Theme: Gravity

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).

UCLA Royce Hall
340 Royce Dr
Los Angeles, California, 90095
United States

Andrew Hill

Andy Hill is a motivational speaker, executive coach, and author who offers a values-based framework for life success and happiness that he learned as a student and player for the late UCLA Basketball Coach, John Wooden. Since 2000, Andy has been inspiring audiences and organizations with his practical lessons for achieving success. During an informative and inspiring presentation, Andy connects emotionally with his audiences by skillfully blending Coach Wooden’s lessons and techniques with a common sense approach to business that everyone can focus on to make themselves better people and to enhance the performance of their firms. After graduating from UCLA with a Master’s Degree in Education and a B.A. in Psychology, Andy began his entertainment career as an accomplished movie and television producer at Columbia Pictures Television. From 1991 through 1996, he was the president of CBS Productions where he led the development and production of programming owned by the network. While at CBS, he oversaw some of the most acclaimed and successful primetime shows of the decade including Touched By An Angel, Caroline In The City, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Walker, Texas Ranger, Dave’s World, and Rescue 911. Following his tenure at the network, Hill served as President of Programming for Channel One News, where he produced award-winning series and online content for an audience of eight million teens. After 25 years had passed since he last saw Wooden, Hill was reminded of his former coach while playing golf. Hill’s playing partner advised him to “Don’t hurry, get your balance”, which evoked a Wooden maxim of “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Realizing that the coach’s teachings had subconsciously guided his life and career, Hill was inspired to contact Wooden, and they developed a close friendship. He co-wrote Be Quick—But Don’t Hurry! Finding Success in the Teachings of a Lifetime with Wooden, which became a bestseller when it was published in 2001. The book presents Andy’s personal relationship with Wooden as his coach and mentor, and details how he applied his experience as a player under Wooden to achieve success as a television executive. The Andy Hill & Magicbook also demonstrates the relevance of Wooden’s coaching style to the business world, and reveals the team-building management secrets of the man who has been called “the greatest coach of the twentieth century”. After publishing the book, Hill became a motivational speaker on leadership and life coaching. Since 2005, he has been coaching senior executives ranging from Fox Studios to T. Rowe Price on how to use Coach Wooden’s leadership principles to help them achieve maximum results from their teams. He was a founding partner of HollywoodandCatfish.com in 2010, a 2010, a monthly coaching newsletter that connects the lessons of Coach Wooden to the world of the financial advisor. The electronic newsletter now goes out to over 10,000 financial advisors across the nation. Andy’s television appearances have included HBO’s Real Sports, ABC’s Nightline, PBS’s NewsHour, and CNBC’s Power Lunch. He continues to speak to scores of organizations throughout the U.S. and is currently focused on providing inspiration to non-profit and educational groups in California

Angela Chung

Business Economics Undergraduate at UCLA

Angela Chung is a fourth year undergraduate student at UCLA, majoring in Business Economics. She is an incoming core assurance associate at PricewaterhouseCooper’s Los Angeles office, and plans on working with entertainment and technology clients. She will be studying abroad in Paris this summer. Her interest in environmental health led to her idea of plastic tiles that capture particulate matter with microstructures modeled after those found on leaves. Her idea won third place in the 2016 UCLA FuturizeX Student Challenge.

AnnMarie Thomas

Director of the Playful Learning Lab at the University of St. Thomas/ Professor in the Opus College

Dr. AnnMarie Thomas is the director of the Playful Learning Lab at the University of St. Thomas, where she is a professor in the School of Engineering and the Opus College of Business. She is the creator of Squishy Circuits, and the author of “Making Makers: Kids, Tools, and the Future of Innovation.” AnnMarie and her research students explore the intersection of the arts, technology and education and are always in search of their next unusual collaboration. Dr. Thomas has an undergraduate degree in Ocean Engineering (with a minor in Music) from MIT, MS and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech, and a professional certificate in Sustainable Design from MCAD. Prior to joining the University of St. Thomas she was a faculty member at Art Center College of Design. When she’s not working with dancers, singers, schools, chefs or preschoolers, AnnMarie and her daughters can be found performing and studying flying trapeze and other aerial arts.

Christoph Bull

Organist/ Organ Professor at UCLA

Christoph Bull has concertized around the world, including Europe, Russia, India, Taiwan, China, Japan, El Salvador and many U.S. states. He’s performed at national and regional conventions of the American Guild of Organists and the Organ Historical Society. He recorded the first album featuring the organ at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, entitled First & Grand. His music has been broadcast on KCRW, on Classical KUSC and the Minnesota Public Radio program “Pipedreams”. He recently recorded the pipe organ parts for the latest Ghostbusters and Transformers movies at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. Previously, he worked as organ consultant on Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report and recorded for Robin Williams’ last TV Show The Crazy Ones. Christoph Bull has been university organist and organ professor at UCLA since 2002 and Organist-in-Residence at FCCLA since 2013.

Dana Carpenter

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 2006 M.S., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, 2002 B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1999 Dana Carpenter is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado Denver. His research focuses on the effects of mechanical forces, exercise, diseases, and implanted devices on the human skeleton. Dr. Carpenter enrolled as an undergraduate in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech because, like many mechanical engineers, he loved cars. After learning about the field of biomechanical engineering, he gave up the automotive chassis in exchange for the skeleton. After completing his undergraduate work, he went on to obtain his M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Stanford University. His graduate thesis work focused on the ways in which mechanical forces can guide bones to grow into different shapes.

Darlene Mininni

Chief Learning Officer/ Health Psychologist

Darlene Mininni is chief learning officer at UCLA Extension and a health psychologist. She holds a PhD in clinical psychology and an MPH in public health. Darlene is author of The Emotional Toolkit: 7 Strategies to Nail Your Bad Feelings (St Martin’s Press), a book inspired by the curriculum of her UCLA undergraduate course LifeSkills. Her work focuses on designing and teaching research-based strategies that support resilience and success. With an interest in media’s power to transform, Darlene founded and was artistic director of UCLA’s Kaleidoscope Theatre, a performance troupe using storytelling to enhance wellbeing. She also hosted The Emotional Toolkit Series on XM radio and The Dr. Darlene Mininni Show for Clear Channel in Los Angeles. Darlene has spoken for audiences ranging from The Juilliard School to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and her work has been featured on media outlets such as: CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, PBS, and NPR as well as Prevention, SELF and Huffington Post.

David Pescovitz

Editor/ Partner

David Pescovitz is editor/partner at the influential tech/culture Web site Boing Boing and a research director at the non-profit Institute for the Future. He’s also the co-founder of Ozma Records, a music label focused on the intersection of science, art, and consciousness to spark the imagination. Ozma’s first release is the Voyager Golden Record: 40th Anniversary Edition, a lavish vinyl box set documenting the iconic phonograph record that NASA launched into space in 1977. Pescovitz was also the founding editor-at-large for MAKE:, the DIY technology magazine, and co-wrote the book Reality Check (HardWired, 1996), based on his long-running futurist column in Wired magazine. He has written for Scientific American, Popular Science, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Salon, and New Scientist, among many other publications.

Gareth Walsh

Media Artist

Gareth Walsh is a media artist, based in Los Angeles, working at the intersections of Art, Cinema, Technology and physical space. His artwork questions the boundaries of perceived reality, and plays with the creative potential found in the manipulation and recombination of its parts. Grounded in a conceptualized and experimental media arts practice; his work ranges from small photographic prints and video projections, to whole room and building sized interventions. His work has been shown internationally with select screenings and exhibitions at LACMA (Los Angeles), Arena 1 Gallery (Santa Monica), New Wight Gallery (Los Angeles), Millard Sheets Gallery (Pomona) UC San Diego, Cabrillo National Monument (San Diego), The Broad Stage (Santa Monica), New Gallery (London, UK), California Nanosystems Institute (Los Angeles), Los Angeles State Historic Park (Los Angeles), 404 Festival of Electronic Art (Argentina).

Gary Li

Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. Student at UCLA

Gary Li is a third year Ph.D. candidate majoring in Aerospace Engineering at UCLA. As a National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellow, he conducts research on miniature ion thrusters in the UCLA Plasma and Space Propulsion Lab in order to enhance the capabilities of future space missions. He has also performed research on advanced plasma thrusters at both the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Air Force Research Lab. His passion for space exploration led him to co-found the Space Exploration Society at Berkeley when he was an undergraduate studying astrophysics and physics at UC Berkeley. To spread awareness of plasma rocket technology, he has presented his research in the Grand Slam, winning 1st place at UCLA and 3rd place in the UC-wide competition, and has published a popular science article that has been featured on BusinessInsider and space.com.

Gary Small

Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging and Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Director, UCLA Longevity Center; Director, UCLA Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA

Hutchinson Fann

Hutchinson Fann is an incoming freshman at Pomona College, where he will study political science and classical guitar. He is from the Bay Area, and took a gap year during the 2016-2017 school year to write a book of short stories and record music.

Iris Angelopoulou

Iris Angelopoulou is currently studying Design Communication Arts at UCLA Extension, focusing on experience and environmental graphic design. She also holds a BA in Communication & Media from the National University of Athens and a BS in Business Management from the University College London.

Lawrence Azerrad

Graphic Designer/ Creative Director

Lawrence Azerrad is a Los Angeles based Graphic Designer and Creative Director. Azerrad founded LADdesign, a graphic design studio dedicated to elevating our cultural experience through design excellence. Since 2001 LADdesign has created graphic design and comprehensive visual identity systems for clients such as Sting, Universal Music Group, UC San Diego, The Silversun Pickups, Esperanza Spalding, The Skirball Cultural Center, The Beach Boys, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, Red Bull Sound Select, and over an Eighteen-year client relationship, spanning seven album packages for award-winning American alternative rock band, Wilco. Azerrad is the author of a Supersonic: Design and Lifestyle of Concorde, a design history of the aircraft to be published 2017. Azerrad is the chair for AIGA’s Design+Music program.

Linda Ercoli

Health Sciences Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Self-care for Caregivers This talk will outline important coping strategies for people who care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Matthew Rogers

World Arts & Culture Undergraduate at UCLA

Matthew Rogers is a third year student at UCLA pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree in the World Arts and Cultures – Dance program. His knowledge of American Sign Language and work experience with deaf people has led Matthew to pursue a Minor in Disabilities Studies. He has trained and studied for eighteen years in various dance styles, and has performed with singers such as The Pointer Sisters, Patti LaBelle, and Charice. In 2005, Matthew performed in New York on ABC’s Good Morning America, winning the Kid’s Division of the Greatest Dancer in America contest. Matthew is passionate about dance and he also invests in the Bruin community. Leadership is important to Matthew; he has been the Community Service Chairman; as well as the Public Relations Chairman; and the Alumni Chairman of Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. He was a member of the Icarus Dance Group on campus and continues to choreograph for them.

Melissa Barak

Professional Ballet Dancer/ Choreographer

Melissa Barak was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. She trained at the Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica for eight years. In the Fall of 1997 she was accepted into the School of American Ballet’s year round program in New York on the Janice Levin Scholarship and joined the New York City Ballet as a full company member in 1998. Ms. Barak has achieved a multitude of accomplishments as both a professional ballet dancer and choreographer. She was invited by Peter Martins, director of the New York City Ballet, to participate in the first New York Choreographic Institute. The piece she created impressed him so that he commissioned her to choreograph a ballet for the School of American Ballet’s June workshop performance. The ballet she made, Telemann Overture Suite, was met with critical acclaim. Mr. Martins brought Telemann into the company’s repertoire the very next season and immediately asked her to choreograph again, this time on the company.

Mihir Mathur

Computer Science Undergraduate at UCLA

Mihir Mathur is a sophomore studying Computer Science at UCLA. He is passionate about creating technology products and designing experiences. He is the newly elected President at UCLA Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), one of the largest student-run computer science organizations in Southern California. Mihir is the co-founder of UCLA Creative Labs, a digital design collaboration that connects the best developers and the best designers at UCLA. He is also one of the lead organizers for LA Hacks. He is motivated by the belief that Computer Science has a great power to make positive impacts in people’s lives. His idea of integrating Computer Vision in trash bins for effective waste management won him the first place in the FuturizeX Student Challenge 2017

Nicolas Augustus Rongione

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. Student at UCLA

In 2014, Nicolas and his team from the University of Miami flew with NASA to test the use of nanoparticles in composite materials as part of the NASA Reduced Gravity Flight Opportunities Program. In his time interning and working across three different NASA centers, including Kennedy, Goddard, and Marshall Space Flight Centers, Nicolas has had the opportunity to survey the state of the art in aerospace engineering and is excited to discuss the connection between the vast distances of space and the tiniest fabricated objects known to man. Nicolas Augustus Rongione is currently a PhD student at UCLA in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow working on novel thermoelectric materials. He is also a member of the AIAA Aerospace Power Systems, as well as a volunteer at the California Nano Systems Institute.

Norman Lear

Norman Lear is a World War II veteran, actor, writer, producer, director, and creator of such legendary sitcoms like All In The Family, Good Times, Sanford And Son, The Jeffersons, Maude, and many other sitcoms that defined and revolutionized American television. Norman Milton Lear was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Enie/Jeanette (Sokolovsky) and Hyman "Herman" Lear, a traveling salesman. His grandparents were all Russian Jewish immigrants. Jeanette was the inspiration for the character Edith Bunker, and Herman was the all-time inspiration to Norman creating the character Archie Bunker. Lear has often described his father as a "bigot" and someone who was into "get rich quick schemes." Norman was a victim of the depression and saw his family, as he has described it, go "belly-up". Norman was inspired by his press agent uncle Jack, who visited the family and always flipped Norman a quarter. Norman wanted to be the person who could flip someone a quarter. Lear at this time never really thought of becoming a big Hollywood writer. He won a one year-scholarship to Emerson College in a national high-school writing contest, and went off there with all tuition paid by the government for one year. Norman figured he had struck a gold-mine, and during the depression this was the only way he could get into college. Norman attended Emerson College but dropped out when news struck that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. At that point, Norman has stated, all chaos broke lose, and along with many others he decided to enroll in the United States Army. He was nineteen. In the army, Norman was a radio operator. He was discharged in 1945. Norman eventually landed a press agent job, paying forty dollars a week. Due to hard times, he was not being paid well and decided to pursue another career. In 1954, he was a writer for the CBS sitcom, Honestly, Celeste! This series was canceled after eight episodes. Lear then became the producer of NBC's The Martha Raye Show, after director Nat Hiken left the series. In 1959, Lear created his first television series, The Deputy, on the NBC network and starring Henry Fonda. Lear created this series alongside Roland Kibbee. The show ran for two successful seasons and ended in 1961. Lear then started his comedic writing career in 1967. He wrote and produced the 1967 film, Divorce American Style, and directed the film, Cold Turkey, starring Dick Van Dyke. All In The Family came about when Norman read a British column on a show called "Til Death Do Us Part", about a father and a son-in-law who fought constantly about everything politically. As soon as he read that, he immediately knew it was just like him and his father's relationship. Lear tried to sell a "blue" collar sitcom to the ABC network, and two pilots were filmed and rejected. A third pilot was filmed, and CBS picked up the show. It premiered on January 12,1971 to disappointing ratings. Each pilot being shot by different entertainers than the original. Only Caroll O' Connor and Jean Stapleton remained as the original cast, as different people played the brother-in-law and daughter. Lear put Sally Struthers and Rob Reiner in the sitcom only after being accepted by CBS. When it was aired on television for the first time, a big warning appeared on the screen stating none of the content being presented should be taken seriously and should only be seen for the purpose of hilarity. Norman stated that the sitcom became successful later on, because people knew Archie Bunker: to many people Archie Bunker was their own father. What came next for Norman was the successful sitcom Sanford And Son, along with creator Bud Yorkin, in 1972. This sitcom was inspired by British sitcom Steptoe and Son. Redd Foxx and Demond Wilson played the main roles. In All In The Family, a guest-star named Bea Arthur appeared in an episode and the first spin-off was formed from All In The Family called Maude in 1972, starring Arthur. Ratings soared through the roof, and much more quickly than All In The Family. A memorable episode from Maude which struck a degree of controversy was the abortion episode. A spin-off came from Maude called Good Times with the maid character played by Esther Rolle (Florida Evans). Good Times premiered in 1974, and dealt with controversial issues such as poverty, crime, and welfare, but most of all depicted life in a low-income housing area for African-Americans. It was created by Eric Monte and Mike Evans. This series featured entertainers John Amos, Ester Rolle, Bern Nadette Stanis, Jimmie Walker, Ralph Carter, Ja'net Dubois, and many others. It wasn't the only sitcom to depict life for African-Americans: what later followed in 1975 was The Jeffersons, another spin-off from All In The Family. Many people hadn't realized that African Americans could actually move away from the ghetto and become successful like George and Louise did. To many people across America it was seen as hilarious comedic genius; no other show ever called someone a "honky" or slammed doors in people's faces and still showed controversial issues to a large degree. In several episodes the show dealt with drugs, violence, and racism. The characters George and Louise Jefferson were created by Eric Monte. All In The Family received multiple Emmy awards. Good Times ran for five successful season and ended in 1979, with multiple Golden Globe nominations. Maude ran for six seasons, ending in 1978 and receiving multiple Emmy and Golden Globe wins and nominations. Sanford and Son ended in 1977 with a Golden Globe win and several Emmy nominations. All In The Family ended its long run in 1979, with nine successful seasons. What came next for Norman was a spin-off of the show called Archie Bunker's Place, with Caroll O'Connor and Danielle Brisebois. The show was especially memorable as Edith Bunker was killed off, due to Jean Stapleton wanting to leave the show to pursue her acting career further. Norman stated that killing off Edith Bunker was one of the toughest decisions he had to make throughout his entertainment career. Archie Bunker's Place ended in 1983, and was his last successful television show. Norman attempted to make a comeback in 1990 with several short-lived shows, including Sunday Dinner and 704 Hauser, which featured former co-star of Good Times, John Amos.

Olivia Osborne

Interdisciplinary Research Scientist/ Artist

Dr. Olivia Osborne is an interdisciplinary research scientist and artist with a forte in educational entertainment. She is a bold adventurer with a passion to spread virtue and knowledge across the globe. From guest lectures to undertaking terrestrial conservation work in the jungles of Honduras, her love for nature has made Olivia the dedicated environmental toxicologist that she is and an admirable advocate for environmental issues. Currently a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA at the multidisciplinary University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), she is working on the hazard assessment of nanoparticles in the environment for which her research has received widespread media attention. She obtained her BSc, Hons, Exon and PhD from the University of Exeter, United Kingdom; specializing in developmental biology and ecotoxicology. Aside from her science credentials, she is an acknowledged bio-artist known for her experimental techniques.

Robert Bilder

Dr. Bilder received a bachelors degree from Columbia College of Columbia University in Biology and Psychology (1978), and a Ph.D. in Psychology from City College, City University of New York, where he specialized in human neuropsychology (1984). He did his Internship in the Division of Neuropsychology, New York State Neurological Institute, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center (1982). Before joining UCLA in 2002, Dr. Bilder held a series of faculty appointments at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He served as Chief of Neuropsychology at Zucker Hillside Hospital of North Shore Long Island Jewish Medical Center from 1988 to 2002, and was Associate Director for Human Research at the Center for Advanced Brain Imaging at the Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research from 1996 to 2002. Dr. Bilder has been awarded diplomate status by the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology. Dr. Bilder is a Clinical Neuropsychologist who has been actively engaged for over 20 years in research on the neuroanatomic and neuropsychological bases of major mental illnesses. He has received many awards for his research contributions, served on diverse federal and international advisory boards, provided editorial service to many scholarly journals, and received multiple grants from the NIH, private foundations, and industry. His work has been presented in more than 100 publications and 300 scientific presentations

Sheva Rajaee

Psychotherapist

SHEVA RAJAEE, MFT, is a psychotherapist licensed in the State of California, and is currently working at the OCD Center of Los Angeles. Sheva specializes in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and other related anxiety disorders. She attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) for her undergraduate degree, and went on to receive her Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Southern California (USC). Sheva was trained in behavioral therapy at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, and worked in the Early Childhood Partial Hospitalization Program serving children with Autism before moving on to do research at the UCLA Social Stigma and Social Interaction laboratory under Dr. Jenessa Shapiro. Sheva sees clients domestically and internationally in over 20 different countries.

Thaddeus Bullard

Former Football Player/ WWE Superstar

A former football player for the University of Florida and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Thaddeus Bullard has become a fixture on WWE’s programming, including RAW and Smackdown, as WWE Superstar Titus O’Neil. Since his debut with WWE in 2012, O’Neil has made an impact both in and out of the ring as a business and family man, motivational speaker, youth counselor and coach. Bullard can often be found speaking to children in schools, visiting the elderly in assisted living facilities, and participating in a variety of charitable events in his community. In addition, he participates in WWE’s numerous community-giving platforms, including its Be a STAR anti-bullying campaign and initiatives to support literacy, the U.S. military, Special Olympics, and Susan G. Komen.

Tom Krieglstein

Speaker/ Writer

Tom Krieglstein is a speaker and writer on increasing student engagement and fostering student retention. He has worked with schools worldwide through his leadership program, Dance Floor Theory. As the founder of Swift Kick, Tom has dedicated his life to training campus leaders on how to create a culture of engagement where every student feels welcomed, connected and engaged. He also co-authored six student affairs books, including “First Year Student to First Year Success.” On a personal note, he once stopped traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge, was featured on the Tofurkey box, and was on the Oprah show, but then cut from the Oprah show.

Wendelin Slusser

Associate Vice Provost/ HS Clinical Professor

Dr. Wendy Slusser is Associate Vice Provost at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), for Chancellor Block’s Healthy Campus Initiative that was envisioned and is supported by Jane and Terry Semel; Dr. Slusser is also HS Clinical Professor of Pediatrics in the UCLA Schools of Medicine and Public Health, and Co-Founder and Academic Director of the UCLA Fit for Healthy Weight program. Dr. Slusser graduated Cum Laude from Princeton University, received her Medical Degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and her Masters Degree in Science from the Institute of Human Nutrition at Columbia University. She completed her internship and residency in Pediatrics at Babies Hospital, Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City. She joined the UCLA faculty in 1996 and since then has been a leader in community, school, clinic, and family based programs related to health promotion, infant and child nutrition and physical fitness.