Theme: Reality, Expanded

This intimate TEDx Event will happen in Alden Memorial at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The theme is meant to inspire speakers and the audience alike, to look at the world through a new lens, further expanding our horizons and reminding each other of the personal growth that comes with being open to new ideas.

Tickets are now available, at 3$ for WPI Students and Faculty, and 8$ for the General Public. Get yours now by clicking the "Attend this event" button!

Alden Memorial
100 Institute Road - WPI
Worcester, Massachusetts, 01609
United States

Che Anderson

Promoter of Public Art and Urban Renewal

Che is a Project Meneger in the Office of the City Manager in Worcester, where he focuses on special events initiatives and cultural equity. Originally from New York City, the alumnus of the College of the Holy Cross formed a deep bond with Worcester and chose to stay here after graduation, serving in a variety of volunteer roles and on committees. An avid lover of street art, Che has led efforts to increase Worcester's public art, most notably serving as founding Director of POW! WOW! Worcester, a festival-style event that brings internationally acclaimed artists to the City of Worcester in an effort to activate underused spaces and beautify Worcester. Che seeks to do his part helping Worcester stake its claim as the creative core of New England.

Gold Star Boulevard Band

Rock Band

Gold Star Boulevard is a band composed of students of Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Laurie Leshin

Geochemist, Space Scientist

Dr. Laurie Leshin is the 16th President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and the first female president in the Institution's 150-year history. At WPI, she is focused on elevating the impact of WPI as a "technological university with a human heart and global reach", believing passionately that the way WPI approaches STEM learning and discovery is the way it should be approached. She earned her B.S in Chemistry from Arizona State University, her M.S. and Ph.D. in Geochemistry from the California Institute of Technology. Among other positions, she was the Deputy Center Director for Science & Technology at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where she oversaw science activities, and was part of the team that sent the Curiosity rover to Mars in order to find more about Martian climate and geology, specifically the existence of current or past favorable environmental conditions for microbial life.

Martin Gohary

Pianist + Composer

Martin is a pianist and composer born and raised in Worcester, MA. In the summer of 2017 Martin was awarded a Lincoln Center Education Fellowship for his work as a Music Educator in the Worcester Public Schools. He is an active musician in the NYC and LA jazz scenes. Martin's music draws from his Persian heritage mixed with the rhythms of South America.

Matthias Waschek

Art Historian Specializing in French Colonialism Art

Waschek joined the Worcester Art Museum in 2011 as its director. German born, he earned his Ph.D. from Bonn University, working on French art in the age of Colonialism. He has published extensively in the areas of French art nouveau and the history of art. His curatorial experience spans from old masters to contemporary art. Before the WAM, Waschek has worked at the Pulitzer Art Foundation in Saint Louis, MO, and in the Louvre Museum in Paris, where he was responsible for all international lecture series and symposia.

Negar (Nikki) Amini

Pharmaceutical Doctorate Candidate

Nikki Amini is a Pharm D. Candidate at MCPHS, with some great stories to tell! She is originally from Iran, but moved to Canada at the age of 19, and eventually to the US for her doctorate.

Roberta (Bobbi) Wegner

Clinical Health Psychologist

Bobbi is a clinical health psychologist who specializes in stress management, and maintaining the 'self' as a parent. She teaches at Harvard Graduate School of Education in Child Advocacy, Group counseling, and Cross-Cultural Counseling. She blogs for Psychology Today, writes for Thrive Global, and is an 'Expert' as she puts it, on NBC News' Parenting website. She has also been published on large mainstream sites

Ryan McHale

Middle School Educator and Host of an Education-Based Podcast

Ryan is an educator, doctoral candidate, and host of the education-based podcast, Pondering Education. He believes all children are capable of achieving academic and social growth in any school. However, we must begin to focus on the character traits that cannot be measured by standardized test scores in we hope to set our students up for 21st century Success. Ryan currently lives in Milford, Massachusetts with his wife and two children.

Sriranjani (Sri) Kalimani

Veena Player

Sri is a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), and plays the Indian Classical instrument, 'Veena'. This genre is called 'Carnatic Music' and Sri has been playing Carnatic for over six years. She has performed in several places across Southern India and writes about the Veena in her blog, 'Veena In Me'. Veena In Me talks about technicalities of playing the Veena and provides insight into Carnatic music. The Veena is a large, beautiful plucked string instrument with various mythological stories of its origin. It has evolved in design and playing style, but has remained true to its roots of the traditional Indian Classical genre.

The Car Ride Home Band

Rock Band