Recent breakthroughs have provided scientists with the ability to generate stem cells from adult tissues. Stem cells have already regenerated damaged heart tissue after a heart attack in clinical trials. Are these treatments safe and effective or is the hype surrounding them an example of medical "false news?" What does this mean for testing new drugs and for personalized medicine? This talk will be audio recorded. Daniel Bernstein, P, ’07, ’09, is the Alfred Woodley Salter and Mabel G....

If one class could change the way you approach your life, this might be it. Learn about the core ethical beliefs of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Epicureans and the Stoics and consider how they confront fundamental issues of justice, morality, and fear of death. Marsh McCall, P ’86, ’89, ’93, is a professor emeritus of classics and former dean of Stanford's Continuing Studies Program. At Stanford since 1976, he served three times as the chair of classics, associate dean of undergraduate...

Understanding the behavior of the constantly evolving Antarctic Ice Sheet is critical for projecting and planning for future sea levels. These processes take place beneath kilometers of ice, making them difficult to observe and model. Learn how advances in radar technology and data analysis are enables scientist to see what's happening beneath the ice. Dustin Schroeder is an assistant professor of geophysics and, by courtesy, of electrical engineering. He focuses on observing and...

The news in 2017 is a cauldron of fake-news epithets, factionalized media and journalism under siege. This plays out against a background of continued disruption of the news media by economic, cultural, social and technological forces. Important democratic values are at stake, and those values are in very real danger. James Bettinger is director emeritus of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford. Previously he worked for 20 years as a newspaper reporter, editorial writer and...

Since the beginning of time, trust holds together our communities. With technology mediating so many of our interactions, more opportunities to deceive one another exist. Is trust one of social media’s most serious casualties? Or is tech is ushering in a new era of trust? This talk draws on psychology and media studies to consider the possibilities. Jeffery Hancock is a professor of communication. He studies the psychology of online behavior, such as deception and trust, emotional dynamics,...

Mutations in single genes cause thousands of diseases. On a chalkboard, it’s easy to change a single letter in a disease-causing DNA strand to eradicate disease. Professor Porteus demonstrates the progress towards editing the genome of stem cells to cure patients of disease, effectively turning this science fiction vision into reality. Matthew Porteus is an associate professor of pediatrics. He studies genome editing as therapy for children with genetic disorders. His research has enabled...

Although we make daily decisions, many people base them on initial reactions or gut feelings. However, powerful frameworks exist for making more effective decisions by analyzing available choices and their possible outcomes. Learn how to make better decisions and also understand why people sometimes make seemingly reasonable, yet irrational, decisions.

Do you or a loved one have symptoms of one of the 90 different sleep disorders? Close to 40% of Americans experience problems with falling asleep or daytime sleepiness. Learn more about sleep and sleep conditions, what new tools can diagnose and treat sleep disorders, and what you can do to naturally improve your sleep. Clete Kushida, ’81, MS ’82, is a neurologist and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, medical director of the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center, and director of the...

What if the smartest minds of our generation could be brought together with a single click? What would you do with them? I will talk about how design and technology intertwine in crowdsourcing, and show how computer science research is enabling the crowdsourced creation of short animated movies, mobile apps, Kickstarter-backed card games, and much more.

Gaining more news attention due to the spotlight on sports, a concussion is caused by a blow to the head or body, a fall, or another injury that shakes the brain causing mainly attention and balance problems. Professor Ghajar discusses the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and biology of concussion.

With less than three weeks until the U.S. election, Professor Brady analyzes the 2016 presidential campaign from the nomination through the campaign including pivotal states and key issues. He’ll conclude with an exploration of the issues the new government will face post-election.

In recent years, scientific studies have demonstrated that the mindsets people hold have a profound impact on learning and resilience. Professor Boaler discusses the ways in which positive mindsets can encourage greater persistence, engagement and high mathematics achievement. Jo Boaler is a professor of mathematics education, founder of youcubed, and author of the first MOOC on mathematics teaching. Her book, Experiencing School Mathematics, won the 'Outstanding Book of the Year' award for...

In recent years, increasing attention has been devoted to inequality, opportunity and mobility. What are the facts on these issues? What are the roles of our government, Stanford and each of us in building opportunity? What factors and policies are likely to have the largest effects on inequality, opportunity and mobility, in America and globally? Larry Diamond, ’73, MA ’78, PhD ’80 is the Haas Faculty Director for the Haas Center for Public Service, a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli...

Imaging the brain in action is changing the way we view education. How does brain activity change as children learn new cognitive skills, like reading? How does this challenge differ from one brain to the next, and can we intervene to help struggling students? Bruce McCandliss is a professor at the Graduate School of Education. Classes Without Quizzes are presented by the Stanford Alumni Association. Filmed on location at Stanford Reunion Homecoming 2015 in partnership with the Graduate...

To find meaning in life, people seek happiness, authenticity, spirituality, love, knowledge. But the existence of suffering and injustice begs the question: How can it be right to work on one’s self when others face harder challenges? Professor Willer navigates this tension and offers insights for cultivating a meaningful life without ignoring injustice. Robb Willer is an associate professor in sociology, and a professor, by courtesy, of psychology and at the Graduate School of...

Every culture and civilization had its dreams about eternal youth, but what if there was something to it? Professor Wyss-Coray will share an amazing development in aging research that could revolutionize how we understand aging and treat age-related diseases. Tony Wyss-Coray is a professor of neurology and neurological sciences. Classes Without Quizzes are presented by the Stanford Alumni Association. Filmed on location at Stanford Reunion Homecoming 2015.

Almost 20% of the United States suffers from severe to exceptional drought, as well as sizable portions of every inhabited continent, costing global agriculture and business $6–$8 billion per year. Come learn about and discuss solutions to what the United Nations has called “the world’s most costly natural disaster.” Buzz Thompson, ’73, MBA ’75, JD ’76 is the Paradise Professor of natural resources law and McCarty Director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. Classes Without...

Operas—those beautiful melodies that stick in our brain for us to sing all week after a show. Are you aware that this started about 400 years ago, thanks to a small group of artists in the city of Florence? Professor Aquilanti shares how they radically changed the way composers wrote music and the inner technique of composition. Giancarlo Aquilanti, DMA ’96 is a senior lecturer in music and director of the Music Theory Program. Classes Without Quizzes are presented by the Stanford Alumni...

Are democracy and gender equality always good? Are violence and wealth inequality always bad? This presentation will dive into what drives changes in human values and what we as a society consider good or evil. Ian Morris is a Willard Professor of Classics and fellow of the Archaeology Center. Classes Without Quizzes are presented by the Stanford Alumni Association. Filmed on location at Stanford Reunion Homecoming 2015 in partnership with the Humanities Center.

Our emotions seem so natural and automatic that we assume everyone feels and wants to feel the same way we do. In this talk, Professor Tsai focuses on cultural differences and how they influence people’s definitions of happiness, perceptions of others and other aspects of daily life. Jeanne Tsai, ’91 is the associate professor of psychology and director of the Culture and Emotion Lab. Classes Without Quizzes are presented by the Stanford Alumni Association. Filmed on location at Stanford...

In a world with ubiquitous access to information, many multi-task with multiple media streams. Does this alter fundamental aspects of human cognition? Professor Wagner will discuss the latest science on how cognition and neural function relate to chronic media multi-tasking. Anthony Wagner, PhD ’97 is a professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Stanford Memory Laboratory. Classes Without Quizzes are presented by the Stanford Alumni Association. Filmed on location at...

The standard world political map appears to be a straightforward depiction of the earth’s sovereign states. In actuality, it forwards a vision of how we think the world ought to be structured—omitting some countries and including non-existent others. Martin Lewis is a senior lecturer in international history. Classes Without Quizzes are presented by the Stanford Alumni Association. Filmed on location at Stanford Reunion Homecoming 2015.

"Why does ""macaroon"" sound like ""macaroni""? Did ketchup really come from China? Do the adjectives on a menu predict how much your dinner will cost? Do men and women use different words in restaurant reviews? The language we use to talk about food offers surprising insights on world history, economics and psychology. Dan Jurafsky is professor of linguistics and computer science, and chair of linguistics. A 2002 MacArthur Fellowship recipient, he teaches computational linguistics—he...

"Many medical interventions today are qualitatively and quantitatively limited by human physical and cognitive capabilities. Professor Allison Okamura will discuss robotic systems that will extend humans’ ability to improve patient care by minimizing invasiveness and improving accuracy. Allison Okamura, MS '96, PhD '00, is an associate professor in mechanical engineering. Her academic interests include haptics (tactile feedback technology), virtual environments and simulators, medical...