     |
 |
No summer at Stanford would be complete without attending lectures from some of the incredible professors that make the campus their home. At Quest, our academic focus is on science and the environment. We have chosen this area of study because the interdisciplinary nature of environmental science allows us to explore varied fields, and because the holistic nature of the discipline fits well with the principles of Quest. Despite the emphasis on environmental studies, the curriculum will touch upon subjects as varied as medicine and poetry, and students do not have to have an expressed interest in environmental science in order to participate in the program. Most mornings at Quest include at least one lecture, held in a Stanford classroom a short walk from our program house. Lectures serve not only to highlight some of the most important scientific topics, but also to introduce students to the college lecture environment, and academic life. Our goal is for our graduates to make the transition from high school to college as seamlessly as possible, and the staff spends a great deal of time preparing students for the skills they will need most during their undergraduate years. Students will write papers connecting lectures, learn note-taking skills, and become accustomed to asking questions of, and interacting with, professors.
The next page describes our second curriculum area—leadership. |
We are fortunate to have a wonderful lecture series, featuring some of Stanford’s best professors. Quest gives motivated, curious students a chance to learn for the love of learning, not for the sake of grades. Lecture topics range from genetically modified organisms & food production in third world countries, to environmental law, to paleo-oceanography, to nature & poetry. Past lecturers include Donald Kennedy, President Emeritus of Stanford University, and current Editor-In-Chief of Science magazine; Steven Schneider, Climatologist and MacArthur Fellow; Gretchen Daily, Biologist and Senior Fellow at the Institute for International Studies; and Robert Sapolsky, one of the 
