In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Ellie Caulkins
1400 Champa
Denver, Colorado, 80202
United States

Alena Grabowski

Dr. Alena Grabowski directs the Applied Biomechanics Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder and is an Associate Professor in the Department of Integrative Physiology. She is a Research Healthcare Scientist with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Denver. She studies how devices like prostheses and exoskeletons affect walking, running, sprinting, cycling, and jumping in people with and without physical disabilities like leg amputations. Her passion for trail running and skiing in the Colorado mountains inspires her research.

Amy Hovis

Amy Hovis is a Principal at Eden Garden Design with decades of experience in sustainable landscape architecture. Her landscape work is informed by her experiences in art, design, and film in the U.S. and Europe. Hovis manages large-scale productions from concept to completion, coordinating crews, talent, equipment, materials, locations, and budgets. She is also an Owner/Designer of Barton Springs Nursery, an inspiring design-driven Garden Center specializing in native plants. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, two cats, and three tortoises, two of whom are surprisingly large.

Glen J. Golden

Glen J. Golden, Ph.D., is a neurobiologist & chemosensory scientist who specializes in mammalian olfaction in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. In collaboration with staff at the National Wildlife Research Center, the Monell Chemical Senses Center, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Glen researches how animals respond to disease-related odors. He has trained dogs to detect avian flu in birds and chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer. Glen is a divorced father of two boys, Vincent and Tadhg. He lives in Fort Collins, Colorado, with his partner-in-canines Carol Treubig, their two boxers, Sioc and Bándearg, and a black shepherd named Shayna.

Hussam Mahmoud

Dr. Hussam Mahmoud is a Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor at Colorado State University. By assessing and upgrading infrastructure, he helps communities become more resilient to climate change and natural disasters, including earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, and flooding. He developed the first model to forecast how wildfire spreads through a town alongside postdoctoral fellow Akshat Chulahwat. In 2022, Mahmoud presented his work at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP27, in his home country, Egypt.

Jenifer Shafer

Jen Shafer is a Professor of Chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines. When she’s not thinking about radiochemistry (the chemistry of radioactive elements‚ not radios), she is considering ways to expedite the deployment of nuclear energy in the clean energy transition. She has worked on many projects for the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Defense. Jen is very fortunate to have an excellent partner in life, her wife Whitney, and two young children who will learn how to sleep through the night‚ someday. This bio would not be complete if she didn’t mention, at least once, that she does CrossFit.

Julissa Soto

Julissa Soto’s innovative public health interventions have led to the vaccination of more than 30,000 Latino adults, youth, and children and the distribution of more than 130,000 home COVID-19 tests and 90,000 surgical masks. In 2021, she earned one of Colorado’s most prestigious honors when Governor Jared Polis proclaimed September 20, 2021, “Julissa Soto Day.” She serves on the Health Equity Commission for the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Suicide Prevention Commission for Colorado. The documentary “Mexicanos Exitosos” chronicles her story of triumph after coming to the U.S.

Leah Marie Collins

Leah Marie Collins is a Premarital Finance Counselor with over 16 years of experience reducing costs for Fortune 500 companies. After calling off her wedding abruptly due to financial conflicts, she realized she wasn’t alone. Money problems end so many relationships. Since then, she’s dedicated her life and career to helping couples determine their financial compatibility before tying the knot. In her free time, Leah enjoys playing with her two-year-old daughter or exploring new restaurants in Bentonville, Arkansas.