Theme: Beyond The Disarray

TEDxConnecticut College presents: "Beyond The Disarray"

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxConnecticutCollege, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDx ConnecticutCollege event, Connecticut College students, faculty, staff, and outside professionals will come together to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.

EVANS HALL
Connecticut College
New London, Connecticut, 06320
United States

Ali Plucinski

Student & Russian Specialist

Her name is Aleksandra Plucinski but most just call her Ali Plu. Ali is a senior from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She is a government major and a Slavic studies minor as well as a CISLA scholar. On campus, she works in the Admission office and the athletic center. Next year, Ali plans to enroll in the Middlebury Institute of International Studies to get a Master’s Degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies with a concentration in Russian

Chris George

Executive Director of IRIS, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services

Since 2005, Chris George has been the Executive Director of IRIS, Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services, Connecticut's largest refugee resettlement agency. Based in New Haven and working with community groups all over the state, IRIS has welcomed more than 1,500 refugees since 2016. Prior to 2005, Chris spent 25 years living in, or working on, the Middle East; including 12 years in Palestine. Chris began his international career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Muscat, Oman.

Derek Turner

Professor of Philosophy & Associate Director of the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment

Derek D. Turner is Professor of Philosophy at Connecticut College, where he also serves as Associate Director of the Goodwin-Niering Center for the Environment. He is the author of three books: Making Prehistory: Historical Science and the Scientific Realism Debate (2007), Paleontology: A Philosophical Introduction (2011), and Paleoaesthetics and the Practice of Paleontology (2019). He teaches a variety of courses in philosophy of science, environmental philosophy, and logic.

Emir Küllük

Student

Emir Kulluk is an international student from Istanbul, Turkey. He is a junior at Connecticut College. He has a double major in Film and Philosophy and a CISLA Scholar. Throughout his time at Connecticut College, Emir has been trying to learn how the individual functions in society and how this is expressed through different mediums such as academic articles, poetry, creative writing and cinema.

Guillermo Rincon

Student

Guillermo Rincon is a senior-student athlete from Caceres, Spain, majoring in International Relations at Connecticut College. He is deeply passionate about personal growth, coaching, and the human psyche. According to Tony Robbins, all of us have 6 essential needs and every single decision we make in our lives fulfills at least one of these needs. He invites you to come and find out what these are and your top two needs that are guiding your life.

Joshua Spodek

Author, Podcast Host, and Professor

Joshua is a bestselling author of Initiative and Leadership Step by Step, host of the award-winning Leadership and the Environment podcast, and NYU leadership professor. He holds an MBA, an astrophysics PhD, and studied under a Nobel Laureate. He visited North Korea twice, swam across the Hudson River, has done burpees daily since 2011 (145,000 and counting), takes 16 months to produce one load of garbage, and hasn’t flown (by choice) since March 2016.

Maria Miranda

Creative Director and Founder of Miranda Creative

At 19, Maria was in a life-altering accident with a drunk driver and forced to leave college for a series of facial surgeries. A few months later, she witnessed the death of her beloved brother to epilepsy and alcohol. In light of these tragic events, Maria did what any good Irish/Cuban Catholic girl would do — she eloped, weeks before her 20th birthday. Defying most predictions, and even more odds, Maria went on to complete her degrees and to become an entrepreneur at 23. Three decades+ later, she is the Creative Director of a team of 15 brand managers through her award-winning firm, Miranda Creative. Her leadership style is as untraditional as her path to entrepreneurship. When not directing the brand fulfillment needs of 150 clients from Maine to Florida, Maria is an adjunct faculty member of the Connecticut Community College System and an advocate for plus-size health and fashion. She made her inaugural runway walk during NYC Fashion Week 2018, at the age of 53.

Michael Murphy

Perceptual Art

Michael Murphy gained notoriety when he created the first fine art portraits of Barack Obama during his 2007 campaign for the presidency. His work has been featured in numerous publications including TIME Magazine and New York Magazine and can be seen in numerous permanent installations around the world. His client list includes some of the largest brands in the world including Google, Nike, The Jordan Brand, LG, Lexus, Subaru, The Big Ten Network, ESPN, Disney, and the Atlanta Hawks to name a few. He refers to his work as Perceptual Art due to its emphasis on the viewers’ perception.

Mónika López-Anuarbe

Professor of Economics

Mónika López-Anuarbe is an Associate Professor of Economics at Connecticut College and an inequality health economist specializing in the economics of aging and caregiving, health disparities, vulnerable populations, intergenerational transfers, strategic behavior and game theory.

Moustafa Sabra

Student

Moustafa Sabra is an ambitious, curious, determined engineering student at Connecticut College perusing a degree in Physics and Computer Science with a great personal interest in mechanical engineering, mechatronics, and entrepreneurship. With a unique experience in multiple fields of science, he never misses an opportunity to create and innovate. He is currently seeking new ways to innovate, create and bring change to the world.