Theme: On the Margins

In years past, the TEDxUChicago conference has been centered around themes such as Exploring the Incredible Unknown, Making No Little Plans, and Putting Theory into Action. This year at TEDxUChicago 2016: On The Margins, we will focus on the grey area between established knowledge and new theory. Where is innovation right now? How is existing knowledge being pushed to its limits? Whether it be talking about innovations on the brink of something great, or marginalized groups in society, or ideas straying from the norm that may be more appropriate or powerful than those in the spotlight, our speakers and attendees will be encouraged to step back and explore the limits and margins outside conventional, central thinking.

Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts Performance Hall
915 East 60th Street
Chicago, Illinois, 60637
United States

POSE

Modern Pop and Graffiti Artist

Named “One to Watch” by CNN in 2015 as part of their international television series that shines a light on up-and-coming creative talent set to be the next big names in culture, modern pop artist POSE has been applauded for his inventive ability to take everyday, throw-away things and introduce them into the world to communicate something much deeper. While his work relies on harnessing very simple human emotions like love, loss, and triumph, it is presented in a complex union of vivid colors and layered application that aims for something much more profound than what is at the literal, surface level. His works have been featured in galleries spanning the globe, including Dubai, London, New York and Los Angeles. His aim to promote community engagement and outreach has received press from the likes of The New York Times, BBC News, Vanity Fair, and Forbes.

Visceral Dance Chicago

Contemporary Dance Company

Caitlin, from Rochester, NY, graduated from Point Park University. She has performed with Thodos Dance Chicago and joined Visceral in 2013 as a founding member. Paige, a native of the Bronx, NY, graduated from Fordham University and was a member of Ailey II. She also joined Visceral as a founding member in 2013. A new member to the company in 2015, Noelle hails from Atlanta, GA. She has worked with Luna Negra Dance Theater, glo, and Proia Dance Project. As director and choreographer of Visceral, Mr. Pupillo works to explore his own artistic vision as a choreographer while providing a platform for other artists to do the same.

Elisabeth Huh

Student

Elisabeth Huh is a third-year who was initially unable to attend the University of Chicago because of her severe struggles with anorexia. Since her recovery, she has worked as a memoirist, national essay finalist, and now TEDxUChicago speaker to help others re-conceptualize eating disorders as symptoms of a deeper societal illness. Elisabeth is majoring in Fundamentals: Issues and Texts and minoring in Human Rights. Her interdisciplinary program of study extends into all aspects of her life. On campus, she advocates human rights advocacy events with UChicago Amnesty International and helped start its first-annual Human Rights Journal. She is also working on creating a new campus human rights report. Elisabeth is the Head Ethics Editor of the University of Chicago Undergraduate Philosophy Review and is Co-Editor-In-Chief of The Midway Review. She teaches moral and political philosophy to middle-schoolers on the South Side of Chicago.

Emiliano Burr

Student

Emiliano Burr is a writer, journalist, summer camp director, and barista pursuing a degree in Cinema & Media Studies from The University of Chicago. While his professional work addresses arts and community programming for youth, he remains focused on writing and directing. In addition to those first music videos, his earlier work encompassed spliced-together moments of friends, family, and places gleaned over extended periods of time. The sentiments behind these ‘observations’, and the intention behind capturing them, have since begun manifesting themselves in both narrative and experimental styles.Looking towards the future, Emiliano believes film has the capacity to be the most influential art medium in the digital age, and consistently explores themes related to disillusionment, the public and private, and memory. He considers film as having the responsibility to amalgamate other mediums, as his current projects have been increasingly referential to sculpture and painting.

George Batah

Syrian Activist and Finance Professional

George Batah is a young professional and Syrian activist who moved to the U.S. from Damascus. He currently lives and works in Chicago. George actively advocates, speaks and fundraises for causes like Education, Humanitarian Relief and Women Empowerment. In 2015, he led a successful petition to increase the number of refugees admitted by the U.S. and was invited to speak at the White House about the cause. His work has been featured on CNN, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Huffington Post among others. Eventually, his efforts led to the administration's decision to increase the refugee cap and humanitarian aid to Syria. George now writes regularly for the Huffington Post. He is also the co-founder of “Syrian Youths Empowerment”, an initiative to empower and help Syrian high school students in Syria and neighboring countries. George works closely with multiple NGOs and activists to further advance humanitarian and educational causes.

Marina Elliott

Anthropologist and Rising Star Expedition Researcher

Originally from Calgary, Canada, Marina Elliott is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Wits - University of the Witwatersrand. Marina did her Masters of Arts and PhD in biological anthropology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. During her academic journey, Marina excavated at Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, and in Barrow, Alaska, one of the northernmost points on the North American continent. She also conducted forensic anthropological casework for the British Columbia Coroners Service and was a Visiting Scientist for the New York Medical Examiner's Office. Along with five other researchers, Marina’s work on the Rising Star Expedition was featured on the cover of the October 2015 issue of National Geographic magazine and was the subject of a 2-hour PBS Nova special that aired in North America on September 16, 2016. She was recently made a Fellow of the Explorers Club.

Megan Koehnen

Student

Megan Koehnen is a fourth year in the College at The University of Chicago, studying Psychology and Biological Sciences with a specialization in Neuroscience. Since 2014, Megan has been doing work on a clinical trial of a preventative depression intervention for preadolescent African American girls and is currently working on writing up the results of that trial for her honors thesis. She has also been conducting an independent research project on societal and individual conceptions of mental health, psychiatry, and identity. Outside of academia, Megan serves as a coach for the University of Chicago Mock Trial program and the vice-president of Phoenix Biology. She is also a graphic designer for several organizations and offices on campus. After graduation, she will be returning to her homeland of Minnesota to serve in the 2016 Teach For America Corps, teaching school science. She hopes to eventually pursue a graduate degree in psychology or neuroscience.

Nancy Kawalek

Founder and Director of STAGE: Scientists, Technologists, and Artists Generating Exploration

Nancy Kawalek, an artist and innovator specializing in the creation and development of theatre inspired by science and technology, is a Professor and Distinguished Fellow in the Arts, Sciences and Technology at The University of Chicago Institute for Molecular Engineering. She is the founder and director of STAGE: Scientists, Technologists and Artists Generating Exploration—a laboratory for devising multimedia theatre pieces in which science and technology play prominent roles in content and form. Nancy is also a professional New York theatre-trained actor whose credits include Strider on Broadway, and several leading roles Off-Broadway, such as the one-woman show Alice Without, which she co-wrote. She conceived and directed the opening events for the 100th anniversary of the Solvay Conferences in Physics, as well as the Nobel Week 2013 Festivities: casting and directing Nobel Laureates David Gross and Alan Heeger, and Olivier Award-winning British actor Fiona Shaw, in a stage

Natalie Richardson

Spoken Word Artist, Student

Natalie Richardson is a writer, performer, aspiring teaching artist, and amateur film photographer pursuing a degree in English and Comparative Race & Ethnic Studies at the University of Chicago. She is interested in the way that art can cultivate and shape community spaces, particularly within urban, underserved communities. A co-founder of The Underground Collective, a performance troupe on campus, Natalie credits her love of the stage with an early childhood introduction to community theater, and has experimented with writing and directing plays in addition to performing poetry. Natalie is the editor-in-chief of Blacklight Magazine, a university publication from the Organization of Black Students (OBS) that publishes art and writing from minority and traditionally marginalized students on campus.

Patricia Saldaña Natke

Architect, Founding Partner and President of UrbanWorks

Patricia Saldaña Natke is President and Design Principal of UrbanWorks, an award winning architecture, planning, and interior design firm in Chicago. Pat is responsible for the visionary design direction of the firm. She has a passion for cities and neighborhoods, especially the most vulnerable sections of cities and their populations. She is a firm believer that well designed spaces and places which allow cultural exchange underpin urban transformation. Pat has served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago Graduate School of Architecture, Facilitator at Archeworks, and a Part Time Professor at the Illinois Institute of Technology School of Architecture for the Advanced Design Studios. Pat was named one of “Five 2014 Emerging Designers” in Crain’s Chicago, and listed in “50 Designers Shaping Chicago” by NewCity in 2014.

Paul Durica

Producer of Pocket Guide to Hell

Paul Durica is a teacher, writer, and public historian. Since 2008 he has been producing a series of free and interactive public history programs under the name Pocket Guide to Hell. These talks, walks, and reenactments use costumes, props, music, and audience participation to make the past feel present. Paul’s writing on Chicago history and culture has appeared in Poetry, The Chicagoan, Mash Tun, and Lumpen. He is also the editor of Chicago By Day and Night: The Pleasure Seeker’s Guide to the Paris of America. He is currently the Director of Programs for Illinois Humanities.

Rabiah Mayas

Director of Science and Integrated Strategies at the Museum of Science and Industry

Dr. Rabiah Mayas is the Director of Science and Integrated Strategies in the Center for the Advancement of Science Education (CASE) at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. In this capacity since 2010, Rabiah leads a number of interdisciplinary initiatives including program evaluation and science learning research, public science programs and events, and youth engagement with diverse STEM careers and professionals. She also directs initiatives dedicated to youth-driven design, engineering and innovation. A lifelong science nerd and enthusiast, she is passionate about science education as a critical issue of equity and social justice.

Will Witherspoon

Former NFL Linebacker, and Founder of Shire Gates Farm

A two-time selection to the USA Today’s "All-Joe" team honoring the NFL's hardest-working players, Will Witherspoon joined the St.Louis Rams as a free agent in 2006. He was a Rams' team captain for two seasons and was voted the team's most valuable player in 2007. He has played for the Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans. In the NFL, Will was known for more than his skills on the field. He routinely went above and beyond for his community and for his fans by doing a variety of charity work. Will retired from the NFL in 2014 and became the St. Louis Rams sideline reporter for 101 ESPN Radio St. Louis WXOS and the Rams Radio Network. He is also the owner of Shire Gate Farms in Owensville, MO, which has become the industry's highest standard of humanely raised, antibiotic and hormone free, natural grass-fed beef.