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).

The Allen Memorial Medical Library
11000 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio, 44106
United States

Efstathios Karathanasis

Efstathios (Stathis) Karathanasis is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology at Case Western Reserve University School Medicine, where he serves as the Associate Chair of the School of Medicine component of the Biomedical Engineering Department. A native of Greece, Dr. Karathanasis graduated from Aristotle University with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering before coming to the University of Houston to complete his PhD. He completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he studied imaging nanoprobes and its use in molecular imaging to monitor cancer therapies. Dr. Karathanasis heads the Omega Laboratory for Cancer Nanotechnology, which specializes in using nanotechnology to develop therapeutics and imaging agents to treat some of the most harmful tumors.

Felipe Gomez del Campo

Felipe Gomez del Campo is an inventor, entrepreneur, and recent alum and current graduate student of Case Western Reserve University. He turned his high school science fair project in to a startup, FGC Plasma Solutions, which is working on a better fuel injector for jet engines. FGC Plasma's technology has the potential to save US airlines over $600 million per year. With funding from the Department of Energy, Felipe is currently working on his company at Argonne National Laboratory. In 2015, Felipe was honored by President Barack Obama for his entrepreneurial achievements, and was selected to be a panelist alongside Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, and Daymond John of the television series Shark Tank. In 2016, he was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the Energy category.

Glenn Starkman

Glenn Starkman is Professor of Physics and Astronomy as well as director of the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon graduating from Stanford University with a PhD in Physics, Dr. Starkman went on to complete his postdoctoral research at the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton and the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics. Throughout his career, he has helped write computer code used at the Large Hadron Collider, worked with NASA to develop instruments that are able to map planets outside our solar system, and authored upwards of 150 journal articles and papers. In 2003, he was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship. Dr. Starkman will talk about dark matter -- what it is, why we need it, and how we might find big chunks of it flying around the universe.

Nick Maccarone

Nick Maccarone is an actor, filmmaker, author, and speaker. Upon graduating Columbia University’s School of the Arts with a Masters in Fine Arts, he went on to appear on Scandal, Law and Order: SVU, Elementary, and Unforgettable. He has also created short films, many of which have been accepted to festivals all over the world. Since releasing his book, entitled To The Prospective Artist: Lessons From An Unknown Actor, Nick has been invited to speak at universities, conferences, and workshops all across the country.

Tres Roeder

Tres Roeder is a change agent. As both founder and president of Roeder Consulting and as a Shaker Heights City Councilman, he drives positive change in business, communities, and governments. Since graduating from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management with a Master’s degree in Business Administration, he has authored two Amazon best-sellers, A Sixth Sense for Project Management and Managing Project Stakeholders. As a consultant in project and change management, Mr. Roeder has worked with John Deere, Goodyear, Lowes, Avery Dennison, Chrysler, Vitamix, KeyBank, and other top brands.