The Great Minds at Campus Speaker Series will welcome current New York Times writer John Markoff at 7 p.m. on Nov. 3 in the Palo Alto High School Media Arts Center.
The Speaker Series is a way to show students what they can accomplish in the future through a variety of speakers who were locally educated and have had success in the fields they have a passion for.
Markoff is a Paly alumnus of the Class of 1967. Today, Markoff is a senior writer for the New York Times working mainly in the science section.
“I hope to give the audience a sense of some of the significant changes and trends in Silicon Valley,” Markoff told the Paly Voice in an email.
In 2013, Markoff and his team won the Pulitzer Prize, a highly regarded achievement in journalism, for explanatory reporting by documenting business practices by Apple and other technology companies.
According to journalism teacher and event planner Esther Wojcicki, Markoff will speak about his new book, “Machines of Loving Grace: the Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots.” The book is based on humans’ evolving relationship with robots as well as a possible upcoming “technological revolution,” which Markoff says will change lives.
According to Wojcicki, Markoff has spoken to classes at Paly in the past. “However, this is the first time he [is] speaking to the community at large,” Wojcicki said.
The event will also feature a question-and-answer session for students and adults hoping to learn more about the book and Markoff’s success.
Paly senior Leyla Gokcek is one of the many looking forward to hearing Markoff’s presentation.
“John Markoff’s presentation will be a great opportunity for students, especially in technology-rich Silicon Valley,” Gokcek said.
Event tickets are limited and can be purchased here. Tickets are $11 for adults and $6 for students.