LASER Talks in Stanford: Art, Literature, Sound, and the Brain

A dual LASER event exploring literature, sound art, neuroscience, and stem cell research through online and in-person talks.

EVENT INFO

LASER 1 — ONLINE

• When: 11 December 2025, 12:00 PM (California Time, PST)

• Where: Online (Zoom Webinar)
• Register via ZOOM on https://stanford.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-Br1cjXlQ0aMG39AyvsVUw#/registration

LASER 2 — IN PERSON

• When: 11 December 2025, 7:00 PM (California Time, PST)

• Where: Li Ka Shing Center, Room LK101, Stanford University

• Access Info: No registration required – just show up

• Website: www.lasertalks.com

EVENT INFO

On 11 December 2025, Stanford hosts two LASER (Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous) Talks bringing together leading voices from the humanities, arts, and sciences.

The online LASER focuses on literature, sound, and cultural inquiry. Ilan Stavans (Amherst College) reflects on the legacy of Octavio Paz, exploring language, identity, and literary universes. Media artist Victoria Shen (to be confirmed) contributes a perspective rooted in experimental sound, modular synthesis, and material-based artistic practice.

The in-person LASER bridges neuroscience, medicine, and the humanities. Gary K. Steinberg (Stanford University) presents cutting-edge research on stem cell therapy for stroke, while Joshua Landy (Stanford University) examines the relationship between literature and the brain, drawing connections between cognitive science and narrative form.

Together, these LASERs embody the program’s mission to foster dialogue across Life, Art, Science, and Technology (LAST), encouraging interdisciplinary exchange among scholars, artists, students, and the public.

SPEAKERS BIOS

Ilan Stavans is the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American, and Latino Culture at Amherst College, publisher of Restless Books, and consultant to the Oxford English Dictionary. His work has been translated into more than two dozen languages and adapted for radio, television, film, and theater. Recent books include Conversations on Dictionaries: The Universe in a Book (Cambridge University Press), Lamentations of Nezahualcoyotl: Nahuatl Poems (Restless Books), and Sabor Judío: The Jewish Mexican Cookbook (University of North Carolina Press).

Victoria Shen is a sound artist, experimental music performer, and instrument-maker. Her practice centers on analog modular synthesizers, vinyl and resin records, and self-built electronics. Through a DIY approach, she deconstructs ideas of materiality, value, and mass production, re-contextualizing readymade and assemblage techniques. She has performed internationally across experimental music and art contexts.

Gary K. Steinberg is Director of the Stanford Moyamoya Center, Founder and Co-Director of the Stanford Stroke Center, and former Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University. He has practiced neurosurgery at Stanford for over 31 years and pioneered microsurgical techniques for previously untreatable vascular conditions. He currently leads novel clinical trials in stem cell therapy for stroke and spinal cord injury. Before medical school, he studied classical trumpet in Switzerland.

Joshua Landy is the Andrew B. Hammond Professor of French and Professor of Comparative Literature at Stanford University. He co-directs the Initiative in Philosophy and Literature and co-hosts the nationally syndicated public radio program Philosophy Talk. His books include Philosophy as Fiction, How to Do Things With Fictions, and The World According to Proust.

SPONSORS

The Leonardo/ISAST LASERs are a program of international gatherings that bring artists, scientists, humanists and technologists together for informal presentations, performances and conversations with the wider public. The mission of the LASERs is to encourage contribution to the cultural environment of a region by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and opportunities for community building to over 50 cities around the world. To learn more about how our LASER Hosts and to visit a LASER near you please visit our website. @lasertalks

The Stanford LASERs are part of the global Leonardo LASER network and are co-sponsored by the Deans of Humanities and Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, as well as the Department of Chemical Engineering. The series promotes open dialogue across disciplines, connecting academic research, artistic practice, and technological innovation