Theme: Our 1-word theme for TEDxUCD 2015 is Consequences

TEDxUCD 2015 will feature exceptional talks and performances from members of the UCD community of staff, students, alumni and friends.

In a world where jargon and technical language is everywhere, we think it is worth gathering people together for a day at TEDxUCD 2015, to explore the breadth, depth and consequences of “ideas worth spreading” from our speakers who are drawn from of the University College Dublin community.

UCD DramaSoc Theatre
University College Dublin
Dublin 4, Dublin, Dublin 4
Ireland

Dr Brendan Rooney

Lecturer, UCD School of Psychology

Dr Brendan Rooney is a lecturer in the UCD School of Psychology where he studied both at undergraduate and postgraduate level, completing his PhD in the Psychology of Film in 2011. His research interests include the cognitive and emotional engagement with media, arts and entertainment. He is particularly interested in how media ‘realism’ interacts with emotion and social cognition. Through his research and teaching he has worked as part of a number of interdisciplinary and international research teams, with creative and entertainment industry experts. In addition to UCD he has also worked as a graduate researcher and lecturer in NCAD and IADT. He founded and currently chairs the Psychological Society of Ireland’s Special Interest Group for Media, the Arts & Cyberpsychology (SIGMAC). Twitter: @brenrooney

Dr Cara Augustenborg

Environmental Scientist

Dr Cara Augustenborg is an environmental scientist who lectures on climate change and the environment on UCD's MSc programme on World Heritage Management and Conservation. In 2008, she was selected as the Irish Ambassador for a high-profile Arctic expedition sponsored by Ben & Jerry's Climate Change College and the World Wildlife Fund. During the expedition she witnessed the effects of climate change first hand and as a result of this experience, she became an advocate for strong climate action, serving on the Board of Friends of the Earth Ireland since 2008. In 2013, Cara was selected as Ireland’s first Climate Leader by former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore. She graduated with a PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from University of California, Los Angeles and following her graduation was a postdoctoral researcher at UCD’s School of Biology and Environmental Science. Twitter: @caugustenborg

Dr Charlotte Blease

Cognitive Scientist & Philosopher of Medicine

Dr Charlotte Blease studied Science Policy and Communication at University College London and received her doctorate in Philosophy from Queen’s University, Belfast. Charlotte is currently Wellcome Trust Non-Clinical Research Fellow at the Centre for Medical Humanities, University of Leeds and Research Affiliate at the Program in Placebo Studies, Harvard Medical School. She has also held appointments at University College Dublin; the Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany; and Queen's University, Belfast. She is passionate about public education (including Philosophy for Children) and the public understanding of medicine and healthcare. In 2012 she was selected as one of BBC Radio 3's New Generation Thinkers, and is a regular contributor to BBC radio and national literary festivals (TEDx, BBC Free Thinking Festival, Medicine Unboxed). Twitter: @crblease

Dr Fred Cummins

Lecturer in the UCD School of Computer Science

Dr Fred Cummins is a lecturer in the UCD School of Computer Science with particular interests in the co-ordination within and among people and in the links between rhythm, speech, and language. His research is currently focused on the rich topic of joint speech, where two or more people say the same thing at the same time. This includes chanting, prayer, recitation, and the like, and it is a special case of the more general domain of highly synchronised activity. He graduated with a BA in Computer Science, Linguistics and German from Trinity College Dublin and an MA and also a PhD in Cognitive Science and Linguistics from Indiana University. Twitter: @fcummins

Dr Kevin Healy

Research Fellow, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin

Dr Kevin Healy is a Research Fellow in the School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin where he researches comparative ecology and evolution in plants and animals. He has recently graduated with a PhD from the structured programme in Earth and Natural Sciences, a collaborative programme involving TCD, UCD, QUB, NUIG and UL. His research focuses on comparing traits of different species, such as their lifespan or sensory abilities, in order to better understand their evolution. To date this has included research on time perception in animals, scavenging in dinosaurs and lifespan evolution in animals. He also focuses on using information from across the plant and animal kingdoms to identify patterns of life-history evolution. Kevin also enjoys communicating science to a wider audience. Twitter: @healyke

Dr Marcus Collier

Sustainability Scientist, UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy.

Dr Marcus Collier is a Senior Research Fellow and Principal Investigator in the UCD School of Architecture, Planning and Environmental Policy. Marcus is a sustainability scientist. This is where knowledge is gained not only through traditional analytical processes, but also through collaborative processes involving wider society and non-scientists. His research seeks to find collaborative methods to address complex societal and ecological questions that affect the future of the planet. He is especially interested in rewilding both damaged landscapes and the humans that live within them. Marcus is the leader of the TURAS project, focused on demonstrating ideas for building resilience in urban communities using nature-based ideas. This is a €6.8 million EU FP7-funded project with 28 partners across Europe and 2 in Taiwan. Marcus completed his PhD at UCD in 2009 and is also a panel member of the European Research Council. Twitter: @marcus_collier

Dr Virginie Gautier

Principal Investigator, UCD School of Medicine

Dr Virginie Gautier is a Principal Investigator at the UCD Centre for Research in Infectious Diseases (CRID) in the UCD School of Medicine. Her research programmes focus on the HIV-Host interface and HIV-CURE research. The core expertise of Dr Gautier’s research group lies in molecular and cellular virology, epigenetics, functional genomics and dynamic microscopy. These exploratory approaches have led to the identification of key druggable targets, which are currently under investigation as part of her HIV-CURE Programme which is funded by the Health Research Board, the Irish Research Council and Horizon 2020. Dr Gautier is currently the European co-ordinator of the Horizon 2020 research programme entitled Accelerating HIV CURE research in Europe. She graduated with a BSc (Biochemistry) from the University of Tours (France) and a PhD in Medical Microbiology from University College Dublin.

Maeve O'Rourke

Human rights Lawyer and a Barrister

Maeve O’Rourke is a human rights lawyer and a barrister in London, where her practice to date has been in family law and international group/complex tort litigation. She has previously worked for the international women’s human rights organisation Equality Now, the Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate (pro bono) and Just for Kids Law. In 2013 she was named UK Family Law Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year for her legal work on the Justice for Magdalenes campaign. In 2014 she was awarded the inaugural UCD Alumni Award in Law in recognition of her outstanding humanitarian work securing justice for the victims of the Magdalene Laundries. She is a graduate of the UCD Sutherland School of Law and Harvard Law School. She is currently researching for a PhD at Birmingham Law School on the human rights of older persons to freedom from torture and ill-treatment. Twitter: (@maeveorourke)

Steven Duggan

Director of Worldwide Education Strategy at Microsoft Corporation

Steven Duggan, is Director of Worldwide Education Strategy at Microsoft Corporation. Steven graduated from University College Dublin with a BA and H.Dip. in Education. He is currently a member of the Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE). A former Head of English, he is a passionate educator with a particular interest in the needs of underserved learners and communities. The writer and presenter of the award-winning documentary feature The First Mile (RGI Films, 2014) his views on education have featured in press and radio and in a variety of publications, most recently as a contributor to Towards A New End: New Pedagogies for Deep Learning (Michael Fullan, Maria Edgeworthy, 2014). Twitter: @steven_duggan