Theme: Breakthrough

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).

Mitchell Hall
The Green
Newark, Delaware, 19716
United States

Andrea Everard

Professor

Andrea Everard is a Professor of Management Information Systems at the University of Delaware and also serves as the Director of the Business Analytics and Information Management graduate program and as the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs in the Lerner College of Business. She primarily teaches IT Leadership and Strategic Management Information Systems and conducts research in Human-Computer Interaction and Cross-Cultural and Gender Issues in Information Systems. Born in Kenya to a British father and an Austrian mother, she was raised in Montreal, Canada and moved to the US in 1999. She considers herself a citizen of the world and enjoys meeting and getting to know people from different nations.

Felicia Henry

Ph.D. Student

Felicia A. Henry is a Ph.D. Student in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at the University of Delaware. Her research interests include race, ethnicity, gender, criminal justice/mass incarceration, and social vulnerability in disasters. A Licensed Social Worker (LMSW), Felicia received her Master of Social Work degree from the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Felicia is a Bill Anderson Fund Fellow and Recipient of the Unidel Award in Sociology & Criminal Justice and the University Unidel Distinguished Graduate Scholar Award. Felicia is the founder of Behind the Walls, Between the Lines (BTWBTL), a movement to deepen the awareness of the legacy of racial inequity in America, particularly within the criminal legal system, and inspire activism aimed at its dismantlement.

Heidi Fliegelman

Teacher

Heidi Fliegelman is a 22 year-old educator and theatre artist, currently teaching English at George Read Middle School in Delaware. Originally from Pennsylvania, she graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Delaware in 2021 with a B.A. in English Education and a Minor in Theatre Studies. Having nearly half of her undergraduate career —and all of her student teaching— severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Heidi was inspired to further explore the concept of positive classroom connections, and how they can be genuinely fostered, no matter the environment. After being involved all around UD’s campus for the past four years, she is thrilled to be returning to speak as an alumni for this event! Heidi would like to thank her incredible students (virtual and in-person!) and fellow ELA teachers at AI duPont High School and George Read Middle School, the UDXEE faculty and 2021 cohort, and all of her other past educators for always being her guiding lights.

Jocelyn Alcántara-García

Associate Professor

Dr. Jocelyn Alcántara-García is a chemist working for cultural heritage who studied conservation at the “Escuela Nacional de Conservación, Restauración y Museografía” (ENCRyM), and earned her BS and PhD in chemistry from the “Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México” (UNAM). Having conducted research in her native Mexico, Spain, and the Czech Republic, she finished her Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University just before joining the Dept. of Art Conservation at the University of Delaware, where she is a conservation scientist and an associate professor. With her quirky sense of humor and appreciation for the beauty in everything, she strives to encourage all audiences to see that science is everywhere.

Max Dolinsky

Assistant Professor

Max Dolinsky is an Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of Delaware. He enjoys teaching corporate finance and investments, and passionately serves his students by striving to be their mentor, life coach, and role model. Max also offers career guidance and encourages the development of soft skills (e.g., networking, communication, Emotional Intelligence).

Qingwu Meng

Assistant Professor

Dr. Qingwu (William) Meng is an Assistant Professor of Controlled-Environment Horticulture in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Delaware. He holds master’s and doctoral degrees in Horticulture from Michigan State University. In the Delaware Indoor Ag Lab (DIAL), his team conducts environmental plant physiology research to improve efficiency and value of specialty crop production in controlled environments. His research program focuses on LED lighting applications and environmental optimization in indoor facilities and greenhouses. Besides research, he teaches hydroponic food production and controlled-environment crop physiology and technology.

Sansskruty Rayavarapu

Alumni

Sansskruty Rayavarapu is a 2021 graduate of the University of Delaware. She earned a B.A. in Political Science with an American Politics concentration and completed minors in Journalism and Political Communication. Most recently as a student at the University of Delaware, Sansskruty founded Let’s Talk, a student-run organization that facilitates weekly conversations for all students on an array of important topics. She was awarded the 2021 Outstanding Leader YoUDee award for her leadership on campus, and her organization, Let’s Talk, was also awarded the YoUDee award for Best New Registered Student Organization. Sansskruty has a strong passion for learning and gaining new perspectives, and hopes that her TEDx talk can offer a new perspective on race-based microaggressions and the importance of reclaiming lost identity.

Sarah DeYoung

Assistant Professor

Dr. DeYoung is an assistant professor in sociology and in the Disaster Research Center. She is an expert in evacuation decision-making, human-animal systems in disasters, and maternal and infant well-being in disasters.