ESP Biography



BENNETT KAPILI, Stanford PhD Candidate studying deep-sea microbes




Major: Earth System Science

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: Not available.

Picture of Bennett Kapili

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I'm a graduate student here at Stanford in the Department of Earth System Science! Right now, I'm studying the microbes at the bottom of the ocean.

During my undergrad, I interned at NASA Ames Research Center and NASA/Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory where I did a bit of work related to solar system exploration. I'm excited to share my passion for space!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

R7430: Our Living Universe in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16 - 17, 2019)
Life is unlike any other natural phenomenon we have discovered so far. But what exactly is it? What makes a collection of molecules alive? And how did the evolution of our physical universe lead to the emergence of life? In this class, we’ll take a look at the physical events that set the stage for (Earth-like) life to arise, explore the first principles of living systems, and think about the evolutionary trajectory of life on Earth (and what it might mean for the prevalence of intelligent life elsewhere). Come learn about our place in the cosmos!


R7221: Our Living Universe in Splash Spring 2019 (May. 04 - 05, 2019)
Life is unlike any other natural phenomenon we have discovered so far. But what exactly is it? What makes a collection of molecules alive? And how did the evolution of our physical universe lead to the emergence of life? In this class, we’ll take a look at the physical events that set the stage for (Earth-like) life to arise, explore the first principles of living systems, and think about the evolutionary trajectory of life on Earth (and what it might mean for the prevalence of intelligent life elsewhere). Come learn about our place in the cosmos! Previous coursework in biology and chemistry would be helpful, but a curious mind is all that’s needed.


R6051: The Origin of Life in Splash Fall 2017 (Nov. 11 - 12, 2017)
Billions of years ago, something very peculiar happened on Earth: life started. Perhaps the earliest semblance of life organized in a “warm little pond,” much like Charles Darwin wondered in 1871. Or perhaps life leaped out of hydrothermal vents, colonizing the bottom of the ocean before ever seeing the sun. Or maybe Earth isn’t our original home at all. In this class, we’ll dive into some of the current leading theories about the origin of life. We’ll also explore what makes something living and where else in our solar system we might find life. Come learn about our place in the cosmos!