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).

Furcolo Hall, Room 125, UMass
813 N Pleasant St
Amherst, Massachusetts, 01002
United States

Austin Laramee

Austin is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Biology at UMass Amherst. He is on the pre-med track as an aspiring Physicians Assistant and is currently an EMT. In his free time away from the medical field, he takes on a variety of engineering and computer-related projects. These range from building rescue drones and exploring electric transportation, to creating 3D printers and developing a cancer research supercomputer at his previous non-profit, Computing For A Cure.

Caroline Williams

Caroline Williams is a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst pursuing an undergraduate degree in Political Science and Public Health. Williams is the co-author of the Menstrual Product Access in State Schools Act, a bill introduced to ensure access to menstrual products in public schools grades 6-12 in Massachusetts. Williams is passionate about healthy policy and has dedicated her career to creating a world where a person’s health and happiness is not determined by their race, ethnicity, or income status.

CJ Pingeton

CJ Pingeton graduated with her undergraduate degree in Sociology from UMass Amherst along with a certificate in Social Work and Social Welfare. In alignment with her passion for social-emotional learning and educational equity, CJ works within the Amherst-Pelham school district and Girls Inc. of the Valley. She is passionate about using art, poetry, and prose to help herself and others better understand our own identities and difficult feelings.

Clare Sheedy

Clare Sheedy student at UMass Amherst studying Public Health and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, and a full time activist. Additionally, Sheedy works for Disability Services, as a Peer Health Educator through the Center for Health Promotion, is a member of the Student Government Association, and a member of the Student Led Title IX Taskforce all at UMass Amherst.

Dan Bensonoff

Dan Bensonoff has spent most of his adult life studying and practicing land-based resiliency skills. He is an educator with a focus on sustainable food production, permaculture, food preservation, foraging, and other crafts that are rooted in "the old ways". He currently coordinates and teaches with the UMass Permaculture Initiative in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Ina Ganguli

Ina Ganguli is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Associate Director of the UMass Computational Social Science Institute (CSSI). Her primary research areas are labor economics and the economics of science and innovation. Her recent research has focused on the migration of high-skill workers, social entrepreneurship, and gender disparities in the labor market.

Nandini Srivastav

Nandini Srivastav, a work-in-progress as she claims is pursuing a degree she designed herself, Migration Studies and Arts Management, at UMass Amherst. After studying in Germany for 2 years, the onset of the pandemic led her to found her organization ‘Ruhaniyat’ (“soulful expression” in Urdu) in India. She directed the project to incorporate artists from a plethora of diverse communities into a supportive space to perform and grow.