Archive for June, 2011

Danish prince pays a visit to the Farm

June 14th, 2011

President John Hennessy, left, guides a tour through the Rodin Sculpture Garden for HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark and a Danish contingent that included Peter Taksoe-Jensen, the Danish ambassador to the U.S., right. Photo: L.A. Cicero.

Denmark’s HENRIK, HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCE CONSORT, paid a visit to the Farm on Monday. He is the husband of MARGRETHE ALEXANDRINE, HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. Henrik and a contingent that included the Danish ambassador to the United States, took in a tour of campus sites with President JOHN HENNESSY.

Felipe Calderón shares touching moments with students

June 13th, 2011

Mexican President Felipe Calderón told Mexican students with whom he met after the Commencement ceremony that they were a source of pride for him personally and for their country. L.A. Cicero

During his visit to Stanford this weekend, Mexican President FELIPE CALDERÓN took time out to share some intimate, behind-the-scenes moments with Stanford students.

At the formal Saturday evening Commencement dinner, which recognizes the Commencement speakers and the Gores, Dinkelspiel and Cuthbertson award winners, guests were entertained by Mariachi Cardenal de Stanford, which performed traditional folk music with members of Ballet Folklórico de Stanford. Calderón and First Lady MARGARITA ZAVALA sang along through the entire performance.

Calderón then personally pinned each Mariachi with a presidential emblem, to cheers from an audience of 160 that included former Secretaries of State CONDOLEEZZA RICE and GEORGE SHULTZ, Congresswoman ZOE LOFGREN and members of the Board of Trustees and the University Cabinet. At the urging of the crowd, Mariachi Cardenal obliged with an encore—and violinist OSCAR OSCOBEDO, a graduating senior in civil engineering and the group’s music director, found himself sharing a microphone with Calderón, who belted out the lead on a rousing song about the love of Mexico. There was not a dry eye on the stage or in the audience. Among the many guests who could not resist recording the rare event on their mobile phones: President JOHN HENNESSY and Rice.

On Sunday immediately after the Commencement ceremony, Calderón asked to meet personally with about 50 graduates from Mexico, who he said held the future of the country in their hands. He spoke to the graduates and family members about his personal pride—and that of their country—in their accomplishments. Posing for pictures with beaming students in caps and gowns in a brief reception at Sunken Diamond, he stayed until he had met every student.

— Lisa Lapin

Faculty Senate gets a little psychiatric treatment

June 10th, 2011

David Palumbo-Liu "diagnoses" the ills of a patient played by Brad Osgood.

At the final meeting of the 43rd Faculty Senate, the proceedings were abruptly interrupted by a “psychiatric emergency.” Dressed in a lab coat, Professor DAVID PALUMBO-LIU, whose primary discipline is comparative literature, began dispensing advice and pills to “patients” who came before him.

Martha Cyert, aka "Shirley Ballistic," explains her symptoms to Palumbo-Liu.

First was MARK ZOBACK: “I’m having terrible nightmares,” the geophysics professor complained. “Year after year, it’s meetings and meetings — faculty meetings, senate meetings, meetings about meetings. There’s even a committee about committees in my dreams. Can you help me?”
Palumbo-Liu’s diagnosis was “repetition compulsion,” which he said was a common malady among university professors and deliberative bodies. “Are you sure you’re asleep when this happens?” Palumbo-Liu asked. “Take two pills, get used to it, and don’t forget your co-pay on the way out.”
Next was BRAD OSGOOD, who confessed that the medication the good doctor had prescribed previously had not cured his malady: “It’s accreditation,” said Osgood, senior associate dean for student affairs in the School of Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering. “I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I wake up at night thinking about measuring student learning outcomes.”
“The problem is that it actually means nothing,” Palumbo-Liu said. “This time, take two pills and wait two more years.”

Then came student “Shirley Ballistic,” played by MARTHA CYERT, senior associate vice provost for undergraduate education and a professor of

Outgoing Faculty Senate Chair David Spiegel leads the senate in a round of applause for Trish Del Pozzo of the Academic Secretary's Office.

biology. “I feel like I should be getting more out of life,” she said, adding that despite taking all upper and lower division courses in astrophysics, aeronautics and biology, she still wasn’t feeling fulfilled. Palumbo-Liu suggested that Ballistic was suffering from SUES syndrome, playing on the ongoing Study of Undergraduate Education at Stanford. The affliction, Palumbo-Liu said, “might take years to resolve.” In addition to the requisite pills, he recommended a course on French cinema.

The doctor’s last patient was a remote voice that complained of feeling out of touch. “I first noticed it when President Hennessy started talking about an New York City campus,” the voice said. “That’s distance-teaching syndrome. It may become an epidemic,” Palumbo-Liu said.

The skit was offered in honor of outgoing Faculty Senate Chair DAVID SPIEGEL, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.

“Thank you for a year of wonderful leadership in the senate,” Palumbo-Liu told Spiegel.
For his part, Spiegel thanked the senate, its staff, committees and ad hoc committees, noting that it had been a privilege, pleasure and an honor to serve as chair.

“Now that you have had a year of group therapy, I hope you’re all feeling a whole lot better,” Spiegel added.

—Elaine Ray

—Photos by L. A. Cicero

 

 

Trio of Cardinal pitchers selected high during major league draft

June 9th, 2011
Chris Reed

Chris Reed

Cardinal ballplayers have always been popular with Major League Baseball. With the recent call up of former infielder CORD PHELPS by the Cleveland Indians, Stanford now counts eight graduates in the majors. Overall, Stanford has had 87 major league players.

There soon could be more.

For instance, Stanford closer CHRIS REED was recently selected in the first round of the amateur player’s draft with the 16th overall selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was quickly followed by SCOTT SNODGRESS, picked in the fifth round by the Chicago White Sox, and JORDAN PRIES, picked in the 30th round by Seattle Mariners. With Reed’s selection, Stanford has now had 14 first round picks since 1997.

All of this comes as the Cardinal prepares to enter the super regionals of the NCAA championships this Friday. Stanford will take on third-ranked North Carolina. The Cardinal won its regional by defeating Kansas State, host Cal State Fullerton and Illinois. Stanford has a 12-4 record in super regional play since 1999.

Joining Reed, Snodgress and Pries in the later rounds of the draft were catcher ZACH JONES, chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks, pitcher BRETT MOONEYHAM, chosen by the Washington Nationals, and pitcher DANNY SANDBRINK, who went to the San Francisco Giants.

 

Educational opportunity policy center names new executive director

June 8th, 2011

The Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) has hired a new executive director. JANICE JACKSON, a former deputy superintendent for the Boston Public Schools and a former assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education for the U.S. Department of Education, will join the center July 1.

According to an announcement in SCOPE’s newsletter, Jackson replaces former executive director CAROL CAMPBELL, who has relocated to Ontario, Canada, and has taken a position at the University of Toronto.

Jackson will work closely with SCOPE co-directors LINDA DARLING-HAMMOND and PRUDENCE CARTER to support the center’s mission, which is to foster research, policy and practice to advance high quality, high equity education systems.

SCOPE was founded in 2008 to address issues of educational quality and equality from early childhood through college. It is an affiliate of the Stanford University School of Education and the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford.

Read the full announcement in the SCOPE newsletter.

Two graduating seniors receive new Alumni Association award

June 7th, 2011

Graduating seniors SARAH FLYNN and PAMON FOROUHAR, have received the Stanford Alumni Association’s Outstanding Achievement Award. The award was created this year to honor two members of the Class of ’11 who have made a significant impact on the Stanford community.

Howard Wolf, vice president for alumni affairs and president of the Alumni Association, recently announced the winners at a private reception.

During his four years at Stanford, Forouhar a biochemical engineering major, has been active in student activities, starting with his service as a member of Frosh Council. He was elected class president as a sophomore, junior and senior.

Forouhar has shown outstanding dedication across campus, serving as a “student evangelist” for the Alumni Association’s Membership Department. He was an operations manager and resident assistant in Xanadu; a judicial affairs panelist; community service chair for Sigma Nu; a member of the Student Advisory Group for the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education; an enthusiastic campus tour guide and a head house host, or HoHo, during Admit Weekend.

“It should also be noted that Pamon has instilled his signature enthusiasm, care, and passion into each and every project, program and responsibility,” an Alumni Association press release said.

Flynn is a human biology major with a minor in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. A standout lacrosse player, she has been captain of the Stanford women’s team and has been lauded for her contributions to the Cardinal Council, the student-athlete advisory committee for the Athletics Department. She is a member of the Cap and Gown Honor Society; has served as an undergraduate mentor for the Partners in Academic Excellence; a volunteer for the Stanford Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Department; a volunteer for the Bay Area Women’s’ Sports Initiative and an active member of the Stanford Catholic Community.

“Sarah exudes warmth, integrity and sincerity. Her dedication to service — whether to her family, her team, her friends or Stanford — has been remarkable,” the press release said.

A committee of senior administrators and alumni volunteers met to consider candidates for this honor.

Social sciences institute names next year’s faculty fellows

June 6th, 2011

Seven Stanford faculty members and one visiting scholar have been named 2011-12 faculty fellows at the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (IRiSS).

  • JENNIFER ADAMS, assistant professor of education, whose project is titled “Modes of Mobility in a Changing China: Rural Youth Strategies for Escaping Poverty”
  • LISA BLAYDES, assistant professor of political science, whose research is titled “Repression, Resistance and Regime Durability in Authoritarian Iraq”
  • GARY W. COX, professor of political science, who will pursue research on “Regime Type, Bargaining and Politico-Economic Development”
  • KALINA MANOVA, assistant professor of economics, who is studying “China’s International Trade and Investment”
  • SUSAN OLZAK, professor of sociology, who will pursue research on the topic “Pro- and Anti-Immigrant Protest and Policy in Western Europe”
  • ROB REICH, associate professor of political science, and LUCY BERNHOLZ, visiting scholar at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, who will work on the “Philanthropy, Policy and Technology Project”
  • JONATHAN WAND, assistant professor of political science, whose project is titled “Shape Constrained Inference in the Social Sciences”

In addition, MIKE TOMZ, professor of political science and senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, and PAOLO PARIGI, assistant professor of sociology, will continue as faculty fellows in the next academic year. Tomz’s topic is “The Democratic Peace.” Parigi’s project is titled “Trust Studies in an Internet-Mediated Environment.”

The residential program provides a quiet setting for fellows’ work with access to research space and support services at the IRiSS offices, which are located in the hills above campus near the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the Stanford Golf Course.

Detailed descriptions of the fellows’ research projects are described in the full announcement. For more on the program, visit the IRiSS Fellows webpage.

 

Harry Bahlman wins Arnice P. Streit Award

June 3rd, 2011

HARRY BAHLMAN, facilities manager for the Department of Psychology, recently received the Arnice P. Streit Award for Distinguished Service in the School of Humanities and Sciences.

The award, recently presented to Bahlman by H&S Dean RICHARD SALLER, honors a staff member for distinguished service to the school over a significant period of time. It was created in 1987 in honor of Arnice P. Streit, whose record of excellence in several key posts left an indelible impression on faculty and staff during her 27-year career in H&S.

Bahlman was recognized at a luncheon in May in which four other H&S staff members were given the Dean’s Award of Merit.

Winners of the Dean’s Award of Merit are JOYCE ICHINOSE, manager of the Center for Deliberative Democracy in the Department of Communication; CINDY MENDEL, office manager and research administrator for the Physics Department; MEGAN MILLER, communications manager at the Stanford Institute for Creativity and the Arts; and MARIA “CHARO” ROBINSON, an administrative associate in the Division of Literatures, Cultures and Languages.

Speaking at the ceremony, Saller noted that Bahlman “has been providing an extraordinary range of services to one department for an amazing 35 years. Starting out in building maintenance and receiving, then assuming responsibility for the department’s woodworking and machine shop, which was a fully equipped fabrication facility, then building repair, to ultimately becoming the department’s facilities manger, this employee has adapted and grown to meet the changing needs of the department.”

Saller further praised Bahlman’s support of the department’s research and teaching activities. Saller also quoted a faculty member in the school:

“A faculty person stated: ‘I was fortunate enough to have known Arnice Streit when she worked at Stanford and to see firsthand the level of excellence she brought to her work. This employee’s outstanding professionalism is something we have come to expect at Stanford, but in fact we should never take such excellence for granted.’”

- Kathleen J. Sullivan

Ashley Hansen named USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year

June 2nd, 2011

Junior shortstop ASHLEY HANSEN has been selected as USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year, the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA) announced Tuesday. Hansen is the first Cardinal player to earn this prestigious honor and just the second non-pitcher in the 10-year history of the award.

Hansen put up career offensive numbers in her third season at Stanford. The Chandler, Ariz. Native, also is the 2011 Pac-10 Player of the Year).

“My team has been there for me through thick and thin this year, really the past three years. I know that it’s not just me out there. I have eight other girls in the lineup who are capable of getting the job done and that takes a lot of pressure off of me,” said Hansen.

“From the first day that she set foot on campus, we knew she was not only a special player, but a special person. If you are around her you see right away how likeable she is and how she just does things the right way. You don’t become the player she is without a lot of hard work and dedication while learning from those around you,” said head softball coach JOHN RITTMAN. “This is huge for Stanford and our program to have someone recognized as National Player of the Year. I am so proud of Ashley and all her accomplishments. She is such a team player and very deserving of this honor.”

Read the full story on the Athletics website.

Stanford-in-Berlin celebrates 1,000 Krupp Internship placements

June 1st, 2011

Five alumni of the Krupp Internship Program for Stanford Students in Germany returned to that country recently to represent hundreds of students who have participated in internships there since the program’s inception 29 years ago.

The five alumni, who were chosen to reflect the program’s long history, celebrated this milestone event with the man who made it possible, BERTHOLD BEITZ, chair of the board of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation. Beitz is credited with initiating the program in 1982 and endorsing its continued support ever since.

According to Karen Kramer, director of Stanford-in-Berlin, the five Stanford/Krupp alumni, chosen numerically to represent a “random” sample of the 1,000 alumni of the program, were flown to Germany for the event.

“They had an audience with Professor Beitz and addressed the assembled, describing the formative impact their Krupp internships had had on their personal and professional lives,” Kramer wrote in an email.

The returnees and their internship sites were:

  • From left, Krupp internship participants Tracy Vo, Whitney Martin and Molly Bauer with Berthold Beitz

    LESLIE TEICHOLZ (BA ’89, comparative literature) Deutsche Oper, West Berlin

  • CHRIS FIELD, (BA ’95, electrical engineering; BA history) Thesys Mikroelektronik in Erfurt
  • JOHANN GAGNON-BARTSCH (BA ’03, math, physics and international relations) Deutsches Elektronen-Synchroton DESY, Hamburg
  • TRACY VO (BS ’06, management science & engineering) Zukunftsagentur Brandenburg GmbH (ZAB), Potsdam
  • WHITNEY MARTIN (BA ’09, sociology) Deutsche Bahn AG, Frankfurt a.M./Hamburg

 

The returning Krupp alumni were joined by 31 of this year’s Krupp interns, including MOLLY BAUER, who holds the distinction of being the program’s 1,000th placement. A junior history major, Bauer will work this summer at the Museum Folkwang in Essen, Germany, the city where the celebration was held.

Also in attendance at the celebration were ROBERT SINCLAIR, the Burke Family Director of the Bing Overseas Studies Program, and REGINA CASPER, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, emerita, who currently is faculty-in-residence at Stanford-in-Berlin.

The Krupp Internship Program for Stanford Students in Germany is open to all students of the Bing Overseas Studies Program in Berlin who have completed one year of college German. Up to 50 internships ranging from three to six months are available each year. Program Coordinator WOLF-DIETRICH JUNGHANNS works closely with each prospective intern to find a host institution and project area that corresponds with the student’s skills and professional interests.

For examples of the types of internships students have participated in, visit the Krupp Internship profiles page on the Bing Overseas Studies website.

©Fotos: Peter Wieler for Krupp-Stiftung