Theme: Premiere: History in the Making

Imagine the upstate's most fascinating and engaging speakers coming together for one day to share their passions and to discuss their visions for their community and ultimately the world. TEDxSchenectady 2015 will bring you the engaging and edutaining talks on fascinating topics that cover the imaginable and the unimaginable:

Permaculture and Bioregionalism; Ecological Models for Economic Development; Future of human civilization and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math; Earth’s magnetic field and the stone walls of Upstate NY; A personal journey of an Industrial Scientist; Law and Justice, and urban education; Genetics and Reproduction; Economy, Energy, Equity and the Environment.

Schenectady is one of the oldest cities in the country, home to world impacting technologies, and remarkable people. The city was once known as "The City that Lights and Hauls the World"--a dual reference to two prominent businesses located in the city, the Edison Electric Company (now known as General Electric), and the American Locomotive Company (ALCO). We believe in the potential and resilience of the city, and look forward to having TEDxSchenectady showcase and inspire our home grown ideas, talents, and actions.

Schenectady County Public Library
99 Clinton St
McChesney Room
Schenectady, New York, 12305
United States

Andrew Faust

One of the premier permaculture teachers and designers in North America

John Delano

Geologist Professor Emeritus at the University at Albany

James Bray

GE scientist and technologist

Larry Lewis

Retired GE Principle Chemist

Mahmoud Karimi-Hakak

Mahmood Karimi-Hakak President and Artistic Director of Festival Cinema Invisible (FCI) [www.CinemaInvisible.Org] is a poet, author, translator, and theatre and film artist who has created over 60 stage and screen productions in the United States, Europe and his native Iran. His plays and films have received recognitions and awards at such international festivals as Edinburgh, New York, Los Angeles, Ft. Lauderdale and Tehran. A recipient of 2005 Raymond Kennedy and 2009 Fulbright awards, Karimi-Hakak has authored/co-authord seven plays, two books of poetry, and five translations, as well as numerous articles, essays and interviews in both English and Persian. Professor Karimi-Hakak has taught at City University of New York, Southern Methodist University, and Towson University in the United States, as well as universities in Belgium, Holland and his native Iran. At present he serves as Professor of Creative Arts at Siena College in upstate New York.

Richard Smith

Mr. Smith is a scholar/change agent with over ten years of experience developing and implementing community-based programs for disadvantaged populations. He has spearheaded the development of prisoner re-entry programs at both the “Center for Law and Justice” and “Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities”. He has worked with high risk youth as both a case manager and program director in the Capital District and the city of Boston. Mr. Smith has taught Criminal Justice courses as an Adjunct professor at SUNY Empire State College and has lectured at numerous colleges and universities on issues such as racism, mass incarceration, and urban education. Mr. Smith holds a Masters Degree from the University at Albany in Africana Studies and a Bachelors Degree from Boston University in Sociology.

Ricki Lewis

Ricki Lewis is a science writer with a PhD in genetics. Her books includeThe Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It (St. Martin’s Press, 2013), the college textbook Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications (McGraw-Hill Education,) now in its 11th edition, a novel about stem cells, an essay collection, a short human genetics book, and two human anatomy and physiology textbooks. Ricki writes news articles for Medscape Medical News, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and Lancet Oncology, and writes a weekly blog for Public Library of Science called DNA Science (http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience). Ricki teaches an online course in “Genethics” for the doctoral program in the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College, and is a genetic counselor at CareNet Medical Group in Schenectady. She is a frequent public speaker.

Robert Bownes

A serial entrepreneur who has founded or contributed to over 10 startup phase companies

Robert William-Taylor

Dancer from Brooklyn now living in Albany. Robert leads the Scarlette group with stage name Mugen. "I started dancing in 2008, when a Caribbean rooted, Brooklyn bred style by the name of “Flexing” was introduced to me. To try to describe the origins of the style will be futile; what matters more is the outlet that dancing provided for me. Throughout my life up until this point, dancing has helped me change and adapt – both on the dance floor and in life. While I may have learned different skills and techniques that seem only applicable to dancing, the most important things I have learned go beyond body movement. " - says Mugen. Group members in stage names: Mugen Jr. Lazy Ral-Ral Mikey X Sticcs Willie Husky Kay-Kay

Robert Williams-Taylor

Dancer, artist

Tina Clarke

Tina Clarke has served as a trainer, consultant or director of non-profit programs for 33 years. She has provided consulting to over 400 organizations, including the Massachusetts Municipal Association, and the Sustainability Institute. She is a Certified Transition Trainer with the global Transition movement, and has supported over 220 community Transition and resilience initiatives in North America and globally since 2008. Tina previously directed a national advocacy training program for a coalition of 16 diverse religious organizations, including national grassroots action network for Greenpeace USA, and initiated coalitions on environmental health, justice and energy for New England Clean Water Action. She has an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Urban Studies and Geography from Macalester College. Tina helped design and build her multiple award-winning, Platinum LEED "Power House" -- the first certified below net zero energy home in the U.S.

Tina Clarke

Trainer, consultant, advocate and director of non-profit programs