Dr. Yolanda Li ’11 virtually visits Hackley’s IRP Students

The Independent Research program had the pleasure of hosting Dr. Yolanda Li (’11), on Monday, November 16th, where she talked about “Science Beyond the Benchtop.”

As the title suggests, the main focus of her talk was on her current role at Stanford University’s Office of Technology Transfer, where she helps to bridge scientific research and commercial applications.  One student commented that “it was really interesting to see the cycle of innovation since it shows research as only being the first step. I feel like many of us don't really think about the next 10 or so steps and how hard it is to actually put the research out for public use.”  Another student remarked “One of the most interesting things from this [Dr. Li] was the idea of being able to understand multiple things very quickly, rather than understanding and being an expert on one single thing. For me especially, I love to learn about various topics, such as history, science, and technology, and how these topics can impact and make a difference in our lives. By being able to diversify your interests and knowledge as a whole, you are able to widen the impact you can potentially have on others. I feel like a setting similar to what Dr. Li has would fit me well, due to the fact that I love to learn new things!”  

During her visit, students were also fascinated by the interesting projects Dr. Li worked on at Duracell and Unilever during undergraduate school, and her PhD work in synthesizing graphene nanoribbons for electronic applications at UCLA. 

All alumni/parents with present or past experiences in scientific research have a standing invitation to back and visit the Independent Research Program. Our future scientists love hearing your stories, and these talks are formative for their careers. If you are interested, please reach out to Dr. Andrew Ying (aying@hackleyschool.org).
Back