TEDxNYU invites you to our 7th annual TEDx conference, On The Brink. This year’s conference theme is dedicated to exploring crucial tipping points in the fields of science, education, social movements, business and technology. The pace at which our world is changing is keeping us all on our toes, but ultimately without answers. This year’s conference will address the daunting obstacles of this generation and offer insight into what might, or should, come next.
We have curated a conference lineup of talented individuals with various lived experiences who share a passion for spreading contagious, awe-inspiring, but most importantly idea-focused, talks. Our speakers will light a fire in the NYU community and compel our students to move into action and step up as the future leaders of our society.
Speakers
Speakers may not be confirmed. Check event website for more information.
Nastassja Schmiedt and Lea Roth
Nastassja Schmiedt and Lea Roth are millennial digital knowmads in pursuit of happiness and freedom. They are the co-founders of Spring Up, a multimedia artivist collective transforming conflict and imagining a future of liberation for all. Within their creative hivemind, Lea serves as mythematician and Nastassja as imaginatrix. Their first book, Millennial Sex (Education) harnesses the power of storytelling to cultivate a culture of consent. Lea and Nastassja are engaged to be married and have two wonderful cats, Wilhelm and Audre (@dapperpaws). They live in the cloud, but can often be found in their home bases of Miami, Denver, and Tuscany.Abby Lyall
Abby Lyall is a junior studying Finance and Information Systems at NYU Stern. Last summer, she held a research position at the school’s Information Systems Department where she explored the progression of automation and its impact on business and the economy. Abby currently works for the venture capital firm, Quake Capital, where she helps student entrepreneurs raise money for their ventures. She also writes a monthly technology column in brUNch Magazine, a publication targeted at millennial women. She believes in learning by doing, taking the road less traveled, and using technology as a force for positive change.Alejandro Crawford
Alejandro Crawford, Senior Consultant at Acceleration Group, helps leaders of mission-driven businesses, CBOs, funders and governments to seize “acceleration moments” to increase their impact on the markets and communities they serve. He develops actionable strategies that enable leaders to get ahead of change, prove new models, create and measure impact, and turn around organizations. A frequent writer and speaker on how to equip people to produce solutions of their own, Crawford is professor of entrepreneurship for the Bard MBA in Sustainability. He has created an array of frameworks, platforms and courses for clients and campuses in impact-oriented strategy, entrepreneurship and growth. He earned his BA from Cornell and his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.Hamdan Azhar
Hamdan Azhar is a data scientist, journalist, and the founder of PRISMOJI. Shortly after this talk, Hamdan was named a winner of the 2017 Knight Foundation Prototype Fund Grant which recognizes the most promising early-stage innovations in media and technology. Hamdan previously worked in ads research at Facebook where he designed experiments to measure the effectiveness of Facebook ads. Prior to that, he served as the national statistician on Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign. Hamdan's writings on emojis, drone culture, and religion in America have been published in Forbes, VICE, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Washington Post. Hamdan earned his BS in economics from Penn State, his MS in biostatistics from the University of Michigan, and spent one year in the PhD program in neuroscience at the University of Chicago.Hannah Donovan
Hannah Donovan started building her first business in music when she was 17. She's led teams in music and entertainment technology for over a decade where she blends her creative background in design with her entrepreneurial streak. Hannah was the General Manager at Vine; led the team and product at music start-up Drip (acquired by Kickstarter); was VP Design at Ripcord (a product incubator funded by MTV); co-founded song-sharing service This Is My Jam which was incubated by The Echo Nest (now part of Spotify); and led design at music service Last.fm (acquired by CBS). She’s addressed audiences across the world, speaking for conferences, universities and companies. Her work and words have been featured in media such as the Guardian, New York Times, Forbes, Variety, and the Today Show. Hannah has a Bachelor of Design, a diploma in Speech and Drama, and taught herself about computers and business. She's lived in Canada, Germany, the UK, and is currently based in New York City. Follow her on Twitter/Instagram @han for fun and opinions on design, pop culture and tech.Jayeeta Basu
Jayeeta Basu started her own research group at NYU in January of 2015. Exploring questions such as: why do we remember only a fraction of the things, places, events, or people we experience? How do our previous experiences stored in the brain as memories shape the perception of ongoing sensory experiences? The Basu laboratory’s research aims to examine mechanisms of learning and memory in the mammalian brain. Dr. Basu believes that science, like art, is a medium for creative expression. Her lab participated in the Ligo Project where artists in residence create their own graphical and musical renditions of the research happening at the Basu lab. As a founding member of NYU NeuWrite, Jayeeta is also passionate about fostering knowledge about the brain in the non-scientific community and bringing the next generation of young curious minds to the frontlines of scientific discovery.Phillip Gladkov
Recent NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate, Phillip Gladkov is an Artist and Filmmaker dedicated to challenging the way we view and interact with our world.Wazina Zondon
Wazina Zondon, an Afghan raised in NYC, is a sexuality educator and trainer who focuses on intersectional identities. In addition to speaking to the connection between homophobia and islamophobia, Zondon is the co-writer and co-performer of Coming Out Muslim: Radical Acts of Love, a personal storytelling performance about queerness, faith, love and family. Wazina also co-hosts Follow that Flannel, a fun yet informative sexuality podcast.Organizing team
