In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Academy of Medicine
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Atlanta, Georgia, 30309
United States

Deirdre Shoemaker

Deirdre Shoemaker is the Dunn Family Professor of Physics. She received her B.S. in Astronomy and Astrophysics with honors and Physics from Penn State in 1994 and her PhD in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1999. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Penn State and Cornell University before joining the faculty at Penn State in 2004. She moved to the School of Physics at Georgia Tech in 2008 and is an adjunct Professor of the School of Computational Science and Engineering. She is one of the founding members of the Center for Relativistic Astrophysics and its Director. In 2017, Deirdre took on the role of Associate Director for Research and Strategic Initiatives for the Institute for Data Engineering and Science.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell

Edward Ahmed Mitchell is a Muslim-American civil rights attorney, and currently serves as the executive director of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-GA). Edward is a graduate of Morehouse College and the Georgetown University Law Center and started his career as a criminal prosecutor in Atlanta. He is also an editor of AtlantaMuslim, a member of the Georgia Association of Muslim Lawyers, and a member of the board of trustees of the Islamic Community Center of Atlanta.

Joy Jinks

Joy Sloan Jinks is a native of Colquitt, Georgia. She graduated from Florida State University in 1975 with a Master’s degree in social work. She has served as a social worker in the areas of public welfare and mental health. Most of her career has been spent as a community organizer and volunteer in her hometown. She is married to G.C. Jinks, Jr and has three children, eight grandchildren, and nine grandchildren. She is best known as co-founder of Swamp Gravy, Georgia’s Official Folk Life Play. She has captured her outlook on living life with gusto no matter your age, in her book Dynamic Aging.

Kamesh Darisipudi

Meet Kamesh Darisipudi, another student speaker ready to #DisruptGT with his story. He is a 3rd year Industrial Engineering student from Dallas, Texas. During his time at Tech, he has been involved in a wide range of academic, professional, and extra-curricular activities, but the experience he has found most gratifying was developing a passion for writing. He has been fortunate to have been published by Forbes and the Huffington Post, and hopes to use TEDx as a platform to continue his narrative.

Katherine Jentleson

Katherine Jentleson joined the High Museum of Art in September 2015 as the Merrie and Dan Boone Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art. Before she became a curator, Dr. Jentleson worked as an arts journalist in New York. Through her editorial assignments and general experiences at galleries and museums there, she discovered her passion for self-taught artists and their historical legacy in the U.S. In 2010, she began her graduate studies in art history at Duke University, where she focused her research on the rise of self-taught artists during the interwar period. Her exhibitions at the High include Green Pastures: In Memory of Thornton Dial and many more.

Malek Jandali

German born, Syrian-American composer Malek Jandali has been hailed by BBC WorldNews as “an acclaimed pianist” and his music has been described as “moving and thought provoking” by Bob Stevenson of NPR. Malek’s compositions integrate Middle-Eastern modes into Western classical forms and harmony and echo UNESCO’s call to preserve and protect the rich cultural heritage of Syria at a time when it is being eradicated. His works have been performed by numerous leading orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic, Zagreb Philharmonic, Stockholm Solister, and Russian Philharmonic. He is also the founder and CEO of Pianos for Peace, a non-profit organization dedicated to building peace through music and education.