Members of the Yale community gathered in Menlo Park, California on March 13 to meet Yale President Maurie McInnis ’96 PhD and hear from Yale faculty and alumni whose work exemplifies the tenets of the For Humanity campaign.  

The attendees, including alumni, parents, and friends of the university, heard from speakers including an Ecuadorean architect studying the urbanization of Amazonia, a startup founder and advisor, a scholar studying the political determinants of health, and an engineer inventing novel materials for emerging technologies.  

The presenters exemplified the four impact areas of Yale’s $7 billion For Humanity campaign: Arts & Humanities for Insight, Science for Breakthroughs, Collaborating for Impact, and Leaders for a Better World.  

The event venue, Hotel Nia, also showcased the handiwork of a Yale alumnus—the property was developed and is owned by a firm led by Michael Moskowitz ’82.  

In her remarks, President McInnis noted that Yale’s ability to create and innovate is at the core of its identity—and of the benefit it provides to humanity. “In times of turbulence,” she said, “it behooves us to keep expanding the boundaries of knowledge, inspire students to reach ever higher for humanity, and create lifesaving discoveries that strengthen economic growth for all.”  

Ana María Durán Calisto: For Environmental Justice 

Durán Calisto, the Daniel Rose ’51 Visiting Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Architecture, discussed how, in the rain forests of South America, Indigenous communities help turn conservation and ecological restoration into a source of sustainable income.   

“As an architect, I’ve been looking at how Indigenous groups and nations have designed housing and communities in ways that are much more socially equitable and ecologically sustainable,” Durán Calisto said.  

Her work has brought her to Mushullakta, Ecuador, where a group of thirty-five faculty members and students from Yale School of Architecture and Yale School of the Environment designed a state-of-the-art training center that helps support a transition from monoculture to regenerative agriculture. 

The work, she said, empowers the Indigenous community to restore and heal their forests—and in doing so, restore and heal their future.   

Bing Hu: For Sustainability    

Hu, the Carol and Douglas Melamed Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, is leveraging novel materials to fight climate change. He shared how he has invented a material called “super wood,” a material that is stronger than steel but six times lighter.  

“Wood is a highly abundant and renewable resource,” Hu said. “There are approximately 3 trillion trees on Earth, which is equivalent to about 400 trees per person.” But the natural structure of wood has empty space for water—crucial for tree growth, but a flaw from the perspective of builders, since the empty space makes wood a relatively weak material.  

By filling in those empty spaces, Hu’s invention creates a denser, stronger wood that is positioned to replace materials like steel and concrete with significantly improved sustainability.  

“Creating such a high-value wood product can promote the planting and growth of more trees, as well as a better forestry management,” Hu said.  

Daniel Dawes: For Health Equity 

The United States, once a global leader in health outcomes, saw its life expectancy drop to sixty-first in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic. Maternal mortality rates are on the rise, and disparities across racial and socioeconomic lines are worsening.  

Dawes, a leader in the health equity movement and scholar on the political determinants of health, discussed how Yale is at the forefront of changing those worrying trends.  

“We see it in the headlines, in reports of worsening health disparities, and in the erosion of hard-fought progress,” Dawes said. “But I believe there is hope. And that hope lives right here at Yale.” 

Dawes, who joined the Yale School of Nursing as a presidential visiting fellow for the 2024–2025 academic year, put current public health challenges in historical context.  

“History shows us that meaningful progress does not come from complacency; it comes from courage,” he said. “It comes from those who refuse to accept the status quo, who challenge inequities, and who fight to ensure that every person—regardless of their background—can realize their full health potential.”  

Michael Seibel ’05: For Business Innovation 

Seibel is a partner at startup accelerator Y Combinator, famous for funding companies like Airbnb, DoorDash, and thousands more.  

He shared insights from decades in the Bay Area as a founder and adviser to startups—from the simplicity of the best business insights to the necessity of caring for your customers.  

“In my mind, what makes Yale so special is the students Yale brings together and the time Yale affords us to become friends,” Seibel says. “The relationships that I made at school were crucial to my future success.”

Navigating New Challenges   

During her remarks, President McInnis acknowledged the rapidly evolving higher education landscape. Her primary focus is on preserving and upholding Yale’s mission and supporting the Yale community. 

“As we navigate this challenging environment, I am committed to sustaining an intellectual environment that welcomes people from across the country and around the world to share in our eternal pursuit of knowledge,” McInnis said.  

Emerging challenges McInnis said, only underscore the importance of the For Humanity campaign, which enables the university to continue its crucial work.  

“Even as we address these national issues, our focus on supporting our students and advancing the work of Yale’s faculty and research community remains resolute,” McInnis said.  

Watch a recording of the program.