Theme: Against the Grain

Introducing our 2018 theme, Against the Grain. TEDxNorthwesternU 2018 is all about individuals who have defied expectations and contradicted the standard narrative. How people have charted their own path and innovated in unprecedented ways - these aspects of challenging the norm will be brought to the stage at Against the Grain.

Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall
70 Arts Circle Drive
Evanston, Illinois, 60201
United States

Angela Walker

Gender Based Violence Attorney

Angela Walker is an international attorney, organizer, and writer whose mission is to combat sexual violence by inspiring more women to pursue international human rights law. Throughout her international law career, she has facilitated conflict resolution workshops in the aftermath of the genocide in Cambodia and has clerked at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. These experiences have led her to represent survivors of sexual violence in the context of armed conflict.

Hermilo Hinojosa

STEM Educator and Activist

Hermilo Hinojosa is Vice President of Youth Development at Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago, a network of 23 clubs serving 18,000 youths each year. For over a century, Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago had had one mission: to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential. Prior to joining the city-wide club support team, Milo was Club Director of the TrueValue Boys & Girls Club in Little Village, one of the BGCC sites which hosts Science Club.

Jonathan Holloway

Northwestern University Provost

Jonathan Holloway is the new Provost of Northwestern University. Before moving to Northwestern, he was the first African-American Dean of Yale College as well as a Professor of African American Studies, History, and American Studies at Yale University. With a specialization in post-emancipation United States History with a focus on social and intellectual history, he has done extensive research regarding the educational experience of students of color.

Kathryn Bernell

Food Conservation Entrepreneur

Kathryn is a second-year student in the MMM program, a dual MBA and MS degree focused on exploring the intersection of business, technology, and design innovation at the Kellogg School of Management. She is passionate about putting an end to the dangerous cycle of food waste and is the founder of reBLEND, a food startup that provides frozen smoothie cubes crafted with cosmetically “imperfect” fruits and vegetables.

Kristian Hammond

Artificial Intelligence Philosopher

Kristian is a professor of computer science and journalism at Northwestern University. Previously, Kris founded the University of Chicago’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. His research has been primarily focused on artificial intelligence, machine-generated content, and context-driven information systems.

Michael Kennedy

STEM Education Innovator

Michael is a Professor of Neurobiology and the founding Director of Science in Society, Northwestern’s research center dedicated to science education and public engagement. His research-based community programs like the award-winning Science Club are powerful learning opportunities that provide an increased and robust STEM pipeline for Chicago’s traditionally underserved neighborhoods.

Rahel Mwitula Williams

Fashion Philanthropist

Rahel Williams is the founder of ILAVA, a socially responsible lifestyle brand that uses fashion to empower African women. Her goal is to make Africa a manufacturing hub, promote corporate social responsibility during the growing stages of the business, and to prove that African women can be philanthropists.

Raj Sachdev

Smart Home Researcher

Raj Sachdev is a former instructor at Stanford, a guest speaker at Oxford and Cambridge Universities, and a value-based marketing research specialist. He challenges not only the public perception but those of the inventors working on smart home products today. He is passionate about making smart home technologies more cost-effective, technically feasible, and inspiring.

Zachary Damato

Urban Agriculture Entrepreneur

Zachary Damato is one of the founding members of Urban Rivers, a Chicago-based nonprofit working to bring back native wildlife to urban communities by installing floating gardens and implementing environmental innovation and experimental ecological design. He and his team have taken a 5 x 10 floating garden to a 1650 square foot install and are preparing to turn a stretch of the Chicago River into a mile-long river park.