A glimpse into the Program in Human Biology at Stanford University | | | |
Director's Message
Dear Human Biology Alumni, Students, and Friends,
I hope that this email newsletter finds you all well. Last month, we celebrated another incredible cohort of Human Biology students in a new venue for us – Memorial Church. It was wonderful! Commencement weekend was filled with joy as we recognized our students’ accomplishments and wished them well on their journeys ahead.
In this edition of HumBio Highlights, you'll find some of the outstanding work that our senior synthesis and honors students completed over the past year. I hope you enjoy looking through our students’ work and the wonderful moments of happiness captured in photos from our various year-closing events.
This summer also marks the close of my time as program director for Human Biology. It has been a true honor to lead this program for the past six years, and I cherish the connections I've made with many of you. I am delighted to announce that Professor William Talbot, a HumBio Core professor and active member of our community, will step into the role of program director this September. We look forward to welcoming him into this new role in the fall.
Wishing you all a lovely summer!
Warm Regards,
Lianne Kurina
Bing Director of the Program in Human Biology
| | | Congratulations to the Class of 2025 | | | | |
"Trust that all of theses interests, these disparate pieces and fragments of your experience will come together to form a beautiful mosaic. And from this mosaic of interests, you will be able to see a bigger picture that others cannot, and it will allow you to solve the problems you care most about."
Vignesh Kumar
2025 Human Biology Diploma Ceremony
Student Speaker
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"Many of us here carry a deep connection to a community, ones that we represent in every space we enter. As I look around at the world we are inheriting, it is important to stand with those we identify with, and stand up for those we don't. [...]
As HumBio majors, the education we received is more than an academic achievement. It's a set of tools—tools we can direct toward service, healing, and advocacy."
Iman Khater
2025 Human Biology Diploma Ceremony
Student Speaker
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This year, Human Biology awarded honors degrees to 27 students. These students entered the honors program as juniors and have worked closely with faculty on individual research projects that culminated more than a year later in an honors thesis. On May 16, students presented their research findings at the annual Gelles Senior Symposium.
Of the 27 students who completed honors, three were recognized with the Firestone Medal for Excellence in Undergraduate Research, a university-wide award given to the top 10% of honors theses completed each year. Two students received the Oral Communication Program's Award for Excellence in Honors Thesis Presentation, an award for their talent in the oral, written, and visual presentation skills. And one student was awarded the Barbara and Sandy Dornbusch Award for Excellence in Research in Human Biology Relating to Families and Children.
| | You can view the full list of honors research presenters and read their abstracts from the 2025 Gelles Senior Symposium on our website. | | |
The Senior Synthesis pathway allows students to combine their personal and academic interests into an intellectually stimulating and creative project. For example, students have produced podcasts and documentaries, written short stories and creative essays, compiled multimedia anthologies, and developed curricular resources for community partners.
This year, fifteen students completed a synthesis project on a variety of topics they care deeply about. On May 16, these students shared their projects with the HumBio and greater Stanford community at the annual Gelles Senior Symposium. Below are a subset of the wonderful projects our students completed.
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Providing Equitable Access to STEAM Enrichment Programs
by Bianca De Los Reyes
A 5-lesson curriculum on human physiology taught to children from underserved communities in the Bay Area. Topics include respiration, sweating, thermoregulation and the muscular and circulatory systems.
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All The Things I Couldn't Say Out Loud
by Koree French
An anthology of short stories covering the concerns, joys, fears, and insecurities of Black women navigating motherhood. Based on interviews with 7 women, the stories highlight how social, familial, and personal factors can influence an individual's concerns about motherhood.
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Nutritional Guide for Cancer Patients
by Sydney Helfand
A handbook designed to support cancer patients in navigating their nutritional needs while undergoing treatment. The book covers everything from managing treatment-related symptoms such as weight loss, nausea, and diarrhea to food safety to vitamins and minerals.
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A Girl in a Body:
Essays on Growing Up
by Anna Kiesewetter
A series of creative nonfiction essays tracing the author's experiences in her mind and body growing up and her relationship with her body to a generational legacy of medical malpractice, and finally understanding the fear that shapes living in a world of everyday gendered violence.
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Design for Healthy Friendships: Outcomes of One of the First University Courses on Friendship and Loneliness
by Vignesh Kumar
A 1-unit student-initiated course developed and taught to combat loneliness among Stanford students. The course explored how to cultivate healthy friendships through individual, relational, community, and societal approaches.
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Lab Greening Toolkit: A Guide for Research Lab Sustainability
by JoyAnne Molloy
A digital resource toolkit for research labs looking to become more environmentally friendly. The toolkit includes information about sustainable waste disposal practices, biodegradable lab materials, links to helpful Stanford sustainability resources and more.
| | You can view the full list of synthesis presenters and read their project descriptions from the 2025 Gelles Senior Symposium on our website. | | | | |
"The great American distance runner Steve Prefontaine once said: 'to give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.' And each of you has a completely distinct gift. [...] So the only responsibility you have is to figure out how to best use your unique history, training, and set of interests to find your path and to go and make a positive difference in our world."
Dr. Lianne Kurina
2025 Human Biology Diploma Ceremony Faculty Farewell Speaker
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Stanford Reunion Homecoming is just around the corner! Follow your neural pathways back to HumBio and reconnect with your A-side and B-side HumBio community of alumni, faculty, students, and staff. This will be a wonderful time to catch up with friends over light refreshments, talk to students about their research posters, and explore the HumBio building.
When: Friday, October 17, 2025 from 4:30-6:00pm
Where: HumBio Building (Building 20, Main Quad)
If you are planning to attend, please fill out the brief RSVP form below. Thank you in advance and we hope to see you there!
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