India

Air pollution researcher // Founder of UrbanEmissions.Info, a repository of information and research related to air pollution // Dr. Sarath Guttikunda, is the Founder/Director of UrbanEmissions.Info (UEinfo), an adjunct professor at Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) and recipient of the International Award by the American Geophysical Union in 2022, given annually in recognition of furthering the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of society in developing nations. He conducts research in an independent capacity at UEinfo to support science, policy, and public dialogue on air pollution in India and cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. For India's national clean air program, UEinfo maintains the only open-repository of information necessary for the cities to conduct and evaluate their emissions and pollution analysis, as part of the air pollution knowledge assessments (APnA) city program. He is also an author of multiple illustrated primers on air pollution themes, designed to bridge the knowledge gaps for a broad audience with technical and non-technical background. More details @ https://urbanemissions.info // Dr. Sarath Guttikunda, is the Founder/Director of UrbanEmissions.Info (UEinfo), an adjunct professor at Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) and recipient of the International Award by the American Geophysical Union in 2022, given annually in recognition of furthering the Earth and space sciences for the benefit of society in developing nations. He conducts research in an independent capacity at UEinfo to support science, policy, and public dialogue on air pollution in India and cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. For India's national clean air program, UEinfo maintains the only open-repository of information necessary for the cities to conduct and evaluate their emissions and pollution analysis, as part of the air pollution knowledge assessments (APnA) city program. He is also an author of multiple illustrated primers on air pollution themes, designed to bridge the knowledge gaps for a broad audience with technical and non-technical background. More details @ https://urbanemissions.info // Air pollution researcher // technology, clean air, education, cities, research, p:ublic education, climate, emissions, environmental policy and advocacy, policy, environmental policy, pollution, air pollution, climate change, advocacy, public education, air quality, science, environment policy // Goa|India

Goa|India

United States

Artist + activist // Using clouds, giant flamingos, houses and dog waste to design unique public spaces with communities to solve unaddressed issues. Matthew Mazzotta works at the intersection of art, activism, and urbanism, focusing on the power of the built environment to shape our relationships and experiences. His community-specific public projects integrate new forms of civic participation and social engagement into the built environment and reveal how the spaces we travel through and spend our time living within have the potential to become distinct sites for intimate, radical, and meaningful exchanges. Through his process, each project starts by creating temporary public spaces for listening – ‘Outdoor Living Room’ - as a way to capture voices from local people that might not attend more formal meetings. Stemming from this approach are experiences that involve people from a range of backgrounds working together to create new models of living that contribute to local culture beyond the economic realm. Mazzotta received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Masters of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Program in Art, Culture and Technology, a Loeb Fellowship from Harvard University, and is a Guggenheim Fellow. // Introducing a new type of public space, custom-fit for communities in need of a shot of hope and wonder. Artist and TED Fellow Matthew Mazzotta takes us across the US, sharing delightful projects that refresh space and place, spark collective conversation and reignite a sense of possibility and purpose in their surroundings. // Using clouds, giant flamingos, houses and dog waste to design unique public spaces with communities to solve unaddressed issues. Matthew Mazzotta works at the intersection of art, activism, and urbanism, focusing on the power of the built environment to shape our relationships and experiences. His community-specific public projects integrate new forms of civic participation and social engagement into the built environment and reveal how the spaces we travel through and spend our time living within have the potential to become distinct sites for intimate, radical, and meaningful exchanges. Through his process, each project starts by creating temporary public spaces for listening – ‘Outdoor Living Room’ - as a way to capture voices from local people that might not attend more formal meetings. Stemming from this approach are experiences that involve people from a range of backgrounds working together to create new models of living that contribute to local culture beyond the economic realm. Mazzotta received a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, a Masters of Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Program in Art, Culture and Technology, a Loeb Fellowship from Harvard University, and is a Guggenheim Fellow. // Artist + activist // technology, urbanism, activism, built environment, design, citizen engagement, science, architecture, buildings, art, public spaces // New York|Canton|United States|USA

New York|Canton|United States|USA

Kenya

Wanuri Kahiu is a director, writer, and producer known for her impactful work in film and television. Her first feature film, "From A Whisper," received critical acclaim and multiple awards. She is also recognized for her short film "Pumzi," which garnered international recognition. Wanuri is the creator of the Afrobubblegum genre, focusing on creating vibrant and positive black content. Additionally, she has been involved in various projects that highlight important social issues. Wanuri's contributions to the film industry have earned her a reputation as a talented and innovative filmmaker. // Wanuri Kahiu is a prominent figure in the new generation of African storytellers, known for her internationally acclaimed films that have been showcased at numerous film festivals worldwide. She has written and directed seven films and is the co-founder of AFROBUBBLEGUM, a media company focused on supporting and creating vibrant African art. Additionally, Wanuri has ventured into children's literature with works like "The Wooden Camel" and has been recognized for her innovative approach to storytelling that captures the full range of human experiences. Her film "Rafiki" made history as the first Kenyan feature invited to the Cannes Film Festival. Wanuri Kahiu's work reflects a unique blend of creativity, cultural insight, and a commitment to showcasing diverse narratives. // A new perspective of joy and images of joy and hope from Africa. Adding new narratives about people of color and women of color. // Wanuri Kahiu is a highly acclaimed director, writer, and producer renowned for her impactful contributions to the film industry. With a focus on creating vibrant and positive black content, she is the creator of the Afrobubblegum genre, which celebrates joy and hope in African narratives. Wanuri's work, including films like "From A Whisper" and "Rafiki," has garnered international recognition and critical acclaim, with her films being showcased at prestigious film festivals worldwide. As a prominent figure in the new generation of African storytellers, she is known for her innovative approach to storytelling that captures diverse human experiences. Through her films, literature, and media company AFROBUBBLEGUM, Wanuri Kahiu continues to push boundaries and amplify underrepresented voices in the industry. // Filmmaker // Born in Nairobi, Wanuri is part of the new generation of African filmmakers. Her films have received international acclaim and have screened in over 100 film festivals around the world. To date, Wanuri has written and directed six films and is working on her second feature length film. She currently lives with her partner and two children in Nairobi. // We're so used to narratives out of Africa being about war, poverty and devastation, says TED Fellow Wanuri Kahiu. Where's the fun? Introducing "AfroBubbleGum" -- African art that's vibrant, lighthearted and without a political agenda. Rethink the value of all that is unserious as Kahiu explains why we need art that captures the full range of human experiences to tell the stories of Africa. // Wanuri Kahiu is a highly acclaimed director, writer, and producer renowned for her impactful contributions to the film industry. With a focus on creating vibrant and positive black content, she is the creator of the Afrobubblegum genre, which celebrates joy and hope in African narratives. Wanuri's work, including films like "From A Whisper" and "Rafiki," has garnered international recognition and critical acclaim, with her films being showcased at prestigious film festivals worldwide. As a prominent figure in the new generation of African storytellers, she is known for her innovative approach to storytelling that captures diverse human experiences. Through her films, literature, and media company AFROBUBBLEGUM, Wanuri Kahiu continues to push boundaries and amplify underrepresented voices in the industry. // Filmmaker // children, writer, poverty, speaker, african futurist, filmmaker, war, women // Los Angeles|USA|Nairobi|California|Nairobi County|Kenya

Los Angeles|USA|Nairobi|California|Nairobi County|Kenya

United States

Astrophysicist + inclusion activist // Astrophysicist studying blazars, supermassive, hyperactive black holes at the center of massive galaxies. She is also working to make STEM accessible to underrepresented communities. // I'm a thinker and a doer. I love people and I love helping people be their best selves. I'm particularly invested in helping people who seem not to "belong", who are stitching together their identity and their interests in ways that lead to their own freedom -- and often the freedom of those around them. You can catch me thinking about anything from the recent black hole photo (miss me with the "fuzzy" thing), how black holes can also be such efficient particle accelerators, creating an online community by/for women of color in STEM, what shoes I'm going to buy next, which (US) National Park Service stamp is closest to my next speaking gig, and/or which direction I'm going to point my twists (always counterclockwise). I've learned a lot so far and have a lot more to learn, so let's be bout that life! :) // Jedidah Isler dreamt of becoming an astrophysicist since she was a young girl, but the odds were against her: At that time, only 18 black women in the United States had ever earned a PhD in a physics-related discipline. In this personal talk, she shares the story of how she became the first black woman to earn a PhD in astrophysics from Yale -- and her deep belief in the value of diversity to science and other STEM fields. "Do not think for one minute that because you are who you are, you cannot be who you imagine yourself to be," she says. "Hold fast to those dreams and let them carry you into a world you can't even imagine." // Jedidah Isler first fell in love with the night sky as a little girl. Now she's an astrophysicist who studies supermassive hyperactive black holes. In a charming talk, she takes us trillions of kilometers from Earth to introduce us to objects that can be 1 to 10 billion times the mass of the sun — and which shoot powerful jet streams of particles in our direction. // I'm a thinker and a doer. I love people and I love helping people be their best selves. I'm particularly invested in helping people who seem not to "belong", who are stitching together their identity and their interests in ways that lead to their own freedom -- and often the freedom of those around them. You can catch me thinking about anything from the recent black hole photo (miss me with the "fuzzy" thing), how black holes can also be such efficient particle accelerators, creating an online community by/for women of color in STEM, what shoes I'm going to buy next, which (US) National Park Service stamp is closest to my next speaking gig, and/or which direction I'm going to point my twists (always counterclockwise). I've learned a lot so far and have a lot more to learn, so let's be bout that life! :) // Astrophysicist + inclusion activist // supermassive black holes, science, underrepresented, stem equity, astrophysics, streams and rivers, women, stem // Hanover|United States|New Hampshire|USA

Hanover|United States|New Hampshire|USA

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

United States

Pakistan

Urban landscape architect // From London to Tokyo, climate change is causing cities to sink -- and our modern concrete infrastructure is making us even more vulnerable to severe flooding, says landscape architect and TED Fellow Kotchakorn Voraakhom. But what if we could design cities to help fight floods? In this inspiring talk, Voraakhom shows how she developed a massive park in Bangkok that can hold a million gallons of rainwater, calling for more climate change solutions that connect cities back to nature. // Urban landscape architect // infrastructure, water, nature, climate, design, vulnerability, rain water, cities, floods

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

Germany

Documentary filmmaker // Filmmaker documenting the lives of his fellow Syrian citizens as they struggle to survive and save their neighbors. // Feras Fayyad is a two-time Academy Award-nominated film director, producer, writer, editor, and cinematographer, best known for his 2017 documentary “Last Men in Aleppo” and his recent 2019 documentary “The Cave,” which earned him critical acclaim and numerous awards and nominations, including Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, making him the first Syrian director to be nominated for an Oscar, and he also won an Emmy award for best current affairs documentary. Fayyad has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2018 and a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Fayyad's films bear witness to the struggles of his fellow Syrians. // Society has a set of stories it tells itself about who refugees are and what they look like, says documentarian and TED Fellow Feras Fayyad. With his films, he's on a mission to separate the facts about refugees from fiction, as a form of resistance -- for himself, his daughter and the millions of other Syrian refugees across the world. A harrowing account, a quest to end injustice and a testament to the power of storytelling. // Feras Fayyad is a two-time Academy Award-nominated film director, producer, writer, editor, and cinematographer, best known for his 2017 documentary “Last Men in Aleppo” and his recent 2019 documentary “The Cave,” which earned him critical acclaim and numerous awards and nominations, including Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, making him the first Syrian director to be nominated for an Oscar, and he also won an Emmy award for best current affairs documentary. Fayyad has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences since 2018 and a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Fayyad's films bear witness to the struggles of his fellow Syrians. // Documentary filmmaker // refugees, migration, documentary // Berlin|Germany

Berlin|Germany

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

Greece

Smithsonian Institution; New America Foundation; Sciences Po Paris; Freelance Journalist, self-employed; Trinity College Dublin; Trinity College, Dublin; League of Conservation Voters; Sotheby's; World Affairs Council; The Wilson Center; Thomson Reuters

Environmental journalist based in Athens, usually roving around the wider Middle East and N & E Africa. Independent consultant for UN Environment, UNICEF, Amnesty and many more. I'm a TED fellow, a fellow at the Center for Climate & Security, and a Global Fellow at The Wilson Center. Author of 'THE HEAT AND THE FURY: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence," due for publication in late 2024. http://www.pschwartzstein.com/ // Stringer for National Geographic. Regular contributor to Newsweek, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, Foreign Policy etc. Sometime radio reporter // Reporter on the UK Bureau's Macroeconomics and Politics and General News desks // Smithsonian Institution; New America Foundation; Sciences Po Paris; Freelance Journalist, self-employed; Trinity College Dublin; Trinity College, Dublin; League of Conservation Voters; Sotheby's; World Affairs Council; The Wilson Center; Thomson Reuters // Peter Schwartzstein is an environmental journalist with a focus on the wider Middle East and North and East Africa regions. He has worked as an independent consultant for organizations such as UN Environment, UNICEF, and Amnesty. Peter is a TED fellow, a fellow at the Center for Climate & Security, and a Global Fellow at The Wilson Center. With a background as a stringer for National Geographic and contributions to publications like Newsweek and The Guardian, Peter brings a wealth of experience in reporting on environmental issues and climate violence. His upcoming book, 'THE HEAT AND THE FURY: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence,' is set to be published in late 2024. // I'm trying to help illustrate quite how much and in what ways climate change is fueling violence the world over. My motivation is twofold. I feel there are few consequences of climate change more 'in-your-face' than the violence it is leaving in its wake. By shedding a little additional light on that, I hope to trigger action among political constituencies who, for whatever reason, are less engaged by the justice/human rights/health lens through which CC is often presented. Secondly, I'm trying to contribute to the prevention or reduction of this form of violence, little of which is inevitable and all of which can be a least partly easily tempered. // Peter Schwartzstein is an environmental journalist specializing in the Middle East, North Africa, and East Africa regions. With a diverse background working for organizations like UN Environment and Amnesty, he brings a wealth of experience in reporting on environmental issues and climate violence. As a TED fellow, a fellow at the Center for Climate & Security, and a Global Fellow at The Wilson Center, Peter is dedicated to shedding light on the intersection of climate change and conflict. His forthcoming book, 'THE HEAT AND THE FURY: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence,' is poised to offer insights into the urgent need for action in addressing the environmental challenges driving global violence. // Climate journalist // I'm an environmental journalist and report on water, food security, and conflict-climate issues across the Middle East, North and East Africa, and beyond. Writing mostly for NatGeo, I've spent the past 8 years trying to hammer home the many ways in which climate stresses are contributing to instability and conflict in some of the world's most vulnerable states. I also consult on environmental issues for iNGOs, and am a fellow at the Center for Climate and Security and a TED fellow // Peter Schwartzstein is an environmental journalist specializing in the Middle East, North Africa, and East Africa regions. With a diverse background working for organizations like UN Environment and Amnesty, he brings a wealth of experience in reporting on environmental issues and climate violence. As a TED fellow, a fellow at the Center for Climate & Security, and a Global Fellow at The Wilson Center, Peter is dedicated to shedding light on the intersection of climate change and conflict. His forthcoming book, 'THE HEAT AND THE FURY: On the Frontlines of Climate Violence,' is poised to offer insights into the urgent need for action in addressing the environmental challenges driving global violence. // Climate journalist // violence, water, food security, research, climate security, hydropolitics, climate, environmental policy and advocacy, policy, environmental journalist, environmental security, advocacy, politics, hopeful apocalypticism, food, vulnerability, environmental peacebuilding, climate violence, peacebuilding // USA|London|Washington DC|Greece|Athens|UK

USA|London|Washington DC|Greece|Athens|UK

Malawi

Healthcare software developer // <p>Soyapi Mumba is an award-winning technology innovator who creates technology solutions for low-resourced environments.</p> <p>As Director of Public Health Informatics at Baobab Health Trust, he oversees development of electronic health surveillance and reporting systems for public hospitals in Malawi. Previously, he led the software development of Malawi's national electronic health record system which empowers low-resourced public clinics to serve large volumes of patients while following treatment guidelines and meeting reporting requirements.</p> <p>Soyapi is a TED Fellow and a prize winner of “Share an Idea, Save a Life” national competition for innovations in maternal, newborn and child health. His work has been featured in the book “The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa.”</p> <p>Soyapi lives in Lilongwe, Malawi, with his wife Miriam and their twin boys.</p> <p>He holds a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Informatics from University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from University of Hertfordshire, England.</p> // Soyapi Mumba is an award-winning technology innovator who creates technology solutions for low-resourced environments. As Director of Public Health Informatics at Baobab Health Trust, he oversees development of electronic health surveillance and reporting systems for public hospitals in Malawi. Previously, he led the software development of Malawi's national electronic health record system which empowers low-resourced public clinics to serve large volumes of patients while following treatment guidelines and meeting reporting requirements. In his spare time, he runs Owinna.com, a platform that keeps sports fans connected to their local teams and players with timely scores and updates. He also maintains SearchWith, an addon for searching a customisable list of online services in Firefox web browser. Soyapi is a TED Fellow and a prize winner of “Share an Idea, Save a Life” national competition for innovations in maternal, newborn and child health. His work has been featured in the book “The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa.” He lives in Lilongwe, Malawi, with his wife Miriam and their twin boys. Soyapi holds a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Informatics from University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from University of Hertfordshire, England. // In sub-Saharan Africa, power outages, low technology penetration, slow internet and understaffed hospitals plague health care systems. To make progress on these problems in Malawi, TED Fellow Soyapi Mumba and his team created a new system from scratch -- from the software that powers their electronic health records to the infrastructure used to support it. In this quick, hopeful talk, Mumba shares how his jack-of-all-trades mindset can help reshape health care in low-resource environments. // Soyapi Mumba is an award-winning technology innovator who creates technology solutions for low-resourced environments. As Director of Public Health Informatics at Baobab Health Trust, he oversees development of electronic health surveillance and reporting systems for public hospitals in Malawi. Previously, he led the software development of Malawi's national electronic health record system which empowers low-resourced public clinics to serve large volumes of patients while following treatment guidelines and meeting reporting requirements. In his spare time, he runs Owinna.com, a platform that keeps sports fans connected to their local teams and players with timely scores and updates. He also maintains SearchWith, an addon for searching a customisable list of online services in Firefox web browser. Soyapi is a TED Fellow and a prize winner of “Share an Idea, Save a Life” national competition for innovations in maternal, newborn and child health. His work has been featured in the book “The Bright Continent: Breaking Rules and Making Change in Modern Africa.” He lives in Lilongwe, Malawi, with his wife Miriam and their twin boys. Soyapi holds a Master of Science degree in Biomedical Informatics from University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from University of Hertfordshire, England. // Healthcare software developer // technology, children, infrastructure, science, led, public health, software // Central Region|Lilongwe|Malawi

Central Region|Lilongwe|Malawi

Canada

TED Conferences; National Geographic Society; Simon and Schuster; University of Victoria

The organization described in the provided text is YouTube. YouTube is a platform that allows users to discover, watch, and share videos and other content. It serves as a forum for global connection, information sharing, and inspiration. Users can create accounts, watch videos, upload content, and manage channels. The platform offers various services such as YouTube Kids, the YouTube Partner Program, and YouTube Paid Memberships. Users can access the service with or without a Google account and can adjust privacy settings to control data collection. YouTube collects information about users' activity, devices, and interactions to provide personalized experiences and improve services. The organization also provides tools for managing privacy settings, controlling ads, and accessing and deleting personal information. YouTube emphasizes security and data protection, using strong security features to safeguard user information. The organization shares information with trusted partners for processing and complies with legal requirements for data disclosure. YouTube offers various resources for users, including Help Center, Community Help Forum, and Current Site Issues page for bug reporting. Users can contact YouTube for inquiries, abuse issues, security concerns, copyright infringement notices, and participation in programs like the YouTube Partner Program and Content ID. // The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of the World's Oldest Symbols // TED Conferences; National Geographic Society; Simon and Schuster; University of Victoria // Genevieve von Petzinger is a researcher and author known for her work in deciphering the world's oldest symbols. Her expertise lies in exploring the significance and patterns of ancient symbols, shedding light on the early human communication systems. Through her research and publications, such as "The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of the World's Oldest Symbols," she has contributed significantly to the understanding of prehistoric art and its cultural implications. Genevieve's work delves into the origins of human symbolism, offering valuable insights into our ancestors' cognitive development and societal structures. // I am a Paleoanthropologist and I study ancient cave art as a way to get inside the minds of our ancestors. I am fascinated by the question of "when did we become us?" and art offers a fascinating window into these distant minds. It gives us a peek at how they understood themselves and the world around them, and how this understanding expanded into self-awareness and culture. I would argue that the invention of graphic marks was as important as the invention of fire and stone tools. Our entire modern world relies on these visual communication systems. I am also passionate about sharing what I have learned about our collective history with my fellow Homo sapiens and I want to preserve as much of it as we can while we can in the form of a global database with my new ONEart project. My long-term goal is to inspire and empower cultural heritage partners around the world as we work together to build a digital storehouse of ancient art as a legacy for humanity. // Genevieve von Petzinger is a renowned researcher and author specializing in the study of ancient symbols, particularly focusing on deciphering the world's oldest symbols. Through her work, including the publication "The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of the World's Oldest Symbols," she has made significant contributions to understanding prehistoric art and early human communication systems. Genevieve's expertise lies in exploring the patterns and significance of ancient symbols, offering valuable insights into the cognitive development and societal structures of our ancestors. She is dedicated to shedding light on the origins of human symbolism and sharing her knowledge to enhance our understanding of ancient cultures and their visual communication systems. // Paleoanthropologist + rock art researcher // Genevieve von Petzinger is a third year PhD student in the department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria. Her main area of interest is European Ice Age rock art, in particular the geometric imagery, and how we can use this type of behaviour to identify cognitive and symbolic evolution in modern humans, as well as look for patterns of migration and cultural borrowing. Her work was featured as the cover of New Scientist in 2010, Science Illustrated in 2011 and she has also appeared on the Discovery Channel's Daily Planet show, along with doing quite a few radio and print interviews about her research. Genevieve does a lot of outreach work in Canada, and regularly gives public talks for adult community groups as well as going into schools to talk about archaeology and encourage kids to pursue their academic dreams. // Genevieve von Petzinger is a PhD student studying European Ice Age rock art (10,000–40,000 years ago) at the University of Victoria in Canada. Genevieve’s previous research in France included creating the first full typology of abstract rock art (30 distinct signs have been identified to date), and building the largest database of geometric imagery in the world (146 sites with over 5,000 separate images). She found that many of the signs remained in use for over 20,000 years, and appeared throughout a broad geographic region. This continuity suggests the signs were being used with purpose and were meaningful to their creators. It also implies that this could be a very early form of graphic communication. Genevieve’s current work includes expanding her database to incorporate all other Ice Age rock art sites in Europe, and exploring the cognitive and symbolic capacity of our distant ancestors. // Written language, the hallmark of human civilization, didn't just suddenly appear one day. Thousands of years before the first fully developed writing systems, our ancestors scrawled geometric signs across the walls of the caves they sheltered in. Paleoanthropologist, rock art researcher and TED Senior Fellow Genevieve von Petzinger has studied and codified these ancient markings in caves across Europe. The uniformity of her findings suggest that graphic communication, and the ability to preserve and transmit messages beyond a single moment in time, may be much older than we think. // Genevieve von Petzinger is a renowned researcher and author specializing in the study of ancient symbols, particularly focusing on deciphering the world's oldest symbols. Through her work, including the publication "The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of the World's Oldest Symbols," she has made significant contributions to understanding prehistoric art and early human communication systems. Genevieve's expertise lies in exploring the patterns and significance of ancient symbols, offering valuable insights into the cognitive development and societal structures of our ancestors. She is dedicated to shedding light on the origins of human symbolism and sharing her knowledge to enhance our understanding of ancient cultures and their visual communication systems. // Paleoanthropologist + rock art researcher // ancient rock art, data collection, fire, data, research, development of symbolic behaviour, paleoanthropology, geometric signs, origins of writing, migration, disclosures, european ice age, ice age, cognitive evolution, origins of mankind, ancient dna, stone age, prehistoric culture, science, law, communication, cave art // Victoria|Canada|British Columbia

Victoria|Canada|British Columbia

Canada

CAMH; University of Toronto; FIOCRUZ - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Dr. Monica Malta is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Her research focuses on social and structural factors influencing health-promoting behaviors related to mental health and HIV prevention/care, particularly among marginalized groups such as transgender women, people who use/abuse drugs, people living with HIV, and female sex workers. Dr. Malta has directed research projects funded by organizations like UNESCO, addressing mental health, gender-based violence, and HIV vulnerability among transgender women in Brazil. She has a strong publication record and her studies have influenced updates in Brazilian guidelines on HIV prevention and treatment. Dr. Malta's work is supported by prestigious institutions and she has received several awards for her contributions to public health research, including recognition from NIH, CDC, UN, and various universities. // Monica Malta is a Brazilian researcher and professor at the University of Toronto and a scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Her work focuses on addressing health inequalities faced by LGBTQ persons. Malta has a background in social psychology and public health, with a particular emphasis on improving the lives of marginalized groups such as people living with HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ individuals. She has received international recognition for her work, including awards from organizations like the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the World Health Organization. Malta has also conducted research on the impact of societal structures on public health behavior and has developed resources for LGBTQ+ individuals, including an app that provides information on safe spaces in Brazil. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she shifted her focus to studying the response to the virus in South America. Malta has been recognized for her contributions to global health and gender equality, and she continues to advocate for human rights and the mitigation of gender-based violence. // Global Health Researcher with expertise in epidemiology, social and behavioral aspects of global health. Experience in Latin America, Africa, US and Canada. // CAMH; University of Toronto; FIOCRUZ - Fundação Oswaldo Cruz; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health // Monica Malta is a Global Health Researcher specializing in epidemiology and the social and behavioral aspects of global health. With a wealth of experience in regions such as Latin America, Africa, the US, and Canada, Monica has a strong foundation in conducting research and analyzing health trends on a global scale. Her work focuses on understanding the complexities of health issues and implementing strategies to address them effectively. Monica's expertise lies in contributing valuable insights to the field of public health through her research and data analysis skills. // As a survivor of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence, I aim to empower fellow survivors to speak out and collaborate to transform a world where it is still deemed acceptable for 35% of women globally to experience violence each year. My work is driven by the desire to create a safer, more supportive environment for all survivors, fostering a collective effort to challenge and change these harmful norms. // Dr. Monica Malta, an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is a dedicated researcher focusing on social and structural factors influencing health behaviors related to mental health and HIV prevention/care, particularly among marginalized groups like transgender women, people who use drugs, and female sex workers. Her work, supported by prestigious institutions and recognized internationally, has influenced updates in Brazilian guidelines on HIV prevention and treatment. With a background in social psychology and public health, Dr. Malta's expertise lies in addressing health inequalities faced by LGBTQ individuals and advocating for human rights and gender equality. Her research spans global health issues, with a focus on epidemiology and behavioral aspects, contributing valuable insights to public health efforts worldwide. // Human rights champion // Dr. Malta is a Social Epidemiologist who works in low and middle income countries. During the last 20 years she has been a strong human rights activist, working mostly to address the impact of violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ persons. In addition to providing resources mitigating the impacts of violence, disease and addiction, Malta advocates for protection for these communities by scholarly research in service of policy change and legal protections. Her studies influenced several key changes in Brazilian policies, including the decision to make homophobia and transphobia hate crimes in 2019. She is the leader of interventions tackling the mental health impact of discrimination and violence among queer women, education initiatives for queer people living in slums, and several mobile health strategies that have improved the access to healthcare, shelter, psychological, social and legal support for thousands of queer people. All her studies include queer people as advisors and employees, aiming at decreasing this population lack of employment opportunities and deep poverty. As a survivor of violence herself, her motto is “Nothing about us, without us” // Dr. Monica Malta, an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto and Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, is a dedicated researcher focusing on social and structural factors influencing health behaviors related to mental health and HIV prevention/care, particularly among marginalized groups like transgender women, people who use drugs, and female sex workers. Her work, supported by prestigious institutions and recognized internationally, has influenced updates in Brazilian guidelines on HIV prevention and treatment. With a background in social psychology and public health, Dr. Malta's expertise lies in addressing health inequalities faced by LGBTQ individuals and advocating for human rights and gender equality. Her research spans global health issues, with a focus on epidemiology and behavioral aspects, contributing valuable insights to public health efforts worldwide. // Human rights champion // violence, gender based violence, education, public health, jobs, equity, gender equity, research, hiv, activism, human rights, rights, women's rights, policy, covid, women, mitigation, discrimination, marginalized, gender, advocacy, aids, disease, workers, global health, gender-based violence, health impact, lgbtq+ health, law, vulnerability, equality, poverty, pandemic, slum, income // Mozambique|Brazil|Nairobi|Rio de Janeiro|Maputo|Ontario|Toronto|Canada|Kenya

Mozambique|Brazil|Nairobi|Rio de Janeiro|Maputo|Ontario|Toronto|Canada|Kenya

United States

AI engineer + innovator // AI engineer + innovator