top of page
Reflections on My First Two Months at Stanford DCI
As part of the seminar series on ‘Shaping America’s future - Exploring the key issues on the path to the 2024 elections, I had the chance to listen to amazing leaders like Dr. Condoleeza Rice, General Jim Mattis, Thomas Friedman, Nikolas Kristoff, Neal Katyal, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Jane Fonda, Secretary John Kerry, Laurene Powell Jobs, Reid Hoffman, Jamie Raskin, Steve Schmidt, Steven Levitksy, Cecilia Kang, Ruth Marcus, Pamela Karlan, Dr. Laurie Santos, Bill McKibben, David Simas. They spoke on a variety of themes such as the State of Democracy in the US and abroad, impact of Technology on Democracy, the war in Ukraine and the Middle East, Supreme Court and US Constitutional challenges, the Climate crisis, rise of loneliness in the US etc. I experienced the power that Stanford has in attracting world leaders and the university’s influence and impact across domains.
Boundaries of Humanity at Stanford organized a Public Symposium titled ‘Technology - Tragedy or Transcendence’ where an incredibly distinguished group of scholars from the Humanities and Sciences along with Public policy experts and storytellers came together to raise concerns about the challenges posed by our advancing technologies. They addressed the philosophical and moral dilemmas that surround issues such as synthetic embryos and other life-extending experiments, AI and ChatGPT, the quest for life on Mars, etc. The humanists emphasized the need for regulation given dystopian possibilities.
The Graduate School of Business organized a session on View from the Top with Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube who shared sights on effective leadership, personal values and lessons learned throughout his career. It was exciting to attend organizational psychologist Adam Grant’s conversation with Michael Lewis, author of Liar’s Poker on Grant’s book ‘Hidden Potential’. Some things worth mentioning from Grant’s insights are, 'When you think others are overestimating you, it's more likely that you're underestimating yourself". That is something to think about when you have imposter thoughts. Character is your capacity to prioritize your values over your instincts. The best way to unlock hidden potential isn’t to suffer through the daily grind. It’s to transform the daily grind into a source of daily joy.
I did a fascinating 10 week course on Brain Plasticity with the renowned neuroscientist, author, technologist and entrepreneur Dave Eagleman. The textbook for the course was his book ‘Livewired’ which he covered chapter by chapter - explaining about the brain's remarkable ability to modify its own structure and function, on how the brain comes to mirror the details of the outside world, amazing examples on how it adjusts itself based on sensory deficits, how new sensory capacities can be added, how circuitry is modified by activities and goals, why it's harder to teach an old dog new tricks.
The 10-week class on ‘Design for Learning using Generative AI ’ at the d.school was fantastic. Broken into 19 episodes, we covered several principles on what makes collaborative learning effective. I got to work on projects alongside some of the smartest undergraduate and graduate students across different disciplines at Stanford. The work was project-based, intensely collaborative, with regular homework and video reflections that we had to upload twice a week. My team* and I are working on using generative AI to enrich the quality of discussions in book clubs and strengthen book club communities. As our final assignment, we will be presenting our prototype to a wider audience at Stanford. *comprises a sophomore student from computer science/economics, a master's student from the school of education and another master's student studying international policy.
Entrepreneurship from Diverse Perspectives was a unique class that showcased 35 entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, from historically underestimated groups, who shared their personal and professional
journeys over the duration of the course. The students were mostly 2nd-year MBA students. The teaching team was highly experienced and also investors in Silicon Valley ventures. The content for this course was well designed with case studies, readings, an experiential project, and rich class discussions.
One of my DCI cohort mates organized a visit to the iconic Apple Park in Cupertino. The Head of Security did a detailed walk-through of the 175-acre campus, surrounded by 9000 drought resistant trees, an orchard in the center of the ring, and energy & design innovations throughout. What a breathtaking vision Steve Jobs had! The campus houses a 2.8 million square-foot building, serves food to 10,000 people daily, has a 100,000 sq feet fitness center and the spectacular Steve Jobs theater.
I went for a first-of-its-kind walk called Trees of Stanford, led by Sairus Patel, who weaves in historical anecdotes with impressive botanical knowledge about the 400 species and 48000 trees on this enormous campus. We were inspired by his passion, intellectual curiosity, and spiritual connection to nature.
Wednesdays have been really special these last 2 months. Each week we get to listen to 2 of our cohort mates on their ‘Life Transformation Reflections’. So much thought and preparation goes into these narrative sessions as each DCIer shares some aspects of their personal journeys, including what has shaped them as individuals. It is like a mini-memoir, and we all leave the class with admiration, stronger empathy, and invaluable life lessons.
As DCI folks, we also have the privilege of a Faculty Fellow Dialogue series that showcases star professors from across Stanford. I’ve enjoyed listening to Dr. Abbas Milani, a Humanities Professor who is an authority on the subject of ‘Democracy in Iran - a pipe dream or a reality’. Dr. Paul Wise, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, who spoke on ‘Children in Crisis: Protecting Kids at the Border, in Ukraine, and Gaza’. Other notable speakers were Dianna Gragg on the
‘Accelerating Energy Transition’, Bob Sutton, Prof. of Organizational Behavior, on ‘Scaling of Excellence ’, and Lisa Solomon of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design on the ‘Future of Design’
The DCI Engagement Fair was another highlight for me as we got to meet DCI alumni and campus partners to learn about special interest groups and intergenerational engagement initiatives at Stanford! I met with Stanford Women in Business club, Women on Boards and other mentoring opportunities for undergraduate students who want to pursue entrepreneurial careers.
Students at the Design School organized an exciting exhibition on AI experience on Deep Fakes in Entertainment and AI Policy. We got to see highly creative prototypes of AI generating lyrics & music, AI-generated art and Photography, AI and 3D models, AI created dictionaries. There was a whiteboard where we could express our concerns about AI - especially with regard to issues like biases, lack of regulatory standards, need for global policy and consensus on uses of AI, etc.
Other fun activities @ DCI have been Friday hikes in and around the campus followed by Happy Hour. We’ve had fun social events around Halloween, Diwali, Games night, and many spontaneous parties at people’s places.
DCI-speaks, an initiative spearheaded by DCI alumni, holds special talks on a variety of topics. I have attended a book launch by Matt Abraham, who is a sought-after keynote speaker, podcast host, and professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford GSB. He spoke about his renowned book on effective communication - ‘Think Faster. Talk Smarter’.
Outside of campus, I enjoyed the South Asia Literary and Arts Festival at Menlo College. Konkona Sen Sharma stole the show with her candid conversations on her life as an actor, her Bollywood journey as a Director and how her parenting shaped her values. Dr. Abraham Verghese’s talk on his highly acclaimed ‘Covenant of Water’ was a massive sell-out. He spoke with so much emotion, authenticity, and
vulnerability. The book is being promoted by none other than Oprah Winfrey. Other well-known literary names were Shobaa De, Tanuja Chandra and Amitava Ghosh. Tarik Currimboy and Chitra Ganesh, two brilliant artists, were also superb.
We have 2 more weeks before the Autumn Quarter comes to an end. Here are the last few activities. I have joined a student-initiated group called HAI Education, which is a fantastic mix of PhD and Master's students from Computer Science, Education and Business. We will be meeting post-Thanksgiving to share new ideas at the intersection of AI and Education, as well as demo prototypes that students are working on. Am really looking forward to this amazing show called ‘Jungle Book reimagined’ which is performing on campus in December. In a near-future world, a family is torn apart as they escape their homeland ravaged by the impact of climate change. Arriving alone in a deserted modern city, and with
wild animals claiming the streets as their own, the child soon discovers unlikely allies in this strange new jungle. Featuring an original score, ten international dancers, and state-of-the-art animation and visuals, Jungle Book reimagined is a beautifully compelling and vital piece of storytelling about our intrinsic need to belong and bond with others, and places the importance of connecting with and respecting our natural world at its heart.
bottom of page