“Dinosaurs capture the imagination like nothing else.” There are a few phrases that paleontologist Mary Schweitzer believes no scientist should ever use. “Everybody knows…” “I believe…” “Never…” Mary prefers data, facts, and rigorous methods. For her, these should drive a scientist’s conclusions. But what if the results raise more questions than answers? What happens when … Continued
“What’s been fantastic with the Packard Fellowship is this ability to just go and explore ideas without any boundaries.” At first brush, Brice Ménard and Vedran Lekic seem to be polar opposites. Brice grew up in France, studied for his PhD in astrophysics in Paris and Munich, Germany, and moved to the U.S. as a post-doctoral researcher. … Continued
At first brush, Brice Ménard and Vedran Lekic seem to be polar opposites. Brice grew up in France, studied for his PhD in astrophysics in Paris and Munich, Germany, and moved to the U.S. as a post-doctoral researcher. He appears to be quite measured, deliberate, and systematic in his approach to research. Ved, on the other hand, … Continued
“With the Fellowship, we bought a top-of-the-line sewing machine because we sew our own smart garments . . .” “I think it’s important to talk about your own experience and your history not only as a recognition of your own self, but to tell other people, ‘This is who I am.’” “When he told me, … Continued
“It was incredible,” Ryan recalls of that night. “We had this long list of a couple hundred galaxies we were hoping to look at. We found it in the ninth image.” In the summer of 2017, Dr. Ryan Foley’s team famously became the first to capture optical light from colliding neutron stars—a discovery so important … Continued
We can’t measure what we need to measure on our own,” she says. “We have to come together as a community to build the tools that allow us to do this.” In a small town on the coast of Maine, with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean crashing on a shoreline nearby, preschool-aged Meg Crofoot … Continued
October 15, 2019 (Los Altos, CA) – Today, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation announced the 2019 class of Packard Fellows for Science and Engineering. This year’s class features 22 early-career scientists and engineers, who will each receive $875,000 over five years to pursue their research. The Packard Fellowships in Science and Engineering are among … Continued
Carol S. Larson
3 min read
The challenges people and societies are facing around the globe are complex, fast-changing, and urgent. The Packard Foundation, alongside other partners, is committed to supporting organizations that are working to solve humanity’s toughest problems. We know that our grantee partner organizations must be healthy and resilient in order to be effective – and, unfortunately, many … Continued
Traditional Fijian villages, citizens, non-profits and government officials are beginning to align their visions to protect ecosystems and fisheries across the archipelagic nation.
At the Packard Foundation, we are working to strengthen the quality of adult-child interactions so that all children can arrive at kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. A key part of that process involves looking at the sector as a whole and identifying where there might be room for more growth and support. In 2018, … Continued