tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87682963114862577572024-03-13T04:13:13.551-07:00The Stanford Safaristanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-16695645120419603312013-09-25T04:46:00.003-07:002013-09-25T04:46:37.714-07:00Chuanqi Shen: A Discussion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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During our conversation with Tina Seelig about creativity,
she made a statement that I thought was highly interesting:</div>
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"Rules are created for the rule makers."</div>
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Now, Tina said this
with a specific idea in mind. She was trying to say that rules are generally
created not for the benefit of the people, but for the convenience of those who
make them. For example, a typical classroom setting, with the systematic rows
of tables and chairs, may not be the most conducive learning environment, but
it allows the teacher to easily keep an eye on everyone. However, I think that
this statement is also a profound comment about the way we construct knowledge.
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It has often been remarked that the hallmark of human
intelligence is our ability to recognize patterns. We pride ourselves in our
ability to connect ideas, even if they are totally disparate. In fact, Tina
Seelig thinks that the defining characteristic of creativity is the linking of
different concepts. That is, of course, a compelling argument. Yet, in some
sense, the patterns we find are pretty similar to the rules the rule makers
create. For patterns are simplifying in nature, and are thus generalizations.
We find some form of order out of the chaotic mess, and then we impose this
form of order as an idea for us to focus on. Like rules then, these patterns
are found to help us, the pattern makers, understand what is going on. Like
rules too, these patterns may not be the best way to describe things, for they
do not represent the entire truth, just a small part of it. But patterns are
tempting and comforting, for like rules, they make things simple. However, if
we are to blindly follow the patterns we find, we will not be able to capture
reality in its entirety, because it will be as if we have placed a blanket over
the little mounds and crevice on the face of reality to create the facade of a
homogenous surface. For example, the Newtonian Laws of physics seem to work
perfectly in our everyday life. A ball rolling on a moving train will seem to
move faster than one rolling on the ground. Yet, light does not obey these
rules; it moves at the same speed in all inertial frame. We would not have
discovered Special Relativity had we stuck to our old concepts of relative
motion, a pattern that is fulfilled by almost all other daily objects we see.</div>
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Yet, this does not mean that pattern recognition is
unimportant, or even bad. It is our ability to simplify our world, to focus on
the common thread that runs through things and discard the inessentials that
allowed us to progress to where we are today. For example, Galileo made the key
insight that he did not need to consider the shape, texture, or orientation of
objects to determine how things move; he could treat them as point particles.
This huge simplification allowed Galileo to create the kinematics laws,
equations that we still use today. It would be bad, however, if we stick to the
patterns we find. What I suggest, therefore, is that finding exceptions is as
much a creative process as finding patterns. It prevents us from getting
stifled by the patterns we have found so far, and it allows us to find better,
more nuanced patterns that will further our understanding. The creation of
human knowledge is therefore an incremental process, of creating a cage of
patterns around ourselves so that we can get our bearings, and then destroying
it to create a larger cage. And acts of creativity occur during the events of
creation and destruction. </div>
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In some way, this seems paradoxical, for creativity seems to
be destroying itself. In other ways, this makes perfect sense, for in the eyes
of evolution, creation and destruction are synonymous.</div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-10338469264112105272013-09-25T04:46:00.000-07:002013-09-25T04:46:02.096-07:00Chuanqi Shen: A Facade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In my mind, conservation always has had a positive
connotation. Whenever I hear the word, I get this warm fuzzy feeling, as it
seems that something good is being done. However, it turns out that things are
not as simple as they appear. </div>
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We know the Stanford Dish as a natural preserve. Some of us
might have seem cows atop the foothills when we were visiting. I always found
the cows intriguing, and I made it a point to spot at least one cow whenever I
went on a Dish hike. It never occurred to me until recently that seeing cows
grazing on the fields is strange. But if you think about it, why the heck do
you allow cows to graze in a place that is protected? Isn't grazing detrimental
to the environment? Well, it turns out that the cows consume non-native grass
such as hay, and this allows the non-native plants to grow. The Bay Checkerspot
butterfly, an endangered species, feeds on these native plants. Therefore,
allowing the cows to graze on the fields is actually a way to preserve the Bay
Checkerspots. Mindblowing, isn't it?</div>
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Of course, one can argue that by doing so, we are destroying
the hay, and that brings me to the new perspective I learnt about conservation.
Conversation is never about protecting everything. Sometimes, it means
destroying some things to retain what you want to protect. In this case,
Stanford University wants restore the Stanford Dish foothills to its original
form before the Spanish settlers arrived and brought in a lot of invasive,
non-native plants.</div>
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Meanwhile, at the Hanna House, we learnt about the design
principles of Frank Lloyd Wright. One of the most distinctive features of the
Hanna House is that it feels very organic and seems to be an seamless part of
the environment. It is never clear where the house starts and where the outside
world ends. The nearby trees are not jarring bystanders. Instead, they seem to
be incorporated into the design of the house. Holes were created into the
roofs, and supports were created, to allow the tree to grow and extend its
branches gracefully. Looking at the Hanna House, one gets this lovely
impression of a man-made home that is peacefully co-existing with the natural
world.</div>
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Well, except for the fact that the roots of the Cyprus tree
are straining to burst through the wooden floors.</div>
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Despite the impression we may get, the Hanna House is in
fact causing a huge burden on the trees growing around it. The concrete floor
plan restrict the amount of space the roots of the trees can extend to, and cement
also reduces the porous nature of the soil underneath. The caretakers of the
Hanna House took great pains to ensure that the trees are growing healthily,
and that the structure of the house is doing fine, but they are not sure how
long this can be sustained. In some ways they have in their hands a ticking
time bomb.</div>
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Now let's move over to Jasper Ridge. Jasper Ridge,
especially Searsville Lake, seemed serene and idyllic, and nothing much seemed
to be happening. However, this entire scene is in danger of disappearing soon.
Searsville Lake is very close to the St Andreas Fault, and over the years the
lake is being filled up with the sediments from the fault. 10 years ago,
Searsville Lake had a depth of 60 feet. Now, the deepest regions are only about
10 feet. If nothing is being done, Searsville Lake would disappear, an entire
ecosystem would be destroyed, and Jasper Ridge would just be another huge
overgrowth of trees. Something needs to be done, and that would mean clearing
the lake of the excess sediments. Here, we have a unique case where nature is
set to destroy a habitat, and we, as humans, want to protect it. It shows that
conservation does not necessarily mean keeping a place free from human
influence. Sometimes it could mean preventing a place from getting destroyed by
natural causes.</div>
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In all of the events mentioned above, the first impressions
we get are different from (sometimes even totally opposite to) the stories we
uncover once we dig further. It's almost as if a facade has been created to
deceive us. It's fascinating how different things can be from how they appear.
I guess that means that I should stop taking things at face value, and dive
deep down to unearth all these amazing stories underneath. </div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-20299788426680369292013-09-25T04:44:00.004-07:002013-09-25T04:44:51.313-07:00Chuanqi Shen: A President<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Fred Terman is the former President of Stanford University
and widely credited to be the Father of Silicon Valley. Many of the Terman's
contributions to Stanford is tied to his contributions to Silicon Valley. In
this blog post, I would like to talk about how Silicon Valley was developed,
and how that allowed Stanford to become a top engineering school.</div>
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When people talk about the origins of Silicon Valley, they
will probably think it has something to do with silicon chips, as the name
Silicon Valley implies. But the origin of Silicon Valley actually stretches all
the way back to the World War II era. Before the war, military research was
mainly done in the military labs. During the war, the federal government
started giving schools like as MIT, Harvard, Columbia and Caltech huge amounts
of money to perform military research, and that helped tremendously in
developing the engineering schools in these institutions. Stanford, however,
was not considered an engineering powerhouse at that time. Therefore, the
school received almost no money from the federal government. Terman, however,
wanted to change the situation. He started a lab that did research on microwaves,
and was able to get the first grant from the Office of Naval Research in 1946.
By 1950, Stanford Engineering had progressed to be able to rival MIT. </div>
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The 1950s was the start of the Cold War, and the Cold War
was actually the main impetus that push Silicon Valley forward. During this
period, Terman focused Stanford's resources on electronics intelligence and
signal intelligence, as the military dearly sought after technology in this
field. In the 1960s, the military, wanting to track the Soviet radars, also commissioned
the construction of the Stanford Dish to eavesdrop on the Soviet Tall King
radars using radio waves reflected from the moon. </div>
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But Terman did not want Stanford to merely create military
products; he wanted Stanford to perform advanced engineering research as well.
To do so, he encouraged students to create start-ups and professors to consult
for companies. He also allowed Stanford's intellectual properties to be
licensed. Such ideas were unprecedented at the time, and it allowed a
"Microwave Valley" (remember that at that time microwaves and signals
were the focus of Stanford) to flourish, and introduce a culture and atmosphere
that we recognize in Silicon Valley today.</div>
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The actual Silicon Valley as we know it today probably
started when William Shockley built the first chip company in the area.
However, it is important to realize that before that before this event,
Stanford and the "Microwave Valley" was heavily focused on military
research, and was funded by the military. It was only much later that the
funding shifted to the venture capitalists. However, it is important to realize
how Terman in these early years helped to congregate a community of engineers
together to conduct high-end research, and how he instilled the entrepreneurial
spirit into the area through his
pioneering efforts. </div>
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For more information, check out this <a href="http://www.computerhistory.org/core/media/pdf/core-2009.pdf" target="_blank">link</a> (start from page
24): </div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-49812332019129750152013-09-25T04:44:00.000-07:002013-09-25T04:44:07.174-07:00Chuanqi Shen: A "Corporation"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When touring the Stanford Stadium with Ray Purpur, we heard
great statistics about the Stadium, how every match was always sold out, how
the different marketing initiatives (such as the sky box) were always
well-received by the people. However, I kept getting the feeling that Stanford
Stadium was being run like a corporation. Of course, there seemed to be nothing
wrong with it, since it would only mean more profits for the university, more
resources and thus a better education for me! But on some level it felt wrong
for a institution that is technically a non-profit organization to be focused
on generating as much revenue as possible.</div>
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However, it is commendable that Stanford tries its best to
keep the Stadium as free from marketing influence as possible. For example, the
Stanford Stadium is one of the few stadiums without any advertisements. This
was done so that there will not be nearby distractions that may reduce people's
enjoyment of the game. Also, Stanford students could always get free tickets to
the games, and we always get the best seats at the Red Zone. So that's great!</div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-17769821745562006192013-09-25T04:43:00.003-07:002013-09-25T04:43:37.962-07:00Chuanqi Shen: A Comment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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During the conversation with Peter Bing, we asked him
whether he had any suggestions on ways to increase the number of humanities
students at Stanford. Quite surprisingly, Peter Bing said that he would not
give any suggestions. Explaining, he talked about the "Holy Triad of
universities", three areas that the university should have full autonomy
over: who is admitted, what they are taught, and who teaches. Peter Bing
explains that he believes people like him should stop commenting on such
issues, and that he should allow the faculty to make their own decisions and
judgments. </div>
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I found that to be a pretty interesting thought. I felt that
it was human nature for people to want to speak their mind and let their
opinions be heard. Well, even Jerry Yang, member of the Board of Trustees, joked
that he "likes to tell Coach Shaw what to do next week". Furthermore,
a comment would only be a comment; it did not mean that the suggestions have to
be implemented, so that would not directly violate the Holy Triads. I thought
that it showed remarkable restraint on Peter Bing's part, and it also showed
his absolute belief of the necessity in giving the university complete autonomy
in deciding certain matters. </div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-83354546147534909472013-09-25T04:43:00.001-07:002013-09-25T04:43:13.515-07:00Chuanqi Shen: An Opportunism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When having conversations with the people of Stanford, the
presidents (present and former), the deans , the trustees etc, it seems that
all of them kept repeating the same things. All of them told us not to plan too
far ahead, and when asked how they got to where they are today, all of them
replied that it was due to a series of serendipitous events. In fact, the word
"serendipitous" was repeated so often that I had a feeling they had
it scripted. But thinking back about it, it does appear that boldly taking the
future by its horns and taking chances as one goes along seems to be the
Stanford way of doing things. </div>
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According to Isaac Stein, what is special about Stanford is
that "we have no traditions, all our signposts point forward". And
this seems be reflected in the risk-taking attitude that Stanford displays in many
of its ventures. During the 2008 financial crisis, Stanford lost 27% of its
endowment. Some schools that were similarly hit badly decided to spread their
losses by cut their spending for the next 8 or even 10 years. President Hennessy,
however, didn't want the school in remain in the "recession phase"
for such a long period of time. He told the faculty that he only wanted to revert
back to full spending after 2 years. It was a bold decision, and it meant that
in during the period of 2008-2010, Stanford had to make big sacrifices. But the
faculty accepted the decision, and Stanford was able to bounce back quickly
afterwards. While many schools were still facing budget cuts, Stanford has been
busily renovating buildings and creating the new Engineering Quad. Because of
the quick recovery to full spending, Stanford was also able to invest
efficiently and bring the endowment funds back to its pre-financial crisis
level. </div>
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Peter Bing told a similar story. When the school decided to
continue the construction of the Bing Concert Hall during the financial crisis,
they faced a lot of difficulties, for they initially did not have enough funds.
However, there was a silver lining in the cloud, for construction stopped
everywhere, and Bing was able to find a contractor who was willing to take up
the project at a price that just allowed them to break even. By constructing
the Concert Hall when no one else was doing it, Stanford obtained a great deal.</div>
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A similar sentiment was echoed when Jim Plummer, dean of
engineering, talked about the process of hiring new faculty. Jim Plummer said
that he did not care about the past work a candidate has done. He would also
not hire a candidate to fill in a gap (for example, if a professor working on
biocomputation retired, he would not specifically look for a candidate in that
field) Instead, he wants to look for the smartest person, no matter what he
does. This is because when he hires faculty, he is assuming that the faculty
will stay for at least 10 to 15 years. In such a long period of time, it is
hard to predict which field is going to be the next big thing, and thus hiring
faculty based on area is undesirable. However, he believes that as long as the
faculty are great people, great work will be done. </div>
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And the above examples, I believe, exemplifies why Stanford
was propelled by serendipitous events. Everyone is adventurous and
risking-taking, willing to be flexible and try new ideas. And we always seem to
succeed, because we get the smartest people. </div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-33633737545364765212013-09-25T04:42:00.001-07:002013-09-25T04:42:24.761-07:00Chuanqi Shen: A Dish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In my presentation on the Stanford Dish, I mentioned that
the Dish was originally created to monitor the Tall King Soviet radars. I
decided to read through the declassified paper (found <a href="https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol11no2/pdf/v11i2a05p.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>)
to understand better how it works, and here is what I have gotten from the
paper.</div>
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The military wanted to know the position of the Tall King
Soviet radars and the parameters they were operating under. Such information
can be extracted from the signals transmitted by the radars. However, such
signals were seldom detected because the wavelengths of the signals were too
short for them to be deflected by the ionosphere. Therefore, most of the
signals would be lost to outer space. Also, flying a plane into Soviet
territory to gather information was feasible, firstly because that was
prohibited, and secondly because a airplane would be unable all the
sophisticated machinery required, and they were pretty heavy. </div>
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The scientists were unsure what could be done, when they
suddenly detected in 1946 man-made signals coming from the moon. After many experiments,
known as the Moon Bounce tests, they were able to prove that these signals were
reflected signals, and they could extract reliable information out of them.
This provided some hope.</div>
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However, there were still some challenges that needed to be
overcome. For example, whether signals from the Tall King Radars would be
reflected by the moon and detected by the receivers in the US is highly
dependent of the time, the location of moon and the location of the receiver.
After some consideration, it was decided that California was one of the better
locations to build a Dish, and that was how the Stanford Dish was created. </div>
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For more information, check out the paper!</div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-6249906668882829142013-09-25T04:41:00.001-07:002013-09-25T04:41:31.244-07:00Chuanqi Shen: An Accelerator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Visiting SLAC got me excited about physics all over again,
so I decided to learn more about the history of SLAC and the different
discoveries that were made.</div>
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SLAC was a linear accelerator constructed in 1962, dubbed as
the longest and straightest structure in the world. In fact, it is so straight
that it does not follow the curvature of the Earth. Affectionately called the
"Monster", it gave the scientists the ability to accelerate particles
to nearly the speed of light, allowing the scientists to observe sub-atomic
particles.</div>
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The first breakthrough came soon after SLAC reached full
operation. A research team was able to use electron beams to discover that
protons actually comprised of smaller sub-atomic particles called quarks. This
discovery allowed the research team to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1990.</div>
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A few years later, SLAC was upgraded with the addition of
the Stanford Positron Electron Asymmetric Ring (SPEAR). This new technology
allowed the scientists to make a breakthrough again. In 1974, in what was
called the "November Revolution", a team from SLAC and a team from
Brookhaven National Laboratory made independent discoveries of the J/psi
particle, which consisted of a paired charm quark and anti-charm quark. This
discovery led to the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1976. In 1975, Martin Perl also
discovered the tau lepton, and this led to his winning the Nobel Prize in
Physics in 1995. </div>
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Today, SLAC has diversified from particle physics to
applying accelerator science to many other fields ranging from environmental
sciences, chemistry to alternative energy research. Application could even be
found in art. For example, a few pages of the Archimedes Palimpsest, Archimedes'
oldest surviving works, were unreadable, obscured by grime and mold. After
discovering that Archimedes used iron-based ink to write the works, SLAC
scientist Uwe Bergmann was able to use X-ray florescence imaging to pick up
trace of iron on the pages with high precision, thus revealing the text on the
pages for the first time in a thousand years. </div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-84968846222506650942013-09-24T12:27:00.001-07:002013-09-24T12:27:33.019-07:00Christine Rogers: What color is Stanford?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The better question to ask is: what color <u><b>isn't</b></u> Stanford?</div>
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With its signature red-tiled roofs, the red barn, plethora of Marguerite shuttles, sandstone, and white statues (such as those on the front on the Main Quad and the Gay Liberation Statues), Stanford appears at first to mainly exhibit its school colors: red and white. The vast amount of foliage that surrounds campus also gives the campus a distinct feeling green. However, in reality, such a diverse campus with a multitude of different activities, art, and wildlife cannot be confined to just three colors.<br />
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<div>
Scores of bikes around campus and the mosaic on Mem Chu’s façade alone represent almost every color there is. Blue is represented by Searsville Lake and some of the beautiful flora around campus. The Hanna House, Jasper Ridge, Lake Lag, and the bronze colored sculptures lend a brown tinge to campus. The near-constant construction around campus, as well as numerous flowers like Lantana, creates an abundance of orange and yellow. For purple, look to the Jacaranda tree, for pink to the Ceiba Especiosa (as well as the fountains on big game day, because they never actually look red). Grey buildings, dark grey/black Rodin sculptures, black squirrels, and rust-hued sculptures; is there any color that isn’t represented somewhere on Stanford’s campus?</div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-60041466350148959802013-09-24T12:16:00.002-07:002013-09-24T12:16:27.339-07:00Christine Rogers: Stanford's budget and what it means for us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The budget of Stanford exceeds the budget of many
countries (at least 40) in the world. Insane right?</span><div>
The vast budget of Stanford, a result of a substantial endowment combined with staggeringly huge major gifts, allows Stanford to do amazing things. From building, maintaining, and expanding a beautiful and state-of-the-art campus, to funding numerous and diverse programs to benefit undergraduate education (such as Sophomore College and overseas programs), to promoting the arts (via the new Arts District, including Bing Concert Hall and Cantor Arts Museum, that is currently underway), Stanford’s monetary capabilities have enabled the great people at Stanford to create a university that does justice to the visions and dreams of Leland and Jane.</div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-31895669353821083562013-09-23T19:54:00.003-07:002013-09-23T19:54:29.881-07:00Christine Rogers: Leland Jr.: The Collector<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Much of Leland Stanford Jr.’s time was spent traveling with his family. Between 1879 & 1883, he traveled to England, Constantinople, Lyon, Marseilles, Frankfurt, Norway, the Sierra Nevadas, New York, Rome, Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Paris, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Pompeii, the last 11 of which were all part of one grand tour of Europe in 1881. During his travels he did such activities as meeting the pope and visiting the Colosseum, Vesuvius, and the Tomb of Cecilia Metella. While he was enthusiastic about most of the places he visited, Leland Junior was not always so complimentary. In his letters, he referred to both Lyon and Marseilles as “dirty cities,” going so far as to describe the people of Marseilles as “filthy.”<div>
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Heavily influenced by travelling, Leland Jr., under the encouragement of his parents and with the help of his tutor, Hebert C. Nash (who, after Leland Jr.’s death, would later go on to be Senator Stanford’s secretary and, after Leland Sr.’s death, Jane’s secretary) began collecting artifacts and relics from the places he travelled. Leland Jr. was incredibly interested in archaeology and especially Egyptology. He examined artifacts and practiced deciphering hieroglyphics. </div>
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During his travels, he went around with his tutor collecting items for the museum he hoped to start (and which he eventually did start in their house on Nob Hill). His parents, wanting to encourage Leland’s interest, gave him money by to purchase items at various sales, antique stores, from various dealers and collectors, and on the Acropolis. While they were in Naples 1884, Leland wrote to a friend that his father had given him 4000 francs to support his museum, which would be somewhere between $16,000-20,000 today. Leland Junior collected Egyptian bronzes, Greek statuettes, Greek and Roman glass, and ancient coins, among other things. He intended to continue expanding his collections and began a collection of Chinese and Japanese curios and “relics of the American Mound dwellers.” </div>
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Leland Jr. was far more shrewd than many expected from a boy of his age. His tutor recalled that, “It frequently happened that in looking over specimens offered him for sale, Leland would hand some back to the dealer, quietly remarking that they were imitations. Invariably the man, after a look at his young customer, would apologize, excusing himself on the ground that the imitations had accidentally slipped in with the others.” </div>
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On his travels, Leland Jr. found (not purchased) the following items: a mummy’s foot, a piece of pottery 2800 years old, a piece of a fresco from the ruins of Pompeii, a fragment of a column capital and inscribed relief treating rituals sacred to Demeter & Persephone from Sanctuary of Eleusis, and a relief from Tomb of Cecilia Metella. He collected the piece of fresco from Pompeii, when their tour guide, who Leland Jr. commented had been watching him very closely, allowed him to take a piece of fresco that had fallen on the floor. <br /><br />Here is a sampling of the various things he collected for his museum: colored Greek glass vials & Lacrymatories, stones from the various countries he visited (which were made by his parents into a mosaic tabletop, arranged to show where they came from), dead animals including a large stuffed turkey buzzard that he shot in Palo Alto in 1882 and a case of stuffed birds that he had mostly shot himself, a Moorish scimitar of the 18th century, an Algerian Dagger (modern), an Italian poignard, an old French Halbarde, a Sword-pistol, French cavalry helmets and swords, a cuirass of French cuirassier, a French soldier's shakos, a French chassepot rifle, a German needle gun, a French clarion, a model of a knight of Middle Ages armed cap-a-pie, a Persian helmet, sword, & armlet inlaid with gold and covered with Arabic tracings, an ancient bronze Egyptian figure of the god Osiris, an ancient Egyptian figure of the goddess “Pacht”, seated, with the head of a lioness, and a large alabaster Egyptian vase, brought to France by one of Mr. Champollion’s assistants, from whom Leland Jr. obtained it.</div>
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Some of the most famous pieces Leland Stanford collected at the time the museum opened were the Tanagra Figurines, made of Terracotta, one depicting a woman suckling an infant and the other depicting a female musician asleep in a chair, a tambourine at her feet. He also collected some Athenian pottery, small terra cotta lamps that filled ancient Greek sarcophagi, and small fetishes or charms from the Troad, found by Dr. Schliemann in the 6th city of Troy. These items were in Dr. Schliemann’s museum at Athens and were taken out of their case and presented to Leland Junior. </div>
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Leland Jr.’s budding career as an archaeologist and a collector, unfortunately, was ended in 1884. In early February 1884, in a letter to a friend, Leland Jr. said he had been going at it too hard [with all the travel and efforts to expand his collections] and wasn’t feeling well. A month later, in Florence, Leland Jr. died of Typhoid fever. Before his death, Leland Stanford, when talking with the famous collector Luigi Palma di Cesnola, expressed his interest in the “art-education” of the American People. The Stanfords, distraught at the death of their only child, wanted to honor their son’s memory and his dream of a museum. Their first idea was to build the museum in San Francisco, but, according to David Starr Jordan, they abandoned that idea because it “did not satisfy them as being sufficiently generous.” Eventually they merged the museum with the University and built what is now, several earthquakes later, the Cantor Museum to house their son’s collections and well as continue adding to them. In describing the museum and the heart and soul that Leland Jr. put into in, Leland’s tutor, Hebert C. Nash said, “Possibly at no distant date the student of archaeology may stand with one hand on this case, the other stretched out to a richly-stored museum and say in his heart: ‘Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth.’”</div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-44782403756656098602013-09-23T19:48:00.002-07:002013-09-23T19:48:16.588-07:00Christine Rogers: Leland Jr.: The Boy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Leland Stanford Junior was born May 14, 1868, the only child of Jane Lathrop Stanford and Leland Stanford. He was definitely his father’s son. Leland Senior was a railroad magnate who drove the Golden Spike into the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United Sates. Leland Jr. had a mini railroad of his own “from the house to the stable.” He even had his own car for the railroad and was incredibly involved in its maintenance and improvement, writing letters to engineers asking questions about boilers and buying paint for his car. Clearly he inherited both his father’s taste for railroads and ambition, writing to his friend, “as yet I have only one car, but it such a nice one that I think it will do me till I make an extension on my road.” <div>
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He was also very much his mother’s son. He followed in the footsteps of her altruism and her determination, as shown by the following story. Mrs. Sarah B. Cooper, who was making efforts to start the first free kindergarten in San Francisco, was talking to Jane Stanford about the difficulties she was encountering in her efforts. Leland Junior, who was listening attentively, said to his mother, “Mamma, we must help those children,” to which she replied, “Well, Leland, what do you wish me to do?” “Give Mrs. Cooper $500 now and let her start a school, then come to us for more.” It was done on the spot. It was the first gift of the total $150,000 (as of 1892) Jane gave for the free kindergartens of California. </div>
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Being the son of the incredibly wealthy Leland and Jane Stanford, Leland Jr. naturally was pampered a good deal. On his 13th birthday, he had no lessons (which he normally had every day) and was given a lot of free time to explore Paris, where he was at the time. Then, for his party, he got to ride on an elephant, a camel (or “Kammel” as he spelled it in his letters), a carriage drawn by an ostrich, a pony, and a donkey. Another part of having wealthy parents was having a good deal of cash to spend. He kept strict accounts of the amount of cash given to him and how he spent it. Between July 27 & August 5, 1881, he was given $124.50, which may seem like a lot now, but $124.50 in 1881 would be equal to approximately $2700 today. Some of the charges he recorded were: boat, book for flowers, shooting gallery, fishing, minerals, stamps, candy, Hippodrome, Punch & Judy, soldier’s costume, sword, Prussian helmet, & chassepot rifle. </div>
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Leland made diligent journal entries every day, including what time he got up. Even if all he did was have lessons with his tutor, he made an entry for the day. He worked with his tutor most days and took lessons in German, French, possibly Latin or Italian. He also had a mathematical mind, as shown by his comments on the dimensions of ruins (e.g. the Colosseum) and jotted down math problems in his workbooks. His parents wanted him to have a well-rounded education, so Leland was taken to see operas, picture galleries, and numerous sites with frescoes. Leland Jr. expressed great interest in the arts, especially Pompeii’s paintings and frescoes, the “Dom Cathredial” opera, and the Royal Picture Gallery in Berlin. He was an enthusiastic amateur photographer and loved sketching trains and ships, “meticulously incorporating tiny American flags and rigging for the sails.”</div>
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Despite his preciosity, Leland Jr., was still a normal kid, or as normal as it’s possible to be when you are the son of Leland and Jane Stanford. He had snow ball fights with his friend in the Sierra Nevada “to [their] hearts’ content.” Leland Jr. collected stamps, leaves and flowers and pressed them in his workbook. When visiting Albany, he became a member of a local bicycle club. They even had badges made of 10 cent pieces with A. Bi. C. engraved on it. He even picked wild violets from the Tomb of Cecilia Metella and sent them in one of his many letters to his dad. He also had a sweet and sometimes almost adult-like disposition, writing to his friend in all seriousness, “The first of April will soon be here, I hope you will not have many tricks played upon you.” </div>
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One example of the boy’s kind and caring nature is the following story: At 10 years old, he saw a “homely yellow dog” outside his window. He ran outside and promptly took the dog in. He then flew to the telephone to call the doctor, who inferred from the boy’s serious and urgent tone that someone was gravely ill. The doctor was annoyed when he realized he had been summoned to attend to a broken-legged mutt, but was pacified by Leland Junior’s earnestness. He took the boy and the dog to a veterinarian, as he was not experienced at treating dogs. Leland kept the dog and took faithful care of it until it recovered. </div>
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Leland Stanford Jr. was not only the inspiration behind the creation Stanford University and the Cantor Museum, he was also a boy of great talents and gifts, an amateur artist, a budding archaeologist and Egyptologist, and a normal boy with many friends.
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-91417716008555620622013-09-23T19:46:00.003-07:002013-09-23T19:46:40.945-07:00Christine Rogers: The Godsend That is The Stanford Archives<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For our class, Stanford Safari, we had to choose a presentation topic related to Stanford. Remembering the story about the origins of the Cantor Museum and a visit to the Cantor during a class on the Egyptians, where our TA pointed out some artifacts collected by Leland Jr. himself, I decided to explore Leland Jr.’s collecting of various artifacts on his travels with his family.<br />
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Much to my chagrin, I found that virtually nothing existed on the subject on the internet, save for the oft-repeated origins of Cantor and some general statements about him traveling a lot and collecting Greek & Roman glassware, ancient coins, Egyptian artifacts, and Japanese and Chinese curios. Definitely not enough to write a 15-minute presentation on.<br />
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However, after our meeting with Daniel Hartwig, the University Archivist, and hearing about the Special Collections, I decided to see if there might be anything there that might help me, since I was bound and determined to not switch my topic. With Daniel’s help, I was able to find Leland Jr.’s papers, which proved to be the fountain of information I was hoping for. In the Special Collections Reading Room, I was able to handle and examine, up close and personal, some of Leland Jr.’s letters, his workbooks, his logbooks, and his cash accounts, among other things. <br />
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Several hours later, I emerged with enough notes and information for at least two presentations and the satisfaction of having found exactly what I was looking for after hours of research.</div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-5538215801456924602013-09-23T19:45:00.004-07:002013-09-23T19:45:38.948-07:00Christine Rogers: Everyone Needs to Check Out the Archives NOW!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As anyone who has spent any modicum of time here knows, Stanford has a wealth of different resources for students (and non-students) to use, whether for school, pleasure, or personal curiosity. All students know about the many libraries on campus and the access they provide to practically any book you can think of, but how many know about the two places that hold Leland and Jane Stanford’s death masks, programs from every Big Game, collections of WWII era recruitment and propaganda posters, and the original strike order for the Hiroshima bombing? <br /><br />One of the most amazing resources Stanford has to offer, and one that I knew practically nothing about before taking this class, is the archives. Both Green Library and the Hoover Institution have unbelievable archives, filled with both books and items such as those enumerated above. The Special Collections (at Green Library) features items relating to Stanford’s history and the Stanford family. The Hoover Archives specializes in items and documents relating to war and peace, particularly 20th and 21st century war, revolution, and peace. It was actually founded by Herbert Hoover, who believed war would never happen again if he created of a library/archive of war. <br /><br />All of their collections (both the Special Collections and the Hoover Archives) are listed online; just check out their websites on how to search their collections. <br /><br />If you ever need information about Stanford’s history, war, revolution, or peace, you need to check out the archives. Even if you are just curious about it or even if you’re not, everyone should go check out the archives while they’re here. You won’t believe what you’ll find.</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-58467270899135210432013-09-23T19:43:00.000-07:002013-09-23T19:43:06.673-07:00Christine Rogers: Stanford and The Arts<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Stanford is making a great effort to improve and expand it relationship with the arts. In the past, it has placed more focus on the sciences and engineering, which have served it very well indeed. Stanford has become an engineering and science powerhouse. However, as a result of that focus, not enough emphasis was placed upon the arts, especially in comparison to places like Yale. Stanford is doing its best to remedy the situation by shifting its focus to the arts. <div>
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The most visible effort it has made thus far is the creation of an Arts District at Stanford. This Arts District is set to include Bing Concert Hall, Cantor Museum, the building for the Anderson Collection, and the McMurtry Building. <div>
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Its implications for the future are that, if these efforts continue, the arts will have more focus, energy, emphasis, and funding, devoted to it. This should greatly improve the arts at Stanford, making it a greater contender against those schools that have a strong art program as well as strong academics.</div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-70957200050219308592013-09-23T19:41:00.001-07:002013-09-23T19:41:45.402-07:00Christine Rogers: Why doesn’t Stanford have a food science program? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Why doesn’t Stanford have a food science program? <br /><br />With society’s growing focus on the sustainable food/farming movement and the rising concern over America’s the obesity problem, nutrition and sustainable food are on the forefront of what’s happening in America today. Yet Stanford, a university renowned for its widespread areas of academic focus and research opportunities, has no solid food science program to address these issues. <br /><br /><div>
Stanford is part of the way there. They have a Human Nutrition concentration for the HumBio major. There is the Stanford Farm where several classes get hands-on experience while learning about agriculture or sustainable farming. There is even a proposed Helix course (an interdisciplinary program of 3-4 courses that center around one focus) that centers on food. <br /></div>
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That’s a good start, but it isn’t enough. The Helix course is close to a solid program, but you cannot pursue it as a major and for some, especially people in intense majors with high unit requirements, it would be next to impossible to pursue alongside a major. There is no one program that encompasses both sustainable farming/food and nutrition, and none that I have been able to find that focus substantially on the chemistry of cooking (which is what I love).<br /></div>
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Obviously I am a little biased on the subject, as someone who is passionate about cooking and food science and who would love Stanford to create some sort of program, major, or even a minor about food science. But maybe that’s just what Stanford needs: people who are passionate enough about the topic to bring the problem to light. Maybe I’ll follow John Etchemendy’s lead and create a new major that encompasses all of those things. Who knows, only time will tell.
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-67566901246747710412013-09-23T10:34:00.005-07:002013-09-23T10:34:47.751-07:00Westhem: Sorority Feeling<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Whenever I thought about college I always imagined myself
being in a sorority. And since my mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother
were all Thetas, I kind of had a feeling that I would be a Theta as well. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It wasn’t
until spring quarter after rush, when I was officially a Theta and getting
pumped to live in the house for the next year when it hit me that I would be
living with all girls. ALL GIRLS! Now I don’t why this was such an important realization
to me, but it was shocking at the time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I guess I
had grown up with all guy cousins and playing basketball with the boys at lunch
even into middle school. And I had gotten used to hanging out with my guy
friends in my dorm and talking sports when the girl drama became too much.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I loved how
Stanford had the option last year to live on a single gender or coed floor. Now
you’re probably assuming that I chose a coed floor, but I actually didn’t. Who
wants to run into a cute football player in the early morning when you have
your retainer in and Paul Frank pajama shorts? Not this girl. <o:p></o:p></div>
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summer.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now that
I’ve lived in the Theta house now for a couple days, I know for a fact that my
worries were stupid unnecessary. I’m so glad that Stanford allows soroties a
bit of freedom in allowing boys in the house, so I know they can still visit. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But there’s
something about living with a house full of girls that love you before even
knowing you that is so comforting and creates just the greatest homey feeling. <o:p></o:p></div>
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stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-86026919342730991072013-09-23T10:33:00.004-07:002013-09-23T10:33:21.279-07:00Westhem: Lasting Legacy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">Last week a member of the Stanford
football 1952 Rose bowl team passed away. In addition to being a three-year
letterman from 1950-1952 in football, he competed in the 400m hurdles for track
and field and was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity. Basically, William Storum </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> ‘53 was your typical jock-frat-wonder boy
during his time at Stanford.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bill was my
grandfather and taught me how to Fear the Tree the moment I entered high
school. He was an Indian and then a Cardinal until the end. I was already on
campus when I got the call from my mom. I had known that my goodbye to him
before I left might have been my last and, as usual, he had been wearing a
Stanford shirt as we talked about the upcoming football season. When my mom
called, she made sure to tell me that he had wanted me to know that he was
proud of me for carrying on the Stanford tradition and that he was reppin’ the
Card on his final day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The evident
alumni spirit and their love of Stanford is what prompted me to write this
column. Especially seeing all of the recent graduates and alumni at the first
home football game made it clear that Stanford loyalty runs deep, whether its
supporting athletics, mentoring current students, or helping recent graduates
network. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While
academics have raised it to the level of the Ivy’s, it’s the athletics that
have propelled Stanford into another level all its own. The superb athletes and
their staunch loyalty to the Card throughout their entire careers are part of
the glue that holds this amazing university together. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For being
such a young school, Stanford graduates have certainly established themselves
in the nation, and the older alums hold the memories and traditions of their
era near and dear to their hearts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The stories
that Bill shared with me will forever be ingrained in my memory and I will share
them with my own kids when it comes time for me to inculcate them with Stanford
pride. I’ve always been a huge college football fan ever since I went to my
first game when I was eight (it pains me to admit that it was a USC game at the
Coliseum), so I loved hearing about his time on the football team at Stanford.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One story
in particular emphasizes how much has changed in 50 years. Whenever the Big
Game was played at Cal, all of the Zetas on the team (which was the football
frat at the time) would stay together with the rest of their brothers in the
same hotel<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">--</span>no separation
was imposed between players and students. Bill and the guys would play football
in the hotel hallway to get pumped, with each room having a different point
value if someone managed to break into it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Then when
the Big Game was played at Stanford, there was the huge bonfire at Lake
Lagunita and the whole student body would gather with the band to join forces
against the Golden Bears. During football season, he emphasized that the entire
energy of the school was focused on beating the opponent for that weekend and
dressing up like Indians to intimidate them. Oh and singing the infamous
Stanford drinking song<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">--</span>“For
it’s wine, wine, wine that’s makes you feel so fine on The Farm!”<span style="background: white; color: #222222;"> --</span>of course. <o:p></o:p></div>
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While we
don’t dress up like Indians today (although the band does still have a few
original numbers that involve the Dollies dancing like Indians), that same
school spirit<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">--</span>Nerd Nation!<span style="background: white; color: #222222;">--</span>still permeates the campus year
round despite the excessive work load that most students impose on themselves. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The alumni
have taken that same spirit with them all over the country and into the lives
of their families, just as Bill did with me. My grandfather instilled in me a
love for my school and a love for life that I will take with me forever and
hopefully pass on to another generation of Trees. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As I walked
up to his gravesite to say my final goodbye, I put down a cardinal rose and
gave him my promise to do him proud at his alma mater. And before I left, I
know he was with me when I told him “GO CARD!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-51906039322781781892013-09-23T02:29:00.000-07:002013-09-23T02:31:57.006-07:00Haroon Zaidi: The trouble with staying in touch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
So, to be honest, I’m a little strange when it comes to
goodbyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m generally not emotional at
the moment, but then the next day or a couple days later, it finally hits me
that it’s over and I feel to be honest slightly depressed, well that’s not the
right word, moody would be more accurate as would be reminiscent in a slightly
downcast way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the activity
itself, there’s so much energy and activity going on, I take it for granted how
well I’ve gotten to know the people and believe that the feeling will
remain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet, invariably it doesn’t.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The trouble with staying in touch
is that people, get busy memories fade, lives continue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone is all psyched up at the end of the
activity, they promise that they’ll miss each other, and needless to say there
are always those few lifelong friendships that arise from the experience, but
for the most part it degrades to just saying hi to people while riding your
bike.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
So you know what I decided, I will
hit you all up to get coffee with you, to bum some free food (vegetarian
risotto possibly), to have conversations about life and literature, you know,
just that random stuff that makes experiences worth it, or so at least so is my
plan for right now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Seriously though, we have so many
awesome people in this class and I’m excited to see where they are all going to
be in the next ten or fifteen years, then again maybe a part of the feeling is
that it doesn’t last.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sentimentalist
and romantic in me are in direct conflict with each other, part of me wants
things to last forever another wants them to end as soon as possible so I can
start feeling nostalgic about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it’s
best to leave this feeling untarnished as long as possible, to think how
awesome these three weeks were, without risking losing the feeling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I guess I can’t be as logical about
feelings as I would like to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
haven’t gotten the drift of this post yet, cut me some slack if its overly
repetitive, it’s late: I think we should all stay in touch, there is so much
more to do at Stanford, that even if we were to have only 2 or 3 meetings every
quarter, we could never do all the things there are to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if we were to make a class there would
still be so many other things. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
spending 3 hectic weeks with all of you, it would be a shame to let all of that
fall to the wayside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Enough palavering
guys, I know there are still so many things I would like to do personally; we
have over dozen extremely bright, talented, and diverse individuals, let’s make
this happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Sincerely and in Continuing Friendship,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Haroon H. Zaidi</span></div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-5824230915603036972013-09-23T01:52:00.001-07:002013-09-23T01:52:06.623-07:00Haroon Zaidi: Accessibility of Resources <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When we went to the observatory I was told that in fact the
physics department hadn’t taken over the observatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experience was great and it was beautiful
under the night sky, however couldn’t help remembering, how I had once taken a
four mile jog, that had turned into quiet a bit longer and had accidently
wandered to where the observatory is only to find it locked…it’s a long
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I think it would be a
great spot to chill out with friends in the case of say a meteor shower.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So, I
asked her if I ever had any hankering to stare at the depths of the universe,
just wanted to do so something, possibly bring a friend, etc. could I do
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here response was its possible, but
there are a long series of steps one has to go through to get permission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, don’t get me wrong, I am extremely
grateful to have gotten the chance to go to the observatory, that she took time
out of her busy schedule, especially late at night to show us the
observatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also understand the
safety and logistical concerns about letting random people into the observatory
late at night, where there could be possible vandalism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would go even as far to say, I agree with
their policy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
If only those who are from the
physics department use it on a regular basis and decide who is worthy to use
it, even if it technically belongs to the students, isn’t it theirs in all but
name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a bit disappointing</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Other
things that I wouldn’t have expected to be accessible turned out to be
surprisingly so to the student, we were given horse rides at the red barn,
allowed a behind the scenes tour of the stadium and offered the ability to tag
along on his next set of rounds, and we’re allowed to go to the archives any
time we want, just to name a few.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I guess
for all these great opportunities you just have to be willing to ask.</div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-37461244876549553462013-09-20T17:13:00.002-07:002013-09-20T17:13:45.517-07:00Kiki Hui: I Found Help in a Hopeless State<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've biked a lot these past few weeks. After not biking all summer, I always get pretty tired and hot after a bike ride, which is quite sad. It may be my gears which I have no clue how to work, it may be my cheap Craigslist bike, or it may be my lack of athletic ability, but nonetheless, biking has been my leg workout.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe it's because my tires were flat. So a few minutes ago, I went to one of those bike stations to pump my tires. I have to admit that I have never really pumped bike tires by myself. I always let my parents or my friends do it for me. I know how to, or so I thought, but I've kind of accepted the fact that I'm just not good at fixing things or repairing things.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So I'm at the station, and first of all, I take forever to get my bike close enough to the pump just because I keep inching it closer and it was still too far (I later realized that wheels spin). So there I am struggling to put the cap thing on my tire to pump it up, not knowing if it's on or not, not knowing whether to flip the cap thing or not, not knowing what speed to pump the pump, and of course, I look helpless. However, a nice man, probably a grad student, stops by and just starts helping me. So what would have probably taken me 20 minutes, what should have taken me 2 minutes, ended up taking me 7 minutes because I received help.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This kindness is not a singular event. The people at Stanford are just generally good, kind-hearted people concerned about making a difference in the world. That's not to say outside of Stanford, people are the opposite, but we just have such a concentrated amount here. It took only two minutes of strugge for that man to help me. Help is never too hard to find here. People want to help each other. That's why we don't have the competitive, cutthroat environment typical of top universities. That kindness is something special that I wouldn't trade for anything.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And I biked away at a much greater speed, happy that my tires were no longer flat...hopefully my legs now will get a break. Unless it is of course just my athletic ability.</div>
</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-42310045769922199862013-09-20T16:57:00.003-07:002013-09-20T16:57:49.597-07:00Kiki Hui: the MOOCment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A common topic asked in our discussions with people these past few weeks has been about the threat of online educational courses, or MOOCs (massive open online courses), to the university as a valid institution. When we met with Dean Saloner of the GSB, he mentioned that the business school would be joining the MOOC train with their first online class about pensions.<br />
<br />
I found an article from Business Week announcing this news the same day we met with Saloner, which is pretty cool. By talking to these people, we learn all the new information before the rest of the public does!<br />
<br />
But anyways, an administrator of the GSB is quoted saying that the course will help the school "raise awareness about where we are and what we're doing." It sounds like a publicity stunt when he puts it that way.<br />
<br />
I first heard about MOOCs in my PWR class, the Rhetoric of Silicon Valley, in spring quarter. I don't know why I had not heard of them before, but now it seems like they are all that I hear about and for good reason. They have the potential to completely alter our view of higher education.<br />
<br />
However, I appreciated Saloner's assessment of MOOCs and how he does not see them as a potential threat to Stanford. They will benefit the larger public by educating anyone who wants to learn, and they will benefit Stanford by getting our name out there.<br />
<br />
It's still impossible to see where MOOCs will lead us as more and more institutions adopt them as a practice, but I think Stanford will endure.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-09-19/stanford-b-school-jumps-on-the-mooc-bandwagon" target="_blank">Click here to read the article!</a></div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-20266943433724351652013-09-20T11:38:00.000-07:002013-09-20T11:38:16.456-07:00Kiki Hui: The Humanities Push Back<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/september/ccny-humanities-exchange-091913.html" target="_blank">Read the Stanford News article!</a><br />
<br />
A common theme across the high-profile professors/deans that we've met with is their fear that the humanities are slowly dying. As the people who graduate from Stanford with a humanities major dwindles to 10-12%, the administration knows they need to do something to change this pattern.<br />
<br />
I stumbled across this article about a new program partnering with a New York city college to expose students to the doctoral-level humanities research at Stanford. It seems as if Stanford is broadening their mission to keep the humanities live, extending it across the country.<br />
<br />
This program not only aims to increase interest in the humanities but it also serves to bring in more first-gen, underrepresented people into the program, another cause Stanford is passionate about.<br />
<br />
I think it's a great program, I'm sure it will be successful and inspiring on both sides, and I encourage you all to give it a look as it represents issues Stanford is faced with and their responsive action.</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-53579579446450957822013-09-20T00:53:00.002-07:002013-09-20T00:53:22.792-07:00Jotthe Kannappan: Freshman Convocation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Most universities have an entire class assemble only once- on the day they graduate. On the other hand, Stanford starts the undergraduate career of every new student with Convocation, an assembly of the class at large, to mark the beginning of their Stanford adventure.<br />
<br />
Three weeks ago, President Hennessy mentioned that he was struggling with his speech for convocation, because he always drew inspiration from the book he had been reading. Well, this time, he read <i>Peter the Great: His Life and World</i>, which is about a Tsar of Russia that clearly accomplished great things, but also many bad things. Nonetheless, President Hennessy was able to tell the tale of a man who had a vision for his country, and though most people thought it was impossible, he shouldered the responsibility, and fulfilled that vision.<br />
<br />
Yet, at this Convocation, what stuns me are the number of themes from this class that are expressed in the speeches. Richard Shaw, the Dean of Admissions who we also met with, spoke about a past student who graduated and worked with NASA to land "Curiosity" on Mars. He came from a background that didn't play to his strengths, "but Aaron Yazzie was talented. He had a puckish smile and a cheerful outlook and a capacity to dream big." Dreaming big has definitely been a theme in this seminar, as most all of the people we have talked to have mentioned their desire to make an impact on the world.<br />
<br />
Moreover, we have heard time and time again in these three weeks that following your passion and making the most out of your time here is invaluable. Similarly, student speaker Jessica Anderson said "Your voice is as powerful as the next and it has a place here – on the Mock Trial team, in the Spoken Word Collective, on the football field, or in the Mechanical Engineering Department. So create your stages. Find your mics. And raise your voices." Vice-Provost Harry Elam also articulated that Stanford is not a "one-size-fits-all" adventure. You are your experience at this tremendous place.<br />
<br />
Though we have definitely learned so much more than just those things in the past three weeks, it is interesting to hear such similar concepts being thrown. One has to wonder whether those themes are integral to the Stanford experience. I definitely do believe though, that those words in freshman ears would have seemed empty. But hearing them a year later, in a group of 13, from many people across disciplines and backgrounds, all of whom ARE Stanford, in an honest and earnest conversation? THAT is life-changing.</div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8768296311486257757.post-41969219242635737002013-09-19T20:05:00.000-07:002013-09-19T20:05:23.161-07:00Kishnani: The Art of Composting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Watching the Freshman learn the ways of Stanford has definitely been an interesting experience. Aside from trying to bike your way through the 9:55 am mad rush to class, one of the 'weirdest' things they have to get used to is composting.<br />
<br />
Before coming to Stanford, I had never heard of composting, and neither do most people. It is actually a pretty huge, and at first quite baffling of a concept to get used to. At every dining hall, you are responsible for scraping everything off of your plate into the compost bin before putting it on the conveyor to get washed. Trash cans hardly even exist, even beyond the dining hall. Almost every on-campus eatery has now started using compostable take-out boxes, plates, cups, bowls, forks, knives, spoons, and anything else you could possibly imagine! So not only do you have to get used to the potato-ey taste of your compostable and bendy potato spoons, but you have to open yourself to the campus-wide concept of composting.<br />
<br />
Now, after a year, it seems almost natural to us. There is not even a second thought that crosses through our heads before composting instead of using the "landfill" bin. But, watching the freshman struggle, at least initially, with the concept, prompts a thought to what composting actually is...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.epa.gov/compost/basic.htm" target="_blank">Read this article about composting to find out more!</a></div>
stanford safarihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07995667205092196889noreply@blogger.com0