Now that we are back home, here is our trip slideshow!
Friday, April 3, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
Day 5: Exploring San Francisco
Our final day of the Silicon Valley study tour was spent in San Francisco!
We started the day at the Exploratorium, San Fran's pre-eminent science museum. While we were at the museum, the girls were given a challenge: take the most compelling science related photo or take a photo that best represents a specific science concept. Our girls took a lot of great pictures! Many of the photos provided digital representations of their friends!
After lunch at the iconic San Francisco Ferry Building, we headed off to AutoDesk. Autodesk occupies most of Pier 9 and is the home to a wide variety of design associated software and websites, including 123DDesign, Tinkercad and Instructables. Our tour included seeing some very forward thinking 3D printers, including one that uses water jets (at 55,000 PSI), one that printers on layers of sheets of paper and another that utilizes multiple colors.
It's very clear that Autodesk is doing some interesting things. Moreover, Pier 9 itself is a hub of artists in residence. Employees were not only refining Tinkercad software but also seeing where that software could take them. Their motto, "Imagine, Design, Create."
Our last official stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. A true testament to design and innovation, we first posed for a picture on the San Francisco side ...
and walked the approximate 1.7 miles to the Marin County side. Lots of sun and blue skies made for a stellar experience!
We wrapped up our day in San Francisco with dinner at the Wipeout Grill on Pier 39. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip.
We started the day at the Exploratorium, San Fran's pre-eminent science museum. While we were at the museum, the girls were given a challenge: take the most compelling science related photo or take a photo that best represents a specific science concept. Our girls took a lot of great pictures! Many of the photos provided digital representations of their friends!
After lunch at the iconic San Francisco Ferry Building, we headed off to AutoDesk. Autodesk occupies most of Pier 9 and is the home to a wide variety of design associated software and websites, including 123DDesign, Tinkercad and Instructables. Our tour included seeing some very forward thinking 3D printers, including one that uses water jets (at 55,000 PSI), one that printers on layers of sheets of paper and another that utilizes multiple colors.
It's very clear that Autodesk is doing some interesting things. Moreover, Pier 9 itself is a hub of artists in residence. Employees were not only refining Tinkercad software but also seeing where that software could take them. Their motto, "Imagine, Design, Create."
Our last official stop was the Golden Gate Bridge. A true testament to design and innovation, we first posed for a picture on the San Francisco side ...
and walked the approximate 1.7 miles to the Marin County side. Lots of sun and blue skies made for a stellar experience!
We wrapped up our day in San Francisco with dinner at the Wipeout Grill on Pier 39. It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Day 4: Friend Request
It started as Facemash back in 2003. Developed by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard, Facemash "used photos compiled from online facebooks of nine houses at Harvard, placing two next to each other at a time and asking users to choose the 'hotter' person." It is now Facebook, the premier social networking site in the world.
Thanks to the connections of a Marymount parent, we were able to spend the morning at Facebook headquarters. Guided by our new friend, Joe, we quickly learned that Facebook is indeed a city within a city. Main Street Facebook is filled with restaurants, shops and other amenities such as a barber shop and arcade. The main theme on the campus is HACK.
Thanks to the connections of a Marymount parent, we were able to spend the morning at Facebook headquarters. Guided by our new friend, Joe, we quickly learned that Facebook is indeed a city within a city. Main Street Facebook is filled with restaurants, shops and other amenities such as a barber shop and arcade. The main theme on the campus is HACK.
Hack at Facebook - and at many places here in the Silicon Valley - doesn't mean illegally accessing someone else's computer. Here it means "a usually creative solution to a computer hardware or programming problem or limitation." These people are problem solvers, innovators and designers.
Joe the tour guide orients us to Facebook.
Our group photo.
After our tour, we were able to have a Q&A session with three Facebook employees: a sales director, who works with companies to help mold their message to a social media focus; a software engineer, who works to not only maintain current Facebook code but works to develop new applications (don't ask him to share what he's working on, though!); and Facebook's Press Director, who focuses on developing the Facebook message. Much of the Q&A focused on the role of women in computing and at Facebook. While everyone agreed that the balance between men and women needs work - both at Facebook and in the Silicon Valley in general - everyone believed that women's work at Facebook is highly valued.
Everyone also received a Facebook swag bag, which included a signed copy of Lean in for Graduates by Sheryl Sandburg, COO of Facebook. Check out her iconic TED Talk.
After a delicious lunch at the Facebook Cafe, we were off to the Computer History Museum for a workshop on entrepreneurship. The CHM has a long history - and mission - to preserving the history of computers and coding. Mr. Walters even saw the first computer he ever owned - a Commodore VIC-20!
At the CHM, students worked in teams to develop a solution to a potential problem in 2040: developing strategies for implementing driverless cars or developing strategies for integrating robotics into our daily lives. The students came up with four very innovative ideas:
- EdEd: Drivers Education for the Future
- MTSA: A Robotic Surgeon
- MTS: A Magnetic Train Pod
- Adiuvo: A Robotic Nanny
The interesting twist: Mr Walters, Ms McKenzie-Hamilton and Ms. Webster serves as "Sharks" and decided which company would receive a theoretical $500,000 investment to fund their design. All of the ideas were great, but the overall winner was "EdEd."
Our day kept going! We were off to Santa Clara University for an information session and tour of the campus.
SCU is a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic University that "offers more than 8,000 students a rigorous, undergraduate curricula in the arts and sciences, business, and engineering." The Admissions Department gave us a great tour, and we learned that the mission of SCU closely mirrors that of Marymount: a strong focus on social justice. All students are required to completely one semester of in-service/outreach work related to one of his/her courses. Our Admissions Ambassador, Maria, explained how she worked in an immigrant education center during one of her freshmen year courses.
And where else for dinner but In N Out Burger!
Day 3: Zynga 1, San Fran 6
Wednesday on the tour was an interesting balance between play and performance.
We started the day at Zynga, home to Farmville and Words with Friends, and where Andrew Bell, son of our Lower Middle School Head, Jane Bell, works as an Executive Producer for Farmville. From right when you enter Zynga headquarters, located in the Design District in San Francisco, the focus is clearly on play.
After spending some time actually playing - foosball, pinball, ping pong, basketball - we went on a tour of their work spaces. The spaces are open to foster collaboration. We even got to meet Zynga CEO Don Mattrick.
The highlight of the visit was a panel discussion by women executives at Zynga. Their roles ranged from human resources to user interface design to computer/software engineer to executive vice president. Each one of them told a compelling story about why they were at Zynga, and how women are valued contributors and on par with their male counterparts. Andrew's design team of seven is comprised of five women!
During the session, students were encouraged to seek out new learning opportunities and to use each of those experiences to build a compelling story for the workplace. Moreover, our students learned that both men and women need to work together to move a business forward, not working in exclusion of one another.
After a drive over the Bay Bridge and some free time at the hotel, we headed back to Castilleja for a performance by a capella group SanFran6. SanFran6 appeared on the NBC show "The Sing Off" back in December and this was their first private high school performance. After performing songs such as Bang Bang, Immortals and Chandelier, it was workshop time.
We learning how to warm up our voices and to warm up our bodies as a singer, as well as how to respond to miscues when performing in an a capella group. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a beatboxing workshop led by group member Danny Cavero (who is a collegiate beat boxing champion). The second highlight - Claire Chuff being serenaded by the group to the song, We Found Love.
The performance wrapped up with a Spongebob Square medley and Night Changes by One Direction. During the Q&A session that ended the evening, group members Kevin Redrico and Jaron Liclican reminded our girls that, while each one of them had "real jobs" and had graduated from college, it was very important to not give up your hobbies - in this case, singing.
For more information on SanFran6, check out their Youtube Channel or follow them on Twitter.
We started the day at Zynga, home to Farmville and Words with Friends, and where Andrew Bell, son of our Lower Middle School Head, Jane Bell, works as an Executive Producer for Farmville. From right when you enter Zynga headquarters, located in the Design District in San Francisco, the focus is clearly on play.
After spending some time actually playing - foosball, pinball, ping pong, basketball - we went on a tour of their work spaces. The spaces are open to foster collaboration. We even got to meet Zynga CEO Don Mattrick.
The highlight of the visit was a panel discussion by women executives at Zynga. Their roles ranged from human resources to user interface design to computer/software engineer to executive vice president. Each one of them told a compelling story about why they were at Zynga, and how women are valued contributors and on par with their male counterparts. Andrew's design team of seven is comprised of five women!
During the session, students were encouraged to seek out new learning opportunities and to use each of those experiences to build a compelling story for the workplace. Moreover, our students learned that both men and women need to work together to move a business forward, not working in exclusion of one another.
After a drive over the Bay Bridge and some free time at the hotel, we headed back to Castilleja for a performance by a capella group SanFran6. SanFran6 appeared on the NBC show "The Sing Off" back in December and this was their first private high school performance. After performing songs such as Bang Bang, Immortals and Chandelier, it was workshop time.
We learning how to warm up our voices and to warm up our bodies as a singer, as well as how to respond to miscues when performing in an a capella group. Perhaps the highlight of the evening was a beatboxing workshop led by group member Danny Cavero (who is a collegiate beat boxing champion). The second highlight - Claire Chuff being serenaded by the group to the song, We Found Love.
The performance wrapped up with a Spongebob Square medley and Night Changes by One Direction. During the Q&A session that ended the evening, group members Kevin Redrico and Jaron Liclican reminded our girls that, while each one of them had "real jobs" and had graduated from college, it was very important to not give up your hobbies - in this case, singing.
For more information on SanFran6, check out their Youtube Channel or follow them on Twitter.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Day 2: Of Cars and Colleges
A new day brought new opportunities to interact with our peers and to learn more about digital representations of our own body.
We started the day at Castilleja, an independent, all girls, grades 6 to 12 school in Palo Alto. Our connection: Casti's head of school, Nancy Kaufmann, formerly taught music at Marymount! And for the past two years, Marymount has partnered with Castilleja to host "Design, Do, Discover," a professional development experience for teachers that focuses on maker education.
We started the day at Castilleja, an independent, all girls, grades 6 to 12 school in Palo Alto. Our connection: Casti's head of school, Nancy Kaufmann, formerly taught music at Marymount! And for the past two years, Marymount has partnered with Castilleja to host "Design, Do, Discover," a professional development experience for teachers that focuses on maker education.
Castilleja School, Palo Alto
Our day started in the Bourn Idea Lab, Castilleja's maker lab and digital fabrication studio! Marymount and Castilleja girls worked together to design a car powered only by a rubber band! There were sone very innovative designs and some creative collaborations between the girls.
Then it was off to class! Our girls - as well as Ms. McKenzie-Hamilton and Ms. Webster - sat in on a variety of classes, including Advanced Topics in Physics, the American Political System and Advanced Topics in Chinese. The day ended with a tour of the campus and lunch, as well as the opportunity to engage in deeper conversations with their Castilleja peers. What topics resonated with our students: the (perceived) lax uniform guidelines and the fact that Castilleja starts school at 9 AM on Thursdays!
It was then off to Stanford's Center for Clinical Sciences Research. CCSR's work focuses on understanding the human body through specimen analysis and representing the body through digital representations.
We first experienced their work in cadaveric specimens by looking a variety of human preserved specimens. It wasn't Grey's Anatomy but more like Rodgers on Law and Order (She's the character who worked in the morgue).
CCSR also works in the digital realm through augmented reality.
CCSR has developed a 3D system for professors and students that allows them to investigate various parts of the human body in great detail. Using Z-space and 3D technology, you can zoom into specific regions of the body, highlight that area as well as rotate, zoom and transform that region.
Students also got to explore virtual reality using an Oculus Rift, a VR headset that allows people to experience new worlds. CCSR has a new App (to be released soon) that allows users to experience VR using their phones in conjunction with a device called Google Cardboard (we kid you not!)
Don't be surprised to be both tools at Marymount in the near future!
We wrapped up our tour of CCSR by experiencing the Anatomage Medical Table. To quote their website, "The anatomage table is the only system that can display true human gross anatomy in real-life size." We were able to investigate a real ectopic pregnancy, siamese twins (before separation) and a human head shot by a bullet. These digital representations were of real humans, but, as with the other VR systems, allow the user to highlight, zoom and analyze specific areas.
After a short walk across campus, with a number of references to Gabriella and High School Musical 3, we arrived at the bookstore! The Stanford swag flew off the shelves and everyone agreed that Stanford would be a top college choice! The feel of the campus infused us all with a desire to become "life long learners!"
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Day 1: Taking a Bite Out of the Apple
Our First Day in Silicon Valley
After a half-marathon in New York City, a three hour airline delay (due to a reverse thruster issue) and a lost bag, we finally arrived in San Francisco to sunny skies and 75 degree weather!
Our first day in Silicon Valley was spectacular. We spent the morning at Apple's Executive Briefing Center, where our students presented about STEAM @ Marymount to Apple executives. The presentation included an overview on how technology is infused in all disciplines at Marymount, from the Invention Convention in Class II to the Curator's Gallery in Integrated Humanities in Class IX. It was an exceptional experience for all of us.
After lunch, we were able to go shopping at the Apple Company Store. Its the only place in the world you can by Apple-branded logo - and coincidentally, it is only there and in front of Building #1 (1 Infinity Loop) that you can take photographs on campus.
After a half-marathon in New York City, a three hour airline delay (due to a reverse thruster issue) and a lost bag, we finally arrived in San Francisco to sunny skies and 75 degree weather!
Our first day in Silicon Valley was spectacular. We spent the morning at Apple's Executive Briefing Center, where our students presented about STEAM @ Marymount to Apple executives. The presentation included an overview on how technology is infused in all disciplines at Marymount, from the Invention Convention in Class II to the Curator's Gallery in Integrated Humanities in Class IX. It was an exceptional experience for all of us.
After lunch, we were able to go shopping at the Apple Company Store. Its the only place in the world you can by Apple-branded logo - and coincidentally, it is only there and in front of Building #1 (1 Infinity Loop) that you can take photographs on campus.
While we can't talk too much about what goes on inside Apple, we can say we saw an Apple watch or two! To quote one of our travelers, "That was really cool." It was also rewarding to hear that Marymount has a stellar reputation at Apple because of our own commitment to innovation and creativity.
For the afternoon, we spent some time at the Intel Museum. While Apple focuses on innovation and products, the story of Intel is quite different - it is the story of the development of the computer chip and the microprocessor. It has been the increase in capacity of these chips and the decrease in their size that has led to a revolution in mobile computing.
After a round of miniature golf in the California sunshine, we headed back to the hotel and then off to dinner at Bridgepointe Plaza. We are ready for our second day with a visit to the Castilleja School and the Stanford Clinical Anatomy Lab.
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Welcome to the Study Tour Blog!
Welcome to the Marymount School Silicon Valley Study Tour Blog!
We will be using this space to provide daily summaries of our experiences in the Silicon Valley.
We will be using this space to provide daily summaries of our experiences in the Silicon Valley.
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