Theme: Pursuit of Progress

TEDxClemsonU is an independently organized event dedicated to inspiring and connecting our campus community as we explore the three key facets of growth in our united Pursuit of Progress. This unique opportunity brings together students, professionals, and industry leaders as they unveil the aspects in which they pursue progress personally, socially, and globally. Ultimately creating a spirit of communication and collaboration in which we aspire to progress and achieve new heights throughout Clemson University and beyond.

Strom Thurmond Institute Auditorium
The Strom Thurmond Institute - Clemson University
Silas Pearman Blvd
Clemson, South Carolina, 29634-0125
United States

Adam Hoots

Speaker

Adam began his career in the construction industry as a plumber's helper and then as a red-line architect’s helper while attending the University of South Florida. Over the past 20 years, he has steadily advanced his career and has held a variety of roles within the industry. Adam has successfully completed more than $1.5 billion in pre-construction and construction services for a diverse group of industries, including healthcare, higher education, industrial, life science, retail, and hospitality. Most projects have been in life science and high-tech laboratory construction for clients, such as Stanford University, Oregon Health Science University, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), and the University of Florida (NIMET). A highly technical builder, Adam excels in efficiency, action, visual communication, and continuous improvement using Lean principles.

Allana and Anna Wallace O'Shields and Clark

Speakers

Allana O’Shields is a senior at Clemson University pursuing her B.A. in Women’s Leadership accompanied by a minor in Sustainability. She hopes to continue her education by engaging in a Gender and Sexuality Studies Graduate Program. Her academic work and extracurricular experiences focus on how social activism plays an integral role in creating a sustainable community. This translates to her advocacy work as Allana spearheads grassroot movements on her campus pertaining to interpersonal violence, human rights, sustainable development and gender equality. Allana served as the President of It’s On Us, an organization that advocates for survivors of interpersonal violence on campus and an organizer of the 2020 Survivor Sit-In.

Allison Guggenheimer

Speaker

Allison's academic background is in zoology and wildlife and her research has primarily focused on how anthropogenic disturbance and land management affect wildlife populations. She has always had a passion for educating both formally in the classrooms of Ohio State, Texas A&M, and Clemson Universities, and hands-on with the public for nonprofit organizations such as the Audubon Society, the Kohala Center, and the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts. Most recently, Allison found a wonderful position at Clemson's Regulatory Services as the Invasive Species Outreach Coordinator which allows her to combine her passions by supporting research, doing hands-on conservation, and teaching citizens of South Carolina about local invasive species and empowering them to take actions to protect their communities.

Anja Evenson

Speaker

Growing up as a musician while having a strong passion for people and fitness, Anja decided to make a pivot upon graduating from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2016 to pursue a full-time career in health and fitness. She has served as a 4x certified personal trainer, gym manager, and group fitness instructor while accomplishing over 3,000 coaching hours, including internationally. Her belief that everyone deserves to live the highest quality life possible has been the main reason why she chose to pursue the health and fitness route, and over the last 6+ years, Anja has helped people of all ages discover and improve on strengths and weaknesses, develop confidence, find solutions to change negative thought patterns and behaviors, and strive for optimal health.

Caroline Hager

Speaker

“My name is Caroline Hager, and I am from Lexington, Kentucky. I am currently a junior at Clemson University studying International Business and Spanish with the hope of attending law school. My passion is human trafficking, but specifically sex trafficking. I have done many research projects on this issue, done research in Amsterdam about how they deal with modern-day slavery and volunteered with many houses that serve sex trafficking survivors. I currently volunteer as an on-call advocate for two agencies around the Anderson area who answers calls to go to the hospital with survivors for evidence kits, comforts those who need someone to talk to about their assault and answer those who are struggling with suicide. Because of this research and volunteer experience, I intend to dedicate my career to ending sex trafficking and supporting survivors because these survivors are humans we care about.”

Charlie Dunn

Speaker

Charlie grew up in Clemson, SC, with a backyard measured by how far he could ride his bike and still get back in time for dinner. He learned one of his most important life lessons from a soccer camp at the Clemson YMCA. Today, Charlie tells a good story. From lightning-fast development on the Las Vegas strip, to oil fueled expansion in Edmonton, Alberta, to once in a generation energy plant upgrades throughout the Southeast, to global mission critical and life science construction for enterprise owners, he thrives in the challenging delivery gap between “as is” conditions and the “to be” designed state. He knows that projects succeed because of people—what they believe, strategy—as it supports creativity and innovation, and tools—to deliver value, drive out waste, and improve safety. Charlie joined DPR Construction in 2016 where he continues to learn about the power of autonomy and the passion to build great things.

Jeremy Dentien

Speaker

Dr. Jeremy Dertien grew up in Austin, Texas fascinated with watching and then with conserving wildlife. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Colorado State University where, as an undergraduate, he was awarded the Udall Scholarship and as a graduate student used camera traps to research Alaskan alpine mammals. He later worked for the Wildlife Conservation Society on projects in Colorado and California studying how human recreation can impact wildlife populations. Recently, he earned his Ph.D. in Wildlife Biology at Clemson researching the spatial distribution of biodiversity and conservation planning in the Congaree Biosphere Region of South Carolina. As a conservation ecologist, Dr. Dertien is primarily concerned with how his research can be used to advance the conservation of imperiled species and habitats around the world. Currently, he is working with the Tigers United University Consortium to study ways of reducing human-tiger conflict in central India.

Jessica Larsen

Speaker

Jessica Larsen is a Dean’s Assistant Professor in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at Clemson University. Her research expertise lies in the development of biomaterials for drug delivery and her lab is made up of 5 Ph.D. and 25 undergraduate researchers. Because of her mentorship, she was the 2020 recipient of the Phil and Mary Bradley Award for Undergraduate Research Mentorship in Creative Inquiry and the 2021 Outstanding Faculty Woman Award. Outside of work, she is the assistant coach of the Seneca High School Cross Country Team.

John Gaber

Speaker

John Gaber is the Department Chair of City Planning & Real Estate Development at Clemson University. He earned a Bachelors at UCLA, Master at the University of Southern California, and a Ph.D. at Columbia University. His specialty is in urban anthropological research methods and has conducted extensive field research projects analyzing illegal street vendors in New York City, informal street corner labor markets in central Los Angeles, illegal food trucks in Washington, D.C, and for the last seven years hippitowns across the U.S. Dr. Gaber has written 2 books, published over 30 referred journal articles and has been invited to present his research expertise in China, The Netherlands, and dozens of research universities across the country.

Sean Brittain

Speaker

Sean Brittain is a professor of Physics and Astronomy at Clemson University. Over the past quarter-century, he has used cutting-edge tools to study the warm gas around young stars that provide the raw material for forming planets. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Notre Dame and then was a Michelson Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory in Tucson, AZ. Thanks to the mentorship and support from colleagues throughout his career he has been lucky enough to contribute to rapidly expanding knowledge of how gas and dust encircling forming stars forms into planets.

Shea Hammond

Speaker

Shea is a professional soccer player for the United States Para 7 A Side National team and Team USA. When he was born he suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed the entire left side of his body, giving him Cerebral Palsy. Despite this Shea has dedicated his life to soccer and helping those with disabilities like his own through the non-profit organization he helped found. He has won a bronze medal with Team USA at the Parapan American Games, played in the World Cup for the U.S., and most recently was awarded the Inaugural Team USA Service and Hope award for his work with his non-profit and kids with disabilities. Now as the first undergraduate student at Clemson University to receive a scholarship to play soccer, Shea looks to continue advancing the world of disability sports and showing the world that people with disabilities can do anything.