You could think of Field Notes as my “blog” of observations. Periodically peek into my sketchbook, eavesdrop on my conversations, get a glimpse of my projects — and lens on life in Silicon Valley.
Filter by: Projects, Actually in Silicon Valley or Interviews
Esther Wojcicki: Education Astronaut
Journalism/English teacher, Education Innovator and Author
Esther Wojcicki has been attending high school for more than 31 years and can't imagine not going to school every day. Being with her students is what fuels her, she said. And something must be happening there because one of her biggest challenges is to get the students to leave.
A Lantern of Firflies: An Illustrated Treasury of Tales of Adventure, Discovery, and Magic (2015)
826michigan's 2015 student publication, which features twenty Huron High ninth-graders and class of second-grade students from Mitchell Elementary. The students produced the collection of bedtime stories—they wrote the stories that they wish they'd had when they were younger. Each of the stories has been thoughtfully illustrated, with input from the student writers, by a different artist, including Caldecott winners. Available for purchase here.
Sarah Mummah: Vegetable Nudger
Founder of DreamCatchers and Ph.D. candidate in behavioral science at University of Cambridge and Stanford University
Caution: being near Sarah Mummah can cause healthy habits to form because she believes that if you can change people's behaviors, you can change the world. A self-described minimalist, she runs, writes and eats vegetables.
Jane Shaw: Wisdom Dispenser
Dean of Religious Life at Stanford University
The Very Reverend Dr. Jane Shaw talks with Lisa Van Dusen about having arrived on the Stanford campus this fall as the Dean for Religious Life and Professor of Religious Studies after a four-year stint as Dean of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. She just might surprise you.
Shilpa Yarlagadda: Peer Presenter
Founder of Club Academia
In this "First Person" interview, Lisa Van Dusen talks with Shilpa Yarlagadda, a 2014 graduate of Gunn High School in Palo Alto and founder of Club Academia, a video tutorial website that promotes "education of the students, by the students and for the students.
Scott Sagan: Peace Professor
Senior Fellow at CISAC and Stanford Professor of Political Science
Scott Sagan, nuclear disarmament expert, Senior Fellow at CISAC and Stanford professor of political science, talks with Lisa Van Dusen in the fall of 2012 about his life-long career in academic research, teaching and policy devoted to disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation
Kelly McGonigal: Compassion Cultivator
Stanford Health Psychologist and Lecturer
McGonigal shares her knowledge, spreads joy and builds community wherever she goes, demonstrating the applications of psychological science to personal health and happiness, as well as organizational success and social change.
Sal Khan: Extraordinary Explainer
Founder of Khan Academy
Sal Khan is revolutionizing education, one 10 minute YouTube video at a time. He has produced more than 2,700 segments covering everything from first grade addition to venture capital.
Dr. SV Mahadevan: Global Scaler
Director of Stanford Emergency Medicine International
Dr. S.V. Mahadevan was born in Oakland and raised in southern California. He attended UCLA Medical School before heading north to Stanford in 1999. When he isn't managing Stanford's Level 1 Trauma Center/Emergency Department, Dr. Maha, as he is known, is often traveling the world advising developing countries about how they can launch emergency medical services—or improve upon their existing programs.
Nanci Kauffman: Female Fortifier
Head of Castilleja School
Nanci Kauffman became the head of Castilleja School in the fall of 2010. A resident of Palo Alto since 1997, Kauffman began her career as an educator in 1979 at Marymount School, a girls' school in New York City. She graduated from high school at age 16 before graduating from Vassar College and Teachers College at Columbia University.