January 11, 2013

The Beyond Center at Arizona State University has invited Lisa Randall to deliver the 2013 Beyond Annual Lecture on February 11.  Each year a scientist or philosopher of international standing is invited to the Beyond Center’spremier public event to offer a reflective account of their work and interests, and to speculate a little bit “beyond” their comfort zone. Randall is expected in her lecture to  draw on ideas ranging from the famous Higgs boson to the enigmatic dark energy that pervades the universe to reflect on the nature of the scientific method, the relation between beauty and truth and the future of mankind.

December 31, 2012

Fifteen years ago, Ted Turner announced he was giving away $1 billion to United Nation causes such as fighting poverty, clearing landmines, and helping refugees.  While that was one of the largest philanthropic gifts ever, more important was the example it set for America’s richest, helping to revive the tradition of great philanthropists like Rockefeller and Carnegie, writes Nicholas Kristof at the New York Times.

December 31, 2012

We are deeply saddened to announce that Philip Streich, 2009 Legacy Winner for the Intel Science Talent Search - Seaborg Prize, died on September 25 at his family’s farm near Platteville, Wisconsin.   Philip was a wonderful part of the Creativity Foundation family—he embodied the spirit of creativity in each and every thing he set his mind to: in business, entrepreneurship, and in public service.  He will be missed by Creativity Foundation staff, board and fellow Legacy winners. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

December 03, 2012

World-renowned cellist and Chicago Symphony Orchestra creative consultant Yo Yo Ma recently visited  Chicago where he engaged in a week of activities with Chicago intitiutions designed to elevate the role of culture in everyday lives .  There was a mix of performances and public appearances, including a first time appearance since 2007 by Ma and his Silk Road Project at the Symphony Center, a meeting with Mayor Emanuel and Renee Fleming  to lend support for a New Arts Education Plan in Chicago Public Schools and a town hall meeting with young Chicago Civic Orchestra musicians to boost their involvement in the broader cultural world.  The Chicago Tribune has the full storyon Ma’s efforts.

December 03, 2012

Michael Burks, 2010 Legacy winner and Harvard graduate, has a third grade teaching position with Teach for America at Excellence Boys Charter School of Bedford-Stuyvesant.  He is simultaneously earning his M.A. in Education from the Relay Graduate School of Education.  Michael is following his passion for education and using the skills he obtained as a Steamboat Foundation  2010 scholar while interning  at  Facing History and Ourselves.  At Facing History,  Michael worked on a final evaluation for a multi-year educational exchange program between Hudson (MA) High School students, Tech Boston Academy Students and high school students from Kigali, Rwanda and Nyanza, Rwanda. He also worked on an annual evaluation of the Facing History School, which is Facing History’s biggest lab school.  Michael also attended various meetings, conferences, interviews and projects with esteemed faculty from various universities (Harvard Graduate School of Education, NYU, Eastern Michigan) that allowed him to learn about the inner workings of research and academia.

December 03, 2012

Nishant Ganesh-Kumar recently presented The Integrated Punch Biopsy Kit at the 2012 Biomedical Engineering Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.  Joined by his six peers from The Johns Hopkins University, Nishant and his team explained how The Integrated Punch Biopsy alters the design of the current punch tool, decreases the need for additional instruments, reduces costs and improves safety.

Nishant was recently selected to represent Johns Hopkins as a 2013 student ambassador in a new  program that provides new opportunities for students across the country to catalyze innovation on their home campuses by conducting events and creating networks that inspire and promote student entrepreneurship. The Student Ambassador program is a joint initiative of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) and the National Center for Engineering Pathways to (Epicenter). It is directed by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program at Stanford University and is funded by the National Science Foundation.  The Epicenter is unleashing the entrepreneurial potential of undergraduate engineering students across the United States to create bold innovators with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to contribute to economic and societal prosperity.

November 29, 2012

Lester Mackey, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, will join the Stanford Statistics faculty in the fall of 2013.  Mackey graduated from Princeton University in 2007 with a B.S.E. in Computer Science and received his M.A in Statistics in 2011 and his Ph.D. in Computer Science in 2012 from the University of California, Berkeley. Mackey’swebsite provides in-depth information on his research interests, publications, collaborations and awards.  

November 20, 2012

Bulgarian violist Martitsa Hristova, 2011 Legacy winner from Longy School of Music, won Second Prize with her performance and interpretation of the Brahms Viola Sonata in F minor, op 120/1. The prestigious certificate of achievement from Alexander and Buono International is given to soloists who demonstrate intelligence, insight and musicality both in terms of technical skill and artistry. Congratulations Maritsa!

November 08, 2012

Shalini spent the past summer as the first Education Management Intern at The Samhita Academy in Bangalore, India. The Samhita Academy endeavors to transform the youth education experience by means of creativity, discovery and a nurturing classroom environment. During her stay Shalini implemented a leadership program to instill confidence, self-efficacy and a sense of compassionate citizenship among youth through a service learning component and an original leadership curriculum.

Currently Shalini is in her final year at Harvard College, researching her senior thesis in the History of Medicine, delving into the longstanding tradition of holistic medicine in India and its national impact on a society that is progressively tending toward modernization and Western ideals.

October 20, 2012

In a recent interview with David Gergen, CNN political analyst and former adviser to four US presidents, former Justice O’Connor talks about the current Supreme Court and her Project iCivics  designed to equip young Americans with the knowledge and skills they need in order to become effective and knowledgeable citizens and leaders, iCivics offers web-based education projects and an array of interactive games and activities that students can use in class or at home. For the full interview with Gergen visit Parade Magazine’s September 30 issue.

Additional reflections by former Justice O’Connor on the importance of civics education can be found in a recent CNN School of Thought blog and in a recent San Francisco Chronicle op-ed piece .