Our inaugural event was held at the Geva Theater and was, by all accounts, a rousing success. Our team worked very hard to get it done in time and the preparation and thoroughness of their work showed. We're very much looking forward to 2010's event!

Rochester
United States

Larry Moss

Airi•gam•i (\’er-?-’gä-m?\ n: the fine art of folding air) stands at the crossroads of three ancient art forms: sculpture, puppetry and origami. Artist Larry Moss began his career 25 years ago as a NYC street performer, but has gone on to display his amazing air-filled art in 12 countries on four continents. His achievements have been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records, the Associated Press, CNN, PBS, Smithsonian Magazine, American Profile, Cabinet and Ripley’s Believe It or Not! He has appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, on NBC’s “Today,” and at the White House three times. World-renowned for his “full-blown” installations that enchant both young and old, Larry’s work brings people together as only the best public art installations can. His accomplishments include setting and holding the world’s record for the largest non-round balloon sculpture (Soccer Players, Belgium, 2000) as well as building and launching the world’s first piloted balloon sculpture (Fantastic Flying Octopus, Sodus Point, 2003). He’s also the creator of four Balloon Manors – 10,000-square-foot haunted houses made from 100,000 balloons each – which have raised more than $80,000 for health charities. The author of many published ballooning books, Larry also has a degree in applied math and computer science, as well as a master’s in elementary education. Building community through his large-scale art creations is of particular interest to Larry, and was the focus of his 2009 TEDx talk in Rochester, NY, where he recently opened a working art studio in downtown’s Hungerford Building. Find out more about him at Airigami.com.

Scott Eberle

Scott G. Eberle is Vice President for Interpretation at The Strong® where he helps develop exhibits at the National Museum of Play. Eberle is also Editor of the American Journal of Play. His book, Classic Toys of the National Toy Hall of Fame, came out in 2009 (Running Press, 2009). His wide-ranging blogs include reflections about bicycling, the superhero mythos, and skiing. “Travels with Charlie,” a meditation about puppy-play and social intelligence appears at his blog. Scott is also Acquisitions Editor for the American Journal of Play—a peer-reviewed quarterly published by the museum and the University of Illinois Press. Eberle’s “Exploring the Uncanny Valley to Find the Edge of Play,” which links advances in contemporary neuroscience to the ways we feel about baby dolls, robots, and animated films is forthcoming in the Journal this Fall (Volume 2, Number 2). He is currently writing, with noted psychiatrist and author Stuart Brown, M.D., a book about the history and psychology of play. Eberle holds a bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy, a master’s degree in social and intellectual history, and a doctorate in cultural history. He is also an avid skier and a dedicated bicyclist.

Deb Stoiber

Deborah is from Fresno, CA where she received her BA in Economics from California State University, Fresno. She graduated from The L. Jeffrey Selznick School in 1998. After graduation, she spent time at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY working on their 16mm collection. She was the Assistant Vault Manager of the William K. Everson Collection at the George Eastman House from 1998-2000 and has been the Nitrate Vault Manager of the Louis B. Mayer Conservation Center since 2000. A collection of over 23,000 reels, Deborah works to keep this film heritage in the best conditions possible, so that they may last for generations. She teaches students of the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation how to identify, care, store, and inspect motion picture film using artifacts from this collection. In 2009 she visited the National Film and Sound Archive in Canberra, Australia on a 4 week exchange program. Her studies emphasized risk-management of collections and storage issues.

Todd Krauss

Todd D. Krauss received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Applied and Engineering Physics all from Cornell University, the latter under the advisement of Professor Frank Wise. Upon receiving his Ph.D. in 1998, he moved to Columbia University, serving as a postdoctoral research fellow under one of the founders of the field of nanomaterials science, Professor Louis Brus. In 2000 he joined the Chemistry faculty at the University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. In 2006 he was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor of Chemistry and in 2008 he received a joint appointment as an Associate Professor in the Institute of Optics. In addition to leading a research group of twelve graduate and undergraduate students and three postdoctoral research fellows, Krauss is also the director of the Nano and Optical Materials Chemistry Cluster at the University of Rochester. Krauss’ scientific research interests involve fundamental studies of materials at the nanometer scale, down to the single molecule level, with a specific emphasis on investigations of carbon fiber materials with diameters of one-nanometer (single walled carbon nanotubes) and nanometer sized semiconductor particles (semiconductor quantum dots). Additionally, he is pursuing applications for these nanometer scale materials in the general areas of novel biological sensors, efficient and inexpensive solar cells, and nano-optical devices. The author of more than 60 publications in peer reviewed journals, Krauss also lectures locally and nationally on the physics and chemistry of nanometer scale materials and their potential use in renewable energy and biotechnology. At the University of Rochester he teaches both at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has graduated eight Ph.D. students since 2000. The recipient of numerous honors and fellowships, Krauss has most recently received a University of Rochester Goergen Award for Distinguished Achievement and Artistry in Undergraduate Teaching (2009), a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award (2005), and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship (2004). Krauss gratefully thanks the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health for currently supporting his research. Most recently, Todd has been promoted to Professor of Chemistry and Optics in 2010 and is now the Director of the University of Rochester Materials Science Program.

Marla Schweppe

Marla Schweppe is a professor of Computer Graphics Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Early in her career she designed for theatre, television and movies in New York City and other theatres around the country. She traveled through four continents and over 30 countries designing for a dance company. She did her graduate work in computer graphics and animation and has been teaching in that area for more than 25 years at Ohio State, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Northwestern University as the Director of the Learning Technologies Program. Since joining the faculty at RIT she developed the graduate and undergraduate programs in computer animation, moved to Computer Graphics Design and is now building a Bachelors of Fine Arts in three-dimensional digital design. Her creative work includes the incorporation of her theatrical background into performances on the virtual stage, animatronics, physical computing and tangible media, and collaborative support for visualization and simulation of information and ideas.

Ali Yapicioglu

Ali has been a partner at In. Site: Architecture since 2001. I.S:A has been published in numerous local and national publications and received nine “Design for Excellence Awards” from the American Institute of Architects – Rochester, New York Chapter since 2001. Ali’s education and experience span several countries and regions. Prior to receiving a B.A. in Architecture from the University of Yildiz, in Istanbul in 1988, Ali worked in the family trade as a stonemason in Cyprus. He received both a Professional Architecture Degree and a Master of Architecture from the University of Kansas (1995). While in Kansas he also worked on a number of nationally published projects with the design-build firm, Dan Rockhill & Associates. After moving to Albuquerque, NM, Ali served as project architect with Berry Langford Architects. Since coming to Rochester, he has taught architecture at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY and has gained experience as a project architect in several firms working with timber frame design and fabrication, and on various commercial and residential projects. His experience in the industry ranges from small-scale residential through multi-million dollar commercial, institutional and historic preservation projects. Sustainability and sensitivity to context consistently guide his hand in design. He brings to the practice this diverse background and an intense delight in the sculptural potential of a well-crafted solution.

Eric Wheeler

Eric Paul Wheeler is a passionate gamer, a video-game historian, and curator for the National Center for the History of Electronic Games™, where he has spearheaded development of the nation’s largest and most comprehensive public collection of electronic games and game platforms. A lifelong Rochesterian, Wheeler earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history at SUNY Brockport, where he is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration degree. He teaches history courses as an adjunct instructor at Monroe Community College. Wheeler—a veteran with nearly 20 years of military service—also serves as an Operations Specialist in the Navy Reserve.

Luis Martínez

Luis Martínez has been successfully coaching and advising professionals and executives since 1983. In 2008 Luis formed a strategic management consulting firm, Gran Altura, LLC. Through this client-focused firm Luis effectively serves many individuals and businesses that welcome his skills, insight and experience. His clients are organizations in transition as well as individuals who want to achieve higher levels of performance. Prior to establishing Gran Altura, Luis was employed in top level positions in multinational manufacturing, healthcare and business consulting. In Xerox, Luis directed a global human resources team for Worldwide Manufacturing with facilities in the U.S., Latin America, Europe and Asia. Prior to Xerox, Luis was Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Lehigh Valley Hospital. Previous designations and assignments for Luis also include Vice President and General Manager of Exide Batteries in Puerto Rico, where his business acumen led the successful turn-around of a manufacturing / sales / service division. He was also Director of Human Resources at Exide Technologies, Manager at The Hay Group, and Field Supervisor in the Federal Government. Luis’ formal education includes a B.A. in Psychology and M.Ed. in Counseling from the University of Delaware. He has further earned certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and as a Certified Compensation Professional (CCP). Bilingual and bicultural in Spanish, Luis is a trusted advisor and strategic partner to senior leaders. His comprehensive career development book, Getting There, was published by a division of Random House and is receiving highest reviews in Amazon.com. Born and raised in Cuba, Luis was sent to the United States at the age of 12 by his parents to avoid his conscription into Fidel Castro’s militia. He learned to speak English in 7th grade, and after his parents arrived in Miami, Luis attended 6 schools in 5 years, while his parents moved through three states in search of better jobs and with the determination to improve their lives. Luis observed his parents, Jose Luis and Zoila, as they managed through crises – a story of courage and survival. Luis credits their tutelage for his boundless faith and optimism. An avid sports car racer, triathlete, Kung Fu practitioner and writer, Luis makes his home with his family in Pittsford, near Rochester, New York.

Thomas Warfield

Thomas Warfield has performed, from stage to television to film, in more than 100 cities around the world as a singer, dancer, actor, model, composer, choreographer, director, producer, educator, activist and poet. His numerous performances have taken him to a variety of forums, including La Boheme at the Metropolitan Opera, concerts on Martha’s Vineyard, a circus in Japan, solo concert at the Franco American Institute in France, and three maximum-security prisons in the United States. Mr. Warfield has worked with AIDS patients in Thailand, blind students in Taiwan, the homeless in Utah, inner-city youth in North Carolina, elementary school children in Maui, Hawaii, community building through the arts in Idaho among thousands of others worldwide. Mr. Warfield is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Cultural and Creative Studies at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at the Rochester Institute of Technology where he teaches dance and dance related courses in Performing Arts and an original course on Identity in Social Sciences. He is the also director of the RIT / NTID Dance Company. Mr. Warfield is the founder/artistic director of PeaceArt International,a local/global outreach not-for-profit organization utilizing the arts and the creative process to foster world peace. His Global Poem In Praise of Peace has garnered global recognition in letters from composer Leonard Bernstein and Mother Teresa and hundreds of others. Mr. Warfield’s first solo album, Celebrate the Moment, has sold throughout the world and can be found on CDbaby.com and itunes.com. Mr. Warfield serves on numerous the boards including ARTWalk (President), Rochester City Ballet, the Rochester Mayor’s Advisory Council on Arts, Culture and Entertainment, Dance Rochester (Advisory Board); and is the recipient of many local, national and international awards including: National Dance Association, City of Rochester Unsung Heroes Award, and United Nations Association.

GEOMANTICS

GEOMANTICS Dance Theatre is an innovative and invigorating contemporary dance company that now performs regularly in the Rochester region. Directed by Richard Haisma, the company is composed of five highly trained dancers and includes the New Age rock band called Night Gallery. The choreography has been called “transcendent, riveting, as well as intellectually, emotionally and physically beautiful.” GEOMANTICS enjoys performing in unusual spaces to music of wide variety and for audiences of all ages. The company will perform for two weeks on the Geva Theatre Next Stage in May of 2010 with premiers of new and exciting dances. Also next Spring its Outside Dance Project will bring punchy, poignant and pleasing short dances out into public spaces in and around Rochester.

Petar Kodzas

Petar Kodzas has performed throughout Europe and the United States, with recitals for concert series, chamber music recitals, guitar societies, and colleges. His activities include presentations, master-classes and lectures for Guitar Foundation of America, Jeunesses Musicales, American String Teachers Association, and College Music Society. Most recently he participated at the international guitar festivals in Belgrade, Alexandria, Ithaca, and Rochester as a performer, teacher and adjudicator. Mr. Kodzas is a graduate of University of Belgrade (Serbia), Ithaca College, and Eastman School of Music. His repertoire spans centuries and styles. Fascinated by the beauty of various musical epochs his programs are often focused on one theme viewed in the light of different composers. His CD “Between Wolrds” was released on Clear Note publications. His most recent project is Complete Works for Solo Guitar by Brazilian composer Radames Gnattalli. Since 1997 Mr. Kodzas is on faculty of the Eastman School of Music (Chamber Music) and Eastman Community Music School (Guitar Instructor, String Department co-chair). In addition to his academic duties, Dr. Kodzas is a coordinator of Eastman’s community engagement program Music for All. Dr. Kodzas brings to his teaching a unique blend of his training in Europe and United States, and extensive performance experience.

Adam Frank

Adam Frank fell in love with astronomy when he was 5 years old and the affair has never cooled. Late one night in the family library, the future Professor Frank found the keys to the Universe sketched out on the covers of his Dads’ pulp science fiction magazines. From astronauts bounding across the jagged frontiers of alien worlds to starships rising to discovery on pillars of fire, the boundless world of possibilities on those covers became the one he was determined to inhabit. Later the love for astronomy transformed into a passion for the practice of science itself when his fathers simple explanation of electric currents and sound waves turned the terror of a booming thunderstorm into a opportunity to marvel at the world’s beauty. Now a Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Rochester Adam Frank has become a leading expert on the final stages of evolution for stars like the sun. Using supercomputers to animate the equations of mathetmatical physics Frank also studies the birth solar-type stars and the use of high energy fusion machines to create scaled experiments of astrophysical plasmas. Frank is a theoretical/computational astrophysicist and currently heads a successful research group at the University of Rochester. He holds a joint appointment at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, a Department of Energy Fusion lab. As a post-doc he was awarded the prestigious Hubble Fellowship and in 1997 he was awarded an NSF Career award. Frank described himself as an “evangelist of science”. His commitment to showing others the beauty and power of science has led him to a second career as a popular writer and speaker on the subject. For the last 16 years Frank has published numerous popular articles on everything from Planet Formation to the Quantum Mechanics of Honey Bee Dances (a piece that inspired a major art installation). He has been a regular contributor to Discover Magazine and Astronomy Magazine (where he serves on the editorial advisory board) and has written for Scientific American, Sky & Telescope and many other publications. In addition to his writing, Professor Frank has given popular talks around the country at venues such as the American Museum of Natural History and the Art/Science Café in Los Angeles. He has recently begun speaking on the topic of Science and Religion. Frank has also been a guest on radio call-in shows, most recently serving as a semi-regular contributor to the Rochester based “What the Tech” public radio program. In 1999 Frank was awarded an American Astronomical Society prize for his science writing.