Twenty-two from 2022: The year in photos
As the Stanford community emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, the Farm’s life began to feel more normal.
Stanford postdocs, students, faculty and staff have returned to their classrooms, offices, labs, dorms, and laboratories. Notable guests visited campus. We were entertained again by live events. The return of art installations and fountain-hopping was a welcome sight. Stanford was open to new avenues of research and academic growth. The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability is a prime example.
Andrew Brodhead served as the university’s photographer throughout the entire year. Here’s a look back at some of his favorite frames that helped tell the Stanford story in 2022.
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Feb. 8, 2022: Jessica Herrmann from Stanford transforms a paste formed of living cells to create hearts and other organs by using 3D printing technology.
“This was in the lab of Mark Skylar-Scott. The researchers used UV light and hair gel to highlight the print matrix in order to carry out this experiment. The room was small so I managed to sneak behind the printer and look into the eyes of the scientist to take their faces. It created this nice separation between the background and the foreground in a very cliché, science-fiction kind of way.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
March 1, 2022 One jogger runs the trails around Lake Lagunita.
“I was on a different assignment at the time and when I looked toward the lake, I realized there was this beautiful contrast separating the sky as light cascaded across the stairs. After a while, I stood still and tried to frame my camera. After a student ran up the steps, I took a photograph. It’s really beautiful how the sunlight dances and illuminates those little pieces of green, as their shadows are elongated. There’s a lot of expression going on between the figures on the right. Stanford is not only an active place but a place where people have meaningful conversations.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
March 4, 2022 White Plaza hosts community members who show solidarity with Ukraine.
“What started off as a small rally turned into a gathering of a few hundred people. To show the students of Ukraine what was happening, I requested that a few people allow me to photograph them. Although it was a difficult experience, I felt fortunate to have students who were able to share their feelings about the conflict with me. They were very vulnerable.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
March 8, 2022 John Kerry, United States special presidential envoy for climate, tours Professor Yi Cui’s lab during a visit to campus to learn about the launch of the new Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.
“Sometimes I’m so visually attached to an assignment that I’m not able to hear exactly what’s going on. But there are moments when I can’t unhear things because it’s such baffling information. Like in this lab, hearing that lithium batteries can be the size of a small hard drive and power an electric vehicle – that’s information I’ve never heard before, and I was blown away. John Kerry must have been equally amazed. He went around afterward, talking with students in the lab, asking what they were working on, and thanking them for their contributions.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
March 8, 2022 The Littlefield Center is home to Stanford Continuing Studies and Stanford Live.
“I drove by this spot all the time and it was just this twiggy rock garden with trees that were never in bloom. The first day I noticed it in bloom, I turned around and saw the beauty. Depending on the season, there’s a completely different expression. Certain places light up in one month and then they’re different in another. These little natural treasures are everywhere, even during winter. That’s the beauty of Stanford’s campus. The gardeners have done a fantastic job of creating so many spaces for reflection and socializing.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
April 7, 2022 The Claw.
“I was driving back from an assignment in my golf cart during one of the hottest days of summer when I noticed students in their bathing suits swimming in the fountain. For a moment, I stopped to watch as the community grew. The fountain was full of people having fun and everyone started jumping in it. The shot was taken after I noticed that there was more interaction between foreground and middle ground. It reminded me of a painting with all kinds of human expression.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
April 21, 2022 Barack Obama, former president of the USA, gives a key speech regarding disinformation.
“I had one angle from which I could shoot, so I was trying to be respectful, and not block anyone’s view when I got onto the side stage. After all the security and Secret Service distractions I encountered, one light shined behind me. The perfect highlight was behind his head. I reached the top of the wall and sat down. The frame was more focused with less distractions. The shot of him ‘holding the football,’ as I like to say it, was the moment where everything fell into place. My photography is simplified and removed distractions. This allows you to see exactly what the picture means. With this one, I wanted to figure out how to shoot him in a perspective that wasn’t similar to every other image you’ve seen of him.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
April 12, 2022 Helena Zhang, ’22, a human biology major, works on a personal project in the McMurtry Building, home to the department of art & art history.
“I went to art school, and I actually have a minor in printmaking. It was refreshing being back in an environment where I could feel comfortable with others who shared my same interests. Artist studios tend to be hectic, chaotic and messy. I liked the natural window lighting in the back, all the easels, and artwork from other students.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
May 20, 2022 Dollie Splash.
“With the band, I have no clue what they’re gonna do. There’s a lot of jumping, moving around, dancing, all types of things. It’s chaotic. But in those moments of chaos, I try to find interactions or a certain musician that’s giving a lot of energy. I just stop, pay attention for a little bit, and wait for a moment to happen.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
27 May 2022 During an event organized by the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Volodymyr Zelenskyy addresses students.
“When I first got there, there were some technical difficulties with the connection between Ukraine and Stanford. Everyone in the auditorium jumped up when President Zelenskyy’s Zoom turned on. That’s when I took this shot.
The conversation started in Ukrainian. He was not speaking English for the first half. The delay caused by the translator was a problem for him and his students. After a while, he asked, ‘Do you mind if I speak in English?’ He started speaking in English and it was impeccable. He was funny and very witty. He really connected with all the students.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
June 6, 2022: Mary Cooper, ’22, a varsity rower studying aerospace engineering and computer science, in her dorm room.
“When I first met Mary, I found out she was born in the same city as I was: Savannah, Georgia. Because she was raised in military families, her family moved around often. We instantly had a common bond. This kind of understanding between us was very nice.
When we were taking photos of her for her senior profiles, we stopped in her room to get something. I asked her, ‘Would it be okay if I shot a portrait of you here? I think it would be interesting to do something a little bit different.’ And she was super willing. I was shown her prosthetic legs, and all the prototypes she had made. Each one is for a specific activity, like running or rowing, and there were some that had been decommissioned.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
June 30, 2022: The Stanford Nanofabrication Facility has a clean room.
“When you go into a clean room, you put on a Tyvek suit, hairnet, gloves, booties, all types of things. They then blast you with hot air. They’re really trying to minimize dust because a lot of the chips they’re working on are nano-size. These particles are difficult to spot. A single dust particle could cause a complete circuit board to be destroyed. That was my favorite part of this suit: dressing up and being able to get the full experience of the space.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
June 12, 2022 Aleesa Pitchamarn Alexander is co-director at the Cantor Art Center of the Asian American Art Initiative. Ruth Asawa’s FacesShe helped to find Stanford a permanent home in the exhibition
“I shot this exhibition from start to finish, from the artwork’s arrival, to preservation, to final installment. At the very end of it, I was shooting Aleesa, and she said, ‘I want to take one picture where I’m mimicking the mask.’ So she stood there, closed her eyes, took a moment to reflect, and I took one shot. It is a group of people right behind her who are also doing the same thing. It felt like a moment of thanking the art and also being one with it.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
July 21, 2022 The Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability has taken a survey of the tidal pool at Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove.
“On the backside of Hopkins Marine Station, there’s a marine sanctuary where no one is allowed to go; it’s only set up for researchers. It was a privilege to be able to observe a fieldwork class. The ecosystem is so diverse and rich, it was overwhelming. You go to so many California beaches and there’s not a lot left. Here, there’s abalone on rocks, so many animals, mussels stacked up so high – it showed me that if you don’t get in the way of nature, it can thrive. I had so much fun stepping in the tidal pools and talking to biologists, all while hanging out in my favorite place: the beach.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Aug. 3, 2022: Hopkins Marine Station isn’t your ordinary classroom. Students and staff can flipper into Agassiz Beach for scuba diving or snorkeling in an underwater kelp forest. This is a signature ecosystem on the California coast.
“I was in the kelp forest trying to shoot in the marine sanctuary, swimming with a few other people, having fun. It was difficult to see. I couldn’t see anything. I was trying to get these shots and they just weren’t working.
All of a sudden I feel this tugging on my foot – an aggressive tug. I’m like, ‘What is going on?’ I throw my camera in the water with my underwater housing, snap a picture, and there’s a harbor seal latched onto my fin. The seal was just playing with the fin. This was my only photo of the seal interfacing with me. It was a moment where I was like, ‘Am I getting attacked by a shark? No, there’s a seal attached to my foot. This is crazy.’ ”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Sept. 12, 2022: Director of the Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability Professor Chris Field cleans out research tools at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.
“When we met Chris for the first time, he showed up on this converted electric mountain bike that he put together. He was excited to talk about how he put the bike together, how efficient it is, and how it’s his main mode of transportation ripping around Jasper Ridge. Every day he goes up there and uses the water bottle from his mountain bike to spray off the heads of these instruments to clear them of debris.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Sept. 20, 2022: Stanford students practice rehearsals for the North American premiere Leviathan Roble Arts Gym is under the supervision of Aletahayes (lecturer in the Department of Theater and Performance Studies).
“I thought this was a cool moment to showcase – the cast rehearsing in Roble Gym, the choreographer, the director, and the performers stacked up on top of each other. A lot of people think of Stanford as being science-focused, but there are so many creative outlets across campus.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Oct. 4, 2022: Midday commute.
“Campus can go from being completely quiet to chaos. The one student who is trying to make it to class in this chaotic situation caught my attention. It’s like human Frogger. You know, it’s haywire, but it’s also kinda peaceful at the same time.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Oct. 5, 2022: After winning the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, Professor Carolyn Bertozzi was interviewed by University Communications personnel.
“Working with Carolyn, she was so calm, collected, and level-headed. She was with us from 3:00 a.m. in the morning, so we were there all day. We kept learning more about her. Even before she became a Rage Against the Machine guitarist, she played in a group with Tom Morello.
She’s not only the founder of a groundbreaking research field, but she’s also a musician and a creative person in another realm. And she was crushing the interviews – not taking herself too seriously, and having fun as the newest Nobel laureate.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Nov. 8, 2022: Merry (M) Seng Maran, ’25, on election day. Maran, a Myanmar native, was recently granted U.S. citizenship. She is eager to take on her civic responsibilities.
“I brought Merry over to Bing Auditorium and knocked on the glass to ask if I could shoot a portrait inside. The space I wanted was empty but with strong structural elements. I wanted the image to fit the solemnity and gravity of the moment.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Nov. 14, 2022: Terman Fountain.
“I was given the assignment of photographing 10 spots on campus to unwind. It was amazing to see the changes in the foliage and how the light came through. It wasn’t so much about the fountain in the background, but having these benches that allow for reflection. Stanford changes all the time and these spaces can reflect many moods. Any place you go, if you just stop and look around, you’ll find real beauty.”
Image credit: Andrew Brodhead
Nov. 30, 2022: Geo Corner: Professor Elizabeth Miller.
“I spent the day talking to Elizabeth about her research and her legacy. She and her students hand-drafted all the maps that she showed me. These maps were stunning. They were amazing in terms of their linework. There were maps after maps of different types of sediment and sediment variations in certain areas. She also had charts showing the minerals compounded in these regions. It was just fun to go into this eclectic room and hang out with such a down-to-earth person.”