Theme: Kaleidoscope

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Moss Arts Center
330 Turner Street NW
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia, 24060
United States

Elizabeth Galbreath

Junior, Agricultural Sciences major, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Elizabeth Galbreath is a junior in Agricultural Sciences at Virginia Tech and has grown up on dairy farm in Maryland, where she found her passion for agriculture and youth development through her experience in the Maryland 4-H program. Her passion for 4-H, youth development, and agriculture kick-started when she was seven years old through her dairy cattle, swine, crafts, and photography projects. Since then, she’s further developed these passions through a variety of experiences.

Jane Lilllian Vance

Artist, Alumnus, Vice President of Help Save the Next Girl

Jane Lillian Vance is an artist whose work has allowed her to travel around the world. She weaves her work as Vice President of Help Save the Next Girl, her essays about sexual predators and criminal trials, her medical mission service in impoverished Zambia, and her decades of trekking with healers and farmers in the remote Nepal Himalayas into her teaching and her art. Her lineage painting of an accomplished Tibetan master resulted in the 2010 Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences awarded documentary, A Gift for the Village. Vance's exquisitely detailed narrative paintings are in private collections around the world. She is currently collaborating with Gil Harrington on a book about the murder and the legacy of Morgan Harrington, who was Vance's student at Virginia Tech in the Spring of 2009.

Jill Sible

Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education, Professor of Biological Sciences

Jill Sible is the Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Education and Professor of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech. Jill’s current projects include leading a revision of Virginia Tech’s general education curriculum to be more integrated, outcomes-oriented and infused with contemporary pedagogy. She has also worked on the vision and programming for Virginia Tech’s new classroom building. She travels to lead workshops on curricular and classroom elements that promote student learning, motivation and retention. Jill continues to teach courses in cell, molecular, developmental, and cancer biology and cites the learning experiences she shares with her students as her greatest professional reward. Her passions outside of work include her family and running.

Kurt Hoffman

Senior Instructor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Psychology

Kurt Hoffman is a Senior Instructor and Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology. He has been a member of the Virginia Tech faculty for 15 years. Kurt’s teaching interests include animal behavior, understanding and applying theories of learning, and the increasing importance of environmental sustainability in our lives. Kurt was born with a condition called phocomelia, which refers to the absence or malformation of one or more limbs.

Marina Vance

Research Scientist, Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science, Associate Director of the Virginia Tech Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology

Marina Vance is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) and the Associate Director of the Virginia Tech Center for Sustainable Nanotechnology (VTSuN). She is passionate about using engineering tools to better understand people's exposure to new contaminants from everyday activities, such as nanomaterials and air pollutants. Of the main ways in which environmental contaminants can enter the human body, inhalation is of the most concern to health because we cannot control what we breathe as well as what we touch or eat.

Nathan King

Assistant Professor, School of Architecture + Design, Center for Design Research

Nathan is an Assistant Professor of Architecture at the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech. With a background in Studio Arts and Art History, Nathan holds Masters Degrees in Industrial Design and Architecture. He earned the degree Doctor of Design from the Harvard GSD where he was a founding member of the Design Robotics Group with a focus on computational workflows and Additive Manufacturing and Automation in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction industries. Beyond academia, King is the Director of Research at MASS Design Group, where he collaborates on the development and deployment of innovative building technologies, medical devices, and evaluation methods for global application in resource-limited settings. He consults on the development of research facilities, programs, and software to support the exploration of emerging opportunities surrounding technological innovation in art, architecture, design, and education.

Nicole Abaid

Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics

Nicole Abaid, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, studies how animals swarm in order to gain insights on improving the control of multi-agent systems. In 2014, she was named one of Popular Science magazine’s Brilliant 10.

Patricia Smith

Director, Intercultural Engagement Center

Tricia Smith serves the Hokie community as the Director of Intercultural Engagement Center. She works with a talented group of professionals who advocate and educate the university and community on issues of multiculturalism, inclusivity and social justice. Together, the IEC team provides advocacy and support for underrepresented students at Virginia Tech through leadership opportunities, programs and cultural celebrations.

Sharon Landesman Ramey

Professor and Distinguished Research Scholar, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute; Department of Psychology; Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine

Dr. Sharon Landesman Ramey is Professor and Distinguished Scientist of Human Development at Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. She is a developmental psychologist who has conducted pioneering research on the early origins of children’s cognitive, social, and emotional competence. Sharon also co-directs the VTCRI Neuromotor Research Clinic and is the principal investigator for several NIH trials. With her husband, Dr. Craig Ramey, she has written award-winning parenting books that became the companion volumes to the PBS television series “Right from Birth” and “Going to School.” She has authored more than 250 scientific publications and 7 books. Her current research focuses on the new field called Implementation Science that seeks to discover the most effective ways to rapidly translate scientific breakthroughs into practical use to realize full benefits for children and families.

Steven Poelzing

Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute

Steven Poelzing is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics and the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute. His team studies sudden cardiac death and the day-to-day mechanisms that conceal cardiac disease. For his insights into sudden death, he has been inducted as a Fellow of the American Heart Association and the Heart Rhythm Society.

Willie Caldwell

Willie is a graduate of the American Music and Dramatic Academy and Berklee College of Music with degrees in Theatre and the Performing Arts and Music Business. He has worked as a professional actor and musician in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Nashville. Previous credits include: Lancelot- Spamalot, Sebastian- Suddenly Last Summer, Lord Farquaad- Shrek the Musical, Zoser- Aida, Britt Craig- Parade, Roy- A Light in the Piazza, Matt– The Fantasticks, and appeared as a vulture demon on the WB’s Charmed. Willie has recorded and released four solo EPs and provided vocal talent and effects for Disney MGM. Willie has also worked as the Director of Student Services for the School of Audio Engineering, the Assistant Registrar for Berkleemusic online, and as the Business Manager for the Office of Undergraduate Studies at Virginia Tech.