This TEDxTucsonSalon features three talks. Dr. Yi-Chang Chiu will speak about his software that reduces traffic congestion Smartrek. Film maker Lisanne Skyler will talk about her creative process. Alok Appadurai will speak about his and his partner's ethical clothing boutique, Fed by Threads, and about developing projects that have palpable positive impacts.
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.
Alok Appadurai
Alok Appadurai is co-founder of Fed By Threads, a lifelong social entrepreneur, a writer & designer, an advocate for animals & the environment, a photographer, and a new father. Alok & his talented partner Jade Beall dreamed up Fed By Threads to raise awareness about the hunger problem in America. Alok’s beliefs in business as a vehicle for social change are rooted in his experiences traveling around the world seeing stark inequalities and environmental degradation. Alok’s studies at Wesleyan University further laid the foundation for a curiosity about developing projects that have palpable positive impacts. Overall, Alok aims to lead a life that matters.Yi-Chang Chiu
Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at the University of Arizona (UA). Dr. Chiu received his Ph.D. degree in transportation engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 2002. Dr. Chiu's research activities include theoretical development and applications of dynamic traffic simulation and assignment models in regional and corridor analysis, multi-resolution simulation assignment theories and applications, large-scale emergency evacuation modeling, system dynamics and interdependence modeling, and intelligent transportation system modeling. Dr. Chiu is the principal developer of the open source DynusT DTA model, currently has 400+ agency users world-wide. The latest Smartrek technology is the paradigm shift aiming to solve the urban traffic congestion problem from a new perspective.Lisanne Skyler
Francisco Irish Bar, “No Loans Today” (1995 Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival), about post-riot South Central Los Angeles, and “Dreamland" (2000 CineVegas Film Festival), about compulsive gambling. “No Loans Today” and “Dreamland” were broadcast nationally on PBS’s POV series. In fiction, Skyler co-wrote and directed “Getting To Know You” (1999 Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Competition, Venice Film Festival, Stockholm International Film Festival), based on stories by Joyce Carol Oates and starring Zach Braff, Bebe Neuwirth and Heather Matarazzo; and “Capture the Flag” (2010 Hamptons International Film Festival, Nantucket Film Festival Showtime’s Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting). In August 2013, “No Loans Today” premiered digitally via the Sundance Institute Artist Services program on all VOD platforms including iTunes and Amazon. Skyler is currently completing her latest film Brillo Box (3¢ off), which follows an Andy Warhol Brillo Box sculpture as it changes hands across shifting cultural and economic landscapes, exploring how we navigate the ephemeral nature of value.Organizing team
