Stanford Emeriti/ae Council Autobiographical Reflections

Donald Knuth, Professor of the Art of Computer Programming, describes how his own experiences as a young student inspired him to become a professor. He speaks about the privilege of connecting with the best students and being part of the world's leading department of Computer Science when that subject was just beginning to take shape. Knuth talks about contributing to a revolution in the printing...

Walter Vincenti, Professor Emeritus of Aeronautics & Astronautics, reminisces about undergraduate student life at Stanford in the 1930s.

Helen Quinn, Professor Emerita of Particle Physics and Astrophysics at SLAC, speaks about her life and career, lack of early recognition as a woman in physics, and recent extensive involvement in K-12 science education.

In the "Autobiographical Reflections" series, Mike Kirst, Professor Emeritus in the Graduate School of Education, talks about his career in the federal government prior to Stanford, and his current role as president of the California State Board of Education (for the 2nd time) and advisor to Governor Jerry Brown.

Saul Rosenberg, a professor emeritus in the Stanford School of Medicine, came to Stanford in 1961, establishing and directing the Division of Medical Oncology from 1963 to 1993. He spoke about his career, the curing of Hodgkin's disease, and the joy of being a professor and a physician at Stanford.

A lecture by former Stanford Law School dean Tom Ehrlich speaking primarily about his government service and his three senior roles in academic administration: dean of Stanford law school, provost at University of Pennsylvania, and president of University of Indiana.

William F. Miller, Professor Emeritus in Computer Science and in the Graduate School of Business, and former Stanford Provost spoke in the Emeriti Council's Autobiographical Reflections series. He reflected on his experiences and changes in the University.

William Perry, Berberian Professor emeritus in Management Science and Engineering, and Senior Fellow at the Freeman-Spogli Institute for International Studies and at the Hoover Institution spoke about his life and career in an autobiographical talk.

Nancy Packer speaks with candor and humor about her personal life and her career as a teacher and a writer of short stories and non-fiction books.

Lecture & musical demonstration by John Chowning, professor emeritus of music and founder of Stanford's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He talks about his invention of FM synthesis, his musical compositions, and the Stanford environment that fostered his work.

Sanford (Sandy) Dornbusch talks about how he became a sociologist, his path to Stanford, the growth of the sociology department, and the origins of the undergraduate human biology program. (March 7, 2012)

Artie Bienenstock, Professor Emeritus of Photon Science, speaks on divergent paths in his early life and on his professional career, both at Stanford and during his service at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. (November 7, 2011)

Wanda Corn, professor emerita of art and art history, recalls her life and career, discussing her scholarly work and her work as museum curator. (April 26, 2011)

Paul Brest, professor emeritus of law and President of the Hewlett Foundation, reflects on his career at Stanford. He focuses on his observations of legal education, philanthropy, and management styles. (February 7, 2011)

David Kennedy recounts the story of his life, from his days growing up in Seattle and attending Stanford University to his later experiences as a professor and historian. (November 15, 2010)

Haresh Shah speaks about his personal journey from India to Stanford and his career in the field of catastrophic risk management. (June 9, 2010)

Jim March, professor emeritus of education, psychology, political science, sociology, and business, speaks about his career at Stanford. He discusses how being at Stanford allowed him to be successful in such a diverse group of fields. (February 2, 2010)

Herbert Lindenberger, professor emeritus of humanities, speaks about his life and career at Stanford and elsewhere. He discusses his unconventional career as a researcher and compares the work he did in the sciences and humanities. (November 10, 2009)

Albert Macovski, professor emeritus of electrical engineering and radiology, speaks about the evolution of his career. He discusses how his career shifted from commercial imaging to medical imaging and how he transferred his skill set. (May 26, 2009)

Member of Stanford's Emeriti Council, Herant Katchadourian, speaks about his four-decade career at Stanford University. He was an emeritus professor of psychiatry and human biology and focuses on his career and the role of serendipity. (February 23, 2009)

Professor Emerita Eleanor Maccoby discusses developments in the field of psychology over the past fifty years, as well as her own research on gender, families, and child development.

Stanford Medical School Professor Luigi Cavalli-Sforza discusses his research on the evolutionary history of modern humans, focusing on the role of genetic drift and geography in evolution.

Arthur Kornberg, professor emeritus of biochemistry and a Nobel laureate, discusses his time at Stanford and the research he conducted in the field of biochemistry. (May 14, 2007)

As part of the Emereti Council's "Autobiographical Reflections" series, Diane Middlebrook, emerita professor of English, speaks about the influence of taking early retirement to facilitate a career change to full-time writer. (January 23, 2007)

Patrick Suppes, professor emeritus of philosophy, statistics, psychology, and education, discusses his time spent at Stanford and much of his life in general. (May 23, 2006)