THE KINKAID SCHOOL
Notable Visitors
Dr. Farshid Guilak (center) with Papadopoulos family members and school administrators
Dr. Farshid Guilak ’82
Dan Yaccarino
Thanks to a generous endowment from the Papadopoulos family, every year the Science Department has the privilege of inviting an accomplished scientist to spend a day on campus with Upper School students. This year’s Papadopoulos Fellow, Dr. Farshid Guilak happens to be a Kinkaid alumnus, class of 1982. He is currently the Laszlo Ormandy Professor and Vice Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery, and director of Orthopaedic Research at the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Biomedical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science at Duke. He is also the Editor-inChief of the Journal of Biomechanics.
This year Dan Yaccarino was the Kyle Likover Memorial Visiting Author. Mr. Yaccarino has illustrated over 30 picture books and has won several awards including Bologna Ragazzi, The New York Times 10 Best Illustrated, The American Library Association Notable and the Parents Choice Award.
Papadopoulos Fellow
Dr. Guilak addressed the assembly in the morning talking about his lab’s latest research in the field of Cell and Molecular Bioengineering. His presentation focused on new solutions in the treatment of osteoarthritis that focused on the combination of genome editing, gene therapy and synthetic biology. As senior Megan Friedman put it, “I found it quite interesting that he specifically used adult stem cells from adispose tissue (fat tissue obtained by liposuction) to make cartilage (all cells from the same person).” During small group discussions and lunch, students asked many questions about Dr. Guilak’s research as well as everyday life. AP Biology students specifically enjoyed the talk as well as the small group discussions because they had been studying the latest in gene therapy a few weeks before his arrival. Senior Rachel Soderstrom said, “I also especially enjoyed hearing about how CRISPR-Cas9 was making a big splash in that field of biology, as it was my presentation [in class], and how he planned on utilizing it specifically in his own experiments.” Being a Kinkaid alumnus, Dr. Guilak ended his formal presentation in the morning with stories and memories from Kinkaid. He showed pictures of his time at Kinkaid and emphasized the importance of a combination of academics, athletics and the arts in preparation for college and beyond. He pointed out to the students that skills he learned in his English classes have been just as important as those from math and science classes. Dr. Guilak was very approachable and a great example of the amazing opportunities that Kinkaid provides in building a foundation for the future. Contributed by: Sonia Clayton, Chair of Upper School Science Department
6
The Kyle Likover Memorial Visiting Author
Mr. Yaccarino’s richly illustrated picture books range from the biography of Jacques Cousteau, the delightful tradition of a father and son Saturday breakfast, and his most recent tale on the value of just unplugging and participating in the world without a screen in between. He has been an active participant in the world of animation and children’s television programing. Mr. Yaccarino met with all grade levels Pre-K through fourth grade and shared how a “seed” of an idea is cultivated and nurtured into a story. He also met with a third grade class for an impromptu animation lesson. Contributed by: Elizabeth Holloway, Lower School Librarian