Step inside the TED Fellows community

2014, 2019

Sailor + artist // A Chilean-American artist who creates large-scale, community-driven art projects that focus on water, urban waterfronts, and land rights. Her projects work to create new spaces for cultures on the margins by moving them onto the water. // Constance Hockaday is a queer Chilean American who grew up on the Southern tip of Texas. She is a powerhouse in organizational transformation. With her unique background in socially engaged art and conflict resolution strategies, she uses participatory design tools to align growing companies around their mission, vision, and organizational culture. She will surprise, challenge, and shake up the place in ways that disrupt entrenched cultural patterns getting in the way of organizational effectiveness and business results. In another dimension, Hockaday works as an artist creating immersive art pieces that confront issues surrounding public space, political voice, and belonging. Currently she is creating Disaster Furniture Showroom, a project that responds to our most intimate ideas about disaster and the future. The project questions how safety, preparedness, and disaster capitalism manifest in the social consciousness. Are we heroes in our fantasies about the future? What motivates people to prepare for the future? How does this fear contribute or impede our ability to take action against climate change and structural violence. // What does inclusive leadership look like? Artist and TED Fellow Constance Hockaday shares how the captain of a trans-Atlantic community raft taught her how to voice her hopes and desires, inspiring a vision of possibility for the future. Hockaday calls for mentors everywhere to step up and invites aspiring leaders to answer one crucial question in order to unlock their agency and power. // Constance Hockaday is a queer Chilean American who grew up on the Southern tip of Texas. She is a powerhouse in organizational transformation. With her unique background in socially engaged art and conflict resolution strategies, she uses participatory design tools to align growing companies around their mission, vision, and organizational culture. She will surprise, challenge, and shake up the place in ways that disrupt entrenched cultural patterns getting in the way of organizational effectiveness and business results. In another dimension, Hockaday works as an artist creating immersive art pieces that confront issues surrounding public space, political voice, and belonging. Currently she is creating Disaster Furniture Showroom, a project that responds to our most intimate ideas about disaster and the future. The project questions how safety, preparedness, and disaster capitalism manifest in the social consciousness. Are we heroes in our fantasies about the future? What motivates people to prepare for the future? How does this fear contribute or impede our ability to take action against climate change and structural violence. // Sailor + artist // land rights, inclusion, violence, water, participatory, climate, design, rights, land, community engagement, conflict resolution, urban

Anthropology of Religion, Archaeology, High Altitude Climbing

2009

Argentina

High-altitude archaeologist + anthropologist // Dr. Constanza Ceruti is the only female high-altitude archaeologist in the world. She has climbed over one hundred mountains above 16,000 feet to study mountaintop shrines of the Inca civilization, having co-discovered the best-preserved frozen mummies at 22,200 feet, on the summit of volcano Llullaillaco, the highest archaeological site on earth. With a PhD from the University of Cuyo, she is currently a Scientific Investigator of the National Council for the Scientific Research (CONICET) in Argentina, a Professor of Inca Archaeology at Catholic University of Salta, and in 2007 she was a distinguished lecturer in anthropology at the University of West Georgia. She is the author of six books and more than sixty academic publications, and she has lectured and traveled throughout the five continents. She has been awarded the Gold Medal of the University of Buenos Aires, the Gold Condor of the Argentine Army and a Courage Award from Wings Worldquest, in addition to being distinguished as an Emerging Explorer of the National Geographic Society. // Constanza Ceruti was born in Buenos Aires in 1973 (January, 11th). She lives in the city of Salta, in Northwest Argentina. After her graduation as an Anthropologist at University of Buenos Aires in 1996, she earned her Ph.D. at University of Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) in 2001. She has become a specialist in the field of high altitude archaeology, studying Inca ceremonial centers on the summits of Andean mountains. She is Scientific Investigator of the National Council for the Scientific Research (CONICET) in Argentina, a Professor of Inca Archaeology at Catholic University of Salta and the Director of the Institute of High Mountain Research at the same University. She is the only female Andean high-altitude archaeologist in the world. Dr. Ceruti has climbed over 100 mountains above 16,500 feet, (5000 meters) within the context of systematic archaeological research. She has been twice on top of Aconcagua (6.962 m.) – the highest mountain in the western hemisphere- , and on the summit of Mt. Pissis (6.882 m.) – the highest volcano in the world-, as well as on several other peaks in Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. She is the author of more than seventy scientific publications, including six books. Dr. Ceruti participated as project co-director in four of Dr. Johan Reinhard´s archaeological expeditions in 1999 and 2000, funded by the National Geographic Society. On the summit of volcano. Llullaillaco (22,100 feet) - the site of the highest archaeological work ever undertaken – Reinhard and Ceruti discovered three of the best preserved mummies in the world, together with several gold and silver statues and sumptuary objects of typical Inca style. Her academic achievements have been recognized by the University of Buenos Aires with the Gold Medal. Her mountaineering achievements have been recognized with the Gold Condor (the most important award by the National Army of Argentina, for the first time given to a woman). In 2005 she became an Emerging Explorer of the National Geographic Society. In 2006 she was among the few honorees at the Prince of Asturias Award Ceremony, when the Communication and Humanities Award was given to the National Geographic Society. In 2007 she received the Courage Award from the Wings Worldquest and she was honored as a Distinguished Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of West Georgia. Her interest in sacred mountains and anthropology goes beyond the vast Andean mountain range: she has been to the Nepal Himalayas, India, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Greenland, Norway, England, Australia, Polinesia, United States, Italy, France, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. She has been invited to lecture at dozens of universities and museums in the Americas and Europe. She is a fellow of Wings Worldquest, the Explorer´s Club and TED2009. // Constanza Ceruti was born in Buenos Aires in 1973 (January, 11th). She lives in the city of Salta, in Northwest Argentina. After her graduation as an Anthropologist at University of Buenos Aires in 1996, she earned her Ph.D. at University of Cuyo (Mendoza, Argentina) in 2001. She has become a specialist in the field of high altitude archaeology, studying Inca ceremonial centers on the summits of Andean mountains. She is Scientific Investigator of the National Council for the Scientific Research (CONICET) in Argentina, a Professor of Inca Archaeology at Catholic University of Salta and the Director of the Institute of High Mountain Research at the same University. She is the only female Andean high-altitude archaeologist in the world. Dr. Ceruti has climbed over 100 mountains above 16,500 feet, (5000 meters) within the context of systematic archaeological research. She has been twice on top of Aconcagua (6.962 m.) – the highest mountain in the western hemisphere- , and on the summit of Mt. Pissis (6.882 m.) – the highest volcano in the world-, as well as on several other peaks in Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile and Argentina. She is the author of more than seventy scientific publications, including six books. Dr. Ceruti participated as project co-director in four of Dr. Johan Reinhard´s archaeological expeditions in 1999 and 2000, funded by the National Geographic Society. On the summit of volcano. Llullaillaco (22,100 feet) - the site of the highest archaeological work ever undertaken – Reinhard and Ceruti discovered three of the best preserved mummies in the world, together with several gold and silver statues and sumptuary objects of typical Inca style. Her academic achievements have been recognized by the University of Buenos Aires with the Gold Medal. Her mountaineering achievements have been recognized with the Gold Condor (the most important award by the National Army of Argentina, for the first time given to a woman). In 2005 she became an Emerging Explorer of the National Geographic Society. In 2006 she was among the few honorees at the Prince of Asturias Award Ceremony, when the Communication and Humanities Award was given to the National Geographic Society. In 2007 she received the Courage Award from the Wings Worldquest and she was honored as a Distinguished Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of West Georgia. Her interest in sacred mountains and anthropology goes beyond the vast Andean mountain range: she has been to the Nepal Himalayas, India, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, Greenland, Norway, England, Australia, Polinesia, United States, Italy, France, Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Chile. She has been invited to lecture at dozens of universities and museums in the Americas and Europe. She is a fellow of Wings Worldquest, the Explorer´s Club and TED2009. // High-altitude archaeologist + anthropologist // research, mountain science, high altitude climbing, anthropology of religion, science, communication, archaeology, women, mountains // Salta Province|Salta|Argentina

Salta Province|Salta|Argentina

Aviation, EVs, Electric Aircraft, Investment, Renewable Energy, Sustainability

2021

United States

Sandia National Laboratories; Sias International University; Beijing Open University; GAE; Chaparral High School Temecula; Stanford University; Molding International & Engrg; Temeku Holdings; Ampaire; Beijing Language and Culture University; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Fuller School of Intercultural Studies

Ampaire is a pioneering company focused on advancing electric aviation technology. They are at the forefront of developing hybrid-electric aircraft to reduce emissions, noise, and operating costs in the aviation industry. Ampaire's innovative AmpDrive system has been successfully flown in multiple hybrid-electric aircraft, demonstrating significant fuel savings, maintenance reductions, and noise reduction. The company collaborates with notable institutions like NASA and ARPA-E to further develop and test their technology. Ampaire's vision includes revolutionizing air travel by providing cleaner, more affordable flights that are environmentally sustainable. // Sandia National Laboratories; Sias International University; Beijing Open University; GAE; Chaparral High School Temecula; Stanford University; Molding International & Engrg; Temeku Holdings; Ampaire; Beijing Language and Culture University; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Fuller School of Intercultural Studies // Electrifying aviation. Dramatically reducing the environmental impact of flying. // Cory Combs is a key figure at Ampaire, a leading company in the field of electric aviation technology. Ampaire is dedicated to advancing hybrid-electric aircraft to minimize emissions, noise pollution, and operational expenses within the aviation sector. Through the successful implementation of the innovative AmpDrive system in various hybrid-electric aircraft, significant improvements in fuel efficiency, maintenance costs, and noise levels have been achieved. Collaborating with prestigious institutions such as NASA and ARPA-E, Ampaire is actively engaged in further refining and testing their cutting-edge technology. Cory Combs plays a crucial role in the company's mission to transform air travel by offering cleaner, more cost-effective flights that prioritize environmental sustainability. // Electric aviation entrepreneur // Cory is an electric aviation entrepreneur and investor passionate about sustainable, practical innovation. He is Co-founder and Executive Tech Fellow at Ampaire, a startup that is leading the charge in electrifying aviation. Ampaire is the convergence of Cory's work designing X-planes, EVs, and clean technology. Cory was named a 2019 Emerson Collective Dial Fellow, 2021 ICAS Aerospace Innovation Prize Awardee, and has received global recognition for his pioneering work in electric aircraft. // If you're a frequent flier, you're also a major polluter. What if there was a way to travel the world with less impact on the environment? In this quick, exciting talk, aviation entrepreneur and TED Fellow Cory Combs lays out how electric aircraft could make flying cleaner, quieter and more affordable -- and shares his work on Electric EEL, the largest hybrid-electric plane ever to fly. // Cory Combs is a key figure at Ampaire, a leading company in the field of electric aviation technology. Ampaire is dedicated to advancing hybrid-electric aircraft to minimize emissions, noise pollution, and operational expenses within the aviation sector. Through the successful implementation of the innovative AmpDrive system in various hybrid-electric aircraft, significant improvements in fuel efficiency, maintenance costs, and noise levels have been achieved. Collaborating with prestigious institutions such as NASA and ARPA-E, Ampaire is actively engaged in further refining and testing their cutting-edge technology. Cory Combs plays a crucial role in the company's mission to transform air travel by offering cleaner, more cost-effective flights that prioritize environmental sustainability. // Electric aviation entrepreneur // technology, renewable, sustainability, propulsion, flight, cleantech, electric, design, emissions, electric aircraft, investment, energy, pollution, affordable, hybrid propulsion, green flight, environmental impact, air travel, evs, aviation, renewable energy, sustainable aviation, aviation industry, aircraft // California|Los Angeles|United States|USA

California|Los Angeles|United States|USA

burn-out, entrepreneurship, health-tech, physiotherapy, startups, video-games

2015

Romania

RAIQC; Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Babeș-Bolyai University; MIRA Rehab; Universitatea „Babeș-Bolyai” din Cluj-Napoca; Faculty of Economic Science and Business Affairs, Babeș-Bolyai University; TED Conferences; Microsoft Student Partners; Colegiul National "Emil Racovita" Cluj-Napoca; NHS Innovation Accelerator; "Emil Racoviță" High-School

Cosmin has a passion for technology and how it can be creatively used to improve day-to-day activities. He enjoys playing video-games, which some may say is a trivial hobby, but it taught him to think about how to use what is fun, engaging and addictive in new ways. He is also passionate about improving health and well-being. After co-founding and leading a health-tech company for over 7 years, Cosmin now works with start-ups to help determine strategies and operations, especially in the healthcare industry. // RAIQC is a web-based clinical simulation platform designed to upskill medical image interpretation, leading to improved patient flow and outcomes. www.raiqc.com Primary activities: • Work with CEO and company management to set and follow the company's strategy and business plan • Liaise with clients, staff and suppliers to deliver all commercial and R&D projects according to plan and budget • Handle day to day business operations // Joined RAIQC to help with its R&D projects management and reporting, while researching opportunities for company growth. // The TED Fellows program handpicks world-changing innovators from around the globe and brings them to the TED stage -- literally and figuratively -- to raise international awareness of their remarkable work.http://www.ted.com/fellows // The NHS Innovation Accelerator supports uptake and spread of proven, impactful innovations across England’s NHS, benefitting patients, populations and NHS staff.https://nhsaccelerator.com/ // RAIQC; Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, Babeș-Bolyai University; MIRA Rehab; Universitatea „Babeș-Bolyai” din Cluj-Napoca; Faculty of Economic Science and Business Affairs, Babeș-Bolyai University; TED Conferences; Microsoft Student Partners; Colegiul National "Emil Racovita" Cluj-Napoca; NHS Innovation Accelerator; "Emil Racoviță" High-School // Cosmin Mihaiu is a technology enthusiast with a keen interest in leveraging innovative solutions to enhance daily experiences. With a background in co-founding and leading a health-tech company, he has a strong focus on utilizing technology to advance health and well-being. Currently, Cosmin collaborates with start-ups, particularly in the healthcare sector, to provide strategic insights and operational guidance. His expertise lies in developing strategies, managing projects, and fostering growth opportunities within the industry. Additionally, he has been involved in initiatives like RAIQC, a clinical simulation platform aimed at enhancing medical image interpretation skills for improved patient outcomes. // At first (and through my TED Fellowship and TED Talk), I was aiming to change the world by turning physiotherapy exercises into video-games. I, unfortunately, burn-out of my start-up idea, and after a few months of recovery, I joined another start-up focusing on radiology education. I've worked with and mentored multiple health-tech ideas/startups, leading me to realise that my mission is to change the world by improving healthcare delivery through technology. // Cosmin Mihaiu is a technology enthusiast and entrepreneur dedicated to leveraging innovative solutions to enhance healthcare experiences. With a background in co-founding a health-tech company and a focus on utilizing technology to advance health and well-being, he excels in providing strategic insights and operational guidance to start-ups, particularly in the healthcare sector. Cosmin's expertise lies in developing strategies, managing projects, and fostering growth opportunities within the industry. He has been actively involved in initiatives like RAIQC, a clinical simulation platform aimed at enhancing medical image interpretation skills for improved patient outcomes. Through his experiences and mentorship in the health-tech space, Cosmin is committed to revolutionizing healthcare delivery through technology. // Physical therapy entrepreneur // CEO and co-founder of MIRA Rehab, developing a software platform that engages patients in interactive and therapeutic games, making physical rehabilitation fun. Cosmin's primary focus is establishing collaborations with UK and US medical institutions, persuading them that playing video-games can support therapists when treating their patients. Cosmin broke his arm when he was 7 years old and it took him a long time to recover due to how boring and difficult he found the therapy exercises. When his mother developed frozen shoulder, she barely exercised as well. In order to recover completely, patients need to be actively engaged in their therapy, but they find physical therapy boring, cumbersome and lengthy. Cosmin started working on <a href="http://www.mirarehab.com/">MIRA</a> in 2011 alongside three University colleagues. In 2012, they founded the company MIRA Rehab in UK, being invited in the Healthbox Europe Accelerator in London. Coming from Romania to a place they barely knew, the team had a difficult time maturing their student project into a business. However, they soon realized perseverance is one key thing to grow a business. At the end of the 3 months Healthbox program, the company received the Innovation Award, "<i>the most innovative solution to an industry challenge</i>". Since then, MIRA Rehab has grown and established important collaborations with major institutions, all while receiving several honors and awards. <b><u>Achievements:</u></b> • <b>Imagine Cup by Microsoft, NYC, USA</b> – Top 6 countries in the World, (Jul. ‘11) • <b>Healthbox Europe Accelerator and Innovation Award</b>, London, UK (Oct. ’12 & Jan. ‘13) • <b>Kairos 50</b> - “<i>One of the top 50 most innovative student-run businesses in the World</i>”, NYC, USA • <b>Forbes, Romania Special Edition "30 under 30"</b> (Mar. ’13) • <b>Tech.eu</b> -”<i>One of the top 35 healthcare start-ups to watch in Europe</i>” (Jun. ’14) • <b>The Journal of mHealth</b> (Nov. ’14) - Digital Health 100 Award – MIRA Rehab as one of the top 100 Digital Health companies in the world • <b>Founders Grid</b> (Jan. '15) - MIRA Rehab in <i>50 London Startups You Absolutely Must Know About</i> // CEO and co-founder of MIRA Rehab, developing a software platform that engages patients in interactive and therapeutic games, making physical rehabilitation fun. Cosmin's primary focus is establishing collaborations with UK and US medical institutions, persuading them that playing video-games can support therapists when treating their patients. Cosmin broke his arm when he was 7 years old and it took him a long time to recover due to how boring and difficult he found the therapy exercises. When his mother developed frozen shoulder, she barely exercised as well. In order to recover completely, patients need to be actively engaged in their therapy, but they find physical therapy boring, cumbersome and lengthy. Cosmin started working on MIRA in 2011 alongside three University colleagues. In 2012, they founded the company MIRA Rehab in UK, being invited in the Healthbox Europe Accelerator in London. Coming from Romania to a place they barely knew, the team had a difficult time maturing their student project into a business. However, they soon realized perseverance is one key thing to grow a business. At the end of the 3 months Healthbox program, the company received the Innovation Award, "the most innovative solution to an industry challenge". Since then, MIRA Rehab has grown and established important collaborations with major institutions, all while receiving several honors and awards. Achievements: • Imagine Cup by Microsoft, NYC, USA – Top 6 countries in the World, (Jul. ‘11) • Healthbox Europe Accelerator and Innovation Award, London, UK (Oct. ’12 & Jan. ‘13) • Kairos 50 - “One of the top 50 most innovative student-run businesses in the World”, NYC, USA • Forbes, Romania Special Edition "30 under 30" (Mar. ’13) • Tech.eu -”One of the top 35 healthcare start-ups to watch in Europe” (Jun. ’14) • The Journal of mHealth (Nov. ’14) - Digital Health 100 Award – MIRA Rehab as one of the top 100 Digital Health companies in the world • Founders Grid (Jan. '15) - MIRA Rehab in 50 London Startups You Absolutely Must Know About While in University, Cosmin was also part of the Microsoft Student Partner Program. This is a worldwide educational program with 2,800 members that provides technical expertise, offers leadership roles, and encourages relationships with University faculty. In just one year from entering the MSP Program, Cosmin became Technical Lead of the Microsoft Student Partners program in his University. His duties involved organizing tech seminars for students every other weekend, presenting Microsoft's technologies to students and making sure he had a broad knowledge of all Microsoft's technologies. Education: - Master of Science in Software Engineering (September 2014) - "Babeș-Bolyai" University, Romania - Double-Major Bachelor of Science in Information Engineering (June 2012) - "Babeș-Bolyai" University, Romania - Double-Major Bachelor's Degree in International Business (Feb 2012) - "Babeș-Bolyai" University, Romania // You've just been injured, and you're on the way home from an hour of physical therapy. The last thing you want to do on your own is confusing exercises that take too long to show results. TED Fellow Cosmin Mihaiu demos a fun, cheap solution that turns boring physical therapy exercises into a video game with crystal-clear instructions. // Cosmin Mihaiu is a technology enthusiast and entrepreneur dedicated to leveraging innovative solutions to enhance healthcare experiences. With a background in co-founding a health-tech company and a focus on utilizing technology to advance health and well-being, he excels in providing strategic insights and operational guidance to start-ups, particularly in the healthcare sector. Cosmin's expertise lies in developing strategies, managing projects, and fostering growth opportunities within the industry. He has been actively involved in initiatives like RAIQC, a clinical simulation platform aimed at enhancing medical image interpretation skills for improved patient outcomes. Through his experiences and mentorship in the health-tech space, Cosmin is committed to revolutionizing healthcare delivery through technology. // Physical therapy entrepreneur // technology, therapy, design, radiology, entrepreneurship, education, science, startups, mobile applications, health-tech, software, software engineering, physiotherapy // Cluj Napoca|United Kingdom|Cluj-Napoca|London|Cluj County|Romania

Cluj Napoca|United Kingdom|Cluj-Napoca|London|Cluj County|Romania

Visual Arts - Collage and mixed media, Visual Arts - Design, Visual Arts - Drawing & Painting, Visual Arts - Sculpture

2013

Kenya

Found object artist // Kenyan self-taught painter and sculptor who primarily uses junk materials to make his works, including striking eyewear. // I am a visual artist currently practicing in Nairobi, Kenya. I am a self taught painter and sculptor. My paintings are often humorous portrayals of contemporary living within Kenya. I adopt the role of a flâneur, the observer, explorer, and lounger using my paintings as the output for my experiences. My sculptural work embodies my role as a “collector” of Nairobi cast offs. I fashion and refashion these waste, recycled, and found materials into various forms. Currently I is focusing on a series that depicts African nature using thousands of bottle caps sewn together. I am perhaps best known for my C-STUNNERS, an ongoing work which I create and wear artistic bifocals. The work sits itself between fashion, wearable art, performance, and one of a kind commodity objects. The C-STUNNERS have a certain energy and playfulness that really captures the sensibility and attitude of a youth generation in Nairobi. They portray the aspiration of popular culture bling; they reflect the ingenuity and resourcefulness of people; the lenses provide a new filter giving a fresh perspective onto the world that we live in transforming the wearer not only in appearance but in mind frame as well. // I am a visual artist currently practicing in Nairobi, Kenya. I am a self taught painter and sculptor. My paintings are often humorous portrayals of contemporary living within Kenya. I adopt the role of a flâneur, the observer, explorer, and lounger using my paintings as the output for my experiences. My sculptural work embodies my role as a “collector” of Nairobi cast offs. I fashion and refashion these waste, recycled, and found materials into various forms. Currently I is focusing on a series that depicts African nature using thousands of bottle caps sewn together. I am perhaps best known for my C-STUNNERS, an ongoing work which I create and wear artistic bifocals. The work sits itself between fashion, wearable art, performance, and one of a kind commodity objects. The C-STUNNERS have a certain energy and playfulness that really captures the sensibility and attitude of a youth generation in Nairobi. They portray the aspiration of popular culture bling; they reflect the ingenuity and resourcefulness of people; the lenses provide a new filter giving a fresh perspective onto the world that we live in transforming the wearer not only in appearance but in mind frame as well. // Found object artist // visual arts - collage and mixed media, nature, visual arts - sculpture, design, youth, visual arts - drawing & painting, recycling, visual arts - design // Nairobi County|Kenya|Nairobi

Nairobi County|Kenya|Nairobi

2012

Ireland

Biological miner // I am an Irish research engineer who has long been fascinated by the process of biomineralization–with particular attention on the mechanisms involved for mineral precipitation, making your work on biodegradable bone scaffolds of great interest–believing that the insights gained, particularly through the study of geomicrobiology may allow new strategies to be developed for the production of biocompatible bone implants or may even suggest future radical manufacturing technologies for the production of advanced composites for the automotive and aeronautical industries. Biological structures are synthesized under mild energetic conditions using natural compounds, sparking wide interest in understanding and duplicating such “clean” production processes. As part of my M.Sc., at Imperial College, London, I conducted research at the Centre for Organized Matter Chemistry, Bristol (a group headed by Professor Steven Mann) and also the Geo-Engineering section at the Technical University Delft (TUD), both groups are world leaders in biologically induced mineral precipitation. Research at TUD looked at the Biogrout (Van Paassen, 2009) process, as an analogue for the development of a novel production methodology, where biological agents can be employed as a catalyst for casting useful mineral objects. I received an M.Sc., with merit from Imperial College and exhibited this work at The Science Gallery, Trinity College, Dublin in 2011. Following the work above I was offered a research position at the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology in collaboration with Nanyang Technical University, Singapore. For this position a literature review was proposed and conducted to assess the ability of microorganisms to mine selected minerals out of seawater desalination brine. This study was based on compelling and burgeoning evidence from the field of geomicrobiology, which shows the ubiquitous role microorganisms play in the cycling of minerals on the planet. As lead researcher I am currently conducting experiments and building kinetic models to better understand and control the magnesium content of microbally induced carbonate precipitation. Based on this and the work conducted as part of my M.Sc., I have been invited to make a talk on: Radical production technologies inspired by Nature, at TED Full Spectrum, a conference being held in California of February 2012. It is my aim to continue to research in the field of biomineralization, while exploring the mechanisms responsible for mild energetic mineral (including metal) precipitation for the production of mineral composites. // "Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and by these I shall not regulate my proportions; and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of a man with imagination nature is imagination itself" –William Blake I have studied and worked for a number of years in the pursuit and development of sustainable technologies. I believe that biologically inspired technologies will play a key role in the development of future sustainable societies and it is my aim to increase his knowledge and skill in this area. Current research is allowing me to assess the ability of microorganisms to precipitate and accumulate minerals (including metals) out of solution. Part of this research includes the use of microfluidic devices to better understand the chemical and kinetic interaction between certain bacteria and their inorganic precipitates. This knowledge will be invaluable–as part of continued evidence–for the development of low energetic production technologies and how if employed or mimicked nature has the potential to provide industry with radical production alternatives. // The world needs clean water, and more and more, we're pulling it from the oceans, desalinating it, and drinking it. But what to do with the salty brine left behind? In this intriguing short talk, TED Fellow Damian Palin proposes an idea: Mine it for other minerals we need, with the help of some collaborative metal-munching bacteria. // "Some see nature all ridicule and deformity, and by these I shall not regulate my proportions; and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of a man with imagination nature is imagination itself" –William Blake I have studied and worked for a number of years in the pursuit and development of sustainable technologies. I believe that biologically inspired technologies will play a key role in the development of future sustainable societies and it is my aim to increase his knowledge and skill in this area. Current research is allowing me to assess the ability of microorganisms to precipitate and accumulate minerals (including metals) out of solution. Part of this research includes the use of microfluidic devices to better understand the chemical and kinetic interaction between certain bacteria and their inorganic precipitates. This knowledge will be invaluable–as part of continued evidence–for the development of low energetic production technologies and how if employed or mimicked nature has the potential to provide industry with radical production alternatives. // Biological miner // technology, water, precipitation, automotive, research, mobility, desalinating, mining, oceans, bicycle, mineral, plastic, nature, science, biodegradable plastic, desalination, clean water, biomineralization, metals, manufacturing, seawater // Kilkenny|Ireland

Kilkenny|Ireland

2017

United States

Interdisciplinary artist // Damon Davis is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist who works and resides in St. Louis, Missouri. His scope includes illustration, painting, printmaking, music, film, and public art. His most identifiable work, All Hands on Deck, helped shape public perception of the Ferguson Uprising as part of the broader international human rights movement. Davis has work in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History, and has exhibited at the MoCADA and San Diego Contemporary Museum of Art. Davis is founder of independent music and art imprint, Far Fetched. He is a recipient of The Riverfront Times Master Mind Award (2013), and Best Hip Hop Producer SLUMfest Award (2014). The documentary short A Story To Tell (2013), which profiled Davis, his work and creative process, won an Emmy Award Mid America for Best Short Form Program. Whose Streets? is his first foray into feature-length documentary; Filmmaker Magazine selected him and Director Sabaah Jordan for their 2016 “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” Davis is a 2015 Firelight Media Producers Lab Fellow and a 2016 Sundance Institute Music and Sound Design Lab Fellow at Skywalker Sound. // When artist Damon Davis went to join the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, after police killed Michael Brown in 2014, he found not only anger but also a sense of love for self and community. His documentary "Whose Streets?" tells the story of the protests from the perspective of the activists who showed up to challenge those who use power to spread fear and hate. // Damon Davis is an award-winning interdisciplinary artist who works and resides in St. Louis, Missouri. His scope includes illustration, painting, printmaking, music, film, and public art. His most identifiable work, All Hands on Deck, helped shape public perception of the Ferguson Uprising as part of the broader international human rights movement. Davis has work in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum of African American History, and has exhibited at the MoCADA and San Diego Contemporary Museum of Art. Davis is founder of independent music and art imprint, Far Fetched. He is a recipient of The Riverfront Times Master Mind Award (2013), and Best Hip Hop Producer SLUMfest Award (2014). The documentary short A Story To Tell (2013), which profiled Davis, his work and creative process, won an Emmy Award Mid America for Best Short Form Program. Whose Streets? is his first foray into feature-length documentary; Filmmaker Magazine selected him and Director Sabaah Jordan for their 2016 “25 New Faces of Independent Film.” Davis is a 2015 Firelight Media Producers Lab Fellow and a 2016 Sundance Institute Music and Sound Design Lab Fellow at Skywalker Sound. // Interdisciplinary artist // activism, human rights, design, rights, documentary // St. Louis|Missouri|United States|USA

St. Louis|Missouri|United States|USA

Chamber Music, Composition, Language, Music, Music Coaching for Actors, Opera, Orchestral Music

2009

United States

Opera singer + coach // I began my career as a pianist and have recently made a switch to conducting. After finishing primary school in Slovenia at the age of 15 I started studying piano performance at the University of Music in Graz, Austria. I finished both my Masters in piano performance and Ph.D. in Musicology in Austria, and in the meantime was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to study at Indiana University in Bloomington. Upon graduating from Indiana University (Jazz Studies program) I was offered a faculty position at the Indiana University Opera Theater, which I held until my return to Slovenia in 2009. Since then I have been working initially as a vocal and diction coach at the Slovenian National Opera in Maribor, and in 2011 have been working as Chorus Master/Assistant Conductor, and most recently Assistant to the Artistic Director. In addition to my work in the opera field, I am active as a pianist/chamber musician, and have played concerts and recitals throughout Europe, USA, Canada, and Asia. In 2009 articles I wrote about various composers and performers of the 20th century were featured in the Encyclopedia of 20th Century Musicians (published by Salem Press). In Fall 2011 I made my debut as a composer, having written music for the theater play "The Woman I read to". // Conductor Daniela Candillari continues to be recognized for her dynamic and compelling performances at opera houses and concert stages throughout North America and Europe. Her 2019-20 season features a number of important debuts, including her New York Philharmonic debut conducting Thomson’s The Mother of us All at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She makes her mainstage debut at Arizona Opera in November conducting Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers, which she led in previous seasons with both the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Minnesota Opera. Following her acclaimed performances of Acquanetta with the PROTOTYPE Festival, Candillari returns to New York in January to conduct Rev. 23, produced by Trinity Wall Street and directed by James Darrah. An avid educator, she spent the summer of 2019 conducting the West Coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain at the Music Academy of the West. She makes her debut at the Mannes School of Music this season for performances of The Turn of the Screw, and returns to the Manhattan School of Music for a new production of Martha. Candillari makes her debut with Cincinnati Opera in the summer of 2020 for the company’s 100th Anniversary season, leading Dvořák’s Rusalka. Recent engagements include her debut with Los Angeles Opera for Ellen Reid’s Pulitzer Prize winning opera, prism, Opera Philadelphia in a new production of Rene Orth’s Empty the House, her Boston conducting debut in the world premiere of PermaDeath, and her Asian debut in Hong Kong conducting Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize winning opera, Angel’s Bone. She appeared in concert with Trinity Wall Street’s NOVUS NY Festival to open their 2018 season in celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s Centennial, and returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2019 for Jack Perla’s An American Dream. In past seasons Candillari has collaborated with Matthew Aucoin on his opera Crossing for The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s NEXT WAVE Festival and Vasily Petrenko on a production of Falstaff with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic featuring Sir Bryn Terfel. In addition to leading workshops for Arizona Opera (The Copper Queen) and Opera Philadelphia (Double Exposure), she workshopped Rachel Peters’ and Royce Vavrek’s opera Wild Beast of the Bungalow, and gave the first public presentation of Hannah Lash’s opera Beowulf for the New Works Showcase, presented by OPERA America. Candillari conducted the world premiere of Stefania de Kenessey’s Bonfire of the Vanities at the Museo del Barrio in New York. As a composer, Candillari has been commissioned by artists including instrumentalists from the Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh Symphonies, as well as the three resident orchestras of Lincoln Center - the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet. A champion of contemporary repertoire, Candillari founded her own chamber orchestra Gravity Shift in New York City in order to bring traditional repertoire to new audiences. A native of Slovenia, Candillari holds a Doctorate in Musicology from the Universität für Musik in Vienna, a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a Master of Music and Bachelor in Piano Performance from the Universität für Musik in Graz. She was a Fulbright Scholarship recipient and was subsequently awarded a TED Fellowship. // Conductor Daniela Candillari continues to be recognized for her dynamic and compelling performances at opera houses and concert stages throughout North America and Europe. Her 2019-20 season features a number of important debuts, including her New York Philharmonic debut conducting Thomson’s The Mother of us All at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. She makes her mainstage debut at Arizona Opera in November conducting Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers, which she led in previous seasons with both the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Minnesota Opera. Following her acclaimed performances of Acquanetta with the PROTOTYPE Festival, Candillari returns to New York in January to conduct Rev. 23, produced by Trinity Wall Street and directed by James Darrah. An avid educator, she spent the summer of 2019 conducting the West Coast premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain at the Music Academy of the West. She makes her debut at the Mannes School of Music this season for performances of The Turn of the Screw, and returns to the Manhattan School of Music for a new production of Martha. Candillari makes her debut with Cincinnati Opera in the summer of 2020 for the company’s 100th Anniversary season, leading Dvořák’s Rusalka. Recent engagements include her debut with Los Angeles Opera for Ellen Reid’s Pulitzer Prize winning opera, prism, Opera Philadelphia in a new production of Rene Orth’s Empty the House, her Boston conducting debut in the world premiere of PermaDeath, and her Asian debut in Hong Kong conducting Du Yun’s Pulitzer Prize winning opera, Angel’s Bone. She appeared in concert with Trinity Wall Street’s NOVUS NY Festival to open their 2018 season in celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s Centennial, and returned to the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2019 for Jack Perla’s An American Dream. In past seasons Candillari has collaborated with Matthew Aucoin on his opera Crossing for The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s NEXT WAVE Festival and Vasily Petrenko on a production of Falstaff with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic featuring Sir Bryn Terfel. In addition to leading workshops for Arizona Opera (The Copper Queen) and Opera Philadelphia (Double Exposure), she workshopped Rachel Peters’ and Royce Vavrek’s opera Wild Beast of the Bungalow, and gave the first public presentation of Hannah Lash’s opera Beowulf for the New Works Showcase, presented by OPERA America. Candillari conducted the world premiere of Stefania de Kenessey’s Bonfire of the Vanities at the Museo del Barrio in New York. As a composer, Candillari has been commissioned by artists including instrumentalists from the Boston, Cleveland, Detroit, and Pittsburgh Symphonies, as well as the three resident orchestras of Lincoln Center - the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the New York City Ballet. A champion of contemporary repertoire, Candillari founded her own chamber orchestra Gravity Shift in New York City in order to bring traditional repertoire to new audiences. A native of Slovenia, Candillari holds a Doctorate in Musicology from the Universität für Musik in Vienna, a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, and a Master of Music and Bachelor in Piano Performance from the Universität für Musik in Graz. She was a Fulbright Scholarship recipient and was subsequently awarded a TED Fellowship. // Opera singer + coach // music, language, opera, composition, music coaching for actors, led, coastal, orchestral music, chamber music // New York City|United States|New York

New York City|United States|New York

Black American Theatre., Community Building, Music, Performance, Teaching, Theatre, Writing

2020

United States

Theater artist // Daniel Alexander Jones exemplifies the artist as energy worker. Daniel’s wildflower body of original work includes plays, performance pieces, recorded music, concerts, music theatre events, essays, and long-form improvisations. Energy is his true medium and provides the current for his formal fluency. Jones creates multi-dimensional experiences where the bodies, minds, emotions, voices, and spirits conjoin, shimmer, and heal. PEN America named Daniel the 2021 Laura Pels Foundation Awardee in Theatre. Jones’s critically-acclaimed pieces include Black Light (Public Theater, Greenwich House Theatre); Duat (Soho Rep); An Integrator’s Manual (La MaMa, etc. and Fusebox Festival); Bright Now Beyond (Salvage Vanguard Theatre); and Radiate (Soho Rep and National Tour). Jones has recorded five albums of original songs as his alter-ego, Jomama Jones. Daniel is enlivened by collaborative process and maintains a fierce tribe of artist-collaborators. His roots reach deep into Black American and Queer Theatre and Performance traditions; Jones is recognized as a key voice in the development of Theatrical Jazz and has made a significant contribution to Black Experimental Theatre and Performance. Jones explores ideas of the Afromystical (awakening awareness of the numinous in the everyday through ritualized performance) in all his work. He has also been a pioneer in the exploration and articulation of identities and experiences that move beyond caging binaries and transcend limited civic, cultural, and political imaginings. Moved by silenced histories of sovereignty and agency, and emboldened by acts of survival and transcendence, Jones creates his own distinctive dramaturgy. For over twenty-five years of professional practice, Jones has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the rigorous work of civic healing through vulnerable presence, truth telling, and collective critical engagement with possibility. Jones directed world-premieres of new plays and performance pieces by E. Patrick Johnson, Erik Ehn, Renita Martin, and Shay Youngblood, among others. He is a company member of Penumbra Theatre Company in St. Paul; an associate company member of Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis; an alumnus of New Dramatists, and was a company member of Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre in Austin. Jones is a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow, a 2019 recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award. He was awarded a Doris Duke Artist Award, an Alpert Award in the Arts, a USA Artist Fellowship, an Arts Matters grant, an inaugural Creative Capital Grant, a McKnight National Residency and Commission, a Howard Foundation Fellowship, a NEA/TCG Playwriting Residency, a Jerome Fellowship, and a Many Voices Playwriting Fellowship. Jones was lead artist on five projects awarded support by the MAP Fund. Daniel has been a Mellon Creative Research Fellow at the University of Washington, a Hume Fellow at Occidental College, was a Fellow at the Hemispheric Institute at NYU, and has been in residence at a number of colleges and universities across the country including most recently, Reed College and Hampshire College. Jones received a Bistro Award for Outstanding Performance Artistry for Jomama Jones in 2019, and a Franky Award from the Prelude Festival in recognition of long-term, extraordinary impact on contemporary theatre and performance. Daniel Alexander Jones did his undergraduate study at Vassar College in Africana Studies with a focus on literature and the arts, and graduate study at Brown University in Theatre. He is a widely respected, innovative educator, who has taught across the United States, and held faculty positions at Goddard College, The University of Texas at Austin, and Fordham University, where he is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre. // "Some call me a soul sonic superstar," says Jomama Jones, the alter ego of TED Fellow and theater artist Daniel Alexander Jones. In this stunning talk and performance, Jomama Jones invites us to consider how coming undone can be the first step toward transformation. It's a powerful story of community, growth and renewal -- and how breaking apart can mean breaking open. // Daniel Alexander Jones exemplifies the artist as energy worker. Daniel’s wildflower body of original work includes plays, performance pieces, recorded music, concerts, music theatre events, essays, and long-form improvisations. Energy is his true medium and provides the current for his formal fluency. Jones creates multi-dimensional experiences where the bodies, minds, emotions, voices, and spirits conjoin, shimmer, and heal. PEN America named Daniel the 2021 Laura Pels Foundation Awardee in Theatre. Jones’s critically-acclaimed pieces include Black Light (Public Theater, Greenwich House Theatre); Duat (Soho Rep); An Integrator’s Manual (La MaMa, etc. and Fusebox Festival); Bright Now Beyond (Salvage Vanguard Theatre); and Radiate (Soho Rep and National Tour). Jones has recorded five albums of original songs as his alter-ego, Jomama Jones. Daniel is enlivened by collaborative process and maintains a fierce tribe of artist-collaborators. His roots reach deep into Black American and Queer Theatre and Performance traditions; Jones is recognized as a key voice in the development of Theatrical Jazz and has made a significant contribution to Black Experimental Theatre and Performance. Jones explores ideas of the Afromystical (awakening awareness of the numinous in the everyday through ritualized performance) in all his work. He has also been a pioneer in the exploration and articulation of identities and experiences that move beyond caging binaries and transcend limited civic, cultural, and political imaginings. Moved by silenced histories of sovereignty and agency, and emboldened by acts of survival and transcendence, Jones creates his own distinctive dramaturgy. For over twenty-five years of professional practice, Jones has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the rigorous work of civic healing through vulnerable presence, truth telling, and collective critical engagement with possibility. Jones directed world-premieres of new plays and performance pieces by E. Patrick Johnson, Erik Ehn, Renita Martin, and Shay Youngblood, among others. He is a company member of Penumbra Theatre Company in St. Paul; an associate company member of Pillsbury House Theatre in Minneapolis; an alumnus of New Dramatists, and was a company member of Frontera@Hyde Park Theatre in Austin. Jones is a 2019 Guggenheim Fellow, a 2019 recipient of the Helen Merrill Playwriting Award. He was awarded a Doris Duke Artist Award, an Alpert Award in the Arts, a USA Artist Fellowship, an Arts Matters grant, an inaugural Creative Capital Grant, a McKnight National Residency and Commission, a Howard Foundation Fellowship, a NEA/TCG Playwriting Residency, a Jerome Fellowship, and a Many Voices Playwriting Fellowship. Jones was lead artist on five projects awarded support by the MAP Fund. Daniel has been a Mellon Creative Research Fellow at the University of Washington, a Hume Fellow at Occidental College, was a Fellow at the Hemispheric Institute at NYU, and has been in residence at a number of colleges and universities across the country including most recently, Reed College and Hampshire College. Jones received a Bistro Award for Outstanding Performance Artistry for Jomama Jones in 2019, and a Franky Award from the Prelude Festival in recognition of long-term, extraordinary impact on contemporary theatre and performance. Daniel Alexander Jones did his undergraduate study at Vassar College in Africana Studies with a focus on literature and the arts, and graduate study at Brown University in Theatre. He is a widely respected, innovative educator, who has taught across the United States, and held faculty positions at Goddard College, The University of Texas at Austin, and Fordham University, where he is currently an Associate Professor of Theatre. // Theater artist // research, music, theatre, teaching, black american theatre., performance, community building, writing, vulnerability // United States|New York

United States|New York

Behavior, Mammalogy, STEM Diversity, Social media, informal education

2015

United States

Behavioral biologist // Biologist researching the ecological and evolutionary behaviors of the African giant pouched rats. A popular blogger for Scientific American, she is also using hip hop to teach science to underserved groups. // Danielle N. Lee is an Outreach Scientist who studies animal behavior and behavioral ecology. While completing her dissertation research on individual differences on exploratory behavior of field mice, she mentored several undergraduate and high school students as biology research assistants. She also coordinated ecology outreach programs with nearby public high schools for the Department of Biology at her graduate institution. This included co-coordinating a summer internship research in urban ecology for high school students and an after-school biology club at a nearby public high school. She is currently an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville studying the behavioral biology and natural history of nuisance rodents across urban gradients. She studies field mice in the Midwest United States and African giant pouched rats in Tanzania, Africa. Lee is passionate about science outreach and is well known for her science promotion and outreach in social media. Lee has a particular focus on science outreach to under-served audiences and is an active member of Animal Behavior Society including the Education and Diversity Committee. Her social media efforts have garnered several accolades from the Huffington Post, Under the Microscope, Black Weblog Awards, and Niche Blogging in Science. Her outreach efforts emphasize sharing science to general audiences, particularly under-served groups, via outdoor programming and social media. She writes about science, research news, and diversity outreach in science, technology, engineering, and math for several online communities and at her blog - The Urban Scientist on the Scientific American Blog Network. She is an avid user of Twitter. Recently, Lee has been honored as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer (2017) and has been named as one of EBONY Magazine’s Power 100, a list of the most influential African Americans. She was also one of ten White House Champions of Change in STEM Diversity and Access in 2014. In 2009 Lee was honored as a Diversity Scholar by the American Institute of Biological Sciences and in 2011 she was named the Young Professional of the Year by the Urban League Young Professionals of Metropolitan St. Louis; and was given the S.T.E.M. Leader Award by the Kansas City Black Family Technology Awareness Association in 2013. Her current science outreach efforts emphasize engagement with broader audiences via science journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the National Black Journalists Association. In 2013, Lee helped found the National Science &Technology News Service, a media literacy initiative to bring more science news to African-American audiences and promote science news sources diversity in mainstream media. Lee received a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Missouri at St. Louis, Masters in Vertebrate Zoology from the University of Memphis, and Bachelors in Animal Science from Tennessee Technological University. // In the early 1990s, a scandal rocked evolutionary biology: scientists discovered that songbirds -- once thought to be strictly monogamous -- engaged in what's politely called "extra-pair copulation." In this unforgettable biology lesson on animal infidelity, TED Fellow Danielle N. Lee shows how she uses hip-hop to teach science, leading the crowd in an updated version of Naughty by Nature's hit "O.P.P." // Danielle N. Lee is an Outreach Scientist who studies animal behavior and behavioral ecology. While completing her dissertation research on individual differences on exploratory behavior of field mice, she mentored several undergraduate and high school students as biology research assistants. She also coordinated ecology outreach programs with nearby public high schools for the Department of Biology at her graduate institution. This included co-coordinating a summer internship research in urban ecology for high school students and an after-school biology club at a nearby public high school. She is currently an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville studying the behavioral biology and natural history of nuisance rodents across urban gradients. She studies field mice in the Midwest United States and African giant pouched rats in Tanzania, Africa. Lee is passionate about science outreach and is well known for her science promotion and outreach in social media. Lee has a particular focus on science outreach to under-served audiences and is an active member of Animal Behavior Society including the Education and Diversity Committee. Her social media efforts have garnered several accolades from the Huffington Post, Under the Microscope, Black Weblog Awards, and Niche Blogging in Science. Her outreach efforts emphasize sharing science to general audiences, particularly under-served groups, via outdoor programming and social media. She writes about science, research news, and diversity outreach in science, technology, engineering, and math for several online communities and at her blog - The Urban Scientist on the Scientific American Blog Network. She is an avid user of Twitter. Recently, Lee has been honored as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer (2017) and has been named as one of EBONY Magazine’s Power 100, a list of the most influential African Americans. She was also one of ten White House Champions of Change in STEM Diversity and Access in 2014. In 2009 Lee was honored as a Diversity Scholar by the American Institute of Biological Sciences and in 2011 she was named the Young Professional of the Year by the Urban League Young Professionals of Metropolitan St. Louis; and was given the S.T.E.M. Leader Award by the Kansas City Black Family Technology Awareness Association in 2013. Her current science outreach efforts emphasize engagement with broader audiences via science journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers and the National Black Journalists Association. In 2013, Lee helped found the National Science &Technology News Service, a media literacy initiative to bring more science news to African-American audiences and promote science news sources diversity in mainstream media. Lee received a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Missouri at St. Louis, Masters in Vertebrate Zoology from the University of Memphis, and Bachelors in Animal Science from Tennessee Technological University. // Behavioral biologist // research, technology, behavior, science, education, urban ecology, social media, underserved, stem diversity, informal education, ecology, urban, stem, mammalogy // Edwardsville|Illinois|United States|USA

Edwardsville|Illinois|United States|USA

Social Network Analysis

2010

United States

Health entreprenuer // Founder and CEO of the Global Micro-Clinic Project (GMCP), an organization working to prevent and manage diseases in the developing world using low-cost behavioral interventions // Daniel Zoughbie is the Founder, CEO, and President of the Global Micro-Clinic Project (GMCP), an organization dedicated to providing access to health care in the developing world. Zoughbie's research interests and community service activities combine the fields of international development, global health, international relations, and higher education. Zoughbie received his BA in Urban Studies (2006) with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies (Phi Beta Kappa and Highest Honors) from the University of California, Berkeley. He has received many honors and awards including the Marshall Scholarship for graduate studies at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. // Daniel Zoughbie is the Founder, CEO, and President of the Global Micro-Clinic Project (GMCP), an organization dedicated to providing access to health care in the developing world. Zoughbie's research interests and community service activities combine the fields of international development, global health, international relations, and higher education. Zoughbie received his BA in Urban Studies (2006) with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies (Phi Beta Kappa and Highest Honors) from the University of California, Berkeley. He has received many honors and awards including the Marshall Scholarship for graduate studies at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. // Health entreprenuer // research, social network analysis, education, low-cost, urban, disease // California|United States|Pacifica|USA

California|United States|Pacifica|USA

2014

Composer + concert presenter // American composer who innovates concert experiences to give musical expression to contemporary social issues, creating events that engage communities and make classical music accessible to a new generation. // American composer who innovates concert experiences to give musical expression to contemporary social issues, creating events that engage communities and make classical music accessible to a new generation. // Composer + concert presenter

2009

United States

Advocacy, Photography, Photojournalism, Visual Art

2024

Georgia

The organization focuses on documenting and shedding light on various social issues and conflicts in Georgia. They cover topics such as the lives of Chechen refugees in the Pankisi Gorge region, the impact of the pandemic on individuals and families, the plight of disabled children in remote regions, the dark history of black market baby trade, harsh working conditions in the Chiatura City mines, early marriages in Georgia, civil unrest in Kiev, the ethnic tensions in Samtskhe Javakheti, and the challenges faced by those living near the occupied borderlines of breakaway regions. Through photography and storytelling, the organization aims to raise awareness and give a voice to those affected by these issues. // Georgian photojournalist Daro Sulakauri, supported by CatchLight, has launched Shifting Borders, an interactive map and visual archive showcasing the lives of Georgian locals near the Russian occupation border. Through her work, Sulakauri captures the daily struggles and uncertainties faced by these communities, offering a glimpse into the impact of the ongoing conflict. Her storytelling delves into the experiences of individuals like Nina and Tengo, highlighting the challenges and dangers they encounter living near the border. Sulakauri's project sheds light on the complexities of the situation, illustrating the human stories behind geopolitical tensions in the region. // My on-going mission is to explore the limits of the camera, to constantly strive for new solutions and ultimately to create images that inspire, provoke thought, evoke emotions. I believe the result of my work can change something in people’s lives; change society's attitude and guide citizens on a path toward a better way. Using mixed media, I dedicate my work to coverage of a variety of social issues in the South Caucasus region. // Georgian photojournalist Daro Sulakauri is dedicated to documenting social issues and conflicts in Georgia, particularly focusing on the lives of marginalized communities near the Russian occupation border. Through her project "Shifting Borders," supported by CatchLight, Sulakauri creates an interactive map and visual archive that illuminates the daily struggles and uncertainties faced by locals in these regions. Her work captures the human stories behind geopolitical tensions, offering a poignant glimpse into the impact of ongoing conflicts on individuals like Nina and Tengo. Sulakauri's storytelling through photography aims to raise awareness, provoke thought, and evoke emotions, ultimately striving to inspire positive societal change in the South Caucasus region. // Photojournalist // Georgian photojournalist Daro Sulakauri is dedicated to documenting social issues and conflicts in Georgia, particularly focusing on the lives of marginalized communities near the Russian occupation border. Through her project "Shifting Borders," supported by CatchLight, Sulakauri creates an interactive map and visual archive that illuminates the daily struggles and uncertainties faced by locals in these regions. Her work captures the human stories behind geopolitical tensions, offering a poignant glimpse into the impact of ongoing conflicts on individuals like Nina and Tengo. Sulakauri's storytelling through photography aims to raise awareness, provoke thought, and evoke emotions, ultimately striving to inspire positive societal change in the South Caucasus region. // Photojournalist // children, visual art., photojournalism, refugees, unrest, conflicts and war, migration, advocacy campaigns, advocacy, documenting occupation, war, pandemic, investigative journalism, campaigns, conflict photography, mining // Georgia|Tbilisi

Georgia|Tbilisi

2010

United States

Installation artist // David Gurman, a TED Fellow, is an artist and designer known for using real time data and citizen reportage from conflict zones to drive kinetic art installations. His ‘real-time memorials’ are beacons for events we hear about but have no access to, broadening awareness and bridging distant cultures and landscapes. David co-founded mappr with TED Senior Fellows - Ecologist, Network Scientist, Eric Berlow and Computer Scientist, Kaustuv DeBiswas to build tools for data storytelling and collaborative understanding of complex networks. Current projects include mapping the network structure of the Syrian conflict and visualizing the ecology of human creativity. David has received grants and fellowships from TED, National Endowment for the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship, the Eureka Fellowship, the Fleishhacker Foundation, the Wattis Foundation, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. His work has been included in national and international exhibitions. His design work has been recognized by the FWA, WordPress, and Communication Arts. // David Gurman, a TED Fellow, is an artist and designer known for using real time data and citizen reportage from conflict zones to drive kinetic art installations. His "real-time memorials" are beacons for events we hear about but have no access to, broadening awareness and bridging distant cultures and landscapes. David co-founded Vibrant Data with TED Senior Fellows - Ecologist, Network Scientist, Eric Berlow and Computer Scientist, Kaustuv DeBiswas to build tools for data storytelling and collaborative understanding of complex networks. Current projects include mapping the network structure of the Syrian conflict and visualizing the ecology of human creativity. David has received grants and fellowships from TED, National Endowment for the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship, the Eureka Fellowship, the Fleishhacker Foundation, the Wattis Foundation, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. His work has been included in national and international exhibitions. His design work has been recognized by the FWA, WordPress, and Communication Arts. // David Gurman, a TED Fellow, is an artist and designer known for using real time data and citizen reportage from conflict zones to drive kinetic art installations. His "real-time memorials" are beacons for events we hear about but have no access to, broadening awareness and bridging distant cultures and landscapes. David co-founded Vibrant Data with TED Senior Fellows - Ecologist, Network Scientist, Eric Berlow and Computer Scientist, Kaustuv DeBiswas to build tools for data storytelling and collaborative understanding of complex networks. Current projects include mapping the network structure of the Syrian conflict and visualizing the ecology of human creativity. David has received grants and fellowships from TED, National Endowment for the Arts, Headlands Center for the Arts, the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship, the Eureka Fellowship, the Fleishhacker Foundation, the Wattis Foundation, and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. His work has been included in national and international exhibitions. His design work has been recognized by the FWA, WordPress, and Communication Arts. // Installation artist // design, data, communication, ecology // California|United States|San Francisco|USA

California|United States|San Francisco|USA