Stanford Report, February 20, 2008

Cardinal Chronicle

BY MICHAEL PEÑA

Neither rain nor sleet nor software CEOs will prevent ELAINE ENOS and her staff in Stanford Events from making Parents' Weekend happen. In fact, with most of the events happening indoors, umbrellas and raingear would be required only for walking from one session to the next. It kicks off Thursday night in Kresge Auditorium with the Aurora Forum's "Beatles on the Brain," a panel talk on the 40th birthday of The White Album featuring alums with expertise in assorted fields—not strawberries—that were touched by the Fab Four. On Friday, President JOHN HENNESSY and Provost JOHN ETCHEMENDY will take the stage in Memorial Auditorium at separate times to share thoughts with all the moms and dads; and then that afternoon and for much of Saturday, parents can attend the popular Back to School classes taught by Stanford faculty. Parents' Weekend is presented by the offices of the President and Provost and could surpass last year's attendance of 2,800 parents and family members.

And while you'll have to register and pay in advance to hear Wikia CEO GIL PENCHINA deliver the keynote address at the Feb. 27 conference at the Graduate School of Business for Entrepreneurship Week, there's no fee or fuss if you'd like to attend a lecture two days later on using wikis effectively in teaching and research. STEWART MADER will share strategies he has gathered on wiki adoption from his own experiences—in teaching and curriculum development—at Brown and Johns Hopkins universities. He works with business, academic and nonprofit organizations to develop vibrant collaborative communities and has written extensively on the topic. The lecture, part of the Tech Briefing series put on by IT Services Technology Training, is intended for power users—but open to all. It will begin at 2 p.m. in Turing Auditorium, which is Room 111 in Polya Hall.

As part of a weeklong celebration for International Women's Day on March 8, the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research will co-host a lunch the day before for all women in the Stanford community—on and off campus—at the Bechtel International Center. Lunch will start at 11:30 a.m. and attendees are invited to contribute a food item from their culture to supplement basic offerings that will be provided.