Alvin Roth: Unconventional economist
Alvin Roth M.A. ’73 Ph.D. ’74, visiting professor of economics, won this year’s Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science.
Author Archives
I Love This City, After All
It was last weekend in the arid hills of Mountain View that the I Love This City Music Festiva – perhaps better dubbed I Love This Suburb after the venue change from the AT&T Lot to the local Shoreline Amphitheater – took place. Surprisingly enough, despite the countless organizational blunders, the festival managed to deliver a fantastic experience to the thousands who attended.
Dropbox co-founder talks start-ups, relays experience
“The whole start-up world is sort of like climbing Mount Doom,” said Drew Houston, CEO and co-founder of the file hosting service Dropbox, to a packed NVIDIA Auditorium on Wednesday afternoon. “You don’t really know how tall it is, but there is a lot of fire and things exploding around you. There’s a lot of smoke and it is very steep.”
Stanford team explores hypersonic flight theory
The possibility of hypersonic flight — offering endless potential in air and space travel but also posing numerous engineering challenges — recently became the domain of Stanford engineers. The Stanford Predictive Science Academic Alliance Program (PSAAP) received a five-year $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to investigate the subject virtually.
Dean Julie stresses independence as key for kids
“Once upon a time, a child came across a butterfly, struggling to emerge from its chrysalis, and filled with compassion, the child helped by peeling back the paper shell,” said Julie Lythcott-Haims ’89, Dean of Freshmen and Undergraduate Advising and Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at TEDxStanford on Saturday. “Soon, the butterfly emerged, but it could not fly. As it turns out, the butterfly needs the process of struggling on its own, in order to be able to fly.”
Spotify co-founder talks music
“I never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur,” said Daniel Ek, cofounder and CEO of the music streaming service Spotify, to a packed NVIDIA Auditorium Wednesday afternoon. “I simply see a bunch of problems to solve and needs to satisfy, issues that no one else wanted to do anything about. Eventually, I decided to do it myself.”
French vote a rejection of Sarkozy, panelists say
François Hollande defeated incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy to be elected as president of France on Sunday, an outcome predicted by panelists at a round table discussion about the French presidential election Friday in Encina Hall.
Sahami stresses tech education
“Everyone here is going to be a leader in their field,” said Mehran Sahami, an associate professor in computer science, Thursday during a lunchtime talk at Old Union. “If you understand that technology will have a huge impact in the future and educate yourself accordingly, you will be able to make decisions that impact other people’s lives.”