13 of the most impressive professors at Stanford

Stanford is one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

In fact, we named it the No. 2 college in America on this year's best colleges list.

The Ivy League of the West is an incubator for future tech stars and entrepreneurs and home to some of the world's most innovative researchers and teachers.

From writers to mathematicians, Stanford's professors are accomplished and inspiring, both in and out of the classroom.

Here are 13 of the most impressive professors at Stanford right now.

Adam Johnson is a Pulitzer-prize winner for fiction.

Courtesy of Adam Johnson

Started at Stanford: 1999

Dr. Johnson is a professor of English at Stanford with a focus on creative writing. His 2013 novel set in North Korea, The Orphan Master's Son, earned him the Pulitzer Prize for fiction that same year. As a master of the craft, he teaches courses in advanced fiction writing and research at Stanford. 

This summer, Johnson's collection of short stories "Fortune Smiles," which he's currently promoting on book tour, was longlisted for The National Book Award. Johnson will return for the winter quarter to teach an undergraduate workshop, Stegner Fellow workshop, and a lecture course called "Thinking Matters."

Fei-Fei Li is director of the Artificial Intelligence Lab at Stanford.

YouTube/TED

Started at Stanford: 2009

Dr. Li, an associate professor of computer science and director of the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Lab, will lead the new $25 million partnership between Stanford and Toyota (the SAIL-Toyota Center for AI Research). Under her guidance and in collaboration with MIT, the center will first focus on AI-assisted driving. 

Li is also the director of the Stanford Vision Lab which explores issues in computer and human vision. In March, Li led a TED talkdescribing the way we teach computers to understand pictures just as humans do. She's also involved in the country's first AI summer camp for girls at Stanford (SAILORS).

Jennifer Eberhardt teaches about improving race relations.

Wikimedia Commons

Started at Stanford: 1998

Dr. Eberhardt is an associate professor of social psychology at Stanford. She studies and teaches about the ways people judge and profile others based on race and inequality in the context of crime. 

Eberhardt, a 2014 MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, works with law enforcement officials to apply her findings, improving police policies and helping to build trust within the communities they serve. Eberhardt is also co-director of SPARQ, a Stanford initiative that uses psychological findings to address social issues.

Karl Deisseroth's medical discovery is used in labs around the world.

Norbert von der Groeben/Stanford School of Medicine

Started at Stanford: 2004

Dr. Deisseroth teaches bioengineering, psychiatry, and behavioral science at Stanford. His decade-long dedication to optogenetics – using light to control the brain – has earned him the 2014 Keio prize in medicine and inspired labs around the world to employ his method to better understand mental health conditions of the brain. 

Deisseroth is also a physician in the psychiatry department at Stanford where he tests techniques in electromagnetic brain stimulation as a means of therapy in human patients. He's a member of both the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. 

Manu Prakash fashioned a high-tech origami microscope.

TED Conference/Flickr

Started at Stanford: 2011

Dr. Prakash is an assistant professor of bioengineering whose microscope creation can be built in 10 minutes with manufacturing costs under $1. Foldscope is a portable microscope that Prakash hopes will be a tool for sparking curiosity through “frugal science." Three years ago, Prakash gave a talk on the invention at TED Global that now has more than 1.5 million views. 

Popular Science named Prakash one of the"Brilliant Ten in 2014" in science and engineering for his ingenuity. He was also an invited participant to the first-ever White House Makers Faire last year.

Maryam Mirzakhani is the first woman to win the "Nobel Prize of mathematics."

International Congress of Mathematicians

Started at Stanford: 2008

Dr. Mirzakhani, a professor of mathematicsat Stanford, received a Fields Medal – the most prestigious award in mathematics – in 2014, making her the first woman to be awarded the prize in its near 80-year history. 

Mirzakhani studies and teaches about shapes and surfaces in several fields of abstract mathematics. She tackles important questions by taking novel approaches to the problems that other mathematicians have said is nothing short of "truly spectacular." The Iran-born professor is a true scholar – she holds a Ph.D. from Harvard and spent four years as an assistant professor at Princeton before coming to Stanford.

Philip Zimbardo led the infamous Stanford prison experiments.

Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

Started at Stanford: 1968

Dr. Zimbardo is perhaps best known for his popular-PBS series Discovering Psychologyand his controversial 1971 prison experimentthat's the subject of an award-winning film and best-selling book. Zimbardo now examines the psychology of heroism as founder and director of the Heroic Imagination Project and professor Emeritus at Stanford.

Zimbardo teaches both formally and informally and continues to explore the psychology of evil, time, and madness. He has published more than 50 books and 400 trade and text publications. His three TED talks collectively have 7.6 million views.

Raj Chetty is a top American economist.

Wikimedia Commons

Started at Stanford: 2015

Dr. Chetty joined the faculty at Stanford this summer as a professor of economics from Harvard University where he was one of the youngest tenured professors in the history of the department. His current research asks how we can afford the chance of succeeding to disadvantaged children around the world – he calls it the equality of opportunity.

Chetty has been named one of the top economists in the world by The New York Times and Economist magazine. At 33 he became the youngest recipient of the John Bates Clark Medal as one of the most promising economists under 40. He was also a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow in 2012.

Tina Seelig teaches a class called "Creativity Rules."

Courtesy of Tina Seelig

Started at Stanford: 1999

Dr. Seelig is professor of the practice in the department of management science and engineering. She's also executive director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) where she inspires the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators. This quarter she's teaching several classes including a management science and engineering course commonly referred to as "Creativity Rules."

Seelig is the author of several books on innovation and creativity including "inGenius: A crash course on creativity" and the 2015 release "InsightOut." Last year she was honored with the SVForum Visionary Award for her dedication to “refining problems, challenging the assumptions and connecting and combining ideas.”

Tobias Wolff was presented a national medal by Obama this year.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Started at Stanford: 1997

Wolff, professor Emeritus of English at Stanford, was presented a National Medal of the Arts – the highest award given to artists by the federal government – at The White House in September. Last year, the Stanford Daily listed him as the school's No. 1 professor reporting that "students clamor to get into his classes," his most popular titled "Thinking Matters."

He's on leave from the University this quarter but will return in the winter to teach in the creative writing department. Wolff's career spans decades and includes reporting for The Washington Post during Watergate and receiving the PEN/Faulkner award for fiction writing. 

W.E. Moerner won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Wikimedia Commons

Started at Stanford: 1998

Dr. Moerner, professor of chemistry at Stanford, has made groundbreaking discoveries regarding the observation of molecules at their most basic level. Due to demands of the Nobel Prize this year, Moerner will return to Stanford next fall to teach an accelerated general chemistry course.

His advancements in super-resolution microscopy have earned him a spot as the fifth Stanford faculty to be awarded the Nobel Prize in the past three years. Prior to teaching, Moerner worked at IBM where he became the first person to image a single molecule while investigating biological data storage. 

Yoav Shoham just sold his second startup to Google.

LinkedIn

Started at Stanford: 1987

Dr. Shoham, professor of computer science at Stanford, is an expert in artificial intelligence and "principal Google scientist," according to his LinkedIn page. He teaches courses at Stanford that cover multiagent systems and intelligence and logics.

Shoham is interested in the crossroads of computer science and game theory a.k.a. the study of strategic decision making. His smart calendar application, Timeful, was acquired by Google in April after raising $7 million from investors, making it his second sell to the company in five years. 

Zhenan Bao created electronic skin that functions like a human's.

Courtesy of Zhenan Bao

Started at Stanford: 2004

Dr. Bao, professor of chemical engineering, and her team have been investigating and improving "e-skin" since 2008. The paper-thin yet strong and flexible skin-like material is designed to function just as human skin does. Bao is on sabbatical this quarter but will return next quarter to teach Equilibrium Thermodynamics.

She's director at Bao Research Group where she hopes their findings will lead to a new generation of robots and prosthetics that enable touch. The American Institute of Chemical Engineers honored Bao with the Andreas Acrivos Award for Professional Progress in Chemical Engineering in 2014. She's also a co-founder and on the Board of Directors for C3 Nano, a startup based on her research. 

Big Data: 20 Mind-Boggling Facts Everyone Must Read

Big data is not a fad. We are just at the beginning of a revolution that will touch every business and every life on this planet.

But loads of people are still treating the concept of big data as something they can choose to ignore — when actually, they’re about to be run over by the steamroller that is big data.

Don’t believe me? Here are 20 stats that should convince anyone that big data needs their attention:

1. The data volumes are exploding, more data has been created in the past two years than in the entire previous history of the human race.
2. Data is growing faster than ever before and by the year 2020, about 1.7 megabytes of new information will be created every second for every human being on the planet.
3. By then, our accumulated digital universe of data will grow from 4.4 zettabyets today to around 44 zettabytes, or 44 trillion gigabytes.
4. Every second we create new data. For example, we perform 40,000 search queries every second (on Google alone), which makes it 3.5 searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year.
5. In Aug 2015, over 1 billion people used Facebook FB +2.17% in a single day.
6. Facebook users send on average 31.25 million messages and view 2.77 million videos every minute.
7. We are seeing a massive growth in video and photo data, where every minute up to 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube alone.
8. In 2015, a staggering 1 trillion photos will be taken and billions of them will be shared online. By 2017, nearly 80% of photos will be taken on smart phones.
9. This year, over 1.4 billion smart phones will be shipped – all packed with sensors capable of collecting all kinds of data, not to mention the data the users create themselves.
10. By 2020, we will have over 6.1 billion smartphone users globally (overtaking basic fixed phone subscriptions).
11. Within five years there will be over 50 billion smart connected devices in the world, all developed to collect, analyze and share data.
12. By 2020, at least a third of all data will pass through the cloud (a network of servers connected over the Internet).
13. Distributed computing (performing computing tasks using a network of computers in the cloud) is very real. Google GOOGL +2.29% uses it every day to involve about 1,000 computers in answering a single search query, which takes no more that 0.2 seconds to complete.
14. The Hadoop (open source software for distributed computing) market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate 58% surpassing $1 billion by 2020.
15. Estimates suggest that by better integrating big data, healthcare could save as much as $300 billion a year — that’s equal to reducing costs by $1000 a year for every man, woman, and child.
16. The White House has already invested more than $200 million in big data projects.
17. For a typical Fortune 1000 company, just a 10% increase in data accessibility will result in more than $65 million additional net income.
18. Retailers who leverage the full power of big data could increase their operating margins by as much as 60%.
19. 73% of organizations have already invested or plan to invest in big data by 2016
20. And one of my favorite facts: At the moment less than 0.5% of all data is ever analysed and used, just imagine the potential here.
My prediction?  At the rate at which data and our ability to analyze it are growing, businesses of all sizes — large and small — will be using some form of data analytics to impact their business in the next five years.


The question isn’t whether or not big data is here to stay; the question is are you ready.

5 tricks every introvert should know before a job interview

© Provided by Business Insider Arrange your schedule so that you have a cushion of “solo” time both before and after the interview.

Interviews are already nerve-wracking — and when you’re an introvert like me, they’re downright, wake-up-in-a-cold-sweat, I’d-rather-get-my-teeth-pulled terrifying.

Unfortunately, if we introverts ever want to work, we have to do them, and we have to do them well.

So, check out my five techniques for getting through the process like a champ (a soon-to-be employed champ, at that!).

1. Arrange your day strategically

It’s not that introverts don’t enjoy being around people—we do—but the more time we spend interacting with others, the less energy we have.

That’s why I recommend arranging your schedule so that you have a cushion of “solo” time both before and after the interview. Think of it like plugging in your phone. Being alone before the interview will give you energy, while being alone afterward will allow you to recharge.

I recently had a hiring manager ask me to come in for an interview at 4 p.m., so I planned all of my calls and meetings before noon. Then, after the interview, I went home and completed the rest of my work from there.

What if spending hours alone before and after the interview isn’t feasible for you? Try to give yourself at least 30 minutes beforehand: Leave the office early and walk around the block, work from a quiet spot in your office — or, at the very least, put your headphones on.

This strategy ensures you’ll have maximum energy during the interview — which is crucial to scoring the job.

© Provided by Business Insider It helps to come up with a couple “casual” questions in advance that you can throw in as needed.2. Prepare for small talk

It’s pretty normal for introverts to dislike small talk, which admittedly can feel rather pointless. However, even if you hate chit-chat, remind yourself this is one time you can’t skip it.

I’ve learned that it helps to come up with a couple “casual” questions in advance that you can throw in as needed. In fact, this is a great opportunity to ask questions that don’t feel so pointless!

For example, instead of bringing up the weather, ask your interviewer what her favorite seasonal activity is. Or, instead of discussing each other’s respective hometowns, ask if he knows any local “hidden gems” in the office’s neighborhood.

Also, it’s a good idea to remind yourself of the ultimate purpose of this interview small talk: to build a rapport with your interviewer and make him or her like you. Not such a waste of time after all, right?

3. Focus your best efforts in the beginning and at the end

Research has shown interviewers form their first impressions of you in just seconds.

And as an introvert, that snap judgment actually plays to our advantage. If I walk in with an enthusiastic smile, a confident handshake, and a friendly, “Hi! I’m Aja,” then the interviewer instantly classifies me as “enthusiastic, confident, and friendly” — and I’d have to work pretty hard to alter his or her initial impression.

Similarly, you want to end on a high note. Most interviewers try to summarize their thoughts as quickly as they can after you leave the room; the more time goes on, the less accurately they’ll remember the interview. So you want their last impression of you to be as awesome as the first.

Flash a big smile, say, “It was great to meet you, and thank you so much for this opportunity,” and give them another firm handshake.

4. Match the interviewer’s tone

However, just because you killed the beginning and end of the interview doesn’t mean you can ignore your tone during the middle.

Unfortunately, introverts can sometimes come across as bored, standoffish, distant, unenthusiastic, and so on. We’re not trying to — from our perspective, we’re calm and thoughtful.

To make sure this discrepancy doesn’t happen during an interview, subtly copy the interviewer. Is she using lots of gestures? Amp up your own motions. Is he telling jokes? Give your answers some levity. Is her tone professional and courteous? Follow suit.

Here’s a hack: It also helps if you mirror his or her body language — without going overboard, of course.

If you take your cues from the person you’re speaking with, you’re almost guaranteed to hit the proper note. 

© SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg The key is to highlight the positive aspects of your introverted nature.5. Mention that you’re introverted

Tons of people are introverted; in fact, your interviewer may be an introvert as well! Hiding the fact you are one can land you in an office where you’re not a good fit. (Imagine working at a company where every single task is accomplished in a team. Scary, right?)

The key is to highlight the positive aspects of your introverted nature.

Let’s say the hiring manager asks, “What’s your greatest strength?”

You can reply along the lines of, “As an introvert, I’ve discovered that I’m a natural listener and observer. It’s second nature for me to seek out pain points or obstacles that others are facing. Once I’ve gathered enough information, I’m ready to make a thoughtful and impactful contribution.”

You can also talk about how you’re overcoming the challenges of being an introvert. If you get the “greatest weakness” question, try responding with something like:

“My default communication style is email and online communication, which can be really efficient—but when it comes to sensitive or relationship-building conversations, I know speaking in person is much better. I’m challenging myself to move those important discussions offline. Now, before I schedule a talk, I ask myself, ‘Will this be more productive if we can see each other’s faces?’”

(Side note: This is a great interview answer because it exposes a true area of growth while explaining how you’re actively trying to overcome it.)

With these strategies, being an introvert will help you, not hurt you. From one introvert to another: You got this.

12 websites where you can learn to code for free

There was a time when knowing how to program was for the geekiest of geeks.

That’s not exactly the case today. As most entrepreneurs, freelancers and marketers will tell you, learning how to program can help you succeed. 

Over the past year, I've been learning to code. It's helped me to become a much better entrepreneur — I can dive in when my team needs to fix a few bugs on the site. 

You don’t even need to shell out a ton of money or put yourself in debt to learn how to code, either. These 12 places offer coding courses for free:

1. CodeAcademy

One of the most popular free places to learn coding is CodeAcademy. In fact, more than 24 million people have already learned how to code through this educational company’s engaging experience.

At CodeAcademy, you can dive right in and take courses that teach you everything from HTML & CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP,Python and Ruby.

2. Coursera

Founded in 2012, Coursera has grown into a major for-profit educational-technology company that has offered more than 1,000 courses from 119 institutions.

While you can pay for certain programs to receive a certificate, there are a number of free introductory programming courses in various specializations from universities such as the University of Washington, Stanford, the University of Toronto and Vanderbilt.

3. edX

EdX is another leading online-learning platform that is open source instead of for-profit. It was founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012, so you know that you’ll learn about cutting-edge technologies and theories. Today, edX includes 60 schools. You probably can’t go wrong with the free Introduction to Computer Science from Harvard University.

4. Udemy

Founded in 2010, Udemy is an online learning platform that can be used as a way to improve or learn job skills. While there are courses you have to pay for, there are plenty of free programming courses, which are taught via video lessons, such as Programming for Entrepreneurs - HTML & CSS or Introduction to Python Programming.

5. aGupieWare

AGupieWare is an independent app developer that surveyed computer-science programs from some of the leading institutions in the U.S. It then created a similar curriculum based on the free courses offered by Stanford, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Berkeley and Columbia. The program was then broken into 15 courses: three introductory classes, seven core classes and five electives.

While you won’t actually receive credit, it’s a perfect introductory program for prospective computer programmers.

6. GitHub

Sometimes, you need to recall a reference book when you’re stuck on a problem. That's GitHub. You can find more than 500 free programming books that cover more than 80 different programming languages on the popular web-based Git repository hosting service, which means that it’s frequently updated by collaborators.

7. MIT Open Courseware

If you’ve already learned the basics, and went to get into something a bit heavier — such as exploring the theory behind coding — take advantage of MIT’s free courseware site that includes classes such as Introduction to Computer Science and Programming, Introduction to Programming in Java and Practical Programming in C.

8. Hack.pledge()

This is a community of developers, which include some high-profile developers such as Bram Cohen, the inventor of BitTorrent. There, you can perfect your programming skills by learning from some of the leading developers in the world.

9. Code Avengers

Based out of New Zealand, Code Avengers provides fun and interactive programming courses that will teach you how to code games, apps and web sites using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Each course takes just 12 hours to complete and is available in English, Russian, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Turkish and Portuguese.

10. Khan Academy

Created in 2006 by educator Salman Khan, Khan Academy is one of the original free online-learning institutions. With step-by-step video tutorials, you can  learn how to program drawings, animations and games using JavaScript and ProcessingJS, or learn how to create webpages with HTML and CSS.

11. Free Food Camp

Here you’ll learn HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Databases, DevTools, Node.js, Angular.js and Agile by networking and joining a community of professionals and students. You’ll even work together on your coding skills so that you can build apps for free. Here’s the catch: you’re learning those skills and building helps to help solve real-world problems. Code is available to nonprofits.

12. HTML5 Rocks

This Google project launched in 2010 to counter Apple’s HTML5. The site is full of tutorials, resources and the latest HTML5 updates. It’s open source, so developers can play around with HTML5 code. Because this is more advanced than most introductory courses, you may want to gain some knowledge and experience before jumping in.

Learning code used to require access to expensive books and classes, but no longer. I highly recommend that every entrepreneur learns to code. Still wondering if you need to code? Here is a programmer guide I put together to show you every step I took to become an entrepreneur that codes!