Theme: Connect The dots

There is no shortage of information in contemporary culture. From new scientific theories to new artistic creations, we live in an information laden world that is constantly evolving. While it's easy to get lost in tangential paths full of facts, numbers, and material, the way we connect these singular points build the foundation for our ongoing progress. TEDxSFU: Connect the Dots brings together these singularities to bridge innovation and originality with passion and community.

Connecting the dots and cross-pollinating ideas engages us in a dialogue that builds upon the vast mental, societal, and academic pools of resources with ambitions of a collective future. Speakers are diverse in their knowledge, yet unique in their passion for it. TEDxSFU 2015 invites community members to empower ideas with micro and macroscopic connections - how the singular becomes communal. Opening up new lines of thought, activity and methods of development connects the endless plethora of dots in our lives.

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Canada

Aidan Scott

Founder of SpeakBOX

Aidan is a system architect bringing a background of experiences to transform mental health services and the founder of SpeakBOX. The mission of SpeakBOX is to connect all people - far and wide - to web-based mental health treatment and support. His goal is to change the health industry in Canada by providing individuals with a platform to advocate for and to deliver capacity building treatments through the power of technology. Aidan is also an avid runner, a competitive Dragon Boater, and a former recipient of mental health services. To learn more, please visit: www.facebook.com/speakboxca.

Bryce Evans

Founder of The One Project

Bryce is an award-winning artist of social change sharing insights on life through art, photography and marketing for a better world. As founder of The One Project, he teaches and connects people around the power of therapeutic photography to learn, heal and grow. Photography saved his life by helping him overcome severe depression and anxiety and with 5 years of insights he is now building an online platform to connect the dots between photography and becoming our most authentic selves.

Craig Cerhit

Producer/ Director of Found In The Forest

Craig is a veteran television producer, editor, and photographer whose passion for storytelling has taken him around the world. Craig’s latest work is the documentary Found In The Forest. In the film, he takes viewers on an in-depth exploration of the Environmental School Project, a public elementary school that practices Place-Based, Imaginative and Ecological Education. The goal of the documentary is to encourage the conversation around education, using the Environmental School as an example of how our school system does not need to be stressful, boring or even indoors.

Dan Pontefract

Chief Envisioner, Telus + author

Dan is the author of “FLAT ARMY: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization”. He is also Chief Envisioner of TELUS Transformation Office; an organizational culture change consulting firm. Previously he lead the leadership development, learning and collaboration technology strategy at TELUS where he introduced the TELUS Leadership Philosophy (TLP), an open and collaborative-based leadership framework for all 40,000+ TELUS employees in addition to a litany of social tools and the pervasive learning model. A renown speaker and practicing futurist, Dan believes today’s organizations could be so much more if only leaders did something about employee engagement, shifting the culture toward a purposeful workplace.

Daniel Dubois

Canadian G20 Delegate + Founder of ShareShed

Daniel is a passionate social entrepreneur and changemaker who is currently buildling a world of unlimited access to adventure through ShareShed. He spoke on stage at We Day, received a monthly grant from the Austrian government to conduct research on the European sharing economy, and traveled to over 25 countries. Daniel was chosen for The Next Big Thing Young Entrepreneurs in Residence at Hootsuite’s HQ as well as a Canadian G20 delegate. In his spare time, you can find Daniel coaching basketball to the children of False Creek and exploring the local mountains.

Erin Ireland

Owner of To Die For Fine Foods + Editor for Vancouver Dining Guide To Die For

Erin Ireland is a small business owner and food reporter, passionate to spotlight the restaurants and businesses who prioritize responsibly-sourced ingredients. Through storytelling, food photography and traditional broadcasting, this North Vancouver native showcases mainly plant-based eating and an allegiance to all things local to an audience of over 60,000 followers. Erin is also the co-host of Mindful Movie Nights, a series of documentary screenings which aim to raise public awareness about the impact our food industry has on our health and our planet. For more information, visit: itstodiefor.ca.

Lindsay Dixon

Singer

Lindsay Dixon is a singer-songwriter from Chilliwack, British Columbia. She began playing piano at the age of 3 and has been pursuing music ever since. In 2010, Lindsay furthered her musical education in the Contemporary Music & Technology program at Selkirk College in Nelson, B.C., graduating in 2012 with a diploma in vocal performance. Since then she has done some recording on a couple albums by fellow classmates, assisting in cowriting, as well as arranging back-up vocals. After making the move to Vancouver in June, Lindsay Dixon has been working on finishing up the material to record a full album of her own.

Mandy Len Catron

Writer + Creator of The Love Story Project

Originally from Appalachian, Virginia, Mandy Len Catron now lives in Vancouver, BC, where she teaches English and creative writing at the University of British Columbia. Her New York Times article, "To Fall in Love with Anyone, Do This," received more than eight million views and was syndicated all over the world. She's now working on a book about the dangers of love stories. For more information, visit The Love Story Project: www.thelovestoryproject.ca.

Manny Bahia

CBDO and co-founder of Vancity Buzz

Manny Bahia holds a BBA from Simon Fraser University and is the CBDO and co-founder of Vancity Buzz. His fascination with business and technology began at a young age and found a synergy in 2008, creating Vancity Buzz. The mission of Metro Vancouver’s largest digital media publication has been to connect Vancouverites to their city and spark discussion about important topics. In 2015, Manny was named one of the BCBusiness 30Under30. He is speaking at TEDxSFU to offer insight into digital media, how it is shaping minds and connecting one another.

Richard Tuck

CEO of Riipen

Richard is the CEO of Riipen, a skill-building assessment platform that connects students with companies via short-term, skill-specific projects throughout the students’ post-secondary education. He holds a Bachelor of International Business, an MBA, an MSc, and is currently a PhD Candidate at UVic, where he researches Social Entrepreneurship. He believes the traditional educational system is ripe for disruption and sees growing trends of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and high graduate underemployment as signs of needed change.

Ryan D'Arcy

Professor + Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation BC Leadership Chair in Multimodal Technology for Healthcare Innovation

Dr. Ryan C.N. D’Arcy is a renowned neuroscientist, specializing in brain imaging health care impacts. He is serves as a BC Leadership Chair and Professor at Simon Fraser University, along with Head of Health Sciences and Innovation at Surrey Memorial Hospital. He founded Innovation Boulevard, BC’s vibrantly growing health technology cluster. Dr. D’Arcy has been named a “Kickass Canadian,” with over 170 published works and many national leadership roles. He received a B.Sc. (with distinction) from UVic, M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Neuroscience from Dalhousie University, and post-doctoral training in Medical Imaging at the National Research Council.

Zoya Jiwa

Founder of As We Are

Zoya Jiwa is a 4th year Sociology student and the founder of As We Are: an online style community for people navigating health conditions. Through her personal experiences, Zoya noticed that focus is often placed on living a vibrant life “when you are feeling better.” By combining storytelling with peer mentorship, she has created a positive space that encourages people to celebrate and embrace who they are, as they are, in this moment. Zoya recently completed a fellowship with RADIUS SFU and is also the recipient of the 2015 SFU Terry Fox Gold Medal and Prize.