The deans of the Doerr School of Sustainability, Graduate School of Education, and School of Medicine shared how their schools are addressing the needs and challenges of the future through innovative interdisciplinary research and education during the Faculty Senate meeting on Thursday.
In outlining the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability (SDSS)’s strategic priorities, Dean Arun Majumdar said the school continues to foster and recruit diverse talent across a broad range of disciplines, with 19 faculty added since it launched in 2022.
The school has identified eight “Solution Areas” to focus its research efforts, with two types of research initiatives supporting each Solution Area. As the school pursues solutions-oriented research, it has awarded more than $1.8 million to 16 research teams through the Discovery Grants program this year.
Looking forward, SDSS is expanding partnership in research and education across Stanford, Majumdar said, and the Sustainable Societies Institute will be launched as a university-wide effort focusing on understanding change in systems where people and nature are inextricably linked.
Elaine Treharne, senior associate vice provost for undergraduate education, the Roberta Bowman Denning Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences, professor of English and, by courtesy, of German studies and of comparative literature, asked how humanists and artists may fit in the future of the school’s work.
Majumdar said while the school already has some humanists as joint appointees, the Sustainable Societies Institute presents a key opportunity for more incorporation of the humanities and art into sustainability. “If you want to transform a city, this is not just about engineering, infrastructure … this is about people and about culture,” he said. “We are hoping that this is an institute that could bring the humanists and others together to really bring about this transformational change that society is looking for.”
‘Uniquely poised’
The School of Medicine (SoM) is leveraging “tremendous opportunities” in the life sciences, which is increasingly being defined by the convergence of biology and biomedicine with technology and information sciences, said SoM Dean Lloyd Minor in discussing the school’s strategic priorities at this time. “This virtuous triangle is something that we at Stanford are uniquely poised to develop and to further as we advance knowledge and impact in the life sciences,” he continued.
Recognizing AI’s potential to revolutionize discovery science and healthcare delivery, Minor said the SoM is working closely with the Stanford Institute for Human-Center Artificial Intelligence through the Responsible AI for Safe and Equitable Health (RAISE) joint initiative to leverage responsible use of AI across biomedical research, education, and patient care.
As incidence and prevalence of cancer continues to grow in the U.S., the SoM is also prioritizing cancer research and care with its sights set on a dedicated cancer center, Minor said.
“There is not a dedicated cancer center, analogous to many on the east coast of the United States, on the west coast of the United States today,” Minor said. “We believe there should be and we believe it should be at Stanford.”
Drawing people in
The Graduate School of Education (GSE) is focused on revitalizing its faculty and engaging the broader Stanford community in multi-disciplinary work to see where it can make the biggest impacts in education, said GSE Dean Dan Schwartz.
Since becoming dean nine years ago, Schwartz has been addressing hiring needs following a high number of retirements, and the GSE is running seven faculty searches at this time.
As the GSE prioritizes generating more interest and involvement across campus, the school is emphasizing data-rich, evidence-based approaches to education and exploring ways to use new technology, he said. This growth will be bolstered by the GSE’s new building, set to be completed next year. The GSE building will house the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which Schwartz highlighted as a way to help put research-based solutions out into practice.
Students have shown strong enthusiasm for the accelerator, which has run seven seed grant competitions. “This is doing a good job of both resourcing and rejuvenating our core, but also drawing people in,” Schwartz said.
Steven Goodman, professor of epidemiology and population health, of medicine (primary care and population health, and, by courtesy, of health policy, asked Schwartz how faculty can learn more about how to use AI in their teaching.
Schwartz took the opportunity to highlight the AI Tinkery, a new makerspace that supports applications of AI in teaching and learning, and can show educators different ways to potentially incorporate it into their classrooms.
Ongoing negotiations
Addressing the senate, Provost Jenny Martinez provided an update on ongoing negotiations with the Stanford Graduate Workers Union, which voted this week to authorize a strike. The university and the union have made some progress in negotiations but haven’t reached an agreement on some economic issues, Martinez said.
The university hopes to continue to work with the union at the bargaining table, and there has been planning in anticipation of a potential strike, Martinez continued.
In other matters
The Faculty Senate voted to amend a motion approved at its prior meeting, clarifying that the ad hoc committee charged with reviewing key issues of academic freedom and the senate’s role in matters related to censure will be made up of seven Academic Council Committee members.
Additionally, the senate’s Steering Committee shared a joint resolution from the Associated Students of Stanford University regarding support for student-athletes following the dissolution of the Pac-12.
