Theme: The Power of Change

TEDxSIUC is an exciting environment that will challenge the way in which you view the world around you. You will experience speakers whose creativity challenges how you understand change while making lasting connections with people who are just as committed to being the change they want to see in the world as you are. If you're looking to learn, grow, and make change, this is the place to be!

Are you ready to witness the power of change?

Student Center Ballroom B
1263 Lincoln Dr, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
Carbondale, Illinois, 62901
United States

Bianca Adam-Gaston

SIU Alumna

Bianca is an SIU Alumna and was a Student Leader for Student Orientation Advisement Registration program in 2004, when she attended SIUC. In 2013, she presented a research presentation in front of an audience for graduate school studies at Lindenwood University. Bianca has Cerebral Palsy and wishes to use the TEDxSIUC stage to debunk myths and show that people with disabilities shouldn’t be defined by those disabilities.

Dr. Felicia Kimbrough

Nurse Practitioner

Dr. Felicia Kimbrough is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner and Terrier Care Provider at Carbondale Community High School (CCHS). Felicia has spoken at various high schools, universities, companies, and to various groups in the Carbondale area. Felicia wants to help educate and open a dialogue among families, parents, and young aduts on the idea of Sexual Consent, and how to obtain it.

Dr. Walter Metz

SIU Professor

Dr. Walter Metz is a Professor of Film Studies in the College of Mass Communication and Media arts at SIU, who has taught undergraduates for nearly thirty years. He has over 100 academic conference presentations, and has spoken at universities in the US, England, Germany, and Denmark. Walter wants to focus on how film criticism can be re-invented to find a “middle ground.”

Jeff Punske

Dr. Jeffrey Punske is an assistant professor and Director of undergraduate studies in Linguistics at SIU. The social sciences and humanities are generally Earth-bound pursuits. But, within the foreseeable future we may be establishing permanent settlements on the Moon, Mars, and beyond. How culture and society will change under these conditions are questions we should ask now. Using history as a guide, we will look at examples of language change from the past to see how languages might adapt and change, for potential contact of extraterrestrial intelligence and inter-species contact.

Kombe Kapatamoyo

SIU Graduate Student

Kombe is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Education at SIU. She has been a graduate/teaching assistant for the past 7 years and this has helped instill in her the importance of sharing ideas through public speaking. Kombe was the African Student Council (ASC) president at SIU from 2017-2018, where she delivered presentations to diverse groups. Kombe wants to show the power of revealing your true self, and how that leads to an Authentic YOU!

Melinda Yeomans

Melinda L. Yeomans is a Communication Studies Ph.D. and a Certified Language Arts and Speech Teacher for High School. Melinda has over 20+ years of public speaking experience. Melinda will talk about actions we can take to reform the way we teach our students through sharing our wisdom.

Mohammadreza Jalaeian

SIU Graduate Student

Mohammadreza is pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Learning Systems Design & Technology at SIU, and has hosted multiple academic presentations and demonstrations. He will discuss how saving expertise and employing it via Artifical Intelligence could bring a change into on-the-job training and accelerating expertise.

Sienna Walaszek

Sienna is a Junior, studying Philosophy at SIU and she is deeply passionate about self-cultivation in all ways: mind, body, and spirit. Sienna also has a huge interest in sustainability and the natural world, which goes along with caring for the Earth and all beings. She is an Assistant Preschool Teacher at Rainbow’s End and an Environmental Educator at Touch Of Nature because she strongly believes that the necessary change this world needs is going to come from the youth, and fresh-minded thinkers.

Travis Washington

Travis is a two-time graduate of SIU, having received his bachelor’s degree in University studies with a minor in Africana Studies and Speech Communication in 2017 and master’s in Education Administration in 2019. During his tenure at SIU, Travis was heavily involved in advocacy work and action in the community, with a focus on voter registration and change in legislation. His advocacy is the foundation for the “Hands Up Act” which is a bill that will enforce a mandatory 15-year prison sentence, should a police officer shoot an unarmed civilian. The policy has received more than 400,000 signatures online.