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The Moment: May 2025
In this issue
The year was 1969. Apollo 12, en route to the moon, had been in the air 36 seconds when lightning struck the spacecraft. Seconds later, the universe occasionally lacking subtlety, it happened again. The internal electrical and navigation systems went haywire. Frantic, Mission Control prepared to abort.
Except for John Aaron, a young NASA engineer. Peering at the garbled telemetry figures, something clicked. “Try SCE to Aux,” he said calmly. A little-known switch was flipped and the mission was saved. For the rest of his career Aaron would be known as “steely-eyed missile man.”
The Moment does not wish to get your hopes up—we scoured the manual and there’s no switch to fix broad economic and political uncertainty. But what there is is 140 years of steady resolve.
This month, we’re highlighting the kind of world-changing work Stanford has always done, in times of calm or crisis. We have remarkable stories about…
A breakthrough solution for deadly air pollution in Bangladesh
Using ambient intelligence to spot early signs of dementia
Groundbreaking research into how human language works
How Stanford is protecting free speech
The world will throw its lightning bolts. But steely-eyed excellence? That’s how we get to the moon.
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Saving lives, one brick (kiln) at a time:Clearing the air
Epidemiologist Stephen Luby is tackling one of South Asia’s deadliest pollution sources—not with expensive infrastructure or government mandates, but a low-cost design innovation.
Saving lives, one brick (kiln) at a time:Clearing the air
Read how Luby’s intervention could have a huge environmental impactEpidemiologist Stephen Luby is tackling one of South Asia’s deadliest pollution sources—not with expensive infrastructure or government mandates, but a low-cost design innovation.
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Can ambient intelligence detect dementia before we do?:Ambient intelligence, human impact
See how this quiet revolution in senior care is unfolding.Ehsan Adeli is using AI-powered computer vision to spot early signs of cognitive decline. His work could redefine how we diagnose and treat dementia in an aging population.
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The neuroscience of understanding
Learn how her work could transform how we treat language disorders.Neuroscientist Laura Gwilliams is blending AI, brain imaging, and linguistics to explore one of humanity’s most extraordinary abilities: turning sound into meaning.
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Safeguarding speech:Changemakers
Meet our two Changemakers for the month.Professors Bernadette Meyler and Norman Spaulding—both Stanford Open Minds speakers this spring—are reshaping how free expression and constructive discourse are taught, lived, and protected across campus.
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