Guest Speakers. |
Guest Speakers
Grace-Mary Oisamoje
Founder and Creative Director at Boriah Clothiers (Guest speaking: Tuesday July 14th, noon) Grace-Mary had always been passionate about the creative arts from a tender age and was the best graduating Art student in her High School days. Her love for the creative arts sprung from dabbling first with photography but later grew to find expression in fashion. Her love for fashion was born primarily out of the discontent she felt whenever she faced disappointments from seamstresses/tailors. More so, she was also looking to find Made-in-Nigeria pieces that matched international high street standards but found none that she resonated with. As such she quit her 9 to 5 job and moved to a new city in a bid to pursue her passion for fashion and with the hope that there were other women like her who felt the same way she did. She hopes to change the Nigerian, and by extension, African narrative globally by using her brand and its platform to tell the other side of the African story. https://www.instagram.com/boriah.rtw/ [email protected] Matias Kaplan
PhD Candidate in Bioengineering at Stanford University (Guest speaking: Friday July 17th, 1-2PM) Matias is a PhD Candidate in Bioengineering at Stanford University. He had a BS in Biological Engineering from the university of Florida and is passionate about creating a more inclusive bioengineering community. |
Josue Gill Stanford Undergraduate Student in Mechanical Engineering (Guest speaking: Tuesday July 14th, 1:00-2:00 PM) My name is Josue Gil-Silva and I am incoming Sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering and Product Design at Stanford. Growing up in the Salinas Valley, where STEM resources are scarce, I did not find my passion for engineering and design until high school. As a kid, when I wasn't doing schoolwork or drawing, you would find me playing basketball. I played 4 years of Varsity at Alisal High and am still involved with the game by being a manager for the Stanford Men's Basketball Team. Besides basketball, I found an eagerness for innovation when I took a Robotics class in high school. I had always loved drawing and coming up with little inventions, so being able to make robots that you can control truly fascinated me. I continued to be involved with our school Robotics club in high school, and when I got to Stanford, I tried to take advantage of the amazing resources at the school of design. I took a class called Visual Thinking, where our final project was to create a product that helps people. I created a prototype for a custom back brace for farmworkers that gives them support for their hard labor. The final product is still in the works, but I hope the product will soon be able to help make life a little easier for people in hard labor jobs. Lois M Kim
Visual Strategist, NASA JPL (Guest Speaking Monday, July 20th 10:15 to 11:00 AM) As a Visual Strategist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Lois is passionate about helping scientists and engineers imagine their future, and giving people a sense of awe about the universe. Through visual language, she creates and art directs visually intriguing stories, designs, branding, print, and art installations. She hopes that her work will spark inspiration and show the beauty of science through art and design. From ArtCenter to NASA/JPL: Meet Visual Strategist Lois Kim Forbes/Podcast1 |
Rodolfo Dirzo
Bing Professor in Environmental Science and Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University (Guest speaking: Tuesday, July 22nd at 10:00-10:30 AM) My scientific work examines the study of species interactions in tropical ecosystems from Latin America and Africa. Recent research highlights the decline of animal life (“defaunation”), and how this affects ecosystem processes/services. I teach ecology, natural history, and conservation science at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at Stanford, and conducts science education programs with underserved children in the Bay Area and in Mexico. My lab includes undergrads, graduate students, postdocs and visiting scholars from US, Latin America and Spain. I have coauthored the new Framework for K-12 Science Education. Dr. Dirzo's discussion will focus on biodiversity conservation and sustainability. |
Alyssa Winans
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Anja Scholze
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Jayla Kilson (she/they) Rising Senior with Honors in Science, Technology, and Society at Stanford University Jayla is a rising senior in Science, Technology, and Society at Stanford University, specifically interested in ethics of design and innovation. Jayla’s Stanford journey was very unconventional, beginning with two years towards a bioengineering degree, followed by a year off, and converging into an interdisciplinary learning experience dedicated to the advancement of marginalized communities. Coming from a low-income community and an underserved high school made Jayla’s integration into college life, especially at an “elite” level, very challenging and emotionally draining at times, especially given that resources for students with her background are not always made apparent. From these experiences, though, Jayla has been able to work with exciting projects, including an augmented reality art project, a protein production bioengineering project, and a storytelling project with the NAACP. |
Guest Reviewers for Showcase
Garrett Benisch
Garrett is co-founder of Sum Studio, Project Manager for Research at the Pratt Institute Research Accelerator, and Adjunct Professor in the Pratt Communications Design department. Across all three of these practices Garrett engages with design as a tool to nudge and maintain the world’s positive momentum. |
Elizabeth Bridges
Elizabeth is a Brooklyn based spatial designer and researcher. Her background in phenomenological and ethical research informs and directs her practice designing for cultural institutions, nonprofits and sustainable organizations. She leverages the power of narrative to build deeply meaningful experiences. Elizabeth uses her understanding of spatial relationships to construct immersive environments that invite interaction and cultivate a sense of play. She is currently designing exhibits for the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and has recently co-founded a research and design collective called Sum Studio. |