Theme: Decisions and Future

All of us have to make decisions – everyday. Some for the moment, others for the future. How do we do this? We can listen to our gut feelings. We can search the internet for advice. We can use scenarios to rehearse. We can move through simulated moments as if we were already living in them. We can write pro-and-con-lists. We can talk to people who have faced similar choices. Everybody has his or her own and varied ways. At TEDxKIT 2016, people from various backgrounds talk about their – creative, innovative, courageous, determined and more – ways to approach: decisions and future.

KIT (Karlsruhe Institute for Technology)
Kaiserstraße 12
Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, 76131
Germany

Andreas Ch. Braun

Assistant Professor at the Institute of Regional Science, KIT.

Heidelberg-native Andreas Ch. Braun (born 1982) studied geoecology at the University of Karlsruhe until 2009, and obtained his PhD at the Graduate School for Climate and Environment (KIT-GRACE) in 2013. After finishing his post-doctorate at the University of Freiburg, and pursuing (ongoing) studies in sociology, economy and philosophy at the FernUniversität Hagen, Andreas Braun was appointed junior professor at the Institute for Regional Science at the KIT. His research focuses are, among others: risk-based regional development, human-environment interactions, environmental and risk sociology.

Anthea Müller and Theresa Himmelsbach

Students, Engineers without Borders.

Als Mitglied des EWB am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) arbeitet Theresa mit Studenten anderer Fakultäten an sozialen Projekten in Entwicklungsländern. Durch ihre Freiwilligenarbeit haben sie die Möglichkeit, Wissen anzuwenden und dabei gleichzeitig Erfahrungen in allen Bereichen des Projektmanagements zu sammeln. Seit 2012 engagiert sich Anthea Müller bei EWB am KIT und bringt sich dort, gemeinsam mit rund 250 anderen Studenten, mit Leib und Seele in globale Entwicklungsprojekte ein. Anthea brachte etwa ihre Fertigkeiten für die Konstruktion einer Brücke ein und sie organisierte einen Workshop zu erdbebensicherer Konstruktion. Sie möchten mit ihrem Enthusiasmus bei jüngeren Studenten Mut, Vertrauen und Engagement entfachen.

Bijan Khazai

Scientist, Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM), KIT.

Dr. Bijan Khazai is a research scientist at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology’s (KIT) Center for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction Technology (CEDIM). He holds Masters and Doctoral degrees in Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley, where he worked on developing GIS-based landslide hazard assessment models in the San Francisco Bay Area. Dr. Khazai’s research interests are social vulnerability analysis, megacity and urban risk, and information technology for post-disaster recovery planning. As a project specialist for Earthquake and Megacities Initiative (EMI), he has worked in a number of applied projects in Istanbul, Amman and Metro Manila and Mumbai.

Christof Weinhardt and Margeret Hall

Information Systems and Marketing (IISM), KIT. / ‘Participation and Crowd Services’ at the Karlsruhe Service Research Institute (KSRI).

Christof Weinhardt studied Business Engineering and completed his doctorate in economic sciences in 1989 at the Technical University in Karlsruhe. He is professor at the Institute for Information Systems and Marketing at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. For the period from 2010 – 2013 he was appointed official expert in the commission “The Internet and the digital Society” of the German parliament. Together with his research group he is involved in a large number of research projects. Margeret Hall is Senior Researcher and head of the Strategic Initiative ‘Participation and Crowd Services’ at the Karlsruhe Service Research Institute. Her research investigates the integration of digital systems and people. Prior to starting her PhD on the measurement of health and happiness, she worked at the UN Office in Geneva and at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. As a member of the ACM-W Europe Outreach committee, she actively promotes the gender equality in science and technology.

Johannes Schmid-Johannsen

After graduating in politics, Johannes Schmid-Johannsen began his professional career in the financial sector. He then joined Südwestrundrunk (SWR), where he worked as a reporter, trainee and business editor. Since 2017, he has been involved as a co-founder in the founding and development of a data journalism team.

Michael Feindt

Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor, Blue Yonder.

As founder and Chief Scientific Advisor Prof. Dr. Michael Feindt is the mind behind Blue Yonder – one of the world’s leading companies for Predictive Applications. During his long years of research at the world’s biggest elementary particle accelerators he developed NeuroBayes algorithm, which by now serves purely data-driven forecasts of probabilities of future events in many areas, and therefore as basis for the automation of operational decisions in the fields of purchasing, distribution, research & development, manufacturing, and finance. Feindt is professor at the Institute of Experimental Nuclear Physics (IEKP) at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), currently on leave of absence to drive growth and internationalization of Blue Yonder. Blue Yonder has won numerous innovation awards, and in 2015 has been ranked as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world by Technology Review.

Nils Menrad

Festival director of dokKa (Documentary Festival Karlsruhe).

Nils Menrad is the festival director of dokKa (Documentary Festival Karlsruhe), which has been organized annually since 2014. The festival is presenting documentary works of different media. Films, radio features or art installations are shown and discussed with the artists. Nils Menrad studied at the University of Arts and Design (HfG) in Karlsruhe. He works in film and media as a freelancer and has produced an interactive online documentary about the German poet Eugen Gominger (www.agomringerz.de). His documentary “The Stuff of Sound” won the 1st prize at “Unerhört! Musikfilmfestival Hamburg”. “Eight Places: A Journey in Afghanistan” was screened on different film festivals in Germany, Italy, Wales and Spain. He also produces media installations for Museums (e.g. Buchenwald Memorial, Federal Constitutional Court) and is developing various online projects.

Rafaela Hillerbrand

Professor for philosophy of science, engineering and technology, KIT.

Rafaela Hillerbrand is full professor for philosophy of science, engineering and technology at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). She holds a PhD in (theoretical) physics as well as in philosophy. Before joining KIT, Rafaela worked as an associate professor at TU Delft and was head of the interdisciplinary research group eet-ethics for energy technology at the Human Technology Centre (HumTec) at RWTH Aachen University. In 2011, she had the chance to advise the ethics commission for safe energy supply under Klaus Töpfer’s guidance that was set up in reaction to the accidents in Fukushima. From 2006 until 2008 Rafaela held a position as a senior research fellow at the University of Oxford.

Schoole Mostafawy

Head of Art History Department, Badisches Landesmuseum.

Die deutsch-iranische Kunsthistorikerin Schoole Mostafawy kam während des 1. Golfkriegs nach Deutschland und promovierte in Frankfurt am Main. Seit 2004  ist sie als Leiterin des Referats „Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte“ am Badischen Landesmuseum für die europäische wie „außereuropäische“ Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte zuständig. Seit Jahren beschäftigt sie sich mit den Phänomenen Cross-over Culture und Cultural Identities. Mehrere Sonderausstellungen wurden von ihr unter diesem Aspekt realisiert. Die epochen- und kulturübergreifend komparistische Sammlungsausstellung „WeltKultur / Global Culture“ kuratierte sie 2013. Ehrenamtlich setzt sie sich für die Menschenrechte, für die Völkerverständigung und den interkulturellen Dialog ein. Sie war Mitbegründerin der „Mir Mohammedi Stiftung. Die Menschenrechtsstiftung“ in Karlsruhe und ist für den „Internationalen Mittelmeerkreises e.V.“ tätig.