study seabirds at a far-flung Polish research outpost in the High Arctic islands of Svalbard, and he’s been hooked on polar research ever since. Zachary’s work at Stanford explores how climate change affects the biological communities of the Arctic. After graduation he plans to establish a field school at a homestead near his hometown in Alaska. When not doing research at Stanford or on the extreme poles, Zach can be found playing his fiddle or climbing mountains with the Stanford Alpine Club.

Jessia Hoffman
Jessia Hoffman, ’15, is a performer, playwright, and improviser from the Bay Area. She graduated from Stanford with a BA in English, minor in Spanish, and interdisciplinary honors in the arts. Jessia has worked as artistic director of the Stanford Improvisors and as an intern for TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley, and now produces events for the Stanford Storytelling Project and Stanford Arts Intensive. She serves as Improv Coach for BATS Improv and the Aragon Improv Team. Recent theatre credits include Lisi in The Man in the Ceiling workshop (TheatreWorks), Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray (Stanford), Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George (Stanford), and writer/director of Sheila, an original play.

Chad Kamisugi, '15
Chad Kamisugi, who hails from Honululu, HI, is a Stanford Tour Guide, a volunteer usher at Bing Concert Hall, a co-host for the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL) speaker series and a co-president of the Stanford Alumni Mentoring (SAM) leadership team. He’s majoring in Science, Technology, and Society with a focus on organizational behavior and he hopes to pursue a career path that allows him to help align interests within and between organizations.

Lily McElwee, '15
Lily McElwee is a junior pursuing the Research Honors Track of Political Science and minoring in Management Science & Engineering and Modern Languages. Having lived in Shanghai from 2005 to 2010, she is deeply interested in East Asian political economy and plans to write her thesis on the nature and impact of evolving economic regulations in the region. She has completed internships in Shanghai over the past two summers, and intends to work abroad after graduation. Outside of the classroom, Lily enjoys sports, videography, and languages. She has competed on the fencing team for the past two years and currently manages the team’s social media channels.

Austin Meyer, '14
Austin Meyer is an English major with a creative writing emphasis, a Master’s student in Communication-Journalism, a member of the Stanford Improvisers (SImps), center midfielder for the varsity men’s soccer team and an avid mandolin player. With interests in social good, environmental protection, athletics, and education, Austin uses the power of story to illuminate aspects of the human condition and the world. After next year Austin hopes to tell some stories while playing professional soccer overseas. He was born and raised in Santa Rosa, CA.

Ben Strauber
Ben Strauber, MA ’17, PhD ’17, is a PhD candidate in neuroscience focusing on the cognitive and neural processes involved in language and learning. A lover of language and culture who has studied and worked around the world, Ben speaks Hindi and Spanish fluently, and he knows bits and pieces of Bengali, Punjabi, Arabic, and Mandarin. He also enjoys computer languages, which he puts to good use in his work with Code for India. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Ben came to Stanford after completing his undergraduate studies at Arizona State University as well as a Masters at the University of Cambridge. He eventually hopes to apply his understanding of language and learning to improve education and bridge cultural divides, either through academia or a more entrepreneurial avenue.
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.
Find
Use the Stanford Alumni directory to find and connect with fellow alumni (SAA site login required)
Contact your regional manager, Ryan Goetz, at rgoetz@stanford.edu or (650) 721-1328
Learn
Dive deeper with these additional resources referenced by Stanford+Connects speakers.
- John Hennessy: Embrace, co-founded by Stanford alumni Linus Liang and Jane Chen in the Design for Extreme Affordability course at Stanford’s d.school
- Rosemary Knight: The Center for Groundwater Evaluation and Management
- Elaine Treharne: Edinburgh’s anonymous book sculptor; The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore; Al Gore – Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis
- Stuart Kim: Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge
- Meg Caldwell: The Center for Ocean Solutions
- Steve Palumbi: Hopkins Marine Station