AARCS Co-Hosts the Asian American Scholar Forum's 2026 Frontiers & Pioneers Symposium

The Asian American Research at Stanford (AARCS) partnered with the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), for the 2026 Frontiers & Pioneers Symposium, which was held at Stanford University on August 7–9, 2026. This was the third annual AASF symposium at Stanford. 

The three-day gathering drew over 2,000 attendees and included over 90 distinguished speakers, moderators, session chairs, and roundtable leaders. Experts from the physical and life sciences, engineering, computer sciences, and other STEM fields shared their scholarship and discussed the future of research and innovation with other experts and the audience. The event also included a policy forum that examined the future of American research and innovation, including federal research funding, civil rights and science, U.S.–China competition, public service, and leadership. The symposium provided mentorship activities for students to engage directly with leading scientists, technology executives, university faculty, and AASF fellows across different fields.

AARCS Faculty Director, Dr. Jeanne Tsai, was the opening speaker for the symposium’s first day. Dr. Tsai was joined by other Stanford faculty across the different schools, including Drs. Steven Chu, Yi Cui, Arum Majumdar, and Kai Li, who shared their research and led engaging fireside discussions. Other featured speakers included Nobel Laureates Syukuro Manabe and Samuel C. C. Ting; Fields Medalist Terence Tao; 15th NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan; former OMB Deputy Director Nani A. Coloretti; and Congressional Representatives Mike Honda and Ted Lieu.

AARCS and AASF were both established with similar missions to promote the contributions of Asian American scholars across different disciplines as a means to counter the negative representations of Asian Americans and heightened anti-Asian sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic. This annual event celebrates the scholarly and public impact of Asian American scholars and provides a space for interdisciplinary and cross-sector connections.