Theme: Turning Point

We are very excited to announce TEDxRIT- Our goal in this event is to tell a story and bring the people of RIT and the community of Rochester together! The entire event has been organized by the students, for the students and the local community. Speakers, performers, and attendees were hand selected by the students, and we couldn't be more happy to share such an experience with all attendees.

Ingle Auditorium
1 Lomb Memorial Dr.
Rochester, New York, 14623
United States

Hayley Johnson

M.S. Candidate at The University of Rochester

Hayley is an M.S. candidate at the University of Rochester, and will complete her degree in Higher Education Student Affairs this spring. There, she works as a graduate admissions assistant at the Warner School of Education. At RIT, she works as a graduate resident advisor for the Global Village apartment complex. Additionally, her work related to issues of body positivity and diversity has afforded her opportunities to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University conference twice within the past few years, and now serves as the University of Rochester's CGIU representative.

Manuela Campanelli

Professor at The Rochester Institute of Technology

Dr. Campanelli is a professor of Mathematical Sciences, and Astrophysical Sciences and Technology of the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the founding director of the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation. She is also a member of the LIGO scientific collaboration, which on September 14, 2015 made the most important physics discovery of the last half century on the first observation of gravitational waves from the collision of two black holes. Campanelli was the recipient of several awards and recognitions, such as the Marie Curie Fellowship (1998), the American Physical Society Fellowship (2009) and the RIT Trustee Award (2014). She was also the Chair of the APS Topical Group in Gravitation in 2013. More info can be found at: http://ccrg.rit.edu/people/campanelli

Myles Drake

Motivational Speaker at Live Different

Myles Drake was born and raised in Grimsby, Ontario. Highly influenced by his uncles at a young age who were mechanics and auto workers, Myles began to tinker with dirt bikes. By age 15 he was full blown into competitive motocross racing, a sport which tends to wreak havoc on the body. After finding a local yoga class, he soon recovered his degenerating spinal discs and became qualified to instruct by travelling to India and obtaining certification. Motocross Racing inspired him to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Automotive Engineering Technology from McMaster University, which he received in 2014. From there he moved to the Green Mountain State in Vermont to work for a Factory Sponsored Subaru Rally Car Race Team. It was a childhood dream come true. After 2 years living in Vermont he received an opportunity to travel across Canada sharing a message about empathy to youth and has since spoken to over 20,000 students in 55 high schools through the non-profit called Live Different.

Pritam Poddar

PHD Student at The Rochester Institute of Technology

Pritam is in his second year of PhD at Rochester Institute of Technology, working at the recently established AMPrint Center. At the center, he works on developing processes for 3D printing carbon fibers. After getting his bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering from his hometown of Kolkata, India, Pritam came to Rochester in 2012 for a master's degree in Industrial Engineering, and later continuing on to his PhD. Currently, he serves as the Vice President of Membership at Tiger Tales Toastmasters, a public speaking organization on campus. He thoroughly enjoys public speaking and believes learning that skill has been a turning point in his life. Pritam's life-long interest has been studying the human condition through friendship, love, and books!

Tom Rizzuto

Professor at Molloy College

Tom Rizzuto is a musician, writer, and educator from Long Island, New York. He currently teaches Music History, World Music, The History of Rock and Roll, American Music and several other courses at Molloy College. He also teaches guitar classes for the Nassau Community College Continuing Education Department. Mr. Rizzuto holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Molloy College and a Master’s Degree in Musicology from CUNY The City College of New York. His writing has appeared in such publications as History Magazine and Discovery Magazine, as well as on The-Wagnerian.com. He is also a frequent contributor to CrazyTownBlog.com. Mr. Rizzuto has given lectures on a wide range of topics including “The Music of J.S. Bach,” and “Music in the 20th Century.” He was featured as part of a panel discussion on music in film at the Icon Festival and spoke on “Music and Controversy” for the Public Square 2.0 television series.