Theme: Solve for X

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).

WHSCAB Auditorium, Emory University
1440 Clifton Road
Atlanta, Georgia, 30322
United States

Alison Alkon

Sociology Professor at University of Pacific

I approach teaching with the assumption that students' situated knowledges are valuable material through which we can understand sociological ideas. In the tradition of C. Wright Mills' The Sociological Imagination, I encourage students to delve into the "public issues" that have shaped their "private troubles." My courses emphasize student-centered learning, and require active participation. To this end, I use a variety of strategies including small groups, activities, projects, current events and the deconstruction of popular media. Students may find this approach more demanding than a traditional lecture model, but are rewarded with strengthened reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, I hope students emerge from my classes with a thoughtful, engaged and articulate perspective on current affairs and social interaction.

Bhargav Annigeri

Student

Bhargav Annigeri is a first-year student at Emory University’s Oxford College. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where his childhood was largely shaped by his parents' passion for their musical roots in India. He and his sister both received classical training in Hindustani styles of music. His musical outlook only grew outwardly from these experiences and from his burgeoning interests in American genres, particularly hip-hop. Bhargav was particularly taken with the fusion of multiple cultures and ideas that modern musical experimentation allows for. An amateur musician himself with a particular interest in sampling, he intends to maintain his musical inclinations, no matter the outcome.

David Hu

Professor of Fluid Mechanics at Georgia Tech

Dr. David Hu is a mechanical engineer who studies the interactions of animals with water. His team has discovered how dogs shake dry, how insects walk on water, and how eyelashes protect the eyes from drying. Originally from Rockville, Maryland, he earned degrees in mathematics and mechanical engineering from M.I.T., and is now Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Biology and Adjunct Professor of Physics at Georgia Tech. He is a recipient of the National Science Foundation CAREER award for young scientists, the Ig Nobel Prize in Physics, and the Pineapple Science Prize (the Ig Nobel of China). He serves on the editorial board of Nature Scientific Reports and The Journal of Experimental Biology. His work has been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, Saturday Night Live, and Highlights for Children. He has defended basic research in a Scientific American article, Confessions of a Wasteful Scientist.

Gerald Griggs

Lawyer and Activist

Attorney Griggs is the Founder of Gerald A. Griggs LLC. Further, Attorney Gerald A. Griggs as been practicing law in the State of Georgia for 12 years. Attorney Griggs has been handling High Profile Cases and is deeply invested in protecting the rights of the community.

Joel Zivot

Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Surgery

Dr. Joel B. Zivot is the Fellowship Director in Critical Care Medicine. Trained and practiced in the US and Canada, his clinical expertise and research are broad and include care of critically ill patients in the OR and ICU, education and scholarly work in bioethics, the anthropology of conflict resolution, pharmaco-economics, and a variety of topics related to anesthesiology/critical care monitoring and practice.

Jonathan Burdette

Professor of Radiology, Wake Forest

Dr. Jonathan Burdette is a Professor of Neuroradiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, where he is the Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Radiology. Following graduation with a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, he received his MD degree from The University of Tennessee College of Medicine and did his radiology residency at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His neuroradiology fellowship was at Wake Forest University where he has been ever since. He has published 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts. His current research focuses on using advanced MR imaging techniques to study the brain as a complex network. He is a founding member of the Laboratory for Complex Brain Networks, an interdisciplinary group of scientists dedicated to using functional MRI to study the brain using network theory approaches. The LCBN studies how exercise, nutritional habits, beet root juice, and meditation affect the functioning brain in the elderly.

Joseph Crespino

Jimmy Carter Professor of History, Emory University

Dr. Joseph Crespino is the Jimmy Carter Professor of American History at Emory University. His writings have appeared in a variety of scholarly as well as popular venues, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and Politico. His third book, Atticus Finch: The Biography, will be published by Basic Books in May 2018.

Laura Briggs

Student

Laura Briggs is a Kentuckian, a dancing scientist, and the proud parent of a lizard named Ada Lovelace. They are a junior at Emory University, pursuing a dual degree in Chemistry and Dance & Movement Studies. Laura is the founder and student liaison of the Emory Women in STEM House, a member of the Emory Dance Company, and an LGBTQ+ advocate. They are also an undergraduate researcher studying the chemistry of plant diseases. In their free time, Laura enjoys complaining about how busy they are. They are thrilled to be speaking today about breaking down the societal norm of women’s body hair removal.

Margaret Edson

Teacher and Playwright

Margaret Edson was born in Washington, DC in 1961. She earned degrees in history and literature, and she has been a public schoolteacher since 1992. Her play Wit won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1999. The play has received hundreds of productions in dozens of languages, and the HBO version won the Emmy Award for best film in 2001. She lives with her family in Atlanta and teaches sixth-grade social studies at Inman Middle School.

Molly Welch

Activist

Molly Welch was born in Chicago, Illinois and lived in Alabama and Texas before settling in Alpharetta, Georgia. She attended Milton High School. Never a fan of science or math, Molly chose to pursue journalism at Auburn University. As a junior, while driving home on I-85, Molly drove across the median and collided head-on with a pick-up truck. She sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury. That day transformed the course of her life and led her to her current work as a motivational speaker and advocate for ending distracted driving.

Neil Shea

Photographer

Neil Shea is an award-winning journalist who regularly writes for National Geographic. He is a contributing editor with The American Scholar and The Virginia Quarterly Review, and a pioneer in social media storytelling on Instagram. Neil also works in film and television, where he has written and produced documentaries for PBS, National Geographic, and other clients. He’s currently working on several projects for National Geographic, including a four-part television series on wolves and stories about cultural change and militarization in the high Arctic.

Tomer Zvulun

General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera

General and Artistic Director of The Atlanta Opera since 2013, Israeli born Tomer Zvulun is also one of leading stage director of his generation, earning consistent praise for his creative vision and innovative interpretations. His work has been presented by prestigious opera houses in Europe, South and Central America, Israel and the US, including The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Dallas, San Diego, Boston, Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Wexford, Buenos Aires, Tel Aviv, and Wolf Trap as well as leading educational institutes and universities such as The Juilliard School, Indiana University, Boston University.

Yu Kai Lin

Owner and Director of Kai Lin Art

Yu-Kai has worked with curators, developers, architects, and designers to collect art. He’s collaborated with teams to curate exhibitions and build collections to organizations including The High Museum of Art, The Hunter Museum of Art, The Dixon Museum and Gardens, Whole Foods Market, Coca-Cola, W Hotels, Atlanta Botanical Garden, FOX Broadcasting Company, Atlanta Hawks, SAS Institute, Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Emory University, Oglethorpe University, The Savannah College of Art and Design, Turner Broadcasting System, Terminus, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, WXIA-TV/NBC, BET Network, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, Design Within Reach, Loews Hotel, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Troutman Sanders, Kennesaw State University, King and Spalding as well private collectors.