Theme: Translation to Transformation

Washington, DC – TEDxLeDroitPark 2019, is in its inaugural year as a community engagement Capstone event, which will take place on February 27, 2019, 6:00 p.m. in Cramton Auditorium (Doors open at 5:30). Attendees will embark on an imaginative mental journey of self- transformation through the enlightenment of information from diverse talks, perspectives and live performances. The program will spur conversations and dialogue about diverse subjects. Free to the public, it offers the opportunity for all to come and participate in this interpersonal experience in the historical community of LeDroit Park in Washington, DC, a neighborhood, rich in its cultural diversity.
Centered on, “ideas worth spreading,” the theme, “Translation to Transformation" will be explored through live and recorded presentations on an incredible range of science in society topics (including precision medicine, astronomy and climate), bubbles, the arts, higher education and spirituality. Other highlights include the performing arts of music, song, dance and the spoken word. Speakers include: Dr. John Carpten of the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, a leading scientist in the field of precision medicine; Dr. Jarita Holbrook, an astronomer, anthropologist, educator and filmmaker, and Dr. James Marshall Shepherd of the University of Georgia, a meteorologist, educator and science advocate. Dr. Gary L. Harris, Director of the Howard Nanoscale Science and Engineering Facility will have an excerpt presented from his TEDxHowardUniversity 2015 talk. Additionally, entertainment will be provided by the Howard University Andrew Rankin Chapel Choir, the Spirit Wing Dance Company, poet CeLillianne Green, JD, MC Professor Lyrical and Hip-Hop artist Dr. Peter Plourde, the Archbishop Carroll High School Concert Choir and C4 Performing Arts, under the direction of Stacey Yvonne Claytor.
TEDxLeDroitPark is sponsored by the Whole Genome Science Foundation, Inc., in partnership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER) program. Ethan Arnheim, President, LeDroit Park Civic Association, said, “This is a wonderful opportunity for positive exposure and a chance to come together to experience local, national and global perspectives in our community.”

TED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where technology, entertainment and design converged. Today, topics range from science to business to global issues in more than 100 languages. Independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world. The organization passionately believes in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.

To register for the event please go to the following link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxledroitpark-2019-tickets-54756485121

Cramton Auditorium
2455-6th-St. NW
Washington, District of Columbia, 20059
United States

Archbishop Carroll Concert Choir Archbishop Carroll Concert Choir

High School Choir

Archbishop Carroll High School Concert Choir The Archbishop Carroll High School Concert Choir has been a huge part of the Carroll spirit and pride for many years and is a hallmark of the Carroll community. This phenomenal choir has been led by Director, Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair, Ms. Stacey Yvonne Claytor for the past 4 years. Ms. Claytor and the incredibly dedicated members of this choir have not only upheld Carroll's long-standing legacy of excellence in choral music, but have soared to even higher heights. The Choir is honored to have performed at political events, scholarship functions, numerous churches and places of worship, schools and concerts in the DC Metropolitan Area. In addition, the Choir participated in a music video with a local rap artist and has been honored to sing for the Youth Rally for Life that is live-streamed, world-wide for the last 2 years. They have received numerous awards and accolades.

Archbishop Carroll High School C4 Performing Company

The Archbishop Carroll High School Concert Choir has been a huge part of the Carroll spirit and pride for many years and is a hallmark of the Carroll community. This phenomenal choir has been led by Director, Fine and Performing Arts Department Chair, Ms. Stacey Yvonne Claytor for the past 4 years. Ms. Claytor and the incredibly dedicated members of this choir have not only upheld Carroll’s long-standing legacy of excellence in choral music but have soared to even higher heights. The Choir is honored to have performed at political events, scholarship functions, numerous churches and places of worship, schools, and concerts in the DC Metropolitan Area. In addition, the Choir participated in a music video with a local rap artist and has been honored to sing for the Youth Rally for Life that is live-streamed, worldwide for the last 2 years. They have received numerous awards and accolades. C4 Performing Arts, located in Fairfax, VA, offers classes in performing arts to individuals from all walks of life, encouraging them to find their inner artist.

CeLillianne Green

Attorney and Poet

CeLillianne Green is a lawyer, poet, teacher, mediator, playwright, and speaker. In 2001, she wrote her first poem, Because I Love You. She shared it in 2003, with no expectation of writing another poem. In the fall and winter of 2005-2006, she literally went from one to more than 100 poems. The most significant work during that time was the epic poem, That Word which was published in 2010, and selected in 2015 by DC Black Theatre Festival for a Staged Reading. The cultural observations in Ms. Green’s commissioned and personal work are about life, love, spirituality, relationships, history, and politics. Her work has aired on radio, TV, and been quoted in newspapers. She has also been recognized as a Social Justice Thought Leader by the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at The Ohio State University, for her poem, Lifted which was included in its 2009 publication, “Obama Reflections: From Election Day to Presidency.”

J. Marshall Shepherd

Director, Atmospheric Sciences and Associate Head - University of Georgia

Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd is Director of the University of Georgia’s (UGA) Atmospheric Sciences Program and professor in the Department of Geography. He is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences. Dr. Shepherd is a leading international expert in weather and climate. Dr. Shepherd was the 2013 President of the American Meteorological Society (AMS); only the second African American to hold this post. Prior to UGA, Dr. Shepherd spent 12 years as a research meteorologist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and was deputy project scientist for the Global Precipitation Measurement mission, a multi-national space mission that launched in 2014. President Bush honored Dr. Shepherd in 2004 at the White House with the Presidential Early Career Award for pioneering scientific research in weather and climate science.

Jarita Holbrook

Associate Professor, University of Western Cape

Dr. Holbrook is an American astronomer and associate professor of physics at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) where she is principal investigator of the Astronomy & Society group. She is an expert on African Indigenous Astronomy and the principal investigator of the Astronomy & Society group at UWC. She received her PhD in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she investigated star formation efficiency in the infrared focusing on Orion BN-kl and GL 2136.

John Carpten

Professor and Chair, Translational Genomics| Director, Institute of Translational Genomics

Dr. Carpten is an internationally recognized expert of genome science and possess unique training in multiple disciplines including germline genetics for disease risk and predisposition, somatic cancer genomics, health disparities research, cell biology, functional genomics, and precision medicine. He earned his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University with a focus on human genetics and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Cancer Genetics at the National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda.

Ned Lewis Howard University Rankin Memorial Chapel Choir

Choir Director

Ned Lewis has been the director of the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel Choir at Howard University for 12 years.

Peter Plourde

Associate Professor, Department of Math, University of the District of Columbia

“Professor Lyrical” is an artist and educator known for utilizing Hip Hop culture to empower citizens to self-advocate for socioeconomic change. A critically acclaimed and award winning emcee, lyricist, and poet, Professor Lyrical—AKA Dr. Peter Michael Plourde—has been a virtual case study for effectively blending the worlds of academia and Hip Hop. Chuck D of Public Enemy calls Professor Lyrical a "RAPademic reacher" and has publicly endorsed his "book and wonderful cd [Put Em All To Shame]." Lyrical's 2014 Tedx Talk, “The Transformative Power of Hip Hop” argues that colleges and universities ought to be more cognizant of the power of Hip Hop culture as a tool to help increase the numbers of diverse graduates across STEAM disciplines. L

Spirit Wings Dance Company Spirit Wings Dance Company

Dr. Sandy Mitchell is the Director of Spirit Wings Dance Company

ABOUT THE COMPANY Spirit Wings Dance Company & Studio, is a firm believer in setting the standard of excellence - academically, artistically and spiritually. At Spirit Wings, our heart is to minister to the life of the individual behind their natural gifting or desire as a dancer. With the word of God and submission to His heart for the arts, we have produced vessels of honor with fruit that remains. Spirit Wings Dance Company was birthed in 1981 and is appointed to reach God's creation with a message of love, hope, peace, joy & healing. The Company has ministered throughout the United States and abroad with renowned artist such as Israel & New Breed, CeCe Winans, Angie & Debbie Winans, Angelo and Veronica, Phil Driscoll, Glad, Jessy Dixon, Fred Hammond, Ron Kenoly (The Perfect Gift Tour), Salvador, Daryl Coley, John P. Kee and many others.