Theme: Back to Basics

At the core of every great idea is a simple seed. In the midst of a world that is growingly increasingly complex, how can we go Back to Basics?

1 College Circle
Geneseo, New York, 14454
United States

Austin Yarton

Since the beginning of high school, Austin was selling bicycles and antiques at local flea markets and on eBay and Amazon. The selling of bikes led to founding his own company Bikelyf, an e-commerce site dedicated to selling products surrounding cycling culture, at age 17. This and his role as a project manager assistant at a multi-million dollar mechanical contractor, Postler and Jaeckle, have been his greatest learning experiences. He hopes to spread advice and insight through his talk.

Ben Taylor

Ben Taylor is a junior at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF). He is the 6th generation to be a part of his family’s 17,000 tap maple syrup operation in Attica, NY. Ben has a passion for new ideas surrounding the maple syrup industry, and is beginning research into localized real-time monitoring of sugar maple groves. In addition to being a maple enthusiast, Ben is the President of the ESF Undergraduate Student Association and involved in the local Vineyard Church.

Hitomi Mukaibo

Hitomi Mukaibo obtained her PhD in Chemical Engineering from Waseda University (Japan) and worked as a research fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and a postdoctoral researcher in University of Florida before joining University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor in 2011. Her current research focuses on applying electric-field based technology to address critical, long-standing challenges in solar fuels and energy storage.

Katherine Whipple

Katherine M. Whipple, M.D. is a board certified ophthalmologist and fellowship trained in Cosmetic and Reconstructive Oculofacial Plastic Surgery. Dr. Whipple was born and raised in Webster, NY. She attended the State University of New York at Geneseo, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry. Dr. Whipple went on to earn her Medical degree at New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY. She then headed west to complete her residency in ophthalmology at the University of California San Diego, culminating in her being named Chief Resident in 2010. After completing her residency, she spent an additional two years at the University of California San Diego completing a prestigious fellowship in Orbital and Oculofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This fellowship is approved by the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and graduates only 15 physicians nationwide each year. During her fellowship, she completed thousands of reconstructive and aesthetic surgeries. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, published numerous chapters, presented internationally at scientific meetings and even received the Teacher of the Year Award during her fellowship. With exciting opportunities to practice all over the country, Dr. Whipple has decided to do what she has dreamed of doing since she was young. She has chosen to return to her hometown and treat the community she grew up loving.

Kelly Ernst

Kelly Ernst is the founder and CEO of fashion tech startup Redenim in Austin, Texas. She is a 2008 graduate of SUNY Geneseo where she studied Communications and a 2011 Graduate of the University of Rochester Simon School of Business, M.S. Marketing. Kelly has a passion for solving problems with technology and has built a career combining her studies in communications and marketing with tech. Now in the fashion space, Kelly is building a company that offers a rotating closet of designer jeans making premium denim more accessible.

Thuy-vy Nguyen

Thuy-vy Nguyen is currently a doctorate candidate at the University of Rochester, New York, studying motivation under the Self-Determination Theory perspective with Dr. Edward Deci. Her research focuses on people’s solitary behaviors. She is currently working on several projects that look at how the experience of autonomy can modify our experience with solitude and whether parenting plays a role in helping children become more comfortable with the time they spend with themselves. Besides presenting her research at academic conferences in social psychology, she has also talked about her work at Falling Walls conference and contributed her insights on solitude to a radio documentary called “The Ode to Solitude” by Anik See, a Canadian writer and independent radio documentary maker from The Netherlands.