Stanford MS&E: Stories & Voices: Recent Episodes
Linda Esquivel
The podcast series consists of all things MS&E, including graduating student spotlights, conversations with alumni, career talks featuring MS&E alums, MS&E Undergraduate Diversity in Research spotlights, and much more. This podcast was created to tell the story of MS&E and share the stories of those whose lives it touched. We hope you enjoy listening!
Quantifying and Understanding.
Brian discusses the value of multi-disciplinary work and how he has combined economics, computer science, and the natural sciences with MS&E to quantify the threats of extreme temperatures and flooding on the economic risks and prospects for companies in various industries, and how an understanding of these can inform mitigation efforts as well as create a competitive advantage.
Impact and Meaning.
Isabelle shares how her work examining major healthcare issues such as equitable vaccine allocation and the opioid epidemic from an operations research lens has been able to have an impact in decision making and policy development, and how she takes meaning from knowing how many lives can be saved. She also discusses her journey from childhood hours spent in her dads office at a major university to her continuing research career in academia.
Values and Principles.
Shreya talks about how her exposure as a teen to the challenges faced by trafficking victims led her to co-found the Foundation for Girls with her sister, and how her values and principles continue to inform her work, decisions and future plans. Shreya shares how her personal ‘board of directors’ has guided, advised and mentored her as she’s explored a wealth of internships and established a startup with her friend Justin Lui (who just so happens to be another MS&E grad).
Community and Flexibility.
Jeff shares how and why he became an advocate for building community amongst the Honors Cooperative Program (HCP) students, aided in part by the flexibility offered by varying structure options in the degree program. Jeff discusses the realities of juggling work and study while also raising a family, putting his studies and the range of feedback sources into immediate use in his work, and how the community that he helped bring together benefitted so many peers.
Discovery and Blending.
Kelly talks about her discovery that she could complete her degree while working, and discusses how invaluable this opportunity to study while managing projects with the Microsoft Azure Space team has been for her. She also explores how she is leaning into her imperfect perfectionism as she blends her passions for engineering and all things theatrical.
Initiative and Relationships.
JC discusses how joining the Fleet Street acapella group and becoming a practice player and manager with the womens basketball team were two of the best decisions he made at Stanford, how his initiative in reaching out to people for informational conversations helped guide him into MS&E and onto his career path as he embarks on his next steps, and how building relationships brings him joy, meaning and success.
In this episode, we chat with Quinn Smalling, a participant in the MS&E Undergraduate Diversity in Research program. Quinn shares how his love for mathematics and teaching led him to pursue research at Stanford, and that he plans to pursue a career in academia after graduating. During the UDR program, Quinn worked with his mentor, MS&E PhD student Josh Grossman, on research in the Stanford Computational Policy Lab in MS&E.
In this episode, we chat with Romuald Thomas, a participant in the MS&E Undergraduate Diversity in Research program. Romuald shares how he gravitates toward fields in which there are a multitude of ways to solve one problem, and how that interest led him to his major in Computer Science. During the UDR program, Romuald worked with his mentor, MS&E professor Johan Ugander, to study the correlations between demographics and the effects of implementing ranked choice voting.
In this episode, we chat with Bethelehem Engeda, a participant in the MS&E Undergraduate Diversity in Research program. Bethelehem shares how, growing up in the Bay Area, technology and business were always at the front of her mind. Now, Bethelehem is a junior majoring in Symbolic Systems with a concentration in computational social science. She also plans to pursue an MS&E coterminal master’s degree with a concentration in technology and engineering management. During the UDR program, Bethelehem worked with MS&E PhD student Carrington Motley on a research project called “Turning Failure Into Fuel” to study factors and traits that enable serial entrepreneurs to improve performance on subsequent ventures after a failed venture.
In this episode, we chat with Marco Giuseppe Zocco, a graduate of the bachelor’s program in MS&E. Marco shares how his lifelong love for creation led him to pursue both music and MS&E at Stanford, and how he utilized skills from both disciplines to make the best out of the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Marco describes how a desire for interdisciplinary studies led him to MS&E, and how he plans to utilize the skills he learned to innovate and enhance both his artistry and career.
In this episode, we chat with Hannah Li, a graduate of the PhD program in MS&E. Hannah shares how her desire to create impact for large numbers of people led her to study operations research. She describes her research on eliminating bias in algorithms driven by artificial intelligence, how she blends the study of technical systems with the study of the people involved with those systems, and her plans to continue in academia as a professor at Columbia Business School.
In this episode, we chat with Giovanni Sean Paul Malloy, a graduate of the PhD program in MS&E. Giovanni explains how his early experiences in computer science and math paved the way for his interest in engineering. That path led him to study infectious disease outbreaks as an undergraduate, which in turn positioned him to be at the forefront of COVID-19 research when the pandemic began. Giovanni also shares advice for current students and how he found work/life balance as a PhD student at Stanford.
In this episode, we chat with Juan Langlois, a graduate of the master’s program in MS&E. Juan shares how his innate curiosity for inventing and advancing processes led him to pursue engineering. Juan was born and raised in Chile, where he acquired undergraduate and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering and worked as a financial engineer at a small company. Now, Juan looks forward to starting his career in Silicon Valley and soaking up knowledge in a larger organization with deep expertise in the type of work he’s interested in.
In this episode, we chat with Bao Phan, a graduate of both the bachelor’s and master’s programs in MS&E. Bao shares how she grew up wanting to become an immigration lawyer, but, upon arriving at Stanford, discovered how to use engineering and computational tools to advance social good. She also discusses her experience as a first-generation low-income, or FLI, student at Stanford and her work helping other FLI students as a member of MS&E’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee.
In this episode, we chat with Anneke Claypool, a graduate of the PhD program in MS&E. Anneke shares how serving in the Peace Corps teaching high school mathematics led to her area research. While teaching overseas, she noticed healthcare problems, such as Malaria, directly affecting her students' attendance. After that experience, she decided to apply her mathematics background to the healthcare system. Anneke's research focuses on infectious disease modeling and policies while incorporating cost-effective analysis. Anneke also shares stories about her time at Stanford and her plans for the future.
In this episode, we chat with Lauren Green, a graduate of the bachelor's program in MS&E. Growing up in the Silicon Valley, Stanford became one of the first colleges she learned about at a very early age. Lauren also swam competitively throughout her childhood and high school years and decided that Stanford was the perfect place to continue her athletic journey. Lauren's interest in engineering was sparked by her parents' stories about her grandfathers- one being an electrical engineer at IBM and the other an engineer that worked for the government doing top-secret projects (that he couldn't talk about). These stories and interactions with her family made a significant impact on her future academic plans. Lauren also shares stories about her time at Stanford, what led her to MS&E, and future career plans.
In this episode, we chat with Emily Arbuthnott, a graduate of the master’s program in MS&E. Emily shares with us how the COVID-19 pandemic led her to MS&E, and how the program helped her to find practical applications for her background in economics. Emily also shares stories about her time at Stanford and offers advice to future students in MS&E.
In this episode, we chatted with Saron Dea, a graduate of the bachelor’s program in MS&E. Saron shares stories about her childhood and moving around the world until she arrived in California at the age of eleven. Saron discusses how she originally came to Stanford determined on becoming a human rights lawyer but soon discovered that she could make just a big impact on societal issues by pursuing a degree in engineering. She also shares stories about her time at Stanford and in the MS&E program and her plans for the future.
In this episode, we chat with Eric Volmar, a graduate of the PhD program in MS&E. Eric shares with us his research on mission-driven organizations, and how entrepreneurs can be successful while doing good for society. He also shares stories about his time at Stanford and in the MS&E program.
In this episode, we chat with Andrea Banuet Gonzalez, a graduate of the master’s program in MS&E. Andrea shares how her interest in engineering was sparked by her fascination for how things worked. Her parents supported and encouraged her curiosity, no matter how random the question or thought appeared to be. Andrea originally came to Stanford as a pre-med student but wanted to explore healthcare from more of a policy lens, understanding how to make the best decisions regarding healthcare issues. One course solidified her passion for this field, and it was MS&E 292, taught by Professor Brandeau. Students could apply various strategies and models to real-world problems in this course, such as the opioid epidemic or COVID-19. Andrea also shares her plans for the future, which includes a summer internship in Washington DC, continuing research she started at Stanford.
In this episode, we chat with Sean Howard, a graduate of the master’s program in M&E. Sean shares with us how his passion for engineering started with a childhood project car and describes how the interdisciplinary nature of MS&E is what attracted him to the program. Sean also describes his experience as one of the student members of MS&E’s diversity, equity and inclusion committee, and his plans for the future.
In this episode, we chat with Brian Seabrooks, a graduate of the bachelor’s program in MS&E. Brian shares with us his journey from being a physics major to MS&E and shares his passion for creating tangible impact in the world. Brian also shares stories about his time at Stanford and offers advice to future MS&E students.
In this episode, we chat with Aron Nunez, a graduate of the bachelor’s program in MS&E. Aron shares stories about his childhood and how growing up on an orchard farm, helping his father count trees, led to his fascination with math and engineering. He wanted to solve problems around efficiency and optimization and found that math allowed him to do so. Aron also shares stories about his time at Stanford, what led him to MS&E, and his plans for the future.
In this episode, we chat with Wanyi Li, a graduate of the PhD program in MS&E. Wanyi shares how listening to an episode of the Freakonomics podcast series featuring Al Roth led her to pursue a PhD in MS&E. Wanyi came to Stanford to study operations research focused on economic systems and environmental sustainability. While at Stanford, she started asking questions about how governments and nonprofits incentivized people to protect and conserve the environment. Wanyi also shares stories about her time at Stanford and her plans for the future.
In this episode, we chat with Virgil Smith, a graduate of the master’s program in MS&E. Virgil shares that his interest in Engineering became apparent as an undergraduate in the United States Military Academy, where he learned about Dynamic Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis. While attending USMA, he decides, along with one of his classmates, that the next logical step would be to pursue a graduate degree in MS&E. Virgil also discusses his time at Stanford and his plans for the future, including a position in aerospace with Northrop Grumman.
In this episode, we chat with Ali Shameli, a graduate of the PhD program in MS&E. Ali’s research focus is in the area of Operation Research. He helps define his research area and how it has extended beyond MS&E with collaboration in the CS and Econ departments at Stanford. He shares his thought process for choosing the MS&E program and describes it as being the perfect blend between theory and application.
In this episode, we chat with Travis Trammell III, a graduate of the PhD program in MS&E. Travis shares with us his research focus in Decision Risk Analysis, and what led him to his research topic for his dissertation. Travis leads us in-depth into his research where he studied fake news by using the quantitative method to examine it’s spread on online platforms, as well as potential counters that both government and industry could use in an effort to stop the spread of disinformation. Travis also shares the impact and stories about his time at Stanford and in the MS&E program.
In this episode, we chat with Laura Sun, a graduate of the Master’s program in MS&E. Laura describes watching her father work on engineering projects as a young child, and how that ignited her curiosity for engineering. Laura also shares what she will miss most about the MS&E program and Stanford, in addition to her plans for the future.
In this episode, we chat with Pablo Hernandez Sanz, a graduate of the Master’s program in MS&E. Pablo shares that his fascination with engineering began at an early age, taking apart toys to see how they work. That his teachers in high school made science and math courses exciting and fun, as opposed to just fulfilling course requirements. He also describes what he will miss most about MS&E and Stanford, and how he will apply what he’s learned to his newest venture.
In this episode, I chatted with Guillermo Camarillo, a graduate of the Bachelor’s program in MS&E and the first in his family to graduate from college. Guillermo shares stories about growing up in Chicago in a small community called Little Village. At a young age, he developed a passion for math and science, which synthesized into a love for engineering. He shares stories about his times at Stanford and in the MS&E program and his plans for the future.
In this episode, we chat with Lauren Feitzinger, a graduate of the Bachelor's program in MS&E. Lauren shares her fondest memories about what attracted her to the STEM field, including solving math problems with her mother at a very young age, describing it as something that was ingrained into her identity. Lauren also shares her plans for the future, which include a position in consulting and an MBA a few years down the road.
In this episode, we chat with Elizabeth Reichert, a graduate of the Bachelor’s program in MS&E. Elizabeth shares with us her fondest memories of her time at Stanford and in the MS&E program. She goes into depth about what attracted her to engineering, including the creativity and mindful ways engineers solve problems. Elizabeth also shares her plans for life after Stanford and what she will miss most about the campus and community.
In this episode, we chat with recent MS graduate, Catherine Gu, from the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford. Catherine shares stories about her time at Stanford, what she'll miss about the MS&E program, and her plans for the future in the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency space.
In this episode, we chat with Barbara Cardona a graduate of the Bachelor's program in the Department of MS&E at Stanford University. Barbara shares stories about her time at Stanford and in the MS&E program. During this interview, we also discuss Barbara's career plan, which involves international development and her home country of Honduras.
In this episode, we chat with Robert Bremner a graduate of the PhD program in the Department of MS&E at Stanford University. Rob shares with us his research focus in Organization and Strategy, and he takes us in-depth into his research where he studied how to improve the innovation process, particularly in the gaming industry. He also shares stories about his time at Stanford and in the MS&E program.