Theme: Upcycled Thinking

"UPCYCLE (v): to reuse, repurpose, revitalize in such a way as to create a new product of a higher quality or value than the original."

Out with the old, in with the new? We disagree.

Innovation isn't just about novel creation and pursuit of unexplored frontiers. Some of the best innovations in tech, entertainment, and design create new value simply by "repurposing" discarded stuff.

The word upcycle is fairly new to our lexicon, but the concept is showing up in people and places that astound and inspire. We're not just talking about a wine box turned shoe rack. It's transforming anything--tangible or abstract--into something better.

Kingsbury Hall
1395 Presidents Circle
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84112
United States

Aerial Arts of Utah

Aerial Arts of Utah, based in Salt Lake City, offers instruction and performance in aerial fabrics and trapeze as well as a variety of other aerial equipment. AAofU emphasizes high quality technical instruction, creative artistry, and safety for students of all ages and skill levels. Our goal is to cultivate a love for the aerial arts in a fun, supportive environment that challenges students to reach their highest potential.

Bboy Federation

The Bboy Federation is a nonprofit organization that showcases urban dance as a viable path to success through practice, performance, and education. We strive to promote street style dance as a respected and legitimate art form. The focus of the Bboy Federation is to help grow the dance scene in Utah and provide local dancers with an opportunity to develop their skills. This is done through competitions, workshops, performances and exhibitions involving both local and out-of-state dancers. The ultimate goal is to provide dancers with a chance to work and travel while exposing the local scene to bboys from all over the country. By providing a forum to unite dancers and their families in passion for their art, participants in the Bboy Federation are inspired to succeed not only on the dance floor, but in life itself.

Austen Allred

Austen Allred became involved in the underground news community after he almost died in a train-wreck that was covered up by the Chinese government. Determined to democratize the news, he started a real-time Internet newsroom called Grasswire. After he lived in the trunk of a Honda Civic for three months in Silicon Valley, he was able to raise a round of funding to hire a team and make Grasswire one of the fastest growing news websites on the Internet. He spends most of his time playing soccer, talking with the Grasswire community and ranting about journalism on Twitter.

Ben Rollins

Ben Rollins is fascinated by technology that is entirely new and solves major problems. He is CEO and co-founder of Vaporsens, a tech startup developing “nanoscale spider webs” These webs are deployed in handheld detectors capable of sniffing out drugs, bombs, and even the chemical that ruins your Merlot wine. The technology originated at the University of Utah’s Materials Science Department where Rollins assisted dozens of researchers in developing and commercializing their research. He enjoys communicating complex technical material in a simple and beautiful way using images and videos. Although Rollins has lived in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Mexico, and New York, he keeps coming back to hometown Utah. It is tough to beat skiing the powder dumps, camping with his children in the Wasatch, hiking Timpanogos, or BBQing burgers with the neighbors.

Chase Ferry

Charles (Chase) Ferry, age 19, is a freshman at Utah Valley University where he is a cello performance major studying with Dr. Cheung Chau. Chase began studying cello at age 3 with Richard Hoyt and was a student of Brittany Gardner’s of Salt Lake City for seven years. In March 2015, Chase was named as the Deseret News State Instrumental Music Sterling Scholar 1st Runner Up. He was also principal cellist of the UMEA All‐State Orchestra in both the 2014 and 2015 school years. Chase has been the 1st place winner of the Utah Symphony Youth Guild Competition and ASTA Stringfest at Weber State University, 2nd place winner of the 2014 UMTA Concerto Competition, high school division, and honorable mention winner of the Utah State Fair Music Competition. Chase has performed in masterclasses with renowned cellists Richard Aaron of the Juilliard School of Music, Viktor Uzur of WSU, Anne Lee of the Utah Symphony and Matt Zalkind, finalist in the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition.

David York

David R. York is a Principal with the Salt Lake City law firm of York Howell and Guymon, where he practices law in the areas of estate planning, tax, business planning, and non-profit entities. He is a Fellow with the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and a Member of the Society of Trust and Estate Professionals (STEP). David has been regularly named to Utah Business Magazine’s Utah Legal Elite™ in the field of Estate Planning and as a Mountain States Rising Star in Super Lawyers Magazine. David loves working with entrepreneurs, closely held businesses, and families of all kinds. In particular, he loves challenging conventional wisdom when it comes to wealth transfer and instead prefers to focus on how to make the most positive, meaningful impact with wealth across generations and in society as is humanly possible.

David Eyer Davis

David Eyer Davis is the executive director of the Bicycle Collective, a statewide upcycling nonprofit that uses bicycles as tools for empowerment. He came to the Collective as a volunteer in 2007 with no knowledge of bicycle mechanics and has since integrated bicycles into his life by leading bicycle tours, writing and editing bicycle publications, organizing events, and outfitting friends and strangers with bicycles for every purpose. Davis advocates using a bike habitually to positively re-shape our bodies, our needs, our minds, and our cities. He recognizes that bicycles aren’t inherently positive, but has found both bicycle riding and bike refurbishing to encourage patience, conservation, and intentional behavior. These outlooks and skills can apply to any positive discipline, informing us in living happier, healthier, and more humane lives.

Erik Brunvand

Erik is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Computing at the University of Utah where he’s been teaching and doing research in computer engineering since 1990. As a computer engineer his research group is currently working on designing special-purpose computers for generating very realistic computer graphic images using a technique called ray tracing. His interest in computer hardware extends from the high-level design of the processor, to its implementation on a silicon integrated circuit. Erik recently developed a new general education course entitled Making Noise: Sound Art and Digital Media. This course introduced students from all parts of campus to technology and electronics through noise-making projects such as circuit bending (modifying an existing music-making or speaking toy to become a sound-art noise generator).

Hala Saleh

Hala Saleh was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, moved to the United States before she was 2, and spent the rest of her life going back and forth between the U.S and the Middle East, with one of those moves occurring as a direct result of war. She was brought up in a family where her parents dedicated every breath, penny, and heartbeat to ensuring that she and her four siblings had the best education possible, even when it meant sacrificing the basics. This taught her to be a survivor, to always push forward, and to find joy in unlikely places. It also taught her a fierce love for her family, her own children’s futures, and her roots. Hala is a teacher at heart, and she currently works with companies to teach, train, and help them implement better processes and frameworks for working together. She is a startup mentor and coach with a local startup accelerator, as well as through her own company.

Ivy Estabrooke

Ivy V. Estabrooke, PhD., was appointed as the USTAR executive director in May 2014. A cognitive neuroscientist by training, with technical expertise in psycholinguistics, pharmacological interventions, and statistical modeling, Estabrooke earned her PhD. in neuroscience from Georgetown University, an MS in National Security Strategy and Resource Management from the Eisenhower School of the National Defense University and a BA in Biological Sciences from Smith College. Prior to moving to Utah, Estabrooke served as the program officer for basic research in the Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare & Combating Terrorism Department at the Office of Naval Research (ONR). While at ONR, she managed a high risk/high payoff research portfolio including innovative neuroscience programs and cutting edge social and computational science programs, and developed and implemented a strategy for examining emerging technology areas.

Ken Grover

Ken first became extremely passionate about changing the learning environments of when he encountered a particular student whose future was looking grim. It became clear that he needed to improve student’s high school experience -- it was a moral imperative. As such he created a comprehensive and fully reimagined educational experience for 21st century high school students. This personalized education model utilizes the power and scalability of technology to customize education where students through multiple measures -- both cognitive and non-cognitive -- have shown educational improvement. Ken believes that it is incumbent upon us to recognize now the opportunities to impact and influence change for our children. This opportunity is only available for us to embrace if we become the catalyst for change, if not the change will not occur.

Kevin Jones

Kevin B. Jones is a surgeon and scientist in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Utah. He performs surgeries to remove cancers of the bone and flesh (called sarcomas) and rebuild limbs in both children and adults. In the clinical care he provides and in life, Kevin focuses on the somewhat parallel concept of the power of human agency, or the capacity to make choices and mold future events. Critically impactful on the agency every person applies to any moment of decision is the story, or conceptualized sequence of events that brought the individual to that moment. Clarity, honesty, and humility gain paramount importance in the evaluation of stories leading up to decisions in life, as well as the stories proceeding from decision-points in science.

Nalini Nadkarni

Dr. Nalini Nadkarni is passionate about trees. Known as the "Queen of the Forest Canopy", she has been a pioneer both in forest canopy ecological research and in public engagement of science. For three decades, Nalini has pursued research in the little-known world of forest treetops to understand the relationships of canopy-dwelling biota. Nalini is passionate about sharing her research and science in general with people from all parts of society. In 1994, she created the International Canopy Network to facilitate communication among canopy researchers, educators, and conservationists. She brings science to diverse public audiences - especially those underserved by science institutions - by forging unique partnerships with church congregations, urban youth, artists, rap singers, sports figures, and the incarcerated.

Nate Bagley

Nate Bagley is on a mission to cure the world of mediocre love. In October of 2012 he embarked on a journey to interview as many of the most in-love couples that he could find in America. His hope has been to uncover what these inspiring people do differently than everybody else that gives them such enviable and remarkable love. Through his project, The Loveumentary, he's interviewed hundreds of couples, love experts and authors about what it takes to create dynamic, passionate, connected, lasting love. The love stories he's gathered and the lessons he's learned on this journey have completely transformed everything he thought was possible in a romantic relationship. He's chosen to dedicate his life to sharing what he's learned with as many people as possible. He believes that anybody can master the art of love, just like anyone can master a musical instrument, or a foreign language. It just requires access to the right tools, teachers, and lots and lots of practice.

Nicole Roundy

As a child, Nicole was ambitious, energetic and outgoing. Then at 8 years old, she was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. Later that year she lost her right leg above-the-knee. As any individual touched by cancer, Nicole's life took a dramatic turn. Following the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympic games, Nicole stepped onto a ski slope for the first time. The beauty, adrenaline and excitement of three-track skiing captivated her, but something was missing. Deemed ""impossible"" due to a lack of prosthetic knee technology, Nicole found her passion in snowboarding. In 2006 she became the first above-knee amputee, male or female, to compete in adaptive snowboarding. Her accomplishments spearheaded global demand for prosthetic knee technology and played a fundamental role in the introduction of snowboarding to the Paralympic roster. Nicole represented the United States in the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games and is an 8X World Cup Medalist.

Thea Holcomb

Thea is a citizen of the outdoors, the Internet, and the broader nerd community. She tries to question expectations, be well-read, and to have un-ironic enthusiasm about what she loves. She is in awe of how complexly and intricately humans can communicate, and therefore she frequently exercises her own ability to do so. The phrase “Sharing is caring,” with few notable exceptions, seems objectively true, so she tries to share what she knows with other people on subjects that include skiing, outdoor living, and sex-ed. Each in a very different setting, but all to young people.

Topher Horman

Topher Horman loves building moments that make audiences cry with joy. Utilizing social semiotics in major festivals and events, he takes crowds on a shared tour of an emotion, idea, or deconstructionist concept. Topher is an Illuminator for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Creative Director for EVE WinterFest, Coordinator and Curator for Fear No Film at the Utah Arts Festival, and he also works on a couple dozen major sporting events per year, where he gets to train Wounded Warrior veterans groups, active duty military units, breast cancer survivors, NYPD or Texas Rangers, West Point Cadets, High School marching bands, or giddy groups of fans, to create heartfelt, unifying moments during pre-game shows for a 70,000+ stadium crowd. Topher views most of these moments as playful social consciousness experimentation, or as a large-scale contemporary art piece, where audience reaction becomes the art itself.