Each week, two Stanford faculty members arrive at Camp to enthrall minds in engaging and stimulating topics.  Previous subjects have included the exploration of dark matter, self-driving vehicles, and the academic structure of today’s high schools.  During the week, each Stanford faculty holds an hour-long lecture followed the next day by a discussion.  Faculty Speakers for next summer will be posted here in spring 2022.

For our 2021 Summer Experience, we elevated the academic interests of our Stanford staff. Our 2021 Staph Speakers were as follows:

• Even Weeks of Summer:
  • Monday: Irie Evans, Do You Want a Revolution?
  • Thursday: Jordan Brinn, Integrated Design for Energy Efficiency
    
• Odd Weeks of Summer:
  • Monday: Tony Moller, Making Your Green Greener: Investing Like an Ecologist
  • Thursday: Julia Persche, The Intersect of Biomimicry, Design & Nature

Irie Evans, Do You Want a Revolution?

This past year has been difficult for us all, but especially for Black Americans. The police killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and Duante Wright, among others, weighed heavily on the Black community. It has been over 150 years since the end of slavery, yet there is still so much progress to be made. Come to the Angora Room Deck to hear from Irie Evans ’20 as we investigate Black revolutionary ideas like police and prison abolition, look at historical revolutionary movements like the Black Panther Party, and explore what can be done to fight for a more equitable America. After the presentation, we will open to the audience for questions and discussion. This will not be a lighthearted event, so please come with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

Tony Moller, Making Your Green Greener: Investing Like an Ecologist

Climate change and personal investing have a lot in common. They’re simultaneously all-important and completely overwhelming. Misinformation abounds. Nobody quite knows the right course, and yet you always end up feeling like you’re doing something wrong.There’s no simple path forward for either issue, but there are good places to start. Join Tony (Earth Systems: BS’19, MS’20) on the Old Lodge Deck for a primer on how today’s climate-smart investments can have outsize impacts on both the wealth and the planet we leave for future generations. Topics will include: green bonds, sustainable infrastructure, financial greenwashing, and divestment. Topics will not include: cryptocurrency, Gamestop, and NFTs.

Jordan Brinn, Integrated Design for Energy Efficiency

In conjunction with Adjunct Professor Amory Lovins, Cofounder & Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Jordan (Civil & Environmental Engineering: BS ’20, MS ’21), a former Schneider Fellow for American Cities Climate Challenge with the Natural Resources Defense Council, will be speaking on integrated design for energy efficiency. Join Jordan on the Old Lodge Deck to hear about her and Lovins’ work. Read more about Jordan’s background and academic focus through visiting her Science Communication Portfolio.

Julia Persche, The Intersect of Biomimicry, Design & Nature

Did you know some plants and animals have evolved into the perfect form for their environment and bear such hyper-specialized features that we use them as templates for some of the coolest and most innovative products? Join Julia on the Old Lodge Deck to explore the intersect of biomimicry, design & nature through her research as well as activities designed just you.

Julia Persche (BS ’20, MS ’22) graduated Stanford with a Bachelor of Science in Product Design Engineering and a Minor in Human Biology. She then continued her academic pursuits with a Masters of Science at Northwestern University in Engineering Design Innovation. During her graduate year she assisted with the Design Your Life course at Northwestern and worked as a Design Engineer with Stanford Medical School, focusing on wearable technology.