Ryan Tran – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Wed, 13 Mar 2019 07:50:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://stanforddaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/cropped-DailyIcon-CardinalRed.png?w=32 Ryan Tran – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Spring to bring changes to campus social scene https://stanforddaily.com/2019/03/13/spring-to-bring-changes-to-campus-social-scene/ https://stanforddaily.com/2019/03/13/spring-to-bring-changes-to-campus-social-scene/#respond Wed, 13 Mar 2019 07:50:28 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1151133 Spring may bring new University social initiatives to campus, ranging from block parties and food trucks on The Row to the design of a Town Center in the White Plaza area, according to recent announcements from Student Affairs.

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The upcoming spring quarter may see new University social initiatives on campus, ranging from block parties and food trucks on the Row to the design of a Town Center in the White Plaza area, according to recent announcements from Student Affairs.

“Students have been telling us that they would love to see our campus foster a vibrant social life including what we have now, and much more,” wrote Student Affairs spokesperson Pat Harris in an email to The Daily.

Other projects, including an expansion of Cardinal Nights alcohol-free social programming and the 5-SURE, Stanford’s safe rides program, were mentioned along with the Town Center project in a January email sent to students by Vice Provost of Student Affairs Susie Brubaker-Cole.

“The Town Center project is charged with re-imagining the White Plaza region as a central point of social connection,” wrote associate vice president for student engagement and Town Center project leader Matthew Tiews.

“The project is in the very early scoping phase: gathering input, identifying needs and defining program elements,” he added. “We will be doing extensive campus outreach starting spring quarter, including soliciting broad student input.”

The planning team consists of “campus leaders representing student, faculty, staff and alumni perspectives,” with students being appointed by the Associated Students of Stanford University (ASSU) Nominations Commission, Tiews wrote.

As with the Town Center project, other Stanford social initiatives are still in the planning phase. More than 20 students have joined in the brainstorming process for these other initiatives, Harris wrote, adding that volunteers “came from all over: Greek and non-Greek, all classes and all academic disciplines.”

“The initiative is still quite new, and we have yet to formalize our plans,” Harris wrote. “We expect to share more information on next steps shortly, and perhaps implement a few ideas in spring.”

She did not answer The Daily’s question about which ideas may be implemented first.

“Ideally, the initiative will dovetail well with the Town Center concept,” she wrote. “We are in touch with Tiews on this topic.”

Contact Holden Foreman at hs4man21 ‘at’ stanford.edu and Ryan Tran at rtran56 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Panel addresses how academia can further racial equity https://stanforddaily.com/2019/01/30/panel-discusses-how-academia-can-further-racial-equity/ https://stanforddaily.com/2019/01/30/panel-discusses-how-academia-can-further-racial-equity/#respond Wed, 30 Jan 2019 15:55:32 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1148939 The new lab’s goal is to mobilize research insight by working with faculty, community and external partners to advance racial equity and to develop research collaboration networks among scholars and policy leaders.

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To celebrate the launch of its Racial Equity Action Lab, the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE) hosted a Tuesday panel addressing the collaborative interactions between academics, policymakers, media journalists and civic organizations that can help advance racial equity.

The new lab’s goal is to mobilize research insight by working with faculty, community and external partners to advance racial equity and to develop research collaboration networks among scholars and policy leaders.

Panel members discussed the various ways they had interacted with academia to further racial justice. Felicity Rose, the Director of Research and Policy for criminal justice reform at FWD.us, explained how she worked hand in hand with researchers from Cornell to research aspects of incarceration in America called Every Second.

“Experts in the field all came together,” Rose said. “We planned a survey … We were able to finally have real numbers on that, and show not only who’s touched by the system but how the disproportion grows as people get further into the system.”

A prevailing theme of the panel was how academia is currently evolving to fit its newfound role in advancing social justice, including where it’s falling short.

“Universities are not particularly well-configured to advance justice, and one of the projects that I think is exciting is that so many scholars, and particularly scholars and students of color, are involved in re-configuring universities, so that they’re better at this task,” said Scholars Strategy Network executive director Avi Green.

Stanford history professor and New York Times contributor Allyson Hobbs discussed the possibility of teaching curriculum to students in new ways, while also expanding the definition of curriculum.

“[W]e as scholars have such a responsibility and obligation to really try a different type of curriculum with different types of lecture and different types of discussion in our classroom that … our students are hungering for, a different type of education that is more rooted in the contemporary moment,” Hobbs said.

She also stressed the importance of inclusion and representation of varied diverse voices and perspectives in media.

Vox Media senior correspondent Dara Lind was the fourth and final member of the panel. Sociology professor Tomás Jiménez moderated the event.

Each panelist expressed hope that academia would help push toward racial equity in the future.

“[It’s] not just a mission anymore, it’s almost an urgent emergency,” Hobbs said. “The urgency of the university as a place that advances justice is so much more critical in this moment than it ever has been before.”

 

Contact Ryan Tran at rtran56 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

 

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Reverend Dr. Barber recalls MLK’s mission in context of political oppression, voter suppression https://stanforddaily.com/2019/01/18/reverend-dr-barber-recalls-mlks-mission-in-context-of-political-oppression-voter-suppression/ https://stanforddaily.com/2019/01/18/reverend-dr-barber-recalls-mlks-mission-in-context-of-political-oppression-voter-suppression/#respond Fri, 18 Jan 2019 11:30:34 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1148419 America's problems, Barber said, are issues such as systemic racism, systemic poverty, extreme militarism and false moral narratives.

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On Thursday, Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II gave a lecture at Memorial Church addressing Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact and highlighting political injustices faced by minorities and low-income communities face, such as gerrymandering and voting restrictions.

Barber is president of Repairers of the Breach, a non-profit drawing on King’s unfinished Poor People’s Campaign “to end systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, environmental destruction, and other injustices,” according to the organization’s website.

Barber’s lecture, sponsored by the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute and co-sponsored by the African and African American Studies Department and the Stanford Office for Religious life, was held in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth.

During the lecture, Barber called for the audience to carry out King’s legacy.

“To truly honor a martyr, we must go where they fell, pick up their baton, and carry it the rest the way,” Barber said.

Still, he argued that it is difficult for the average person in the United States to solve the nation’s problems. If minorities and low-income people who were prevented from voting in the 2016 election were allowed to vote, he said, Trump may not have won some southern states, and thus may have lost the election to Hillary Clinton.

Barber also criticized the U.S. government shutdown and recent policies such as the 2017 tax cut and the increase in military spending. Calling attention to what he sees as insufficient discussion about such policies, Barber said “We must talk about ‘policy’ — and not only once every two years.”

Barber talked about “policy violence,” saying that policies like the recent tax reform were harmful to low-income families and furthered systemic poverty.

In his criticism of these policies, he said, “The problem of America is not one man. Trump is a symptom, not the issue.” The real problems, Barber said, are issues such as systemic racism, systemic poverty, extreme militarism and false moral narratives.

Barber spoke on economic perils that underprivileged communities often face, highlighting a minimum wage that he sees as insufficient, as well as the fact that the United States is one of the only developed countries without universal healthcare.

Barber said actively participating in political life matters more than celebrating King’s birthday.

“We do not need to celebrate as much as we need to engage,” Barber said.

“Some things are not about left and right, but about what is right or wrong,” he added.

 

Contact Ryan Tran at rtran56 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Q&A: Maya Varma, one of Her Campus’ ‘Most Inspiring College Women’ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/05/qa-maya-varma-one-of-her-campus-most-inspiring-college-women/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/11/05/qa-maya-varma-one-of-her-campus-most-inspiring-college-women/#respond Mon, 06 Nov 2017 07:48:32 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1132540 The Daily sits down with Maya Varma ’20, who was named earlier this year to Her Campus’ 22 Under 22 Most Inspiring College Women list for her achievements in designing affordable health care technology.

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Maya Varma ’20 was named earlier this year to Her Campus’ 22 Under 22 Most Inspiring College Women list for her achievements in designing affordable health care technology. Her Campus, an online magazine for college women, picks 22 undergraduates nationwide to honor for their innovation and work helping others. In 2016, Varma placed first in Innovation in the Intel Science Talent Search, a prestigious high school scholarship competition, for creating a low-cost pulmonary function analyzer to diagnose respiratory problems. The Daily spoke with Varma about her past accomplishments and future aspirations.

The Stanford Daily (TSD): What made you decide to do bioengineering?

Maya Varma (MV): I started engineering in sixth grade, so I started participating in science fairs locally and then I started beginning-engineering projects, creating systems that could help people. From there my interest kind of developed into medical devices and specifically creating systems that could help patients around the world, especially those who do not have access to expensive technology. So my first sort of medical technology project was in eighth grade: I created a system that would test for foot neuropathy for diabetic patients. That was my first experience with it. It’s really fun; I got to present at the state science fair and I ended up winning first place that year, which was my first big science achievement. It got me really interested in the field in general and using technology to help people.

TSD: What did you start out building?

MV: I was just beginning to learn engineering skills, so in sixth grade I created a system that would be able to charge your cell phone and do a few other tasks just by moving this device back and forth. It was based on electromagnetic induction. In seventh grade, I started working on a system that would warn distracted drivers about a change in the state of a traffic signal, like from green to red, so that they would have time to stop. I actually ended up getting a patent on that a few years ago, so that was really fun.

TSD: What or who inspires you to do this type of work?

MV: Each of my projects sort of stems from personal experiences or an experience with a friend or that sort of thing. So for my pulmonary function analyzer project, I actually had a friend freshman year of high school who had a really bad asthma attack and had to go to the hospital. She was the one who first told me about spirometer devices and how they’re used, and [I had] never even heard of the term before. I researched it and found that there are a lot of issues with the system today and how they’re distributed around the world, so that inspired that project.

TSD: What problems exist with [spirometer access] today?

MV: For one, they’re very expensive. They cost thousands of dollars — so they’re not accessible in many poor countries where many of the deaths are happening. The other issue is that they’re big equipment that need to have a doctor there to interpret results. It’ll just give you a printout of a waveform or something and then a doctor will have to interpret that for you. So in many areas where the problem is at its worst, they don’t have access to this sort of device, so I thought I’d create something to help.   

TSD: How does your spirometer differ?

MV: I basically 3D printed the foam head where the person blows in. Then I created an Android application that would accept that data and used World Health Organization statistics to calculate whether a person has one of five pulmonary illnesses. Basically, the difference is that the user uses the Android application, which drastically reduces costs because a lot of people have access to smartphone technology, and it also provides an interpretation of results for the patient. The other thing is that the 3D printing and the electronic system that I created [are] a lot cheaper than what exists today, so I was able to create my whole system for less than 50 dollars while the ones that exist today are thousands of dollars.

TSD: Is the system currently being distributed?

MV: Not right now because I’m still working on doing patient testing, making sure that it works as accurately as it can. I’ve already tested it with lung function simulators that would basically simulate breathing patterns, so right now I’m trying to test it on patients to make sure that it works correctly. Then I will think about possible distribution.

TSD: What other types of things have you done in the past? What are you most proud of?

MV: I’m definitely really proud of the science and research stuff that I’ve done. I hope that it’ll help people and it’s definitely a field that I’m looking into going after. That’s been my primary extracurricular activity throughout high school and last year. Besides that, I’m considering research now in college. I’m working at a research lab… It’s a bioinformatics lab, so I get to continue the idea of using my technology skills to help in the field.

TSD: How has going to Stanford so far influenced your knowledge or your career?

MV: I’m really happy to be at Stanford, especially because Stanford is located here in the Bay Area, and there’s a spirit of innovation everywhere. They inspire people really to think outside the box and try to create products that will change the world. So many great startups and companies have come from people who have went to Stanford, so I think that I have so many opportunities here to learn as much as I can, so that in the future I can continue to create this sort of impact.

TSD: What issues concern you right now, whether it be in health or just the world in general?

MV: One of the issues that really interests me right now is the general lack of access that patients have for the diagnostic systems that they need, so a lot of things like prosthetics, glasses, prescription medication stuff like that [is] not very accessible at all to people who are most suffering from these problems. There’s a huge disparity in health care and how products are distributed around the world, so I’d like to help shift that a little bit by creating systems that will be affordable for everyone.

TSD: What would be your advice to other students looking to get into the engineering field or develop their own devices?

MV: It’s really important to look for problems that affect you or your community in some way so that you will have something to motivate you to create a system. Another piece of advice is to keep persevering because engineering is not easy, and you’ll always have systems that don’t work or run into issues while developing, so it’s important to not give up and to keep improving.

 

Contact Ryan Tran at rtran56 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Faculty and students remember Sylke Tempel, longtime Berlin program lecturer https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/23/faculty-and-students-remember-sylke-tempel-longtime-berlin-program-lecturer/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/23/faculty-and-students-remember-sylke-tempel-longtime-berlin-program-lecturer/#respond Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:37:03 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1131558 Lecturer Sylke Tempel, who taught overseas in Berlin as part of the Bing Overseas Studies Program for over 20 years, passed away at the age of 54 on Oct. 5 after a tree fell on her during Storm Xavier. A memorial in her honor was held by her family in Germany on Oct. 20 to celebrate her life as a professor and key figure in German foreign relations.

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Lecturer Sylke Tempel, who taught overseas in Berlin as part of the Bing Overseas Studies Program for over 20 years, passed away at the age of 54 on Oct. 5 after a tree fell on her during Storm Xavier. A memorial in her honor was held by her family in Germany on Oct. 20, welcoming faculty and friends who knew her to celebrate her life as a professor and a key commentator in German foreign relations.

Faculty and students remember Sylke Tempel, longtime Berlin program lecturer
Sylke Tempel (Courtesy of Stephan Röhl).

As editor-in-chief of Berlin Policy Journal and foreign policy magazine Internationale Politik since 2008, Tempel’s work has won her praise and recognition from many German political leaders and news networks as one of the country’s foremost foreign policy analysts. Germany-based broadcaster Deutsche Welle described her as a “feisty political expert who could be counted on to shine” in her frequent appearances on air.

Tempel began her career in Israel, where she worked as a freelance journalist until the 1990s, after graduating in 1988 from the Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich with a master’s degree in political science and Jewish studies. She also holds a doctorate in political science, Jewish studies and history from the Bundeswehr University Munich. 

Beyond her accomplishments in the media industry, Tempel has also written several books — her latest work is a German-language biography of an activist who combatted the human rights abuses under Adolf Hitler’s regime. Her work, which combined journalism and scholarship, stood out to others not only for the quality of her thought, but her character.

“She had this incredible clarity and transparency when talking about political tension in Germany, Israel and the United States,” said Charlotte Fonrobert, associate professor of religious studies and director of religious studies in Berlin. “It shows how courageous of a mind she had, to be able to talk about these issues.”

At Stanford’s Berlin campus, Tempel taught several classes on politics and international relations. Her last course, titled “Leading from Behind: Germany in the International Arena Since 1945,” was held during the 2016-2017 fall quarter. She was scheduled to teach the same seminar in spring of 2017-2018. An outpouring of regard from professors and students involved in the program came when news of her passing spread.

“I remember her as someone who combined an acute intelligence with warm sensibility and a contagious sense of humor,” said Russell Berman, professor of comparative literature and German studies. “She was a treasured member of the Stanford community, extraordinarily smart, articulate, but also good-natured and very caring and giving towards her students. She will be missed deeply by colleagues and by students whose lives she touched.”

Other students and faculty members who have worked with her said her compassion and care for others shaped the way she taught classes. Karen Kramer, director of the Stanford in Berlin program, said Tempel would encourage students to engage with German culture by hosting them in her own home.

“She would work closely with students and then invite them over to her house for dinner to continue discussing what they were working on,” Kramer said.

Kramer also described Tempel as an “engaging, vibrant and witty public intellectual” who was able to work at the intersection of multiple issues and domains of knowledge and who aided others in doing the same.

Students recalled her as welcoming and kind — even those she never taught directly.

“Much like the other professors in the Berlin program, she made me feel immediately welcomed to the foreign country and incredibly inspired to learn more about the political environment in Germany and the E.U.,” said Da Eun Kim ’18, who recalls meeting Tempel at a Bing dinner in Berlin. “I remember her to be charismatic, and I know she will be dearly missed by all the students who have ever studied abroad in Berlin.”

Tempel is survived by her wife, Judith Hart; her parents; her sister, Kerstin Tempel and her nephew, Moritz. On Oct. 11, Tempel’s latest article, a co-written piece on German-American relations, was published posthumously in the New York Times.

 

Contact Ryan Tran at rtran56 ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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Stanford in New York adds spring quarter focused on the ‘global city’ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/16/stanford-in-new-york-adds-spring-quarter-focused-on-the-global-city/ https://stanforddaily.com/2017/10/16/stanford-in-new-york-adds-spring-quarter-focused-on-the-global-city/#respond Mon, 16 Oct 2017 08:20:29 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1131090 This year, Stanford In New York (SiNY) will offer a spring quarter program, making it a year-round opportunity for the first time. The spring program is themed “The Global City,” an opportunity for students to explore the impact of globalism on New York City.

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This year, Stanford In New York (SiNY) will offer a spring quarter program, becoming a year-round opportunity for the first time. 

Since its launch in 2015, SiNY has provided students with the chance to pursue internships in addition to taking classes. The upcoming spring program is themed “The Global City,” an opportunity for students to explore the impact of globalism on New York City, according to Rosina Miller, the program’s director.

“The idea of the global city is one important to New York because the city contains global arts and architecture, the office of almost every major company and is home to the United Nations and many immigrant communities,” Miller said. “Students will have the ability to engage with many diverse people living in close quarters with each other.”

Each quarter in the program offers a different selection of classes to suit diverse interests. In the fall, the dominant subjects are arts, architecture, design and urban studies. Previously, students have interned at theater companies, architecture firms, city government, nonprofits and laboratories. In the winter, students can expect a focus on media and finance, with the opportunity to pursue internships at banks, finance companies and publishing and media companies. Notable winter internships have included WNYC Public Radio and VH1 television network.

“Stanford in New York is an opportunity to use experiential education to connect academic and educational interests,” Miller said. “It offers students the opportunity to personally grow at an off-campus site in a vibrant city with vast fields and industries different than those presented in the areas surrounding Silicon Valley.”

Yuliya Mykhaylovska, manager of SiNY’s internship program, said that the academic curriculum is tailored to student interests, which range from international relations to public policy to earth systems.

Courses planned for the upcoming quarter include “Biology, Technology, and Society: The City as a Human Life Support,” “The UN in Action,” “Leadership Communication: Across the Globe and Around the Corner” and “Grappling with the Global: Gentrification, Immigration and Sustainability in New York City.” More information about these courses and the program itself can be found on the Stanford in New York program’s website.

Potential internships for spring quarter include the United Nations, the World Health Organization, immigrant rights advocacy group Make the Road New York, global entrepreneurship group Endeavor, British-American venture fund Octopus Ventures and the International Rescue Committee.

Past participants say these internships have been a cornerstone of the SiNY program.

“For me, deciding to do Stanford in New York besides maybe other travel programs was that I knew that Stanford in New York was more internship-driven,” said Michela Rodriguez ’18.  

During her time in the program, Rodriguez interned at New Georges, a theater company — an experience that taught her both about theater and about herself, she said.

“You learn what type of environment you excel in, where you feel most comfortable and what you feel challenged by in a healthy way,” Rodriguez said.

Julio Chavez ’18, a previous participant who now works as a student ambassador for SiNY, also said he had a formative internship experience.

“For me, personally, I’ve never had the experience or opportunity to have a full 10- or 12-week internship, so I knew that if I was able to get into the program and experience that, that’d be beneficial for me, my work and my resume too,” Chavez said.

During his time in New York, Chavez interned at the 52nd Street Project, an arts education organization based in Hell’s Kitchen that offers playwriting, storytelling and songwriting lessons to local youths. He said that SiNY managed the balance between students’ work and class schedules well.

“I had enough time to balance my internship with whatever I had to do for my classes,” Chavez said. “And thankfully the workload for the classes [was] not overwhelming. The professors or instructors were typically very understanding of busy schedules from students.”

Applications for the program’s spring quarter closed on Sunday.

“We look for demonstrated interest in the fields applied for or offered that quarter, whether that be through previous experience or stated desire,” Miller said. “In addition to that, applicants should be reflective and have a motivation to learn more about themselves, the program and the areas of focus for that quarter.”

 

Contact Ryan Tran at rtran ‘at’ stanford.edu.

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