United States

Theater artist // Keenan Scott II is a playwright, poet, actor, director, and producer of original work from Queens, New York. His work has been produced at Howard University, Gala Hispanic Theatre, National Black Theater, Woolly Mammoth and the NYC Fringe Festival. Keenan’s critically acclaimed piece Thoughts of a Colored Man has been workshopped and developed at The Arena Stage and the historic New York Theatre Workshop for private readings. The play had its World Premiere at Syracuse Stage for their 2019-2020 season and transferred to Baltimore Center Stage to finish its regional run. Thoughts of a Colored Man found its home at the Golden Theater for the 2021-2022 Broadway Season. Through his production company PROJECT TOYS, the mission is to put black and brown people at the center of diverse stories, no matter the orientation or background, to broaden the spectrum of their existence across multiple genres in an authentic and purposeful way. His latest works The Migration LP and The Return of Young Boy is currently being developed at New York Stage & Film. He is currently developing a series for TV with UCP of Universal, and many other projects at major studios. // Keenan Scott Il's passion for words, stories and superheroes fueled his journey to becoming a celebrated playwright, producer, director and actor. Showing how language can illuminate the superhero in all of us, Scott performs three spoken word pieces that seamlessly weave together literary devices like simile, assonance and slant rhyme, sharing the talent he's cultivated despite the obstacles (read: kryptonite). // Keenan Scott II is a playwright, poet, actor, director, and producer of original work from Queens, New York. His work has been produced at Howard University, Gala Hispanic Theatre, National Black Theater, Woolly Mammoth and the NYC Fringe Festival. Keenan’s critically acclaimed piece Thoughts of a Colored Man has been workshopped and developed at The Arena Stage and the historic New York Theatre Workshop for private readings. The play had its World Premiere at Syracuse Stage for their 2019-2020 season and transferred to Baltimore Center Stage to finish its regional run. Thoughts of a Colored Man found its home at the Golden Theater for the 2021-2022 Broadway Season. Through his production company PROJECT TOYS, the mission is to put black and brown people at the center of diverse stories, no matter the orientation or background, to broaden the spectrum of their existence across multiple genres in an authentic and purposeful way. His latest works The Migration LP and The Return of Young Boy is currently being developed at New York Stage & Film. He is currently developing a series for TV with UCP of Universal, and many other projects at major studios. // Theater artist // directing, acting, writing, migration, producing // New York|United States|Brooklyn|USA

New York|United States|Brooklyn|USA

United States

Food entrepreneur + investor // Matilda Ho is a serial entrepreneur and investor driving to create more sustainable food systems. She is founder and managing director of Bits x Bites, China’s first food tech accelerator and VC that invests in startups tackling global food system challenges. With a mission to shape the future of food, Bits x Bites is a big step forward to inspire China’s entrepreneurial community to bring new ideas to solve global issues. In addition to Bits x Bites, Matilda has founded Yimishiji, one of China’s first online farmers markets to bring organic and local produce to families. Yimishiji stands alone as a farm-to-table e-commerce platform that has engineered food education and transparency into the entire supply chain and customer experience. Prior to entrepreneurship, she filled leadership roles at IDEO and BCG (The Boston Consulting Group) in both Shanghai and Washington DC. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She currently serves as an advisor on the board of Shinho, China’s first and largest organic condiment company. She is named a 2017 TED Fellow. // Fresh food free of chemicals and pesticides is hard to come by in China: in 2016, the Chinese government revealed half a million food safety violations in just nine months. In the absence of safe, sustainable food sources, TED Fellow Matilda Ho launched China's first online farmers market, instituting a zero-tolerance test towards pesticides, antibiotics and hormones in food. She shares how she's growing her platform from the ground up and bringing local, organically grown food to the families that need it. // Matilda Ho is a serial entrepreneur and investor driving to create more sustainable food systems. She is founder and managing director of Bits x Bites, China’s first food tech accelerator and VC that invests in startups tackling global food system challenges. With a mission to shape the future of food, Bits x Bites is a big step forward to inspire China’s entrepreneurial community to bring new ideas to solve global issues. In addition to Bits x Bites, Matilda has founded Yimishiji, one of China’s first online farmers markets to bring organic and local produce to families. Yimishiji stands alone as a farm-to-table e-commerce platform that has engineered food education and transparency into the entire supply chain and customer experience. Prior to entrepreneurship, she filled leadership roles at IDEO and BCG (The Boston Consulting Group) in both Shanghai and Washington DC. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She currently serves as an advisor on the board of Shinho, China’s first and largest organic condiment company. She is named a 2017 TED Fellow. // Food entrepreneur + investor // technology, global food system, farmers' market, supply chain, education, food, entrepreneurship, pesticides, sustainable food, farmers, government, transparency, food system

United States

Writer, secular chaplain-in-training // I'm a writer and a historian of science. Right now I'm working on a book about mental illness in the nonhuman world and what it means about us. I'm also finishing up my PhD at MIT. I've spent the last few years traveling around the world doing my research...which means hanging out with elephants in Thailand and friendly gray whales in Baja, Mexico. I'm also interested in emergent technologies, occupying planet earth, freeing Leonard Peltier, and slashing our defense budget. And I do a lot of work with artists. // Laurel Braitman PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, Director of Writing and Storytelling at Stanford School of Medicine's Medical Arts and Humanities Program and the founder of Writing Medicine, the global community of writing healthcare professionals. Since March 2020, Laurel has helped over 10,000 healthcare workers tell their own stories and those of their patients. Her own writing is on the subjects of mental health, resilience, the natural sciences, and more. She is author of the memoir “What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey from loss to love” (Simon & Schuster 2023) which Publisher’s Weekly called “perfect for anyone seeking to heal a broken heart.” Her first book, “Animal Madness: Inside their minds”, was a NYT bestseller and has been translated into seven languages. Laurel’s work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, Good Morning America and Al Jazeera. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Wired and other publications. She is a Senior TED Fellow. Laurel splits her time between remote Alaska where her husband runs a 113 year old salmon cannery and her family's commercial citrus and avocado ranch in Southern CA. // Health care workers are under more stress than ever before. How can they protect their mental health while handling new and complex pressures? TED Fellow Laurel Braitman shows how writing and sharing personal stories helps physicians, nurses, medical students and other health professionals connect more meaningfully with themselves and others -- and make their emotional well-being a priority. // Behind those funny animal videos, sometimes, are oddly human-like problems. Laurel Braitman studies non-human animals who exhibit signs of mental health issues -- from compulsive bears to self-destructive rats to monkeys with unlikely friends. Braitman asks what we as humans can learn from watching animals cope with depression, sadness and other all-too-human problems. // Laurel Braitman PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, Director of Writing and Storytelling at Stanford School of Medicine's Medical Arts and Humanities Program and the founder of Writing Medicine, the global community of writing healthcare professionals. Since March 2020, Laurel has helped over 10,000 healthcare workers tell their own stories and those of their patients. Her own writing is on the subjects of mental health, resilience, the natural sciences, and more. She is author of the memoir “What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey from loss to love” (Simon & Schuster 2023) which Publisher’s Weekly called “perfect for anyone seeking to heal a broken heart.” Her first book, “Animal Madness: Inside their minds”, was a NYT bestseller and has been translated into seven languages. Laurel’s work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, Good Morning America and Al Jazeera. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Wired and other publications. She is a Senior TED Fellow. Laurel splits her time between remote Alaska where her husband runs a 113 year old salmon cannery and her family's commercial citrus and avocado ranch in Southern CA. // Writer, secular chaplain-in-training // research, technology, books, resilience, medical education, science, education, performance, journalism, writing, mental health (care), history of science, anthropology of science & technology, medicine, workers, interdisciplinarity // California|United States|San Francisco|USA

California|United States|San Francisco|USA

Kenya

GreenChar; Shamiri Health; Harvard Club of Kenya; Shamiri Institute; Alliance High School; Cultural Agents; Harvard University

The Shamiri Institute focuses on providing mental healthcare to young people, particularly in underserved regions like Kenya and Africa. They have developed an innovative, community-oriented caregiving model that involves training 18-to-22-year-olds to deliver effective therapy within a tiered community-based care system. The organization aims to bridge the treatment gap by offering cost-effective and accessible mental health services. Through their Shamiri Fellows and Shamiri Supervisors, they deliver group-based therapy and near-peer support, with a focus on reducing depression and anxiety symptoms. Their data-driven scientific approach has shown significant results, with over 80% of individuals becoming depression and anxiety free // Tom Osborn is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute, a startup focused on providing affordable and personalized mental health support to youths across Sub-Saharan Africa. Through a combination of social science research and contextual knowledge, the organization aims to help young people actualize their life outcomes. Tom Osborn, who hails from rural Kenya and overcame poverty through scholarships, is recognized for his work in social entrepreneurship and mental health innovation. He is dedicated to improving the well-being of Africa's youth through initiatives in mental health and clean energy. // Tom is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute and Shamiri Health. He is a 2021 TED Fellow, Forbes' 30 under 30 (global) Fellow, and Echoing Green Fellow. He has written >20 peer-reviewed articles published in leading journals including JAMA Psychiatry. Born and raised in rural Kenya, he graduated from Harvard College with a Bachelor’s in Psychology (High Honors). // The Harvard Club of Kenya is the premier Harvard alumni association, network, and programming body in East Africa. We aspire to be one of the connecting and programming sources on the continent for Harvard alumni and for the citizens of Africa more generally. // Led a pre-registered clinical trial of Shamiri – a four-week group intervention for adolescent depression. Completed IRB protocols, grant applications, and study design. Managed a team of 7 researchers, 13 research assistants, 5 sites and 2173 participants. Developed and trialed a single-session digital intervention for adolescent depression and anxiety. Conducted field work on the local representations of depression and anxiety in the Luo tribe of Western Kenya. Co-wrote 5 research manuscripts published in leading international journals including JAMA Psychiatry. // Founded GreenChar—an alternative energy company that provides clean cooking fuel to households and institutions in rural and semi-urban Kenya—at 18 years. Raised over $250,000 in venture capital and grant funding for GreenChar; led the company to $100,000 revenues from bottom of the pyramid customers. Grew the company to a staff of 20 and 3000 customers in twelve months after launch. Opened 10 micro-franchises for women entrepreneur in small villages and urban slums including Kibera – the largest slum in Africa. Conducted research with the University of Nairobi on calorific value and particulate emissions of biomass solid fuels. Collaborated on research with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers on biomass carbonization technology that led to patent-pending technology. // Shamiri Health is a platform that enables employers to provide affordable, personalized, and effective mental healthcare to their teams. // Shamiri Institute is a data-driven public benefit organization that uses cutting edge social science research and a deep contextual knowledge of the communities that we work with to build a future where young people can actualize their life potential. Shamiri means "thrive" in Kiswahili. // Cultural Agents is a platform for academics, artists, community leaders, and active citizens in general. It is an invitation to revive a long humanistic tradition that combines arts and research in the service of civic development. // The mission of Shamiri institute is to provide youths, in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, with data-driven tools to improve their life outcomes. We research, develop, and disseminate data-driven interventions that are securing the future of Africa's youth. Through an innovative by-youth and for-youth model, we are building the future of mental healthcare in the Global South. // Cultural Agents is a platform for academics, artists, community leaders, and active citizens in general. It is an invitation to revive a long humanistic tradition that combines arts and research in the service of civic development. // GreenChar; Shamiri Health; Harvard Club of Kenya; Shamiri Institute; Alliance High School; Cultural Agents; Harvard University // Tom Osborn is a dynamic entrepreneur and researcher with a strong background in psychology and public health. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute and Shamiri Health, he has spearheaded innovative initiatives to provide mental healthcare solutions and empower young people in Sub-Saharan Africa. Tom's extensive experience includes leading clinical trials, managing research teams, and publishing research articles in prestigious journals like JAMA Psychiatry. His entrepreneurial ventures, such as founding GreenChar at a young age, demonstrate his commitment to sustainable solutions and community empowerment. Through his work, Tom is shaping the future of mental healthcare and youth development in the Global South. // Working to make mental health affordable, accessible and appropriate for all, starting with young people in Africa // Tom Osborn is a dedicated entrepreneur and researcher known for his work in social entrepreneurship and mental health innovation. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute, he leads initiatives to provide affordable and personalized mental health support to youths in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Shamiri Institute's innovative community-oriented caregiving model, Tom aims to bridge the treatment gap by training young individuals to deliver effective therapy within a tiered community-based care system. His data-driven scientific approach has shown significant results, with a focus on reducing depression and anxiety symptoms among young people. Tom's commitment to improving the well-being of Africa's youth is evident in his efforts to make mental health services accessible and appropriate for all, starting with underserved populations in Africa. // Mental health innovator // Tom Osborn is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute, a data-driven public benefit organization that develops and scales mental healthcare to young people across Sub-Saharan Africa and especially Kenya, where nearly 50 percent of young people report mental health problems. Shamiri Institute currently serves more than 7,500 Kenyan youths. Tom is a 2021 TED Fellow—given to doers who have shown unusual accomplishment, exceptional courage, and are creating positive change around the world. Tom has developed a global reputation as a community mobilizer, social entrepreneur, and global mental health innovator. At 18, he co-founded GreenChar, a social enterprise which provided 3,000 homes and institutions in rural Kenyan and urban slums with clean energy. For his trailblazing work in the clean energy sector with GreenChar, Tom became the youngest recipient of the Echoing Green Fellowship – an award given to the leading emerging social entrepreneurs around the world. At 19, Tom was named on the global list of Forbes’ 30 under 30 social entrepreneurs (the second youngest person to receive the honor). He has also other numerous national and international awards for his community-oriented entrepreneurship, including World Deliver Social Entrepreneur of the year in 2016, the Donors’ Circle for Africa Energy Prize and many others. Africa Youth Awards named him as one of the 100 Most Influential Young Africans. Tom was born and raised in poverty in rural Kenya. His education was only possible because of $300,000 in academic scholarships and grants. He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor’s in Psychology (High Honors) with a secondary in Computer Science. // TED Fellow Tom Osborn wants more young people to have access to the mental health support they need. With the Shamiri Institute, he and his team are training 18- to 22-year-olds to deliver evidence-based mental health care to their peers in Kenya -- which has only two psychiatrists for every million people. Hear how their community-first, youth-oriented model could become a template to help kids across the world lead successful, independent lives. // Tom Osborn is a dedicated entrepreneur and researcher known for his work in social entrepreneurship and mental health innovation. As the Co-Founder and CEO of Shamiri Institute, he leads initiatives to provide affordable and personalized mental health support to youths in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through the Shamiri Institute's innovative community-oriented caregiving model, Tom aims to bridge the treatment gap by training young individuals to deliver effective therapy within a tiered community-based care system. His data-driven scientific approach has shown significant results, with a focus on reducing depression and anxiety symptoms among young people. Tom's commitment to improving the well-being of Africa's youth is evident in his efforts to make mental health services accessible and appropriate for all, starting with underserved populations in Africa. // Mental health innovator // technology, renewable, mental health, africa's youth, climate justice, entrepreneurship, bioenergy, education, led, youth empowerment, clean cooking, public health, fuel, interventions, job skills training, urban, africa, research, climate, design, emissions, justice, adolescent mental health, clean energy, women, energy industry, rural villages, affordable, data-driven, youth, entreprenuership, biomass, underserved, renewable energy, rural, alternative energy, cooking, empowerment, science, poverty, software, energy, slum // Nairobi County|Kenya|Nairobi

Nairobi County|Kenya|Nairobi

United States

The Johns Hopkins University; University of Michigan; The University of Texas at Austin

Will Potter is an investigative journalist and author known for his work focusing on social justice and environmental movements, as well as attacks on civil rights post-9/11. He has been invited to speak at numerous universities and public forums globally, addressing topics such as civil liberties and authoritarianism. Potter's book, "Green Is the New Red," sheds light on the criminalization of nonviolent protest groups by the FBI. Additionally, he has collaborated with punk rock bands like Rise Against and Old Lines on special releases, using vibrant and powerful language to advocate for animal welfare and increased transparency in areas like factory farms. Potter's investigative journalism has led to the overturning of criminal prosecutions and has been cited in Congressional reports and Supreme Court briefs, particularly in relation to issues such as eco-terrorism and government surveillance. // The Johns Hopkins University; University of Michigan; The University of Texas at Austin // I'm trying to sound the alarm the political repression of protest movements and the rise of fascism. // Will Potter is an investigative journalist and author who delves into social justice and environmental movements, particularly focusing on the criminalization of nonviolent protest groups post-9/11. His book, "Green Is the New Red," highlights the FBI's targeting of such groups. Potter's impactful work has led to the reversal of criminal prosecutions and has been referenced in Congressional reports and Supreme Court briefs, notably in discussions surrounding eco-terrorism and government surveillance. He is a sought-after speaker at universities and public events worldwide, where he addresses issues of civil liberties and authoritarianism. Potter's collaborations with punk rock bands like Rise Against and Old Lines further amplify his advocacy for animal welfare and transparency in industries such as factory farming. // Investigative journalist // Will Potter is an award-winning journalist, author, and TED Fellow based in Washington, D.C. who focuses on the animal rights and environmental movements, and civil liberties post-9/11. Currently he is examining how whistleblowers and non-violent protesters are being treated as "terrorists." <br><br>His reporting and commentary have been featured in the world's top media outlets, including the <em>Washington Post</em>, <a href="http://www.onthemedia.org/story/273133-states-consider-so-called-ag-gag-bills/" target="_blank">NPR</a>, <em>Rolling Stone</em>, <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/el-pais-will-potter/7426/" target="_blank"><em>El Pais</em></a>, and <em>Le Monde</em>. He has testified before the U.S. Congress about his reporting, as the <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/congressional-testimony/" target="_blank">only witness opposing the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act</a>.<br><br> Will has lectured at more than 150 universities and public forums about his work, including Georgetown University, the New York City Bar Association, and the House of Democracy and Human Rights in Berlin. International speaking tours have included Germany, Austria, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Spain, and he is the international guest lecturer for Australia's 2014 animal law lecture series. He is also an advisory board member of the <a href="http://www.rfc.org" target="_blank">Rosenberg Fund for Children.</a><br><br> His reporting has <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/first-ag-gag-arrest-utah-amy-meyer/6948/" target="_blank">overturned criminal prosecutions</a>, and it has both been praised in <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/domestic-terrorist-threat-congressional-report/6418/" target="_blank">Congressional reports</a> and monitored by the <a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/counter-terrorism-unit-keeps-files-on-journalists/6247/" target="_blank">Counter-Terrorism Unit</a>. His book, <i><a href="http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/book">Green Is The New Red: An Insider’s Account of a Social Movement Under Siege</a>, </i>was awarded a a Kirkus Star for “remarkable merit."</td> </tr> // Will Potter is an award-winning author, TED Senior Fellow, and internationally-recognized civil liberties advocate. His work challenging government repression, and the labeling of protest as "terrorism," has appeared in the world's top media outlets, including the Washington Post, National Geographic, and Rolling Stone. Pulitzer Prize winner Glenn Greenwald described him as "the most knowledgeable journalist in the country on these issues." His reporting has overturned criminal prosecutions, and his book, Green Is The New Red, was described in Counter-Terrorism Unit surveillance documents as "compelling and well-written." Will has been invited to testify before the U.S. Congress about his reporting, as the only witness opposing the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, and he has spoken about his investigations of “ag-gag” laws before the Australian Parliament. After being awarded the prestigious Knight Wallace Fellowship, Will was appointed the Marsh Professor of Journalism at the University of Michigan, where he teaches courses on investigative journalism, social movements, and whistleblowing. // Investigative journalist Will Potter is the only reporter who has been inside a Communications Management Unit, or CMU, within a US prison. These units were opened secretly, and radically alter how prisoners are treated -- even preventing them from hugging their children. Potter, a TED Fellow, shows us who is imprisoned here, and how the government is trying to keep them hidden. "The message was clear," he says. "Don't talk about this place." Find sources for this talk at willpotter.com/cmu // In 2002, investigative journalist and TED Fellow Will Potter took a break from his regular beat, writing about shootings and murders for the Chicago Tribune. He went to help a local group campaigning against animal testing: "I thought it would be a safe way to do something positive," he says. Instead, he was arrested, and so began his ongoing journey into a world in which peaceful protest is branded as terrorism. // Will Potter is an investigative journalist and author who delves into social justice and environmental movements, particularly focusing on the criminalization of nonviolent protest groups post-9/11. His book, "Green Is the New Red," highlights the FBI's targeting of such groups. Potter's impactful work has led to the reversal of criminal prosecutions and has been referenced in Congressional reports and Supreme Court briefs, notably in discussions surrounding eco-terrorism and government surveillance. He is a sought-after speaker at universities and public events worldwide, where he addresses issues of civil liberties and authoritarianism. Potter's collaborations with punk rock bands like Rise Against and Old Lines further amplify his advocacy for animal welfare and transparency in industries such as factory farming. // Investigative journalist // civil liberties, led, activism, human rights, farming, rights, environmental policy and advocacy, protest, justice, policy, first amendment rights, environmental activism, journalism, advocacy, environment, animal rights / law, civil rights, social justice, political repression, transparency, children, law, government, communication, investigative journalism, surveillance, social justice advocacy // Michigan|Ann Arbor|USA

Michigan|Ann Arbor|USA

Spain

Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski; Yale University; Self Employed; Bulgarian Helsinki Committee; World Economic Forum; Sofia University, Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication; First English Language School, Sofia; University of Oxford - Said Business School; Sofia University, Faculty of Philosophy; Nanyang Technological University Singapore; School of Politics, Bulgaria; TimeHeroes; Capital weekly; TED Conferences; Fine Acts; Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Fine Acts is an organization that focuses on visual framing and creative campaigning to help civil society organizations improve their capacity in fostering democracy and human rights. They collaborate with artists worldwide to create powerful illustrations on various social topics, such as climate justice and the impact of environmental crises. Through projects like "Oracle," an interactive artwork featuring a talking flame, and initiatives like "Illustrating Democracy & Rule of Law," Fine Acts aims to provoke thought, challenge norms, and ignite conversations on critical social issues. Their work is available under an open license on TheGreats.co, allowing for free non-commercial use and adaptation by nonprofits, activists, and educators to promote justice, accountability, and human rights. // Fine Acts is a global nonprofit creative studio for social impact. // The TED Fellows program helps world-changing innovators from around the globe become part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities. Fellows are drawn from many disciplines that reflect the diversity of TED's members: technology, entertainment, design, the sciences, the humanities, the arts, NGOs, business and more. // "This honour is bestowed by the World Economic Forum each year to recognize the most distinguished young leaders nominated below the age of 40 from around the world".http://forumblog.org/2012/03/welcome-to-the-young-global-leaders-class-of-2012/ // TimeHeroes aims to build the bridge over the gap between potential volunteers and organizations, making the process of finding an initiative of interest fast and easy. // Campaign Director (2009-2014) - Responsible for the design, scope, visibility and impact of the BHC's campaigns. The BHC is the largest and most influential human-rights NGO in Bulgaria.Special Advisor (2014-ongoing) Deputy-chair (2016 - 2018)Member of the board (2014-ongoing) // Contributing to publications, on social and cultural issues and human rights issues. Has published at Die Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany; Der Standard, Austria; The Guardian, UK; Ablak, The Netherlands; Vreme, Serbia; Belgrade Insight, Serbia; Globus, Macedonia; Dnevnik, Bulgaria; Obektiv, Bulgaria; Balkan Insight, Transitions Online. // Designing and implementing training courses for journalists; author of journalism guidebooks and media ethics codes. 2003 – to date: Frequent lecturer and course leader.August 2005 - February 2008: Head of the Internal Training Program in high professional standards in Capital weekly, aimed at new journalists and interns.2010-2011: Consultant, Bulgarian National Television. // TimeHeroes aims to build the bridge over the gap between potential volunteers and organizations, making the process of finding an initiative of interest fast and easy. // Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski; Yale University; Self Employed; Bulgarian Helsinki Committee; World Economic Forum; Sofia University, Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication; First English Language School, Sofia; University of Oxford - Said Business School; Sofia University, Faculty of Philosophy; Nanyang Technological University Singapore; School of Politics, Bulgaria; TimeHeroes; Capital weekly; TED Conferences; Fine Acts; Harvard Kennedy School of Government // Yana Buhrer Tavanier is a versatile professional with a strong background in campaign management, human rights advocacy, and journalism. With experience as a Campaign Director for a prominent human-rights NGO in Bulgaria, she has demonstrated expertise in designing impactful campaigns. Additionally, her role as a Special Advisor and Deputy-chair has showcased her strategic thinking and leadership skills. Yana's contributions to various publications on social and cultural issues, as well as human rights, highlight her commitment to raising awareness and driving positive change. Her involvement in training journalists and developing media ethics codes underscores her dedication to promoting journalistic integrity. Through initiatives like TimeHeroes, she continues to bridge the gap between volunteers and organizations, facilitating community engagement and social impact. // I run Fine Acts – a global nonprofit creative studio for social impact. We work at the intersections of advocacy, art, tech, and science, and practice playtivism – creating multidisciplinary spaces for play and experimentation in activism. Our work – from public art interventions, through videos, installations, books, board games and illustrations, to experimental formats – is rooted in hope, joy, and openness. Fine Acts’ campaigns and art actions aim to foster public understanding and engagement on a vast range of social and environmental issues; we also work to support and empower organizations across the globe through tailored trainings, open resources, and bespoke creative work. // Yana Buhrer Tavanier is a multifaceted professional known for her expertise in campaign management, human rights advocacy, and journalism. With a background as a Campaign Director for a prominent human-rights NGO in Bulgaria, she has honed her skills in designing impactful campaigns and demonstrating strategic thinking. Yana's commitment to raising awareness on social and cultural issues, human rights, and journalistic integrity is evident through her contributions to various publications and initiatives like TimeHeroes. As the founder of Fine Acts, a global nonprofit creative studio for social impact, she leads a team that leverages advocacy, art, tech, and science to create innovative campaigns and art actions that provoke thought and spark conversations on critical social and environmental issues. Through Fine Acts, Yana aims to empower organizations worldwide by providing tailored trainings, open resources, and bespoke creative work to drive positive change and promote justice, accountability, and human rights. // Creative activist // Social entrepreneur, human rights activist and award-winning journalist. Has dedicated much of the past years to exposing the inhumane treatment of children and adults with intellectual and mental health disabilities in the Balkans. Currently: co-founder and CEO, Fine Acts, bridging activists and artists from across the world to work on collaborative projects. Also - co-founder, TimeHeroes.org, a do-more-good platform; member of the board and Special Advisor, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, the country's most influential human rights group. BA in Mass Communications and MA in International Political Relations, Sofia University. TED Senior Fellow; Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum; Founding Curator, Global Shapers Sofia Hub; named one of 50 people who will change the world in WIRED's Smart List 2012. // TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Fine Acts, a global nonprofit creative studio for social impact. Yana is a creative activist and a social entrepreneur, with a background in investigative journalism. In her work, she explores human rights innovation and looks into the intersections of activism and art, tech, science, and their potential to instigate change. She is the author of the concept of Playtivism, celebrating the value of experimentation and multidisciplinary creative play in activism. Yana is also Co-founder and Board Member of TimeHeroes.org, the largest volunteer platform in Bulgaria. Her educational background includes BA in Communication and MA in Political Science from Sofia University; and Executive Education at Harvard (Kennedy School of Government), Oxford (Saïd Business School), NTU-Singapore, and Yale Universities. Yana is a 2018 TED Resident, 2019/2020 Fulbright Scholar, WEF Young Global Leader, Allianz Foundation Fellow, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and was named one of 50 people who will change the world in WIRED’s Smart List 2012. // When you're feeling burned out as an activist, what's the best way to bounce back? TED Senior Fellow Yana Buhrer Tavanier explores the power of "playtivism" -- the incorporation of play and creativity into movements for social change. See how this versatile approach can spark new ideas, propel action and melt fear. // Yana Buhrer Tavanier is a multifaceted professional known for her expertise in campaign management, human rights advocacy, and journalism. With a background as a Campaign Director for a prominent human-rights NGO in Bulgaria, she has honed her skills in designing impactful campaigns and demonstrating strategic thinking. Yana's commitment to raising awareness on social and cultural issues, human rights, and journalistic integrity is evident through her contributions to various publications and initiatives like TimeHeroes. As the founder of Fine Acts, a global nonprofit creative studio for social impact, she leads a team that leverages advocacy, art, tech, and science to create innovative campaigns and art actions that provoke thought and spark conversations on critical social and environmental issues. Through Fine Acts, Yana aims to empower organizations worldwide by providing tailored trainings, open resources, and bespoke creative work to drive positive change and promote justice, accountability, and human rights. // Creative activist // technology, climate justice, education, investigative journalism, job skills training, adaptation, art, artivism, activism, climate, human rights, design, rights, environmental policy and advocacy, volunteerism, policy, art for social change, playtivism, advocacy, creative campaigning, campaigns, children, standards, ethics, human rights advocacy and campaigning, science, expose, media ethics, accounting standards, law, journalism & communication, accountability, communication, government, volunteering, justice, nonprofits // Bulgaria|Sofia City Province|Sofia

Bulgaria|Sofia City Province|Sofia

United States

New York University; WaitWhat

The Holladay Brothers, Hays and Ryan, are multimedia artists and composers known for creating innovative music experiences that focus on the act of discovery. Their projects, ranging from sound and video installations to mobile apps, blend art and technology to redefine how people interact with sound. They have received critical acclaim for their location-aware compositions, where music is mapped to physical landscapes using GPS technology. The duo has collaborated with various organizations and institutions worldwide, creating unique works for different locations and events. Their work has been featured in prestigious media outlets and their live shows incorporate a mix of old and new elements, such as antique lamps synchronized with music. Additionally, they have contributed to television shows and podcasts with their scoring and sound design work. // WaitWhat is a media organization co-founded by individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The team includes individuals who have worked in various sectors such as public defense, Capitol Hill, private sector, digital media, and entertainment. They have collectively been involved in launching successful projects, leading content and marketing teams, and forming strategic partnerships. The organization is known for producing podcasts like Masters of Scale, Meditative Story, and Spark & Fire, as well as creating engaging content across different platforms. The team members bring a wealth of experience in areas such as audio engineering, production, storytelling, event management, and strategic partnerships, contributing to the organization's success in creating high-quality and impactful content. // New York University; WaitWhat // These days, my focus is to write, to compose, to produce and to create the best work I can without thinking how it finds any audience or changes the world, if I'm being honest. // Ryan Holladay, along with his brother Hays, is a multimedia artist and composer recognized for their innovative approach to creating music experiences centered around exploration and discovery. Their diverse projects span from immersive sound and video installations to interactive mobile apps, seamlessly blending art with cutting-edge technology. The duo is particularly acclaimed for their groundbreaking use of GPS technology to map music to physical landscapes, offering audiences a unique and location-aware sonic experience. Their collaborations with global organizations and institutions have garnered widespread attention, with their live performances featuring a captivating fusion of traditional and modern elements, such as synchronizing antique lamps with music. Furthermore, their contributions to television shows and podcasts showcase their exceptional talent in scoring and sound design, solidifying their reputation as boundary-pushing creators in the realm of multimedia art and music. // Musical artist // American artist and co-founder of BLUEBRAIN, a music and technology duo creating site-specific sound installations, interactive concerts and GPS-based compositions for sites across the country. // Brothers Hays and Ryan Holladay create innovative music experiences that celebrate the act of discovery. With a shared background in composition and music production, their projects span a range of fields and disciplines and frequently invite user interaction, blurring the lines between performer and participant. From sound and video installations to mobile apps, their expansive body of work represents an intricate blend of art and technology that reimagines how we interact with and experience sound. The duo received early praise for their location-aware composition: music created and mapped to a physical landscape, released as mobile apps, using GPS to dynamically alter the music as the listener explores their surroundings. Their first production, “The National Mall,” a location-aware album mapped to the eponymous park in Washington, DC, was described by the Washington Post as “magical…like using GPS to navigate a dream” and was included in their list of the year’s top albums (a first for an app). They’ve since gone on to create similar works for New York’s Central Park, SXSW Interactive in Austin, Texas, and other sites around the world, partnering with groups like IBM and the US State Department in the process. As a Senior TED Fellow, Ryan spoke about the project at the annual TED Conference in a talk that has been viewed more than a million times. In 2013, they served as visiting artists at Stanford University’s Experimental Media Art Department where they began work on their forthcoming location-aware composition spanning the entirety of the Pacific Coast Highway in the US. Hays and Ryan continue to break new ground with the latest iteration of their live show, which showcases an interplay of old and new, utilizing an array of antique lamps retrofitted with LED bulbs, networked and synchronized with the music to create a duet of light and sound. Last year, they created new commissions for Dolby’s headquarters, the Hirshhorn Museum of Art and Disney’s Magic Kingdom, among others. Their scoring and sound design work can be heard in television shows like ESPN’s 30 for 30 series and on podcasts such as Sincerely X, Constitutional and Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale. The Holladay Brothers have spoken at universities and institutions worldwide and have been featured in numerous media outlets including The New York Times, BBC World Service, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, WIRED and Fast Company. Follow us on Instagram: @holladaybrothers // Musicians Ryan and Hays Holladay blur the boundaries of sight and sound, creating a visual experience where music becomes the performer, rather than the performance with captivating colorful explosions that react to their music's slightest beats and tones. // In this lovely talk, TED Fellow Ryan Holladay shares his experiment with "location-aware music." This programming and musical feat involves hundreds of geotagged segments of sounds that only play when a listener is physically nearby, creating a magical sense of presence. // Ryan Holladay, along with his brother Hays, is a multimedia artist and composer recognized for their innovative approach to creating music experiences centered around exploration and discovery. Their diverse projects span from immersive sound and video installations to interactive mobile apps, seamlessly blending art with cutting-edge technology. The duo is particularly acclaimed for their groundbreaking use of GPS technology to map music to physical landscapes, offering audiences a unique and location-aware sonic experience. Their collaborations with global organizations and institutions have garnered widespread attention, with their live performances featuring a captivating fusion of traditional and modern elements, such as synchronizing antique lamps with music. Furthermore, their contributions to television shows and podcasts showcase their exceptional talent in scoring and sound design, solidifying their reputation as boundary-pushing creators in the realm of multimedia art and music. // Musical artist // technology, music, design, scoring, soundtrack, led, podcast, mobile applications, fire, coastal, sound // Los Angeles|USA|New York|California|United States

Los Angeles|USA|New York|California|United States

United States

Space evironmentalist // Astrodynamicist tracking and monitoring satellites and space garbage to make outer space safe, secure and sustainable for future generations. // Moriba Jah, holder of the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering, is the director for Computational Astronautical Sciences and Technologies (CAST), a group within the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the Lead for the Space Security and Safety Program at the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Moriba came to UT Austin by way of the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory prior to that, where he was a Spacecraft Navigator on a handful of Mars missions. Moriba is a Fellow of multiple organizations: TED, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Astronautical Society (AAS), International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He has served on the US delegation to the United Nations Committee On Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS), is an elected Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and has testified to congress on his work as related to Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management. He’s an Associate Editor of the Elsevier Advances in Space Research journal, and serves on multiple committees: IAA Space Debris, AIAA Astrodynamics, IAF Astrodynamics, and IAF Space Security. // "Most of what we send into outer space never comes back," says astrodynamicist and TED Fellow Moriba Jah. In this forward-thinking talk, Jah describes the space highways orbiting earth and how they're mostly populated by space junk. Learn more about his quest to develop and scale the world's first crowdsourced space traffic monitoring system -- and how it could help solve the debris problem in near-earth space. // Moriba Jah, holder of the Mrs. Pearlie Dashiell Henderson Centennial Fellowship in Engineering, is the director for Computational Astronautical Sciences and Technologies (CAST), a group within the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin. He is also the Lead for the Space Security and Safety Program at the Robert Strauss Center for International Security and Law. Moriba came to UT Austin by way of the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory prior to that, where he was a Spacecraft Navigator on a handful of Mars missions. Moriba is a Fellow of multiple organizations: TED, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), American Astronautical Society (AAS), International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS), Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). He has served on the US delegation to the United Nations Committee On Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN-COPUOS), is an elected Academician of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and has testified to congress on his work as related to Space Situational Awareness and Space Traffic Management. He’s an Associate Editor of the Elsevier Advances in Space Research journal, and serves on multiple committees: IAA Space Debris, AIAA Astrodynamics, IAF Astrodynamics, and IAF Space Security. // Space evironmentalist // technology, space surveillance, space situational awareness, traffic, propulsion, traffic management, data, astrodynamics, research, data and analytics, orbit determination and prediction, multi-source information fusion, monitoring, fusion, data analytics, data science, science, law // Texas|Austin|United States|USA

Texas|Austin|United States|USA

United States

Writer, secular chaplain-in-training // I'm a writer and a historian of science. Right now I'm working on a book about mental illness in the nonhuman world and what it means about us. I'm also finishing up my PhD at MIT. I've spent the last few years traveling around the world doing my research...which means hanging out with elephants in Thailand and friendly gray whales in Baja, Mexico. I'm also interested in emergent technologies, occupying planet earth, freeing Leonard Peltier, and slashing our defense budget. And I do a lot of work with artists. // Laurel Braitman PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, Director of Writing and Storytelling at Stanford School of Medicine's Medical Arts and Humanities Program and the founder of Writing Medicine, the global community of writing healthcare professionals. Since March 2020, Laurel has helped over 10,000 healthcare workers tell their own stories and those of their patients. Her own writing is on the subjects of mental health, resilience, the natural sciences, and more. She is author of the memoir “What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey from loss to love” (Simon & Schuster 2023) which Publisher’s Weekly called “perfect for anyone seeking to heal a broken heart.” Her first book, “Animal Madness: Inside their minds”, was a NYT bestseller and has been translated into seven languages. Laurel’s work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, Good Morning America and Al Jazeera. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Wired and other publications. She is a Senior TED Fellow. Laurel splits her time between remote Alaska where her husband runs a 113 year old salmon cannery and her family's commercial citrus and avocado ranch in Southern CA. // Health care workers are under more stress than ever before. How can they protect their mental health while handling new and complex pressures? TED Fellow Laurel Braitman shows how writing and sharing personal stories helps physicians, nurses, medical students and other health professionals connect more meaningfully with themselves and others -- and make their emotional well-being a priority. // Behind those funny animal videos, sometimes, are oddly human-like problems. Laurel Braitman studies non-human animals who exhibit signs of mental health issues -- from compulsive bears to self-destructive rats to monkeys with unlikely friends. Braitman asks what we as humans can learn from watching animals cope with depression, sadness and other all-too-human problems. // Laurel Braitman PhD is a New York Times bestselling author, Director of Writing and Storytelling at Stanford School of Medicine's Medical Arts and Humanities Program and the founder of Writing Medicine, the global community of writing healthcare professionals. Since March 2020, Laurel has helped over 10,000 healthcare workers tell their own stories and those of their patients. Her own writing is on the subjects of mental health, resilience, the natural sciences, and more. She is author of the memoir “What Looks Like Bravery: An epic journey from loss to love” (Simon & Schuster 2023) which Publisher’s Weekly called “perfect for anyone seeking to heal a broken heart.” Her first book, “Animal Madness: Inside their minds”, was a NYT bestseller and has been translated into seven languages. Laurel’s work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, Good Morning America and Al Jazeera. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Wired and other publications. She is a Senior TED Fellow. Laurel splits her time between remote Alaska where her husband runs a 113 year old salmon cannery and her family's commercial citrus and avocado ranch in Southern CA. // Writer, secular chaplain-in-training // research, technology, books, resilience, medical education, science, education, performance, journalism, writing, mental health (care), history of science, anthropology of science & technology, medicine, workers, interdisciplinarity // California|United States|San Francisco|USA

California|United States|San Francisco|USA

United States

Michigan State University; Backyard Brains; University of Michigan; University of South Carolina

Backyard Brains is a company founded by neuroscience Ph.D. students with a mission to democratize neuroscience education. They have developed kits that allow individuals, including children, to learn about neuroscience at an early age using off-the-shelf electronics. Their products focus on neuroscience but have expanded into various STEM research fields. The kits enable users to record from neurons in invertebrates, human physiology, neuroengineering devices, and even plant signaling. Backyard Brains has received recognition for their work, including awards from prestigious organizations and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. They have a strong community presence, with TED Talks and collaborations with popular science shows. The company is open-source, transparent about their finances, and offers a range of experiments and lesson plans for educators and enthusiasts. // Adjunct Professor in the Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology at the University of Michigan // Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neuroscience, Michigan State University // Greg Gage is the co-founder and CEO of Backyard Brains, an organization that develops open-source tools that allow amateurs and students to participate in neural discovery. Greg is an NIH-award winning neuroscientist with 9 popular TED Talks and dozens of peer-reviewed publications. Greg is a Senior Fellow at TED and the recipient of the White House Champion of Change from Barack Obama award for his commitment to citizen science. // Michigan State University; Backyard Brains; University of Michigan; University of South Carolina // Gregory Gage is a seasoned neuroscientist and educator with a strong focus on democratizing neuroscience research. With a background in academia as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, Gregory has also made significant contributions as the co-founder and CEO of Backyard Brains. Through this organization, he has spearheaded the development of open-source tools that enable individuals, including students and amateurs, to engage in neural exploration. Gregory's work has been recognized with prestigious accolades such as the White House Champion of Change award, highlighting his dedication to promoting citizen science. His extensive experience is underscored by numerous peer-reviewed publications and engaging TED Talks that have garnered widespread acclaim. // I develop low-fi, hands-on tools to teach neuroscience to students before university. The goal is to track the best students into neuroscience research careers despite their economic backgrounds. // Gregory Gage is a seasoned neuroscientist and educator known for his dedication to democratizing neuroscience education. As the co-founder and CEO of Backyard Brains, he has led the development of open-source kits that make neuroscience accessible to individuals of all ages, including students and amateurs. Gregory's work emphasizes hands-on learning and aims to inspire a new generation of neuroscientists by providing affordable tools for neural exploration. His contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, such as the White House Champion of Change award, showcasing his commitment to promoting citizen science. Through his extensive experience in academia and innovative approach to teaching neuroscience, Gregory Gage continues to make significant strides in bridging the gap between science education and research opportunities. // Neuroscientist + roboticist // Neuroscientist and co-founder of Backyard Brains, an organization teaching kids and amateurs neuroscience through hands-on experiments to see and hear brain signals from living neurons and also via robotic control of ordinary cockroaches. // Greg Gage is a neuroscientist, engineer and the CEO of Backyard Brains. Greg develops tools, curriculum and experiments that allow the general public participate, hands-on, in neural discovery. He is senior fellow at TED and has given many TED talks (9 online), received the director's innovation award as an investigator at the National Institute of Health (NIH), and was recognized in a White House ceremony for being Obama’s Champion of Change for his commitment to citizen science. In his free time, he enjoys changing diapers of his 2 young daughters. // Them's fighting words if you're an octopus, in that more than one octopus in a space often means a rumble. Our intrepid neuroscientists analyze aggression by observing the fighting behavior of two-spotted octopuses or, if you prefer, octopodes. // What does the love song of a mosquito sound like? Find out as our intrepid neuroscientists explore the meaning of all that annoying buzzing in your ear. // Modern technology lets neuroscientists peer into the human brain, but can it also read minds? Armed with the device known as an electroencephalogram, or EEG, and some computing wizardry, our intrepid neuroscientists attempt to peer into a subject's thoughts. // Gregory Gage is a seasoned neuroscientist and educator known for his dedication to democratizing neuroscience education. As the co-founder and CEO of Backyard Brains, he has led the development of open-source kits that make neuroscience accessible to individuals of all ages, including students and amateurs. Gregory's work emphasizes hands-on learning and aims to inspire a new generation of neuroscientists by providing affordable tools for neural exploration. His contributions have been recognized with prestigious awards, such as the White House Champion of Change award, showcasing his commitment to promoting citizen science. Through his extensive experience in academia and innovative approach to teaching neuroscience, Gregory Gage continues to make significant strides in bridging the gap between science education and research opportunities. // Neuroscientist + roboticist // technology, education, entrepreneurship, electronics, electrical engineering, data, research, citizen scientist, engineering, robots, stem, data analysis, robotics, neuroscience, children, software development, science, software // Michigan|Ann Arbor|United States|USA

Michigan|Ann Arbor|United States|USA

Ireland

Performance artist+ activist // Performance artist+ activist

United States

Biomedical entrepreneur // Laura Indolfi is an Italian biomedical entrepreneur, TED Fellow 2016 and co-founder and CEO of PanTher Therapeutics, a start up spun out from Harvard and MIT that provides superior technologies for revolutionizing the treatment of inoperable locally advanced solid tumors. Prior to this she served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the MGH Cancer Center and as a research associate in the Harvard-MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science. Laura has broad professional experiences and interests ranging from biomedical engineering, to entrepreneurship and outreaching initiative to promote science. Her scientific expertise covers a broad range of therapeutic areas (cardio, cancer, inflammation, regenerative medicine) and approaches (drug delivery, cell therapy, implanted devices). Together with her strong technical background, she has hands-on business managerial know-hows developed during her biomedical business training at Sloan and Harvard Business Schools and interactions with consulting firms. She strongly believes in the power of outreaching initiatives to promote research awareness and foster the public audience’s discovery of the beauty of science. In 2014 the line of clothes Cytocouture, created in collaboration with Colombian designer Carlos Villamil and inspired by her cell-therapy research, won the global competition Descience. Laura holds a MS/BS degree in materials science and engineering and a PhD in biomaterials from the University “Federico II” of Naples in Italy. Upon graduation, she joined the Harvard-MIT Division of Health, Science and Technology, working on several projects spanning from devices for local drug delivery to tissue engineering approaches for cell therapies. // Anyone who has lost a loved one to pancreatic cancer knows the devastating speed with which it can affect an otherwise healthy person. TED Fellow and biomedical entrepreneur Laura Indolfi is developing a revolutionary way to treat this complex and lethal disease: a drug delivery device that acts as a cage at the site of a tumor, preventing it from spreading and delivering medicine only where it's needed. "We are hoping that one day we can make pancreatic cancer a curable disease," she says. // Laura Indolfi is an Italian biomedical entrepreneur, TED Fellow 2016 and co-founder and CEO of PanTher Therapeutics, a start up spun out from Harvard and MIT that provides superior technologies for revolutionizing the treatment of inoperable locally advanced solid tumors. Prior to this she served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at the MGH Cancer Center and as a research associate in the Harvard-MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science. Laura has broad professional experiences and interests ranging from biomedical engineering, to entrepreneurship and outreaching initiative to promote science. Her scientific expertise covers a broad range of therapeutic areas (cardio, cancer, inflammation, regenerative medicine) and approaches (drug delivery, cell therapy, implanted devices). Together with her strong technical background, she has hands-on business managerial know-hows developed during her biomedical business training at Sloan and Harvard Business Schools and interactions with consulting firms. She strongly believes in the power of outreaching initiatives to promote research awareness and foster the public audience’s discovery of the beauty of science. In 2014 the line of clothes Cytocouture, created in collaboration with Colombian designer Carlos Villamil and inspired by her cell-therapy research, won the global competition Descience. Laura holds a MS/BS degree in materials science and engineering and a PhD in biomaterials from the University “Federico II” of Naples in Italy. Upon graduation, she joined the Harvard-MIT Division of Health, Science and Technology, working on several projects spanning from devices for local drug delivery to tissue engineering approaches for cell therapies. // Biomedical entrepreneur // technology, regenerative, research, clothes, science, entrepreneurship, disease, apparel, job skills training, materials science, biomaterials // Boston|Massachusetts|United States|USA

Boston|Massachusetts|United States|USA

Photographer + storyteller // Ziyah Gafić was born in Sarajevo, where he graduated in Comparative literature. Since 1999 he has been travelling extensively and covered major events in more then forty countries. Gafić’s work was exhibited at many relevant galleries and photo festivals such as: Visa pour l'image Perpignan, Rencontres du photograhie Arles, Fovea Editions New York, Oude Kerk Amsterdam, Tom Blau gallery London, Grazia Neri gallery Milano. Nowdays, he regularly publishes his work in some of the worlds leading publications such as Amica, La repubblica, Time, Tank, Telegraph Magazine, Newsweek, L'Espresso, GEO. His photo essay on Bosnia was published in the book „Tales from Globalizing World“ by Thames & Hudson while his works are included in several overviews of contemporary photography such as „Photography as Contemporary Art“ by Thames & Hudson and „The way people live“ by Gabriel Bauret. Gafić just completed his long term project “Troubled Islam” and "Quest for Identity" SELECTED AWARDS & GRANTS 2001. Ian Parry scholarship 2001. World Press Photo 2nd prize 2001. World Press Photo Masterclass 2002. Kodak Award for Young Reporters at Visa pour l’Image 2002. World Press Photo 1st prize 2002. World Press Photo 2nd prize 2002. HSBC foundation special mention 2003. PDN’s 30 emerging photographers 2003. Grand Prix Discovery of the Year at Arles Meetings of photography 2005. Giacomelli memorial fund 2007. Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography 2007. American Photography 2007. Photo District News award 2007. Hasselblad Masters award finalist // Ziyah Gafić photographs everyday objects—watches, shoes, glasses. But these images are deceptively simple; the items in them have been exhumed from the mass graves of the Bosnian War. Gafić, a TED Fellow and Sarajevo native, is photographing every item from these graves in order to create a living archive of the identities of those lost.  // Ziyah Gafić was born in Sarajevo, where he graduated in Comparative literature. Since 1999 he has been travelling extensively and covered major events in more then forty countries. Gafić’s work was exhibited at many relevant galleries and photo festivals such as: Visa pour l'image Perpignan, Rencontres du photograhie Arles, Fovea Editions New York, Oude Kerk Amsterdam, Tom Blau gallery London, Grazia Neri gallery Milano. Nowdays, he regularly publishes his work in some of the worlds leading publications such as Amica, La repubblica, Time, Tank, Telegraph Magazine, Newsweek, L'Espresso, GEO. His photo essay on Bosnia was published in the book „Tales from Globalizing World“ by Thames & Hudson while his works are included in several overviews of contemporary photography such as „Photography as Contemporary Art“ by Thames & Hudson and „The way people live“ by Gabriel Bauret. Gafić just completed his long term project “Troubled Islam” and "Quest for Identity" SELECTED AWARDS & GRANTS 2001. Ian Parry scholarship 2001. World Press Photo 2nd prize 2001. World Press Photo Masterclass 2002. Kodak Award for Young Reporters at Visa pour l’Image 2002. World Press Photo 1st prize 2002. World Press Photo 2nd prize 2002. HSBC foundation special mention 2003. PDN’s 30 emerging photographers 2003. Grand Prix Discovery of the Year at Arles Meetings of photography 2005. Giacomelli memorial fund 2007. Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography 2007. American Photography 2007. Photo District News award 2007. Hasselblad Masters award finalist // Photographer + storyteller // war

Turkey

Photojournalist // Ed Ou (b.1986) is a culturally ambiguous Canadian photojournalist who has been bouncing around the Middle East, former Soviet Union, Africa, and the Americas. His photography has so far taken him from dark eerie crypts in Madagascar, to radioactive lakes in Kazakhstan, refugee boats in the Gulf of Aden, to animatronic love doll factories in Tokyo. He started his career early as a teenager, covering the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and the fall of the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, Somalia while he was studying in the Middle East. He first worked for Reuters and the Associated Press, covering a wide range of news stories in the area. He was also an intern at the New York Times. After university, he moved to Kazakhstan, where he documented the tragic consequences of Soviet nuclear weapons testing in Semipalatinsk. Recently, he has been covering the wave of uprisings that has rocked the Arab World. Ed has been the recipient of a Global Vision Award, World Understand Award, and Photographer of the Year Award from POYi, a 1st Place Contemporary Issues award from World Press Photo, and other recognition from the Overseas Press Club, Ian Parry Scholarship, Best of Photojournalism, PDN Photo Annual, UNICEF, among others. He has been selected for a Getty Images Editorial Grant, PDN 30 Under 30, and took part in the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. In 2011, he was awarded the City of Perpignan Young Reporter Award. In 2012, he was selected for the TED Fellows Programme. He speaks English, Arabic, Mandarin, and gets by in Hebrew and French. He is represented by Reportage by Getty Images. // Ed Ou (b.1986) is a culturally ambiguous Canadian filmmaker who has been bouncing around the Middle East, former Soviet Union, Africa, and the Americas. He is currently based in Jerusalem. He started his career early as a teenager, covering the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and the fall of the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, Somalia while he was studying in the Middle East. He first worked for Reuters and the Associated Press, covering a wide range of news stories in the area. He was also an intern at the New York Times. After university, he moved to Kazakhstan, where he documented the tragic consequences of Soviet nuclear weapons testing in Semipalatinsk. Recently, he has been covering the wave of uprisings that has rocked the Arab World. Ed has been the recipient of a Global Vision Award, World Understand Award, and Photographer of the Year Award from POYi, a 1st Place Contemporary Issues award from World Press Photo, and other recognition from the Overseas Press Club, Ian Parry Scholarship, Best of Photojournalism, PDN Photo Annual, UNICEF, among others. He has been selected for a Getty Images Editorial Grant, PDN 30 Under 30, and took part in the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. Recently, he was awarded the City of Perpignan Young Reporter Award at Visa Pour L'Image and the Young Reporter Prize from the Prix Bayeux-Calvados Award for War Correspondents. He is represented by Reportage by Getty Images. // Ed Ou (b.1986) is a culturally ambiguous Canadian filmmaker who has been bouncing around the Middle East, former Soviet Union, Africa, and the Americas. He is currently based in Jerusalem. He started his career early as a teenager, covering the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, and the fall of the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu, Somalia while he was studying in the Middle East. He first worked for Reuters and the Associated Press, covering a wide range of news stories in the area. He was also an intern at the New York Times. After university, he moved to Kazakhstan, where he documented the tragic consequences of Soviet nuclear weapons testing in Semipalatinsk. Recently, he has been covering the wave of uprisings that has rocked the Arab World. Ed has been the recipient of a Global Vision Award, World Understand Award, and Photographer of the Year Award from POYi, a 1st Place Contemporary Issues award from World Press Photo, and other recognition from the Overseas Press Club, Ian Parry Scholarship, Best of Photojournalism, PDN Photo Annual, UNICEF, among others. He has been selected for a Getty Images Editorial Grant, PDN 30 Under 30, and took part in the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. Recently, he was awarded the City of Perpignan Young Reporter Award at Visa Pour L'Image and the Young Reporter Prize from the Prix Bayeux-Calvados Award for War Correspondents. He is represented by Reportage by Getty Images. // Photojournalist // nuclear weapons, journalism, storytelling, refugees, nuclear, war, migration // Istanbul|İstanbul|Türkiye|Turkey

Istanbul|İstanbul|Türkiye|Turkey

Astrobiologist // Dr. Aomawa Shields is an Astronomer and an Astrobiologist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA and at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She was awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship and a UC President’s Postdoctoral Program Fellowship to study the possible climates of potentially habitable worlds discovered around low-mass stars, and to assess their potential to harbor life. Aomawa received her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrobiology from the University of Washington in 2014, and a Sc.B. in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1997. She worked in support of the Spitzer Space Telescope as a member of its Science User Support and Observation Planning and Scheduling Teams from 2005 to 2009. Aomawa is also a classically trained Actor and Violinist, receiving her MFA in Acting from UCLA in 2001. She appeared in the film Nine Lives, directed by Rodrigo Garcia, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of Ebert and Roeper’s “Top Ten Films of 2005”. She co-hosted the PBS TV show Wired Science, and has appeared on The History Channel’s Universe, and The Discovery Channel’s SciTrek series. She published an essay "Universe: The Sequel" in the anthology "She's Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff" (Seal Press 2006), and the poem "Nefertiti with a Calculator" in the literary journal "Bricolage" (2011). A FabFems (www.fabfems.org) registered role model, Dr. Shields uses her theater background to communicate science to the public in engaging, innovative ways. She is deeply committed to the mentorship and empowerment of people traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Her NSF postdoctoral fellowship supported the development of an interactive astronomy workshop for young middle-school girls of color, which she conducts with girls in Los Angeles, CA and Cambridge, MA. Her new organization, Rising Stargirls, is dedicated to encouraging girls of all colors and backgrounds to learn, explore, and discover the universe. Rising Stargirls is committed to the idea that there is no one way to be a scientist, and that together, both science and the arts can create enlightened future scientists and imaginative thinkers. For information on bringing these workshop activities to a community near you, visit http://www.risingstargirls.org . // Dr. Aomawa Shields is an Astronomer and Astrobiologist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA and at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She was awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship and a UC President’s Postdoctoral Program Fellowship beginning Fall 2014 to study the possible climates of potentially habitable worlds discovered around low-mass stars. Aomawa received her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrobiology from the University of Washington in 2014, and a Sc.B. in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1997. She worked in support of the Spitzer Space Telescope as a member of its Science User Support and Observation Planning and Scheduling Teams from 2005 to 2009. Aomawa is also a classically trained Actor and Violinist, receiving her MFA in Acting from UCLA in 2001. She appeared in the film Nine Lives, directed by Rodrigo Garcia, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of Ebert and Roeper’s “Top Ten Films of 2005”. She co-hosted the PBS TV show Wired Science, and has appeared on The History Channel’s Universe, and The Discovery Channel’s SciTrek series. She published an essay "Universe: The Sequel" in the anthology "She's Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff" (Seal Press 2006), and the poem "Nefertiti with a Calculator" in the literary journal "Bricolage" (2011). Aomawa uses her theater background to communicate science to the public in engaging, innovative ways. She is deeply committed to the mentorship and empowerment of people traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Her NSF postdoctoral fellowship supported the development of an interactive astronomy workshop for young middle-school girls of color, which she will conduct with girls in Los Angeles, CA and Cambridge, MA this year. For information on bringing these workshop activities to a community near you, visit http://www.risingstargirls.org . // Astronomer Aomawa Shields searches for clues that life might exist elsewhere in the universe by examining the atmospheres of distant exoplanets. When she isn't exploring the heavens, the classically trained actor (and TED Fellow) looks for ways to engage young women in the sciences using theater, writing and visual art. "Maybe one day they'll join the ranks of astronomers who are full of contradictions," she says, "and use their backgrounds to discover, once and for all, that we are truly not alone in the universe." // Dr. Aomawa Shields is an Astronomer and Astrobiologist in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UCLA and at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. She was awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship and a UC President’s Postdoctoral Program Fellowship beginning Fall 2014 to study the possible climates of potentially habitable worlds discovered around low-mass stars. Aomawa received her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrobiology from the University of Washington in 2014, and a Sc.B. in Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences from MIT in 1997. She worked in support of the Spitzer Space Telescope as a member of its Science User Support and Observation Planning and Scheduling Teams from 2005 to 2009. Aomawa is also a classically trained Actor and Violinist, receiving her MFA in Acting from UCLA in 2001. She appeared in the film Nine Lives, directed by Rodrigo Garcia, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was one of Ebert and Roeper’s “Top Ten Films of 2005”. She co-hosted the PBS TV show Wired Science, and has appeared on The History Channel’s Universe, and The Discovery Channel’s SciTrek series. She published an essay "Universe: The Sequel" in the anthology "She's Such a Geek: Women Write About Science, Technology, and Other Nerdy Stuff" (Seal Press 2006), and the poem "Nefertiti with a Calculator" in the literary journal "Bricolage" (2011). Aomawa uses her theater background to communicate science to the public in engaging, innovative ways. She is deeply committed to the mentorship and empowerment of people traditionally underrepresented in the sciences. Her NSF postdoctoral fellowship supported the development of an interactive astronomy workshop for young middle-school girls of color, which she will conduct with girls in Los Angeles, CA and Cambridge, MA this year. For information on bringing these workshop activities to a community near you, visit http://www.risingstargirls.org . // Astrobiologist // technology, girls, empowerment, science, underrepresented, astronomy, astrobiology, women, acting & theater