Bold Ideas@Synapse

Join us for this thought-provoking series aiming to highlight uniquely dynamic thinkers sharing their big, bold ideas related to our school’s program priorities: Innovation, SEL, and Leading-edge Academics. These speaker events are designed for conversation, with time for mingling before and after, and opportunity for audience members to ask questions.

Jean-Claude Brizard

on new frontiers in learning

Wednesday, Nov. 20, 6:30pm, Synapse School, RSVP here!

Jean-Claude Brizard is President & CEO of Digital Promise, a global nonprofit organization focused on shaping the future of learning.

Maureen Fan

on wonder and creativity

Tuesday, Jan. 14, 6:30pm, Synapse School

Maureen Fan is CEO & co-founder of 6-time Emmy award winning Baobab Studios, the world's leading interactive narrative animation studio.

RJ Scaringe

on innovation and creation

Tuesday, March 4, 6:30pm, Synapse School

RJ Scaringe is founder & CEO of automotive startup Rivian, an electric vehicle company dedicated to the shift toward carbon neutrality.

On Wednesday, Nov. 20, we will kick off the 24-25 Bold Ideas series with Jean-Claude Brizard in conversation with our very own Head of School Jim Eagen. Jean-Claude is a Synapse parent and President and CEO of Digital Promise, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization focused on shaping the future of education and advancing equitable education systems by bridging solutions across research, practice, and technology. He is former Senior Advisor and Deputy Director in US Programs at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation where he focused on PK-16 education across five communities in four states, as well as has a 21-year career as an educator and administrator with the NYC Department of Education, including tenures as Regional Superintendent and Executive Director of Brooklyn schools.

RSVP for Bold Ideas now!

All Bold Ideas talks will be held in the Synapse Annex, behind SportsHouse. These speaker events are designed for dynamic conversations with our Head of School Jim Eagen, with time for mingling before and after, and an opportunity for audience members to ask questions.

Past Bold Ideas Recordings

Want to watch any previous Bold Ideas talks? Take a look at the recordings here.

April 10, 2024

23-24 Bold Ideas @ Synapse Speaker Series: Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang

Dr. Mary Helen is well known for her groundbreaking research on the intersection of emotions, self-awareness, and social interactions with learning and personal growth. Jim and Mary had a lively conversation, ranging from how emotions affect all learning to SEL can encourage critical thinking and many other skills. Jim also asked for her take on a question he's asked often, how can a school be focused on human connections and development as well as be “academic.”

Oct. 17, 2023

23-24 Bold Ideas @ Synapse Speaker Series: Boz Bosworth

A revisit to the conversation on AI with CTO of Meta, Boz. Jim and Boz engaged in a lively conversation about the benefits and challenges of new emerging technologies such as ChatGPT, and how the future of AI could improve or challenge our existence as humans. As Boz reminded everyone, “we don’t cease to be human, but we have to rethink things.”

May 24, 2023

22-23 Bold Ideas @ Synapse Speaker Series: Cristina Spencer

Cristina and Jim speak on gender diversity and how, rather than being a social construct, gender is "a process that happens over time." Cristina, an expert in gender diverse kids and parent coach who regularly hosts gender education workshops and has also authored a book to be published next year, shared this quote to best define the word "gender" — "Gender is nature through nurture in culture." [Dr. Erica Anderson UCSF Gender Clinic]

Jan. 31, 2023

22-23 Bold Ideas @ Synapse Speaker Series: Brooke Stafford-Brizard

Brooke, the vice president of Research to Practice at Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, has spent much of her career researching the whole child social-emotional learning approach to education and development. She stressed the importance of building confidence in children and making sure they have strong role models. As parents and educators, some of the best ways to nurture a child’s social-emotional development are by “supporting a child’s ability to be self-aware, curious and have a sense of purpose in life.”

Oct. 13, 2022

22-23 Bold Ideas @ Synapse Speaker Series: Boz Bosworth

As CTO of Meta and a leading voice and visionary on all things AR/VR/AI, Boz and Jim discuss and debate how machine learning and new immersive technologies are set to change the face of education. An impressive thinker and spirited conversationalist, Boz’s views and ideas are bound to be enlightening and entertaining.

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