In her book "Citizen Scientist," Mary Ellen Hannibal traces the origins of today’s tech-savvy citizen science movement back through centuries of amateur observations by writers and naturalists.
Tilak Mandadi and his global team at Disney are integral to converging the physical and digital worlds to create magical memories for more than 150 million annual guests at Disney’s theme parks, hotels, cruise ships, retail stores and restaurants -- and bringing that magic home to millions more with games, books and digital experiences.
Rha Goddess is a cultural innovator, social impact strategist and creative change agent. She works with leaders and organizations to realign their missions in ways that are more purposeful, profitable and impactful.
Using fMRI imaging to watch the human brain at work, Nancy Kanwisher’s team has discovered cortical regions responsible for some surprisingly specific elements of cognition.
Alex Edmans uses rigorous academic research to influence real-life business practices -- in particular, how companies can pursue purpose as well as profit.
Brewster Kahle is an inventor, philanthropist and digital librarian. His Internet Archive offers 85 billion pieces of deep Web geology -- a fascinating look at the formation of the Internet over the years, and a challenge to those who would keep knowledge buried.
Surely not the only science career based on a museum tour epiphany, Paul Sereno's is almost certainly the most triumphant. He's dug up dinosaurs on five continents -- and discovered the world's largest crocodile, the (extinct) 40-foot Sarchosuchus.
Bassam Tariq delights in making eclectic career choices. A blogger, a filmmaker, and a butcher's shop owner, the common theme linking everything together is his boundless celebration of humanity.
One of the true luminaries of personal computing, Alan Kay conceived of laptops and graphical interfaces years before they were realized. At XeroxPARC, Apple, HP and Disney, he has developed tools for improving the mind.
Tessa Clarke is helping reduce waste by giving people an easy way to locally share household items -- from food to furniture -- instead of throwing them away.
Nancy Frates and her family have raised a projected $160 million for ALS research in 2014. How? They kicked off the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to honor 29-year-old Pete Frates.
Nic Marks gathers evidence about what makes us happy, and uses it to promote policy that puts the well-being of people and the planet first. He's the founder of the Centre for Well-Being at the UK think tank New Economics Foundation (NEF).
Maria Popova thinks and writes about science and art, poetry and philosophy, children's books and our search for meaning -- about what it means to live a decent, inspired, substantive life of purpose and gladness, wonder-smitten by reality.