Theme: (de)mystify

In an ever-changing world of technology, cryptocurrencies, evolving notions of human rights and equality, the limits of human understanding continue to grow. How do we take difficult or esoteric concepts, and make them clearer and easier to understand? The theme for the 2019 conference is (de)mystify, and that's what we aim to do at the next conference.

Mississauga Convention Centre
75 Derry Rd W
Mississauga, Ontario, L5W 1G3
Canada

Arlene Paculan

Arlene Paculan creates soulful pop with passion. The Filipino-Canadian’s recent successful album, “Home With You” has been embraced by many including CBC Radio 1, The Coast 89.7 (Glace Bay, NS), 105.9 The Region (Markham, ON) and 99.1 FM (Wallaceburg/Dresden, ON). Arlene was recently named the Best Pop Artist for the Mississauga Music Awards. She also received runner-up for NOW Toronto Magazine’s Best Songwriter for 2015 and she was in the Top 10 Regional Finals for CBC’s Searchlight Contest in the same year. Arlene has graced many stages across Toronto, including Nathan Phillips Square, Yonge & Dundas Square and Mississauga Celebration Square. In addition to her performances around the GTA, she has also performed in LA, NYC, Anaheim, across Canada, and adventured through her first European tour in the fall of 2015 playing in front of audiences in England, Scotland, Holland and France. In 2012, Arlene played at TD Toronto Jazz Festival and performed again in the 2015 season for the full length of the festival at Habits Gastropub. She has opened for Canadian songstress Jill Barber, as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebration and performed at the Beaches International Jazz Street Fest. Arlene is a graduate of the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts in Toronto and also studied piano through the Royal Conservatory of Music. Her debut EP album “I’m Worth It” was released under the production team, Kuya Productions.

Ashley Rubin

Professor Rubin received her PhD in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2013 and joined the University of Toronto in 2016. She teaches courses in crime and socio-legal studies and organizational theory. Her current research reexamines the dynamics of penal change, focusing on the introduction of new punishments in America and England from the seventeenth century through the early twentieth century. Her interdisciplinary research draws on neo-institutional theory, the law and society literature, and socio-historical studies of punishment. She has projects exploring the uses of penal incarceration before first state prisons, the rise and decline of the proto-prison and modern prison, and the effect of prison authorizations on existing punishments in the United States. Her research also examines the theoretical consequences of analyzing prisons as organizations, including recognizing the dynamics of the diffusion of penal innovations, the tension between organizational concerns and penal goals, and the professionalization efforts of early prison administrators. She is currently writing a monograph on Eastern State Penitentiary (opened in 1829 in Philadelphia, PA, USA) that explores the role of prison administrators in securing that historic prison’s rejection of field-wide norms despite intense criticism and pressures to the contrary. She has additional projects that focus on prisoners and their experience of and relationship to the prison regime; these projects focus on the causes and consequences of that behavior frequently described as resistance. Her research can be found in the Law & Society Review, Law & Social Inquiry, Punishment & Society, and Theoretical Criminology, among other outlets.

Craig Gibson

Craig Gibson has won eight awards in information security and a nomination for Fraud Examiner of the Year 2018. As a United Nations Delegate to China he presented research on 5G Telecommunications, IoT, 9-1-1, Public Safety, Payment Cards, the security of voice services, Call Center authentication (cost reduction), Criminal Code issues relating to fraud and unlawful interception of communications. Craig has spoken on national infrastructure security topics to diplomats visiting Canada, public safety officials, police executives, and military officials. Craig’s technology projects have involved more than four dozen countries and up to two dozen companies at once. Craig was a Chief Security Architect for multi-billion dollar projects and multi-trillion-dollar-plus financial portfolios. Craig has served on many Boards of Directors and was CEO of a security strategy company for 10 years. Craig’s research is in 5G and 5G Machine Learning (Security Orchestration), Telecom, Satellite, Banking and Money Laundering, and Privacy vs Surveillance. Craig is an advisor to governments, banks, telcos, and groups such as Europol and United Nations.

Ishwaria Chandrabala

Ishwaria is a dancer, singer, violinist and teacher in Mississauga.

Marwa Azab

Dr. Azab is an adjunct professor of psychology and human development at California State University, Long Beach. She studied psychology for many years and completed a Masters in Counseling from Adler University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of California. She has facilitated many groups such as anger management, stress management, interpersonal communication and many others. Her academic background allows her to decipher many conundrums. She has taught mental health professionals all over the United States, Canada and Singapore how to take advantage of brain science in therapy.

Michelle Hillier

Michelle Hillier’s decades of experience, education and talents for performing, teaching and leading have all merged to make her a sought after speaker and facilitator for any industry. She is passionate and on a mission to inspire people of all ages and abilities to move THEIR way! Michelle is also a published author in the educational sector, in a national textbook sharing her philosophy about dance and movement. Michelle holds a B.A. and B.Ed. and is currently on faculty at UOIT and Brock in the teacher education program and at York in the Dance AQ course for current educators. At times considered a “movement disrupter”, her customizable and unforgettable sessions, workshops and presentations are often called transformative, and the best part is that when you move with her, “You Can’t Get it Wrong!” Her track record delivering movement experiences through her unforgettable movement approach to extremely large and diverse pools of participants over two decades is incomparable. She facilitates success every time. This is Michelle’s personal mission. It is her personal gift and purpose: To I.N.S.P.I.R.E. others to experience growth and transformation as we MOVE through this journey we call life!

Nadia Hirani

Dr. Hirani is a mother, veterinarian and entrepreneur. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences, with honors at the University of Guelph and pursued her Bachelor of Veterinary Science at the University Of Sydney, Australia. Dr. Hirani worked in Australia for a short while prior to moving to the Greater Quinte Region where she worked in general and emergency practices. In 2015, her dreams came true as she opened the doors to a private practice, still running successfully. In 2017, through the Self Expression and Leadership program of Landmark, Dr. Hirani brought forth Pawz for Cause, a volunteer initiative supporting pet ownership amongst the homeless people of Toronto. Today, Dr. Hirani continues providing excellence in veterinary care through mobile preventative and palliative services and relief veterinary services as she continues reaching out to the homeless to support the immeasurable bond between them and their pets. It is her vision to ensure that every person who needs the love and support of a furry companion can do so without judgement, and without limitation by the cost of veterinary services.

Netra Unni Rajesh

Netra is an Engineering Science student at the University of Toronto with a specialization in Biomedical engineering. She obtained her first laboratory work term at the Sunnybrook Research Institute when she was just 16 years old. She pursued an internship at the National University of Singapore where she worked on developing a microfluidic device to test cancer patients’ response to radiotherapy. Netra is currently working at the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) where she is developing and engineering bioreactor devices for cancer vaccines. This fall, she will be taking a year off to work at MIT on a drug development project. Netra is an advocate for exposing young students to STEM and is thrilled to share her ideas at TEDxMississauga on better integrating hands-on STEM education into the school curriculum.

Ronit Wilk

Dr. Ronit Wilk is a senior Research Associate at the University of Toronto with a background in the fields of molecular genetics and cell biology with a focus in developmental biology.

Ruth Ross

Ruth Ross is engaged in research into the molecular pharmacology of the cannabinoids and related lipid signalling systems. Her research is directed both toward gaining insight into the deleterious effects of cannabis smoking, the potential for cannabis a medicine and the development of small molecules targeting G protein coupled receptors. Together with medicinal chemists she is engaged in the development of novel small molecule therapeutics for major diseases including chronic pain, addiction, cancer and diabetes.

Thea Kurdi

Thea Kurdi has over 15 years experience in universal design to architectural projects of varying size and complexity. She has also taught courses in universal design and sustainable design at the Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning. Thea is registered with Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES) and an affiliate member of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. She is also the host of the award-winning Accessibility Edge radio show, and a member of the RAIC’s Age-Friendly Housing Task Force. Thea has presented in conferences around the world including at the Canadian Home Builders Association's conference in 2010 about accessible housing, TRANSED 2012 in India, and as a panellist for the National Accessibility Summit.

Wali Shah

Wali Shah is a Canadian speaker, poet, musician and philanthropist. He has spoken most prominently on topics including bullying, mental health and social change, while creating spoken word poetry specifically tailored to his projects and engagements. In 2014, he was named by Plan Canada as one of Canada's "Top 20 Under 20". He currently serves as the Poet Laureate for the City of Mississauga.