Campus Visitors

Although our time on campus for the 2019–2020 school year was cut short, Marksmen had the opportunity to hear from fascinating speakers throughout the winter and spring.

STEM Conference

The seventh annual STEM Conference welcomed

four incredible scientists to campus in March: Dr. Murat Çobanoglu, Principal Investigator of UT Southwestern Medical Center’s Cobanoglu Lab; Dr. Jodi Cooley, Associate Professor of Physics at Southern Methodist University; Naia Butler-Craig, an aerospace engineering student at Georgia Tech and intern at NASA’s Glenn Research Center; and Dr. Alan Katz, former Chief Technology Officer of WR Hambrecht & Co. and ES Xplore Inc. The guests spent the day lecturing and taking questions in Middle and Upper School science classes and hosted in-depth panel discussions.

Visiting Scholar Bryan Mealer

In February, St. Mark's welcomed journalist and bestselling author Bryan Mealer to campus as the 2019–2020 Willard E. Walker, Jr. ’66 Visiting Scholar. Mealer spoke to Middle and Upper School students in English and journalism classes and addressed larger groups at assemblies. Throughout his twoday visit, Mealer detailed his career as a journalist. He told of traveling the world, authoring several books, and writing for publications including Texas Monthly and Esquire. His book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind was adapted into a feature film by Netflix in 2019. Taylor Jenkins ’03

Taylor Jenkins ’03, Head Coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, returned to campus while the team was in town to take on the Dallas Mavericks. At a

special Upper School assembly, Taylor recalled the path that led him to a top position in the NBA and how St. Mark’s impacted that journey: “The most special thing about this place is the people and the amazing relationships you can build. As a student, I was motivated every day by my classmates and teachers. I take that lesson with me every day as a head coach and try to instill in my players the ability to forge great relationships with their teammates and coaches. It’s all about relationships and the experiences you share.”

(from left to right) STEM Conference Chairs pose with the guest speakers

Naia Butler-Craig

Bryan Mealer

Taylor Jenkins ’03