From the Coast to Campus
An avid surfer, Gernot Neumayer moved to Half Moon Bay two-and-a-half years ago, which necessitated a change in his commute.
A postdoctoral fellow in biomedical research focusing on stem cell research and regenerative medicine, Gernot Neumayer has been at Stanford for six years. An avid surfer, he moved to Half Moon Bay two-and-a-half years ago, which necessitated a change in his commute. No longer could he bike to work each day as he had when he lived in Palo Alto.
“I drove myself for a while and found out about vanpooling from one of the banners on campus,” Neumayer said. “I went online, read up about it, thought it was a great program, and went from there. There wasn’t already a vanpool running from Half Moon Bay so we set up the first.”
Getting the vanpool off the ground was a challenge at first, but with the help of a roommate, word-of-mouth, messages to various Stanford email lists, and postings on Nextdoor, Neumayer soon found his group. It started with five and the roster has grown to nine, with a broad mix that includes postdocs and employees from the School of Medicine, Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, Stanford Magazine, Stanford Alumni Association, and University IT. Welcoming the newest member was a breeze. Neumayer’s wife recently started a job at Stanford as Assistant Director of Recreation Services.
As a new resident in Half Moon Bay, Neumayer was able to build up a bit of community through the vanpool. The camaraderie is an added bonus to saving wear and tear on his own car.
“One of our founding members is a long-time, Half Moon Bay local who knows everything about town and gave me a lot of tips,” Neumayer added. “Everyone in the vanpool runs into each other all the time and we do quite a lot together outside of our professional lives, whether that’s meeting up for coffee or going on walks.”
That dynamic has obviously changed. The community continues to shelter in place and the vanpool is not running. Some members have to go to campus periodically, but most work remotely, and they try to remain connected as best they can.
“A couple of weeks ago it was someone’s birthday in the vanpool. A bunch of us went over to his house and, while physically distancing, got him outside and sang happy birthday from the street.”
How will their commutes look once they return to the office?
“It depends on guidelines from the authorities and Stanford,” Neumayer said. “I think people would be okay with starting it up again, wearing masks, and having the windows open so there is constant airflow. I hope so.