Peachtree
x = independently organized TED event

Theme: Ripple

This event occurred on
November 13, 2015
9:00am - 4:00pm EST
(UTC -5hrs)
Atlanta, Georgia
United States

We are each a Ripple. Our actions often setting off a series of intended and unintended events. At the seventh annual flagship TEDxPeachtree conference, we explore the ripple effect through the lens of this year's roster of presenters curated from Atlanta and beyond, at our new location - the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech.

From social injustice to sustainability, aging in place to innovation and creativity, 14 of the brightest thinkers, artists and story-tellers will take on some of the most compelling issues facing our generation and offer their unique way forward. The talks, coupled with our eclectic Experience Zone featuring art installations, tastings and various interactive experiences make TEDxPeachtree 2015 a must-attend event for any innovation enthusiast.

Ferst Center for the Arts
349 Ferst Drive
Atlanta, Georgia, 30332
United States
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Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.

The Atlanta Celli

Celli is a group of four classically-trained cellists that push the boundaries of traditional cello music. They enjoy performing the intricacies of classical music but are just as likely to be found playing eclectic arrangements of rock and pop songs as well as their own original works. Whether on stage in a traditional concert hall or in a late-night rock club, Celli shatters any preconceived notions of what it means to be a cellist.

Alistair Dove

Dr. Alistair Dove is an Australian marine biologist living in the United States, where he is currently Director of Research and Conservation at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. His research interests are diverse but generally explore the theme of health in the aquatic environment, from individual animals to ecosystems. He is a passionate scientist communicator and was Associate Editor of DeepSeaNews from 2012-2015. Dr. Dove was trained in zoology and parasitology at The University of Queensland. He has held positions at the Wildlife Conservation Society, Cornell University, and Stony Brook University and is an adjunct professor at the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology. He is founding Chairman of the Board of Ch’ooj Ajauil AC, a non-profit conservation NGO based in Cancun Mexico, which strives for improved conservation of the extraordinary biodiversity of the Yucatan Upwelling Zone, home to the largest aggregation of whale sharks known to science.

Andrea Thomaz

Roboticist
Andrea Thomaz knows robots. Her work developing robots that don't need programming to perform every task and that can collaborate side by side with humans as assistants, domestic help, etc. has been recognized by the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research. Her work with social robots “Simon” and “Curi” has been featured in the New York Times and on NOVA Science Now. In 2012, Thomaz was named to Popular Science Magazine’s “Brilliant 10” and she was named an “Innovator under 35” by MIT Technology Review in 2009. She is an Associate Professor of Interactive Computing at the Georgia Tech and director of the Socially Intelligent Machines lab. She earned a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999, and Sc.M. and Ph.D. degrees from MIT in 2002 and 2006. Thomaz has published in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Human-Robot Interaction.

Arrested Development

Arrested Development (AD) have been trailblazing within hip-hop music since 1991 championing colorful sounds, while spreading a unique mixture of consciousness and musicality around the globe. Hit song “Mr. Wendal“ brought much needed attention to the plight of the homeless and the group gave half of that singles royalties to the National coalition of the homeless. Their dance smash, “People Everyday” (Metamorphosis mix) addresses the tension between ignorance & consciousness, while paying homage to Sly & the Family Stone. AD won two Grammy awards (1993 – Best New Artist & Best Rap Single – Tennessee), Rollingstone Magazine named them band of the year in 1992. Arrested Development donated to the African National Congress (ANC) to end the pains of apartheid and sharing the stage with Nelson Mandela in South Africa (1994) was a highlight for the group!

Brian Magerko

Cognitive Scientist
Brian Magerko is passionate about the benefits of integrating the arts and computer science. His research exploring the intersection of creativity, cognition and computing, has resulted in cutting-edge experiences in digital games, installation art, interactive narrative and educational media. Magerko is an associate professor of digital media and head of the Adaptive Digital Media (ADAM) Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has led over $5 million of federally-funded research and authored over 60 articles related to cognition, creativity, and computation. Developed with Jason Freeman, Magerko’s music-based learning environment for computer science, EarSketch, is used by tens of thousands of learners worldwide.

Chris McCord

Youth Developer
Chris McCord serves as the Director of Men in Motion, a dance group comprised of 8-13 year old boys within Moving in the Spirit, a non-profit youth development program that uses dance as a vehicle to transform the lives of children living in Atlanta urban communities. Growing up in the Moving in the Spirit program himself, Chris returned to the program as an instructor of Stepping Stones after graduating from Georgia State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and serving on the DeKalb County Police Force. Chris founded the Men in Motion program and Summer Camp. In addition, Chris has personally performed for the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Studio Dion, Abundant Life Church, and with choreographer Nicole Liviertos. In addition, Chris volunteers his personal time with Charis Community Housing, Adopt-a-Grandparent, Atlanta’s Special Citizens, and most recently traveled to the Township of Soweto in South Africa to work with young children.

Eric Dozier

Eric Dozier is the former Musical Director for the world famous Harlem Gospel Choir and the co-founder and Director of Arts and Education for One Human Family Music Workshops, Inc. As a cultural activist and music educator, Eric has been assisting communities in developing creative, inspiring contexts from which to launch campaigns of dynamic service to humanity for the last twenty years. His work stems from a deep belief that music is much more than entertainment. It is a social force, a means, and modality for social change. Through his interactive workshops, lectures, and performances, Eric continues to embody his commitment to spirited, informed, and creative conversation around the divisive issues that threaten undermine the fellowship of the human family. He is a graduate of Duke University, holds a Master’s in Theological Studies from Duke Divinity School and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Tasmania.

Galo Alfredo Naranjo

Galo Alfredo Naranjo seeks to transform our concept of physical activity and wellness. He believes that by changing our perceptions of physical exercise and our bodies, we can unlock the inner creative that will help us reach our full potential. Naranjo’s passion inspired him to quit his job as a financial analyst in New York City and to found The Movement Project, a platform to share ideas and stories drawn from literature, anthropology, science, art, design, philosophy, history, psychology, and more that move us and help move us forward. Naranjo graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology and lives in Union City, New Jersey.

Glenn “Daddy-O” Bolton

Hip-hop Music Producer
Glenn “Daddy-O” Bolton is one of the most influential voices in hip-hop. Hailed by the industry as the “Quincy Jones of rap,” Bolton founded groundbreaking hip-hop group Stetsasonic, whose success inspired the alternative hip-hop genre. He later joined the executive ranks at Universal Records, where he was charged with talent discovery and development. Bolton has worked with heavyweights Mary J. Blige, B52s, Queen Latifah, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others. Other notable projects include the And 1 mixtape, MTV’s Rip The Runway and the movies Dangerous Minds, CB4, Lean On Me, and Straight Outta Brooklyn, where he served as talent and Music Supervisor. His career has been chronicled Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture, and Rhythm and Blues, Rap, and Hip-Hop. Bolton lives in Atlanta and most recently served as a curator for the official Smithsonian Hip-Hop Anthology. He has an album out currently on iTunes entitled #everybodybutkrs.

HeaveN Beatbox

U.S.-based Crossover Beatboxer Steven “HeaveN Beatbox” Cantor grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and began beatboxing at the age of 14 with alternative rock serving as inspiration. HeaveN was invited to tour with legendary dance group HaviKoro in India as part of the American Voices Program. In 2012, HeaveN received his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and was crowned the American Vice-Beatbox Champion. HeaveN toured the country with the renowned UniverSoul Circus the following year making appearances on USA Morning News, Good Morning America, Austin’s Revolt TV, NPR, and the BBC . He recently completed a tour of the U.K. and Japan. Catch him in a featured guest spot on PBS program Music Voyager which is set to air domestically and in 120 other countries in 2016.

Jenay Beer

Engineering psychologist Jenay Beer seeks to ensure “the human is considered in the engineering equation.” Her research intersects Human-Robot Interaction and psychology, and studies how assistive smart-home technology can help older adults maintain their independence. Beer is an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina with a dual appointment in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the College of Social Work. She also directs the Assistive Robotics and Technology Lab and is associate director of Usability for SmartHOME. Her work has been featured on CNET, Atlanta’s WABE NPR News, and ETV Radio. Beer holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dayton and a Ph.D. in engineering psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Jennice Vilhauer

Psychologist
Award-winning psychologist Dr. Jennice Vilhauer has helped thousands change the course of their lives by teaching them how to harness the mind's power of anticipation to create positive future thought and action. Vilhauer is director of the Outpatient Psychotherapy Program at Emory Healthcare and assistant professor at Emory University’s School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. She served as an Assistant Clinical Professor with the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles and was the Clinical Director of the Adult Outpatient Programs and the Director of Psychology at Cedars-Sinai. She earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA, a Ph.D. from Fordham University and completed postdoctoral training in clinical research at Columbia University. She is author of Think Forward to Thrive: How to Use the Mind’s Power of Anticipation to Transcend Your Past and Transform Your Life and creator of Future Directed Therapy (FDT)®.

Jill Perry-Smith

Jill Perry-Smith is an Associate Professor at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Her research focuses on creativity and how whom you know makes you more or less creative. She has studied this topic for more than 15 years via field surveys and behavioral experiments. Her work explains how relationships shape an idea’s journey from concept on to one that changes the field. She has published numerous articles in her field’s most prestigious journals and has contributed to several books. She received her Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Georgia Institute of Technology. Her interest in creativity started with her work experiences prior to academia. After earning a B.S. in civil engineering, she worked in project management for a multinational oil and gas company. She became fascinated by the people dynamics and the pursuit of creative problem solving.

Jordan Amadio

As a neurosurgery resident at Emory University and co-founder of NeuroLaunch, the world’s first neuroscience startup accelerator, Jordan Amadio believes in applying startup principles to neuroscience innovations. To date, NeuroLaunch has graduated 11 startups that have created over $15 million in value. His current research interests lie at the interface of emerging technologies and the human nervous system. A graduate of Princeton University, he earned his M.D. degree from Harvard Medical School and a master’s in business administration from Harvard Business School. In 2014, he was honored with the American Medical Association Excellence in Medicine award and was named “40 under 40” by the Atlanta Business Chronicle and MedTechBoston.

Kirk Bowman

Political Scientist
Dr. Kirk Bowman, a champion of global development projects, is a professor and associate chair at the Georgia Institute of Technology where he specializes in Latin American politics and development. He is also the co-founder and director of the international NGO Rise Up & Care (www.riseup.care). Bowman's academic work has received support from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Ford Foundation, among others. He received the University System of Georgia Excellence of Teaching in 2007, and was named Georgia’s Carnegie-Case Professor of the Year in 2008. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has authored numerous books on Latin American politics.

M. Ayodele Heath

Ayodele Heath is a poetry ambassador, who believes there is a poet living in every one of us. Editor of the anthology, Electronic Corpse: Poems from a Digital Salon (Svaha Paradox, 2014), he is recipient of fellowships to Caversham Centre for Artists (South Africa) and Cave Canem. A top individual 10-finisher at the National Poetry Slam, he is a graduate of the MFA in Poetry at New England College and a former McEver Visiting Chair in Writing at Georgia Tech. His work has appeared widely in journals and anthologies and his full-length collection, Otherness, is available on Brick Road Poetry Press. Virtually, he lives at www.ayospeaks.com. Physically, he lives and writes in Atlanta.

Richard Wright

Richard Wright is Professor and Chair of the Criminal Justice and Criminology Department in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and former Editor-in-Chief of Oxford Bibliographies [Criminology] and the British Journal of Sociology. He has been studying active urban street criminals — residential burglars, armed robbers, carjackers, and drug dealers — for over a quarter century. He is the author or co-author of seven books and many scholarly articles and book chapters, including Armed Robbers in Action and Burglars on the Job, which won the 1994-95 Outstanding Scholarship in Crime and Delinquency Award from the Society for the Study of Social Problems. He also is co-editor of the Sage Handbook of Fieldwork. Richard has written widely for the popular press. He has appeared on numerous nationally broadcast TV news programs in the US and Great Britain, and he has been interviewed twice on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross.

Theresa Davis

Theresa Davis is a mother of three and a teacher for over 20 years. She reclaimed her love for poetry 11 years ago after the loss of her father. She has since emerged as a nationally recognized slam poet, youth advocate and teacher of poetry. Davis co-founded the ArtAmok Slam Team and has competed in national and regional competitions culminating in 2011 when she won the Women of the World Poetry Slam Competition. In recognition of her years of activism on behalf of Atlanta’s youth, she was honored by the City of Atlanta with a proclamation, declaring May 22, “Theresa Davis Day in Atlanta”. In May 2013, her first full collection of poems entitled “After This We Go Dark” was published by Sibling Rivalry Press.

Organizing team

Jacqui
Chew

Atlanta, GA, United States
Organizer

Beth
Laing

Atlanta, GA, United States
Co-organizer
  • Bill Schnitzer
    Production
  • Steve Meister
    Production