Insights

Former Russian ambassador and Stanford political scientist Michael McFaul discusses the insurrection, the country’s democratic regression that was accelerated by Donald Trump’s presidency and what steps the U.S. must make to reaffirm its democratic values, both domestically and abroad. Read the story: Stanford University Channel on YouTube: /stanford​ Stanford University:

Are they sentient? Are they safe? Will they take my job? Stanford PhD student Eric Mitchell answers the internet’s questions on AI chatbots and the technology that underpins them. MB01NT5L7KEXGET

Stanford scholar Alexis Wells-Oghoghomeh looks at the religious and spiritual practices of enslaved women in the Lower South to better understand how they experienced human bondage. 🗞: MB01WTK3VFJG7P2

Is climate change driving natural disasters? Is it a social issue? Is it reversible? Answers from Noah Diffenbaugh, the Kara J Foundation Professor and Kimmelman Family Senior Fellow in Stanford's Doerr School of Sustainability. MB01YM2BIQGPZP2

Meet Jenny Suckale, a geophysicist at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, and Dan Ho, a professor at Stanford Law School. Together, they forged a unique partnership between science and law to address the challenges of freshwater monitoring in the U.S. Environmental problems are too complex for any one discipline to take on alone. Interdisciplinary collaboration brings together researchers from different academic backgrounds—and by extension, different ways of thinking, doing, and approaching problems—to generate creative solutions. This series places Stanford "uncommon collaborators" in conversation to explore the origins, challenges, and rewards of interdisciplinary environmental research. Learn more about using data science to improve water quality monitoring and compliance: Key Moments: 0:00 Introduction 0:37 Building a proactive water quality toolkit 1:18 Bridging law and geophysics 2:07 The challenge of "small data" 2:27 Toxic algal blooms 2:55 Differences in approach 3:4

It's February, so many teachers and schools are taking time to celebrate Black History Month. According to Stanford historian Michael Hines, there are still misunderstandings and misconceptions about the past, present, and future of the celebration. In this installment of Tiny Lectures, Hines talks about the beginnings and evolution of Black History Month. Michael Hinesis an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. He teaches courses on the history of education, and specifically the history of African American education, in the United States. Musicbed SyncID: MB01REJQ65MYTCR

In his new book, neurosurgeon and Stanford Adjunct Professor of Medicine James Doty turns to the latest research findings in neuroscience to explain what manifestation does to the brain and body. According to Doty, our attention can be redirected in a way that can change our brains – literally. With the right practice, we can strengthen our brain’s gray matter, the neural tissue that helps us learn and grow and ultimately leads us to realizing our potential. MB01MHLYE2KW5TP

A new book by Stanford psychologist Jamil Zaki urges us to trade cynicism for hopeful skepticism. Zaki, a professor of psychology in the School of Humanities & Sciences and director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory, shares how he escaped the cynicism trap and offers simple but effective practices to avoid our cynical tendencies from taking over. MB01HJHJGYTG5NO

In Ordinary Magic, Stanford psychologist Gregory Walton outlines science-backed ways to set aside self-doubt. 🗞️ MB01BPVJW1MQPWK

Jay Hamilton, vice provost for undergraduate education and a professor of communication, has a new book called You Got In! Now What?, in which he shares the aha moments that helped successful people, including many Stanford alumni and faculty, navigate their college years and set them up for fulfilling lives. MB015YHJEK1VRX5