Episode 153. Rana Dershowitz, A Career Driven by Passion from Sports Law and Public Policy
The 92 Report
Rana Dershowitz went straight to Harvard Law School after graduating in 1992, partly due to the economy and her love for learning. She describes her experience at Harvard Law School, including her role as a law school "old timer" in Cambridge. After law school, Rana moved back to New York and started working on Wall Street, initially hating the big law environment but appreciating the people she worked with. Entertainment Law at Madison Square Garden and onto Sports Law Rana discusses her career counselor's advice to explore sports law, which she had overlooked despite her involvement in...
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152. Eugene Kim, Pediatric Surgeon and Wine Connoisseur
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Eugene Kim shares his post-graduation journey staying in Boston to finish research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute which was part of his thesis and also laid down the groundwork for his own cancer research which he has conducted over the years. He credits his understanding of science to his time at Harvard. He also worked at the now-closed Love the Border Cafe. Eugene reflects on the valuable lessons learned from working at the cafe and describes the unique subculture of the cafe's staff, including the Brazilian kitchen staff and the diverse backgrounds of the waiters and...
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151. Jonathan Hughes, Consulting at the Intersection of Strategy & Conflict Management
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Jonathan Hughes talks about his career in consulting, starting with an economic consulting firm, Putnam Hayes and Bartlett, in Los Angeles. He mentions his connection back to Harvard through CMI (Conflict Management Inc.) founded by Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton, and his subsequent roles at Vantage Partners and BDO. The Career Path As a Consultant Jonathan describes his role at CMI, focusing on complex negotiations and business partnerships, and his role in helping to start the boutique firm, Vantage Partners where he spent around 25 years as a partner. He later moved over to BDO,...
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150. Steve Petersen, From Improv to Philosophy of AI
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Steve recounts his senior year at Harvard, and how he was torn between pursuing acting and philosophy. He graduated with a dual degree in philosophy and math but also found time to act in theater and participated in 20 shows. A Love of Theater and a Move to London Steve explains why the lack of a theater major at Harvard allowed him to explore acting more than a university with a theater major. He touches on his parents' concerns about his career prospects if he pursued acting, and his decision to apply to both acting and philosophy graduate schools. Steve discusses his...
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149. P.J. Karafiol, Chicago Public High School Principal
The 92 Report
Show Notes: P.J. shares the backstory of his name and how he became a high school principal. He studied simultaneously in law school for a JD and in the Philosophy department for a PhD at the University of Chicago. After realizing he didn't enjoy law or philosophy, he taught math at Phillips Andover and later in Chicago. He helped start a new public school, Walter Payton College Prep, and has been a principal at Lake View High School for the past 10 years. Teaching Chaos Theory and Math P.J. describes his experience teaching at Phillips Andover, including teaching chaos theory. He found the...
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148. Scott Cole, 50+ Jobs Worked Since Harvard
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Scott Cole describes his initial struggles at Harvard, dropping out after freshman year, and returning multiple times before finally graduating in 2012. He shares his first dropout experience, including a brief stint in California and a return to Harvard for sophomore year. He details his various jobs and adventures, including working at a car wash, landscaping, and a research assistant position at Harvard Forest. Working on a Ranch in Wyoming Scott thinks back to his days working at a ranch in Wyoming, where he learned cowboy skills and participated in cattle drives. He...
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147. Anca Miruna Achim, Teaching about the Past to Speculate about the Future in Mexico City
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Miruna studied art history at Harvard, focusing on Renaissance art. After taking a year off to travel and visit Romania, she decided to study Latin American Studies and Spanish and Portuguese at Yale. She found the graduate experience at Yale challenging, especially the sense of isolation that can come with graduate work when it is not socially or politically involved. Miruna began traveling to Mexico for her research on colonial Latin America, focusing on the intersection of history of science, literature, and ritual. Teaching History of Science Miruna moved to Mexico City, where...
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146. Franklin Habit, A Long and Winding Yarn
The 92 Report
Show Notes:Franklin Habit talks about working in higher education administration (and elsehwere) before eventually finding happiness in his current profession within the fiber arts. He discusses some of the blind alleys he explored, including museum work, opera stage directing, web design, and online marketing. Building a Career in KnittingFranklin shares how he learned to knit from a veteran knitter and classmate, Eliza Lake. He describes how his blog about knitting took off, leading to a book deal and a career in teaching and writing. Franklin recounts the early days of his blog,...
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145. Diego Fonstad, Educational Toys and Ed Tech Tinkerer
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Diego kicks off the conversation with a quick review of his career path, which included working at a business school in Barcelona, consulting in biotech and healthcare, and working as product manager and product running product groups. He then went back to business school. He talks about his job at the business school in Barcelona and what prompted him to take it. He explains that the opportunity arose through a professor he knew, and the timing of the 1992 Olympics made it hard to resist. He shares his insights on Catalonia's cultural differences and the importance of knowing...
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144. Kellie Doucette, Unexpected Journey: Pink Sand Beaches to New Jersey Politics
The 92 Report
Show Notes: Kellie Doucette describes her journey as zigs and zags, with three distinct chunks defined by her location: Northern Virginia, Bermuda, and New Jersey. She worked for a small health policy consulting firm called the Lewin Group in Northern Virginia, DC, where she met her future husband, John Doucette. A 13-Year Stint in Bermuda Kellie, an actuary, began her career in the Bermuda market after taking the actuarial exams. She and her husband moved to Bermuda in 1996, and they enjoyed the adventure of visiting family on the East Coast and raising their children there. The reinsurance...
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Diego kicks off the conversation with a quick review of his career path, which included working at a business school in Barcelona, consulting in biotech and healthcare, and working as product manager and product running product groups. He then went back to business school. He talks about his job at the business school in Barcelona and what prompted him to take it. He explains that the opportunity arose through a professor he knew, and the timing of the 1992 Olympics made it hard to resist. He shares his insights on Catalonia's cultural differences and the importance of knowing Catalan.
Educational Toys and Founding Imagination Supply Co.
Diego's current work is with educational toys and ed tech. He discusses his exposure to the case study method of teaching, which he found valuable and enjoyable and describes his transition from biotech to setting up a maker space at his daughter's school and becoming a resident tinkerer. He explains the challenges he faced with existing products for teaching electronics and coding, leading him to start Imagination Supply Co. Diego introduces the product line "Electrify" and its focus on making learning about electronics and coding engaging and accessible.
The Very Useful Monster Project Design
Diego elaborates on the "Very Useful Monster" project, which teaches coding through a constructivist learning approach. He discusses the importance of creating products that align with how he believes these subjects should be taught. Diego shares examples of his products, such as a vibrating motor project for exploring the engineering process. He contrasts the traditional pinewood derby project with his approach, emphasizing the importance of iterative learning.
Addressing the “Fear Pyramid”
The conversation turns to the impact of Diego's products on students and teachers. Diego highlights the engagement and transformation he sees in students who build and code their own projects. He notes the unexpected benefit of making teaching more accessible to teachers, who often feel intimidated by STEM subjects. Diego explains the concept of the "fear pyramid" in teaching, where teachers feel increasingly uncomfortable with more advanced subjects like coding.
Diego's Background as a Tinkerer
Diego has a history as a tinkerer and he talks about his interest in building things. He recounts his experience at Harvard, where he took a machine shop class and built a cannon as a project. He shares his independent study project to measure the power output of a cyclist's pedal stroke, which involved designing and building a full pedal.
Maker Spaces in Education
Diego explains the initial enthusiasm and funding for maker spaces, particularly through DARPA's Mentor Maker Spaces program. He discusses the various goals of maker spaces, such as teaching hands-on making, STEM, and problem-solving through design thinking. Diego highlights the challenges of articulating the purpose of maker spaces and the different approaches taken by schools like Nueva and Lick-Wilmerding.
Biotech Venture and Lessons Learned
Diego talks about his experience working with the biotech company, Sutro Biopharma. He explains how he got involved in the company through a class at Stanford and its focus on cell-free protein synthesis. He also discusses the challenges of working in biotech, including the hierarchical nature of the industry.
Influential Harvard Professors and Courses
Diego highlights the impact of John Stilgoe's "Gas Stations" class, which taught him to observe and question the built environment. He shares how this approach influenced his thinking and approach to problem-solving. Diego also reflects on his involvement in rowing and cycling at Harvard, and how these activities have continued to be important in his life.
Timestamps:
03:47: Opportunity in Barcelona and Cultural Insights
06:19: Educational Toys and Imagination Supply Co.
09:24: Product Design and Teaching Methods
13:18: Impact on Students and Teachers
17:03: Diego's Background as a Tinkerer
22:21: The Rise and Fall of Maker Spaces
26:58: Life as an Empty Nester
31:29: Biotech Venture and Lessons Learned
Links:
Lectrify website: https://www.lectrify.it/
Featured Non-profit:
This featured non-profit of this week’s episode is recommended by Kerry Dean Carso who reports:
“Hi, I'm Kerry Dean Carso, class of 1992. The featured nonprofit of this episode of The 92 report is Children's Hospital Colorado, as a nationally ranked pediatric hospital. Children's Hospital Colorado cares for families throughout Colorado and surrounding states. My brother works for the Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, and I'm proud of the work he does to raise funds for the hospital and its mission of improving the health of children in the Rocky Mountain region. You can learn more about their work@www.childrenscolorado.org and now here is Will Bachmann with this week's episode.
To learn more about their work, visit: www.childrenscolorado.org