Theme: Footnotes

We always hear about the big ideas, the revolutions and reinventions complete with grand stories of triumph. These are the tales that get told and the chapters that get read. But behind these sweeping narratives are smaller victories hidden beyond the links at the bottom of the page and tucked into the footnotes. In this invisible index, these little subplots are connected to other narratives and fit within the context that makes them exciting

This year we’re going to sweat the small stuff, because some of the most fascinating ideas are found in the hidden details - the weird, the obscure, and the totally tangential. What kinds of lessons can we learn from these enigmatic narratives? And why do these kinds of unexpected ideas resonate with us so deeply?

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Biju Parekkadan

As an era of regenerative medicine is beginning to dawn, Dr. Biju Parekkadan is creating bioengineering tools to control the way new cell-based therapies are delivered to the human body. From reading a single page about the emerging field of genetic engineering in a high school textbook, a spark was ignited in Dr. Biju Parekkadan's mind that still breeds curiosity to this day. He now runs an applied research laboratory at Rutgers University that specializes in creating engineered human cell therapies. His inventions led to the founding of Sentien, a pioneer in combining cell therapy with drug delivery devices to treat severe inflammatory diseases. His work has even extended into the realm of science fiction as an effort to stimulate the imagination of our next generation of inventors. Dr. Parekkadan received his a PhD in Chemical and Medical Engineering from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, where he also completed all MD studies. His efforts have been recognized through notable awards including being named a Presidential Early Career Scientist by the Obama administration, the highest honor of an early stage investigator.

Daniel Farber Huang

For the last 20 years, Daniel Farber Huang and Theresa Menders have successfully collaborated on documentary photography projects as a husband and wife team, with a long-term focus on women’s and children’s issues and poverty. Their collaborative work is included in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the International Center of Photography, New York Historical Society, Museum of the City of New York, Museum of Chinese in America, New York City Fire Museum, and the Library of Congress. Their photography has been exhibited by the New York Historical Society, Museum of Chinese in America, and group shows including the Museum of Modern Art.

Daniel, Theresa Farber Huang, Menders

For the last 20 years, Daniel Farber Huang and Theresa Menders have successfully collaborated on documentary photography projects as a husband and wife team, with a long-term focus on women’s and children’s issues and poverty. Their collaborative work is included in the permanent collections of numerous museums, including the International Center of Photography, New York Historical Society, Museum of the City of New York, Museum of Chinese in America, New York City Fire Museum, and the Library of Congress. Their photography has been exhibited by the New York Historical Society, Museum of Chinese in America, and group shows including the Museum of Modern Art.

Elisabeth Camp

Elisabeth Camp is an Associate Professor in the department of Philosophy, where she teaches courses about language, art, minds, and meaning. In her research, she is especially interested in forms of thinking and talking that don’t fit within the standard philosophical model of the human mind as a propositional logic machine. In the realm of communication, this includes phenomena like metaphor, sarcasm, insinuation, and slurs. In the realm of minds, it extends to maps, non-human animal cognition, imagination, and emotion. She grew up in Philadelphia and got her degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of California, Berkeley.

Gia Farooqi

When Gia first entered in the Hult Prize in October 2016, she had no idea about the journey that she was about to embark on. Over the course of 10 months, Gia and her team answered the Hult Prize challenge of restoring the dignity of 1 million refugees by the year 2022 through their social start-up, Roshni Rides. Gia and her team of 3 incredible friends and individuals, Hanaa, Hasan, and Moneeb, were able to bring a start-up from concept to pilot in the hopes of earning $1 million in investment money and impacting 1 million lives. Gia is graduating this January with a major in Supply Chain Management and double minor in Political Science and Women & Gender Studies. She is a social justice advocate, a spoken word artist, and a coffee addict.

Jonathan Fader

Dr. Jonathan Fader is a licensed sport, performance and clinical psychologist. He is the Director of Mental Conditioning for the New York Football Giants and also served as the team psychologist for the New York Mets for nine seasons. He is part of The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Mental Performance Initiative. Dr. Fader is the Co-Founder of SportStrata and Union Square Practice in New York City which offer services to individuals and groups around mental health and conditioning. Fader is a frequent contributor to the national conversation on performance, appearing on CBS this Morning, CNN, Fox News, Bleacher Report and others. Represented by the Lavin Agency, he regularly speaks to groups on improving performance.

Luis Fernandez

The two most important days in our lives are the day we are born, and the day we find out why. Luis is still working on the second part, but hopes to change the world along the way. Being a first-generation college student, education has always been the lens of empowerment for Luis. It served as his guiding light toward his passion for human rights and social justice. Throughout his time as a student, Luis has had the opportunity to work on many different issues centered on human rights and social justice - including education access and affordability, mental health and disability rights, and advocacy around marginalized and under-represented communities. Luis' passion is also rooted in mentorship and leadership development.

Scott Amyx

Scott Amyx is the Chair and Managing partner of the Internet-of-Things consulting firm, Amyx Ventures, a company that advises governments and private firms on the fast-growing sector of connected devices and environments. He has been recognized for his research and writing on technology and innovation, through titles as a Tribeca Disruptor Fellow and IBM IoT Futurist. His insights have made their way onto the stage of tech conferences around the world and publications like The New York Times and Wired.

Theresa Menders

Use same bio as Daniel Farber Huang (was written as a joint bio)