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).

Shubert Theater
247 College Street
New Haven, Connecticut, 06510
United States

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Yale

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Yale was founded in the fall of 1998 by a group of undergraduate students dedicated to the expression of Mexican culture and traditional folk dance. As the only Mexican folk dance group on campus, Ballet Folklórico seeks to enrich students’ cultural knowledge and to serve as a resource for the greater community. Performing dances inspired by the traditions of various Mexican states, Ballet Folklórico prides itself on faithfully and enjoyably representing one of the most unforgettable parts of Mexican culture.

Low Strung

Low Strung is a group of classically trained cellists from Yale University who make up the largest all-cello all-rock band in the world. The group transforms classics of the rock, pop, metal, and blues genres into pieces designed exclusively for the cello. The final product is something that cannot be found anywhere else: music that bursts with the excitement of rock but is executed with the thundering bass and butter-smooth treble of the cello. Their constantly-expanding repertoire spans the gamut from the 1960's to today, from The Who and Led Zeppelin to Lady Gaga and Meghan Trainor. The sweeping arrangements are also opportunities for unlikely musical encounters: J.S. Bach and Amy Winehouse, Beethoven and The Eagles.

Spizzwinks(?)

Adam Saenz

Adam Sáenz earned his Ph.D. in School Psychology from Texas A&M University. He completed his predoctoral clinical training under a fellowship appointment to Harvard Medical School, and he has a postdoctorate in clinical psychology from the Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Sáenz also earned a Doctorate of Ministry in Pastoral Counseling from Graduate Theological Foundation with residency at Christ Church college of Oxford University. Dr. Sáenz is a featured blogger for the Huffington Post Education Page, and he currently serves as the clinical director of The Oakwood Collaborative, the counseling and assessment clinic he founded in 2003.

Anita Jivani

Anita Jivani, a student at the Yale School of Management, is studying how to use market-based solutions for social good spanning from economic development to women’s empowerment. She has spent over three years working on cross-sector consulting projects with organizations such as Walmart, World Bank, and the US Olympics Committee and has worked across geographies including Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, India, and Kenya. Anita was a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico, where she studied the role of business in transforming socio-political relationships.

David Kimel

David Vincent Kimel was born in Israel and divided his childhood between Tel Aviv and New Haven. He graduated from Harvard University Summa Cum Laude in 2005 with a BA in Classics and was the top-ranked debater on the national circuit that same year. Following graduation, he worked at the POSCO steel factory in Pohang, South Korea, hiked trails in North Korea, Japan, and China, and eventually started his own business with his best friend from college: Imperial Publishing. He is now a fifth year PhD candidate in the History department, the coach of the Yale Debate Team, and the founder of the YSSST (Yale Students and Scholars for the Study of Transhumanism). He is thrilled to be joining the other speakers at this year's conference.

David Kimel

David Vincent Kimel was born in Israel and divided his childhood between Tel Aviv and New Haven. He graduated from Harvard University Summa Cum Laude in 2005 with a BA in Classics and was the top-ranked debater on the national circuit that same year. Following graduation, he worked at the POSCO steel factory in Pohang, South Korea, hiked trails in North Korea, Japan, and China, and eventually started his own business with his best friend from college: Imperial Publishing. He is now a fifth year PhD candidate in the History department, the coach of the Yale Debate Team, and the founder of the YSSST (Yale Students and Scholars for the Study of Transhumanism). He is thrilled to be joining the other speakers at this year's conference.

Jesse Silverberg

Born and raised in the suburbs of Boston, Jesse was a classic high school underachiever who worked his way from night classes at the local community college to a PhD in Physics at Cornell University. Though he is now a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, his passion for art, heavy metal, and globetrotting help keep him grounded. In fact, these personal interests inspired his research in the physics human collective motion at heavy metal concerts, and his more recent work on the physics of origami. This creative bent on science is both a professional and personal outlet that he plans to maintain throughout his research career.

Michael Carden

Michael Carden is a freshman at Yale, hoping to major in Ethics, Politics, & Economics. Born in Port Washington, New York, but raised in Paris, France, he has always been interested in public service and the ways in which education, politics and economic development can help to better the lives of people not only in the United States but around the world. Michael is honored to be speaking at TEDxYale, and hopes to contribute to the many great ideas being shared.

Michael Pantalon

Dr. Pantalon is a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Yale School of Medicine where he studies the effectiveness of counseling and pharmacologic treatments for various substance-related problems. His research has been published in top tier journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association. As the Co-founder of the Center for Progressive Recovery, Dr. Pantalon trains addiction recovery coaches to help individuals and families find and make the best use of scientifically-supported treatment. In addition, he provides comprehensive addiction treatment in his private practice.

Phil Bernstein

Phil is a Vice President for Strategic Industry Relations at Autodesk where he is responsible for the company’s future vision and strategy for technology as well as cultivating the firm's relationships with strategic industry leaders and associations. Formerly a principal with Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, he teaches Professional Practice at Yale where he received both his B.A. and his M.Arch. He is co-editor of Building (In) The Future: Recasting Labor in Architecture and BIM In Academia, a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council and former Chair of the AIA National Contract Documents Committee.

Sasha DiGiulian

Sasha first began climbing at 6 years old, in 1998. She has won the World Championships for Female Overall, and has placed Silver in the Bouldering World Championships, as well as Bronze in the Duel. Sasha has been the undefeated Pan-American Champion 2004 to the present, and she is a three-time US National Champion.

Sejal Vallabh

Sejal Vallabh is a junior at Yale majoring in Economics & Mathematics. In 2010 she founded Tennis SERVES, the first American non-profit to teach tennis to the blind. On campus, Sejal captains the Yale Club Running team, serves as Secretary General for YMUN India, and is producing a Chinese language talk show for Yale Radio. Sejal aspires to work in finance in Asia after graduation. A Federer fan, marathon runner, and cupcake connoisseur, Sejal is thrilled to be speaking at TEDxYale 2015.

Teresa Berger

Teresa Berger is Professor of Liturgical Studies and Thomas E. Golden Jr. Professor of Catholic Theology at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music and Yale Divinity School. Her scholarly interests lie at the intersection of theological and liturgical studies with cultural studies and gender theory. Professor Berger has written extensively on gender differences and liturgical history, and most recently on the migration of liturgical practices into cyberspace. She taught at Duke University before coming to Yale, and has been a visiting professor at the universities of Mainz, Berlin, and Uppsala.

Thomas Burke Jr.

Born and raised in Bethel, CT, Thomas Burke joined the Marine Corps in 2007 after graduating from Bethel High School. Returning home in 2011 after serving as an infantry rifleman in Iraq and Afghanistan, Thomas completed his degree in Religious Studies and English from Sacred Heart University in 2014. Currently a Master’s in Divinity Candidate at Yale Divinity School, Thomas aims to form a ministry built to respond to the trauma returning veterans have experienced serving in over a decade of war.

Tomicah Tillemann-Dick

Dr. Tomicah Tillemann serves as a Director of the Bretton Woods II at New America. In this capacity, he leads a groundbreaking effort with some of the world’s largest asset holders to dedicate one percent of their holdings to impact investment, development finance, and civil society support. Previously, he served as Hillary Clinton and John Kerry’s Senior Advisor for Civil Society and Emerging Democracies. Tillemann came to the State Department as a speechwriter with Secretary Clinton in March 2009. Earlier, he worked for Senate Foreign Relations Committee as an advisor to Chairmen Joe Biden and John Kerry. Tillemann is a co-holder of four patents on advanced clean technologies and a co-founder and Chairman of IRIS Engines. He earned his doctorate from the School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins and his BA magna cum laude from Yale.

Willie Ruff

Willie Ruff is the hornist and bassist of the Mitchell-Ruff Duo featuring pianist Dwike Mitchell. The Duo records, performs, and lectures on jazz extensively in the United States, Asia, Africa and Europe. Ruff, who attended the Yale School of Music as an undergraduate and graduate student, has been a faculty member there since 1971 teaching Music History, courses on Ethnomusicology, an lnterdisciplinary Seminar on Rhythm, and a course on Instrumental Arranging. He is founding Director of the Duke Ellington Fellowship Program at Yale, a community based organization sponsoring world-class artists mentoring and performing with Yale students and young musicians from the New Haven Public School System.