SMASH was one of the earliest STEM education programs created in the United States as a way to prepare students of color for STEM college studies. Their vision is an ecosystem where every student, regardless of their zip code, has the opportunity to participate in and thrive in the global economy. And here to tell us more about it and how they’ve adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic is Eli Kennedy, the chief executive officer of SMASH.
There may be some in the audience who go back far enough to remember the commercials for Doublemint chewing gum, where a set of twins would tell us how you would receive “double the pleasure” from a single stick of gum, or something like that. I feel a little bit that way about my next guest. She is the president of one of the most prestigious colleges in America, as well as a preeminent cognitive scientist doing groundbreaking research. And as you’ll soon hear, the two are quite related. She is Sian Beilock, the eighth president of Barnard College and the author of a number of books including Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting It Right When You Have To.
It was an incredible declaration by the New York Times when it stated, and I quote, “The LA Philharmonic is the most important orchestra in America.” It’s also the orchestra that will be celebrating its centennial anniversary this year and doing so in a way that is befitting of that well-earned reputation, as above.