Theme: Living in the Extreme

TEDxUNLV 2016 will be held Friday, April 8, with a theme of "Living in the Extreme!" in UNLV's Black Box Theatre.

TEDxUNLV is supported by the students, faculty, and administrative team at UNLV. We are seeking speakers from our own community and the world at large, and see this event as a gift to everyone that lives in the Las Vegas Valley.

Black Box Theatre, Ham Fine Arts Building, UNLV Campus
4505 South Maryland Parkway
Las Vegas, NV, Nevada, 89123
United States

Alyssa Crittenden

Professor

Alyssa Crittenden is an anthropologist and is currently the Lincy Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In order to answer some of the burning questions about what makes the human species unique, she studies the links between nutrition, growth and development, family formation, and child rearing in small-scale societies. For over ten years, she has worked among the Hadza foragers of Tanzania, researching topics such as diet composition, the gut microbiome, women's reproduction, childhood, and parenting strategies among hunters and gatherers. A strong advocate for science education for the public, she has appeared on National Public Radio, television programs, and documentaries and gives talks to museums and middle school and high school science students. Her work is published in top-tier academic journals and has been highlighted in popular outlets, such as The Smithsonian, National Geographic, the BBC, and Psychology Today.

Bryan Bornholdt

Professor + Rock Climber

Bryan has a Ph.D. in mathematics and teaches in the Honors College at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has worked in the defense industry and been a rock climbing guide. Bryan has climbed numerous routes on Yosemite’s El Capitan, in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Zion National Park and over 60 desert towers. In addition to being a climber, Bryan is a juggler and avid cyclist including off-road unicycling. From math to climbing to unicycling, everything Bryan does is challenging and technical. All of his enthusiams have three factors in common: they required him to step out of his comfort zone and risk failure; they required a great deal of time and practice; and they required a mentor. Now he mentors others both in the classroom and out.

Dre Baldwin

Speaker

Dre Baldwin created "Work On Your Game," a mental toughness philosophy imparting mental toughness, confidence and self-discipline to athletes, entrepreneurs and business professionals. A Penn State alum, Dre played professional basketball for 9 years internationally. Dre started publishing on YouTube in 2006, with content going out to his 100,000+ subscribers and being viewed over 35 million times. Dre's "Work On Your Game" show on Grant Cardone TV is consistently top-5 on the network. Dre has published 7 books, including The Mental Handbook. A Philadelphia native, Dre lives in Miami.

Edwin Edebiri

Chief Happiness Officer

To inspire and encourage others to their full potential and have a positive impact on the world through service and love is the purpose statement of Edwin Edebiri. A dynamo of humor and enthusiasm, Edwin stands at the forefront of entrepreneurial spirit with over 30 years’ experience. He is a keynote speaker and seminar leader. He holds an MBA with honors from Embry Riddle Aeronautics University in Daytona Beach and serves on the board of various profit and not-for-profit organizations including Junior Achievement of Sacramento. Edebiri has interviewed more than 1,000 people on the subject of Happiness. Based on their answers, he has come up with a list of ten concrete things people can do to become happier and how to set Happiness as a Default Position. He is the inspiration behind the global happiness summit and the founder of the I am Happy Project, now in 64 cities in 19 countries, whose mission is to spread happiness globally, Edwin is the author of multiple books.

Frank Curreri

Journalist + Jiu Jitsu Black Belt

Frank Curreri is a second-degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and three-time IBJJF Masters World Champion who believes that no sport builds children or adults better than Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Frank lives and trains in Las Vegas and has worked as a full-time journalist/writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, The Salt Lake Tribune, FOX5 News and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Participating with Frank are Miesha Tate, UFC women's bantamweight champion, and Analynn Molina, a high school wrestler and yellow-belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Frank can be reached at frank@frankcurreri.com

Georgiann Davis

Intersex + author

Georgiann Davis is an intersex scholar and activist originally from Chicago, Illinois. She is also a member of the intersex community. She joined the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Sociology Department in the fall of 2014 after spending close to ten years studying the intersection of the sociology of diagnosis and feminist theories. She has written numerous articles on intersex in various venues ranging from Ms. Magazine to the American Journal of Bioethics. In her book, Contesting Intersex: The Dubious Diagnosis (2015, NYU Press), she explores how intersex is defined, experienced, and contested in contemporary U.S. society. She is also the former president of the AIS-DSD Support Group (2014-2015), and a current board member for InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth.You can learn more about her research at www.georgianndavis.com.

Heather Wilde

Author, Speaker + Finder of Unicorns

Heather Wilde is no stranger to seeing the future and grabbing opportunities for herself and her friends. She is a keynote speaker, media guest and offers workshops around the world in helping people find their "Unicorn Power." A self-proclaimed "infrastructure geek", she has spent her life pursuing the ultimate underlying "why" of why people act the way they do. To that end, she is certified in multiple behavioral coaching and neuroscience methodologies and is internationally recognized for her coaching, mentorship and executive skills, including commendations from Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval and US Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid for her work. Wilde is a four-time chief technology officer, serves on multiple advisory boards and has multiple awards including the 2016 High Tech Female Mentor of the Year. She's an author, classically trained opera singer, software programmer, sailor, private pilot, game designer, former actor and model, and amateur chef.

Jason Steffen

Physics professor + discoverer of possible new planets

As assistant professor of physics at UNLV Dr. Jason Steffen studies the characteristics of planets that are orbiting distant stars. He has served as a member of NASA’s Kepler mission for nearly ten years and co-chairs the working group that investigates the dynamical properties of these extrasolar systems. Steffen and his collaborators have discovered nearly 1000 planets orbiting distant stars and identified several thousand new planet candidates. Prior to this, Steffen was a Lindheimer Fellow at Northwestern University and a Brinson Fellow in particle astrophysics at Fermilab where, in addition to work in exoplanets, he studied dark matter and dark energy. Steffen has authored, or co-authored over 60 papers which have been cited over 8000 times in the scholarly literature. Steffen’s most famous papers, quite unrelated to either exoplanets or dark matter, are on the optimum method to board passengers onto airplanes (the currently undefeated "Steffen Method").

Jeffon Seely

Author + Entrepreneur

Jeffon Seely is an international speaker, author and entrepreneur raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. After following the path of geti good grades, go to college, study hard, and get a good job, he eventually received his degree in accounting. After asking his teacher why so many businesses fail, why corrupt corporations get bailed out while the vast majority of the world seems to suffer his teacher replied, “that’s how the world works.” This shifted Jeffon’s focus towards being the change he wishes to see, instead of hoping and wishing others would change and transform. Jeffon now travels the world and uses his difficult upbringing, unique writing, and speaking ability to shine a light of hope into the lives of those who believe they are stuck in the darkness of the world.

Jeremy Wallace

Speaker + Author

Jeremy Wallace is an author and speaker. His book, Taking The Scenic Route To Manhood, takes readers through his journey of transitioning from female-to-male, and sheds light on some of the struggles, fears, and light-hearted moments he experienced, even from a young age. Jeremy is passionate about sharing his personal story in hopes of supporting those who may be struggling with their own gender identity, educating those who may not know much about transgender issues, and advocating for more inclusion and compassion towards those who may be thought of, as different. Jeremy speaks to groups, organizations, and universities, bringing the message that, no matter what changes lie ahead, we all have the capability to overcome obstacles, live up to our full potential, and most importantly, find our true happiness.

Kaiyang Wu

Student

Kaiyang Wu, born and raised in China, has an M.S. in Hotel Administration, an M.A. in Economics and a graduate certificate in Management of Information Systems from University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is an exceptionally dedicated student who excels in research and will settle for little less than perfection. As a lead author, Wu has published an article on food consumption by Chinese tourists in Journal of Business Research. He is also an individual whose presence and contributions in class and in extracurricular activities motivate others to succeed. His achievements and contributions to the UNLV campus are well recognized, as he was a UNLV commencement speaker in 2014 and an outstanding graduate in 2016. Right now, Kaiyang is working on his doctoral degree in marketing at the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Lida Citroen

Branding Expert + Speaker

A Denver Broncos football game changed the life of Lida Citroën. A civilian with no personal military connection, she found her passion in serving veterans when the team highlighted the challenges facing our veterans returning to civilian life. Citroën, an international reputation management and personal branding expert, has taught thousands of veterans and active duty service members how to build a personal brand that returns confidence, control, and focus to their post-military careers. She is the author of the best selling book, “Your Next Mission: A personal branding guide for the military-to-civilian transition” and a regular contributor to Entrepeneur.com, Military.com, and numerous international media platforms.

Reed Cowan

Journalist + Documentary Filmmaker

Reed Cowan is an Emmy winning journalist and writer whose advocacy has resulted in lives saved and improved through education. A child of rural Utah, Reed found himself on television screens young in life, learning early on the power of harnessing viewers for good in the communities where he has lived. Whether getting tons of life-saving supplies to Haiti after natural disasters or building schools in Kenya for AIDS Orphans, this is a journalist who doesn't just report the news and walk away.

Ryan Foland

Speaker + Trainer

Ryan Foland coaches leaders on the art of simplifying their words for greater impact. Holding degrees in economics, business, and the dramatic arts, Ryan Foland brings a dynamic perspective to business strategy. A writer, speaker, Toastmaster and emcee, Ryan’s communication theories have been featured in TechDayNews, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Huffington Post. Ryan works for the University of California, Irvine where he oversees communications for 27 divisions on campus. In addition his company InfluenceTree, helps people learn how to develop and grow their personal and business brands. Learn more at www.RyanFoland.com.

Sam McMullen

Entrepreneur + Futurist

Sam McMullen is a diverse and hypercurious entrepreneur. His career has focused on promoting emerging and next-generation technologies that will improve experiences and economies in many areas. Currently, he's working to build strong relationships between the visionary thinkers and venue representatives who are creating the next generation of guest and play experiences in Nevada relating to eSports. During the 2015 Nevada Legislative Session, Sam served as an advisor and expert, assisting the lobbyists and groups who were instrumental in the passage of Senate Bill 9. This requires the Nevada Gaming Commission to adopt regulations relating to the development of technology in gaming. Sam is at the unique point in his career where his wide range of diverse expertise is coming together: eSports, video games, casinos, biometrics, software, hardware, and entertainment. Sam and his team at FiveGen are working to develop not just new software tools, but the future of casino gaming.

Sheila K. Collins

Professional Dancer + Therapist

Dr. Sheila K. Collins has spent the last 10 years researching, writing, and performing about what gets us through the tough stuff and helps insure that come through our challenges stronger than before. A writer, therapist, keynote speaker, and improvisational performance artist, Sheila has written an award-winning book, Warrior Mother: Fierce Love, Unbearable Loss and the Rituals that Heal. The book chronicles her journeys accompanying two of her three adult children and her best friend through their life-threatening illnesses and deaths. Using the skills of her various backgrounds, Dr. Collins demonstrates in her presentations and workshops how art-based tools have helped her and can be helpful to others as they navigate challenges, grieve their losses, and reinvest in a more vibrant future. Her blog, Dancing with Everything is on her website www.sheilakcollins.com

Teresa Larsen

Researcher -- Data Communication

Teresa Larsen fell in love with data visualization while earning her doctoral degree in Biochemistry at UCLA. Throughout her academic training she noticed the conspicuous absence of guidelines on how to present data and results clearly. This led her to follow an alternative career path pondering ways to communicate complex information in the best way possible. Along the way, she has earned awards for computer graphic animation and has many of her figures displayed as framed artwork. She respects Edward Tufte’s perspective on data visualization but finds his criticism frustrating because he tells us what’s wrong rather than how to do it right. To address this necessity, Dr. Larsen created a curriculum that teaches the process of going from raw data to a clear visual message.

Timothy Jones

Professor of Music + Freelance Percussionist

Dr. Timothy Jones is an assistant professor of music in percussion studies, the coordinator of History of Rock ‘n’ Roll at UNLV, and freelance percussionist in Las Vegas. In addition to performing locally and internationally as percussion soloist and drum set artist, Dr. Jones authored the book Rock ‘n’ Roll Origins and Innovators, and several articles in the field of percussion. He is on the faculty of the innovative percussion camp “TAPS” (the Ted Atkatz Percussion Seminar) and has a long list of performing credits including the Amadeus Orchestra, Las Vegas Opera, the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Mary Wilson, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Peter Cetera, David Foster, Buddy Greco, Natalie Merchant, Don Rickles, the Irish Tenors and Nebojsa Zivkovic.

Uli Geissendoerfer

Musician + Composer

Pianist and composer, Uli Geissendoerfer, is a versatile and remarkable musician exploring rhythms and melodies across many styles of music, with a special emphasis on World, Jazz, and improvisation. Originally from Munich, Germany, he now holds dual residency with the US and has worked with Tito, Puente, William Cepeda (awarded a Grammy nomination), Groove Collective, Giovanni Hidalgo, Blood Sweat & Tears, Leslie Uggams, Cirque du Soleil, Kofo the Wonderman, Ute Lemper, and David Cassidy. His current projects include, Colors a World Jazz Quintet, the Beregovsky Project, a duo with violin virtuoso Alicia Svigals and Bangalore Breakdown, an Indian World Jazz project featuring Premik Russell Tubbs.