Angie Wang – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com Breaking news from the Farm since 1892 Thu, 19 Jul 2018 01:10:43 +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 Angie Wang – The Stanford Daily https://stanforddaily.com 32 32 204779320 Psych-Summer Research Program provides research opportunity for students https://stanforddaily.com/2018/07/19/psych-summer-research-program-provides-research-opportunity-for-students/ https://stanforddaily.com/2018/07/19/psych-summer-research-program-provides-research-opportunity-for-students/#respond Thu, 19 Jul 2018 07:04:22 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1142918 Stanford psychology majors are collaborating with department faculty in research projects on topics including empathy’s role in the criminal justice system, cystic fibrosis and cross-cultural understanding of well-being.

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Stanford psychology majors are collaborating with department faculty in research projects on topics including empathy’s role in the criminal justice system, cystic fibrosis and cross-cultural understanding of well-being.

Running from June 25 to Aug. 31, the Psych-Summer Research Program affords undergraduates an opportunity to develop their research skills and familiarizes them with academic work under the guidance of a faculty member. Psych-Summer program participants work full time through the duration of summer quarter and earn a $7000 stipend.

Mind and Body Lab

In the program last summer, Michelle Chang ’20 worked in the Mind and Body Lab with professor Alia Crum. She said that the program was an excellent hands-on opportunity that allowed students to understand the procedures and realities of psychology research.

While Chang had worked on planning studies and doing data analysis in the past, the program allowed her to work on tasks ranging from administrative work to interacting with research subjects to collecting data that, for her, made the study come to life.

“It always felt like each day presented new challenges and new unexpected moments,” Chang said. “But the joy and beauty of figuring out those moments and really putting myself in the mindset of a researcher was definitely a huge gift from the program.”

Chang also mentioned the importance of the community of research-minded students and faculty created by the program.

“One other thing I’ve taken away from this program is soaking up the gratitude of having so many people who are invested in not just how I research, but also my personal growth,” Chang said.

After the program ended, Chang presented her work at various conferences, including at a Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in Atlanta and an Association for Psychological Science conference in San Francisco.

This year, Chang was awarded the Beagle II Award to facilitate her academic exploration. She is currently spearheading her own study, the Death Cafe movement. Though not a part of the Psych-Summer Research Program this year, Chang travels the country to host spaces for strangers to come together and talk about topics like mortality and death.

Examining emotional communication through facial expressions

In a project mentored by psychology professor Jamil Zaki, Michael Smith ’19 is working to understand facial expressions’ correlation with emotional communication. He says that the program has also inspired him to consider publishing his work and to get started on his senior honors thesis.

As a Symbolic Systems major, Smith used his computer science background to animate videos through a computational model, which can identify the most important lines of the human face and follow a person’s facial changes as he or she speaks and makes expressions. The model ultimately creates a rudimentary animation of the person’s facial features, according to Smith.

Smith uses his model to analyze videos of subjects telling positive, negative or neutral stories.

“We are able to just look at faces and understand, to some reasonable correlation, that this is [the emotion] someone’s feeling,” Smith said. “So far, we found that when we [look at just the mouth], that is actually more correlated with emotion ratings than the full face, or just the eyes, or just the jaw.”

According to Smith, there was one participant for which there existed at least an 80 percent correlation between mouth movements associated with a particular emotion, and that emotion.

Additionally, Smith said that people of different cultures and conditions tend to focus on different areas of the face when detecting emotion.

“Folks in Eastern areas of the world tend to focus on the eyes, folks in the Western world are in between the eyes and the mouth,” Smith said. “Folks with autism usually focus more on the mouth.”

Smith said he has found a moderately positive correlation between the facial and emotional expression.

While his current model for expression detection can be disrupted by glasses or subjects not looking directly at the camera, Smith aims to improve the model throughout the summer.

Probing political psychology

“[For] the students who work with me, often this is the first experience that they have working a 40-hour job that really is demanding high-quality thinking from them in creative ways about science,” communication and political science professor Jon Krosnick said.

Krosnick, whose work focuses on how Americans’ political attitudes develop and change, is working with ten undergraduates this summer, some hailing from summer programs run by other departments. His research topics are often interdisciplinary, connecting topics such as psychology, public opinion, history of law, public policy and statistics.  

In one project, Krosnick and his students are studying American public opinion on global warming. Specifically, they aim to examine how language choice in surveys on the issue affect perception. For example, he mentioned the confusion between the labels “global warming” and “climate change.”

“There’s been an interest in understanding how Americans react to those labels … how use of one label or another changes how people think about the issue politically,” Krosnick said. “We’re doing some experimentation to ask questions with different wordings and look at how people react.”

Krosnick’s team is also exploring hypotheses related to media “agenda-setting,” which is when news organizations elect to emphasize an issue by offering it additional coverage. Viewers then attach importance to the said issue and pressure the government to act. Ultimately, this hypothesis concludes that media has some power to control government.

“We’re gathering up new ways to measure what the media have paid attention to, and we’re going to use some statistics to test whether the hypothesis is correct,” Krosnick said.

Krosnick’s work on political psychology has also suggested that the order of candidates’ names on ballots affects election outcomes. This summer, his team is working on a historical analysis to understand why different states have different ballot order policies as well as to what extent Americans are aware of this systemic bias.

“Americans, for the most part, are not aware about [this phenomenon] and the scientific evidence that suggests there is a way to prevent bias,” Krosnick said.

The Psych-Summer Research Program will hold a poster session held on Aug. 23 displaying the work of its participants.

 

Contact Angie Wang at 19awang ‘at’ castilleja.org

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Classy Classes: COMM 114S: ‘Media and Identities in the Globalizing Era’ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/04/classy-classes-comm-114s-media-and-identities-in-the-globalizing-era/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/04/classy-classes-comm-114s-media-and-identities-in-the-globalizing-era/#respond Thu, 04 Aug 2016 08:00:43 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1116622 COMM 114S: “Media and Identities in the Globalizing Era” gathers a diverse group of students to examine media, culture, and global trends from varying standpoints, especially non-Western ones. “I hope that [students] are able to be exposed to different perspectives and happenings in different parts of the world,” said instructor Sheng Zou, Ph.D candidate in communications.

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(ANGIE WANG/The Stanford Daily).
(ANGIE WANG/The Stanford Daily).

COMM 114S: “Media and Identities in the Globalizing Era” gathers a diverse group of students to examine media, culture, and global trends from varying standpoints, especially non-Western ones.

“I hope that [students] are able to be exposed to different perspectives and happenings in different parts of the world,” said instructor Sheng Zou, Ph.D candidate in communications.

COMM 114S consists of a lecture on Mondays and discussion and presentation portion on Wednesdays. In one recent lecture, Zou discussed the concept of national identity with a series of real-world examples such as the Euro Cup, Brexit and the upcoming Olympic Games. Students collectively defined the nation-state as a group of sovereign people with a definite sense of identity.

Zou contrasted the nation-state with the idea of an “imagined community” and a “borderless world,” where media and internet make the globe a more interconnected place.

Zou encourages students to think about the role of non-Western countries in globalization.To give students a more nuanced view, Zou emphasizes the costs of globalization as well as its benefits. To Zou, this complex view of globalization is especially relevant to Stanford and Silicon Valley, where new innovations in technology and media are making the world increasingly interconnected.

“When we’re thinking about innovation, do we just think about progress?” Zou said. “Do we also think about slowing down and looking at people who are left behind in the process?”

During his lecture on nation-states, Zou also showed the class several variations on the world map to emphasize that the world can look vastly different depending on your point of view.

He explained that the ubiquitous world map with the United States at the center, with its U.S.-centric bias, was likely created by an American mapmaker. In contrast, another map made by Australian mapmakers inverted the image to place Australia at the top.

“Sometimes what matters is not what you’re looking at, but where you’re looking from,” Zou said.

Beyond maps, Zou hopes that students will realize that globalization connects, rather than homogenizes, diverse perspectives. Fittingly, class discussions in COMM 114S showcase the range of opinions that students from all over the world bring to the class.

High school student Jennifer Vizzueh, a visiting student at Stanford this summer, enjoyed hearing the thoughts of international students.

“I like that there are so many people from so many different parts of the world that I think discussions are riveting, and people have a lot of different perspectives to share,” Vizzueh said.

Elaine Qian, an international student from the University of Toronto, also felt that the diversity she and her classmates brought to the discussions enriched discussions about globalization.

“I think it is very interesting that the theme of the class overlaps very well with the student body,” Zou said. “A lot of them are coming from different parts of the world… It’s a really energetic and diverse mixture of people.”

 

Contact Angie Wang at 19awang ‘at’ castilleja.org.

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Nine Stanford swimmers, divers to compete in Rio Olympics https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/01/nine-stanford-swimmers-divers-to-compete-in-rio-olympics/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/01/nine-stanford-swimmers-divers-to-compete-in-rio-olympics/#respond Mon, 01 Aug 2016 18:30:34 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1116443 Past, present and future Cardinal swimmers and divers claimed nine total spots to represent Team USA in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics based on their performance at the Swimming and Diving Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska and Indianapolis from June 18 through July 3.

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Past, present and future Cardinal swimmers and divers claimed nine total spots to represent Team USA in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics based on their performance at the Swimming and Diving Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska and Indianapolis from June 18 through July 3.

From June 18 to June 26, divers competed in Indianapolis for a spot on Team USA. Following the Diving Trials through July 3, swimmers arrived in Omaha to earn a spot to swim at Rio. The top two spots in every event qualify for the Olympics, and the top four spots in select swimming events will be members of the relay team.

On day one of the meet, Stanford alum Maya DiRado ’14 earned a spot to Rio in the 400-meter IM. DiRado won the 400 IM event by over three seconds. She also won the 200-meter IM, leading the race from start to finish. She won the 200-meter backstroke as well in front of Missy Franklin, qualifying her for three events total at Rio.

Although it has been a tough few years leading up to the Trials for DiRado, her consistency allowed her to confidently swim at Trials.

“There were times those [tough] days where I was like, ‘I am not doing anything close to what I need to be doing to make the team or be at the times I need to hit, but you just have to go through those crappy days and learn something from it, and get better next week,’” DiRado said.

DiRado’s performances were surprising not only to the spectators, but also to herself.

“Yes, I surprised myself,” DiRado said. “You want to put yourself in the position where you will take advantage of those opportunities and so going into the race staying calm, staying focused, just trying to put together a good race. That [200-meter backstroke] was a really fun one, and a cool reflection of how great this year has been that I was able to do that.”

Kristian Ipsen ’15, another Stanford alum, won the men’s individual 3-meter springboard in Indianapolis, earning a spot to Rio. Ipsen also competed with synchro partner Troy Dumais in the 3-meter synchro event, but fell one spot short of qualifying. Previously, Ipsen won a bronze medal in the 3-meter synchronized dive in the London 2012 Olympics.

Ipsen recounted his experience and training since London, which has been filled with more intensive training that was more tailored for individual diving, rather than synchronized diving.

“Coming back from the [London] Olympics, I felt pretty burnt out,” Ipsen said. “In 2014, I took six months off. I started getting back into the swing of things in 2015, so it really has been this short amount of time that I’ve tried to build up to it. I’ve been really really intense with my training from 2015 on, and I feel like it’s really paid off.”

Ipsen’s dominance in the 3-meter event is reflected from his training. His reverse three-and-a-half dive secured his spot for Rio this year. In 2012, it was that exact dive that caused him to miss the Olympics. He attributes his consistency in this dive specifically, but also overall consistency in all 18 rounds at Trials, to more intensive training after 2012.

Current Cardinal diver Kassidy Cook qualified for the women’s 3-meter event. Her final score of 1,003.65 was 54.35 points ahead of second place. This will be Cook’s first Olympic games.

Cardinal swimmer Simone Manuel placed second in the 100-meter freestyle, which earned her an individual race in Rio as well as a spot on the 4×100-meter freestyle relay.

Manuel, also a first time Olympian, described the excitement immediately following her victory.

“I didn’t process it quickly at all; it took about five minutes for it to settle in [after the race],” Manuel said. “Definitely when I saw that I had made the individual 100 free, I went down and saw Lia got fourth and would be in a relay with me; I just was super excited and shocked.”

Teammate Lia Neal ’17 placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle. She will be heading to Rio for the 4×100-meter relay alongside Manuel.

Manuel and Neal made Olympic history as the first two African-American women to compete simultaneously on Team USA.

“Yes, it’s just cool to see the progress that black people have made in swimming,” Neal said. “Now in 2016, Simone and I are the first two African-American girls on the same Olympic team together, so it’s just cool to see the beginnings of what will hopefully be a trend.”

Incoming freshman Katie Ledecky ’20 also dominated her events. 19-year-old Ledecky qualified for her second Olympic games in the 200-, 400- and 800-meter freestyle. Ledecky won by eight seconds in the 400-meter freestyle, two seconds in the 200-meter freestyle and 10 seconds in the 800-meter freestyle.

Ledecky has been known as the “freestyle queen” and can swim a versatile range of distances. She will be swimming at Stanford in the upcoming year after deferring her enrollment for one year to train for the Olympic Trials.

Former Cardinal Geoffrey Cheah ’13 will represent Hong Kong in the 50-meter freestyle in Rio. He achieved the B-cut time, but since there were no swimmers that swam in the A-cut time, he is eligible for the Games.

David Nolan ’15 came in third place in the 200IM, just one place shy of qualifying. Abrahm DeVine ’19 dropped two seconds in his 200 IM, a 1.7 percent drop in time, and qualified for 200 IM finals with Nolan. Andrew Liang ’18 dropped one of the biggest times at Trials, cutting down more than one second in his preliminary time in the 100-meter fly, which is a 2.4 percent drop.

Ipsen concluded with the fact that he is representing Team USA again, as well as Stanford.

“Well, I’ll always represent Stanford for sure. It’s a combination, but I’m so excited,” he said. “Last time, when I got out there, when the Olympic rings were behind me and I was wearing the USA suit, I just never felt more patriotic, so I can’t wait to have that feeling again.”

Stanford will be represented by these nine athletes at the Rio 2016 Olympics, which will run from August 5 to 21.

 

Contact Angie Wang at 19awang ‘at’ castilleja ‘dot’ org.

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Henry A. Fernandez to join Board of Trustees https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/01/dde-so-henry-a-fernandez-to-join-board-of-trustees/ https://stanforddaily.com/2016/08/01/dde-so-henry-a-fernandez-to-join-board-of-trustees/#respond Mon, 01 Aug 2016 08:00:59 +0000 https://stanforddaily.com/?p=1116579 Henry A. Fernandez M.B.A. ’83, chairman and chief executive officer of MSCI Inc., will begin a five-year term on the Stanford University Board of Trustees on Oct. 1.

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Henry A. Fernandez M.B.A. ’83, chairman and chief executive officer of MSCI Inc., will begin a five-year term on the Stanford University Board of Trustees on Oct. 1.

(Stanford News)
(Stanford News)

The process of choosing trustees occurs every two-and-a-half years, and the next selection cycle will begin in March 2017. Board membership is limited to 38 trustees.

“Through our mutual prior involvement on the [Graduate School of Business] Advisory Council, I have had the opportunity to work with Henry on a variety of issues involving the business school,” said Steven A. Denning, chair of the Board of Trustees. “Henry is an extraordinary leader with a deep appreciation for, commitment to and involvement in higher education, including at the board level at Georgetown University. Our board will benefit from Henry’s experience and expertise.”

As an alum and supporter of many Stanford organizations, Fernandez is an active member of the Stanford community. Fernandez received an M.B.A from the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) in 1983, and he is a strong supporter of Stanford on a local and national level.

In 2013, the GSB honored Fernandez with the Excellence in Leadership Award, which is given to a senior executive and alum who has made significant contributions to the community and to the corporate world.

Fernandez founded MSCI Inc., a global provider of resources for investors, in 1996. Currently, he is chairman and chief executive officer of the firm.

In addition to his new role on the Board of Trustees, Fernandez is a member of many boards, including the Hoover Institution Board of Overseers, Lifelong Engagement and Advocacy for Development (LEAD), Georgetown University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Foreign Policy Association, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York and the American Nicaraguan Foundation.

Fernandez earned a B.A. in economics from Georgetown University. While he was at Georgetown, he also worked as a diplomat in the Nicaraguan Embassy. Later, he pursued doctoral studies in economics at Princeton University. After his studies at Princeton, he studied at Stanford’s GSB.

After his time at Stanford, Fernandez founded Ferco Partners, a private equity investment firm in Mexico. Subsequently, he was president of the private equity firm HispaniMedia. Before founding MSCI Inc., Fernandez was a managing director at Morgan Stanley.

Fernandez was born in Mexico City and raised in Nicaragua. He resides in New York City with his wife and three children.

 

Contact Angie Wang at 19awang ‘at’ castilleja.org.

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