Theme: Creative Chaos

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).

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
500 S Goodwin Ave
Urbana, Illinois, 61801
United States

D.J. Podgorny

DJ Podgorny Doug Podgorny Jr. (DJ) is an alumni of the Univeristy of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Having studied Mechanical Engineer during his time here and having interned at several consulting companies, DJ decided to move to the Silicon Valley full-time to become a business analyst at eBay. There was just one problem: how was he to move his entire life, all of his belongings, halfway across the country? Through much introspection, DJ threw away most of his belongings, and ultimately decided to take minimalism to a new level and live in a van instead of a cozy apartment of house. Through his experiment with living life to the simplest, DJ is looking forward to sharing what he has learned, including how adopting a minimalistic lifestyle may be one of the greatest decisions he ever made.

Elise Kramer

Elise Kramer is a visiting professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She examines the use of humor in language and applies theories of humor, or why we find things funny, to her own research. Elise has produced scholarly literature regarding the use of humor and its context in American culture, and teaches her students to understand the role of humor in culture and daily life. Students describe Elise as a fun professor who makes you never watch SNL or stand-up comedy the same way ever again!

Hillary Schwarb

Dr. Hillary Schwarb's passion lies amidst exploring the many curiosities of the human mind. Hillary received a Ph.D. in cognitive and brain sciences from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012. Her current word revolves around the use of behavioral, neuroimaging, and eye tracking methods to better investigatethe neurocognitive relationships between memory systems and executive function. By delving further into topics such as memory and amnesia, Dr. Schwarb continues to inspire, educate, and innovate

Joey Kim

Joey Kim is a venture capitalist at Romulus Capital, an early-stage VC firm in Boston. He's worked with CEOs, CFOs, and SVPs on salesforce transformation, monetization strategies, and talent acquisition strategies at corporations, tech companies, and hedge funds while at McKinsey & Co. Most recently, he worked for the Governor of Missouri to help assemble the Governor's cabinet. His entrepreneurial spark started at Harvard when he joined a pilot accelerator run by Harvard Innovation Lab, IDEO, and Fidelity where he created a B2B data visualization tool in the 401K space.

Justine Musk

Justine Musk is a mother, Silicon Valley insider and author to contemporary fantasy novels such as "BloodAngel" and "Lord of Bones". As the former wife of billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, she provides unique, first-hand insights into what it takes to become a titan of industry. An inspiration to any young entrepreneur, Justine breaks down the ingredients of what it takes to change the world and take on extraordinary challenges.

Rob High

Rob High has focused his career on bringing to life Watson, IBM's visionary artificial intelligence system. Watson has transformed the way computers think and function, from beating chess world champions to creating its own music. Rob has truly earned the title as a transformative leader in computer intelligence. Through innovating today's most cutting edge technology, he has inspired younger generations with his insights into what a brighter future can look like.

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell is an artistic genius. Scott started out his career with his battles with ADD, over time his disorder turned into his gift. From tattooing biker gangs for free to becoming the world's most expensive tattoo artist, Scott Campbell highlights his story of rags to riches. From taking advantage of creative freedom to tattooing A-listers, Mr. Campbell delivers an inspirational story that is sure to touch the hearts of his audience.

Tushar Mishra

Tushar Mishra is a third-year student at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a copywriter, tutor, retail associate, legal advocate, and chronic procrastinator. As a student, he struggled throughout his academic career before college, leaving the United States after having failed nearly all his classes. Tushar was presented with the opportunity to move to India, beginning a cross-continental journey through which he learned to navigate the challenges of mental health, academic performance, and personal worth and well-being. Throughout this process, he has learned the value in embracing life’s inherent chaos, and finding the balance that allows one to excel, a message he hopes to share with his audience at TEDxUIUC this year.

William Patterson

Dr. William Patterson brings to light the potential hip hop culture can birth to creativity through his work on the Ghetto Genius Paradigm. By focusing on indigenous community organizations, he illustrates how different disciplines of learning can be taught and learned through a cultural perspective. Patterson thus aims to introduce a new form of education that will provoke a refreshing train of thought for his audience. His courses are Hip Hop Informatics, LIS 390, and Decoding Dr. Dre, TEC 398.