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).

The Ampersand
140 4 Avenue SW
Calgary, Alberta, T2P 3N3
Canada

Adora Nwofor

Comedian, Poet, Podcast Host, Public Speaker

A performer with RiverFestYYC, Adora Nwofor is your typical, every day, awkward, Amazon Goddess next door. She is a comedian, poet, host of the “Living a Creative Life” podcast among other things, and public speaker.

Andrii Lekhan

Andrii Lekhan is a PhD student at the University of Calgary working on solutions for antibiotic resistance in human pathogens with Prof. Raymond Turner. His talk is derived from one delivered as part of the University of Calgary Three Minute Thesis competition in 2024. Andrii is a veteran of the war in Ukraine, with first-hand experience of prolonged hospitalizations from wounds he suffered in the conflict. He witnessed the scale of antibiotic-resistant hospital-acquired infections in fellow wounded soldiers, the amounts of money spent, and the human suffering involved. Upon returning to his studies, Andrii decided to approach the issue from the spread-prevention end. His ultimate goal is to make hospitals a safer place to stay - not only for servicemen, but for everyone.

Dr. Belinda Heyne

Dr. Belinda Heyne, a Chemistry Professor at the University of Calgary, is a photochemistry expert who uses light to bring molecules to life. Her groundbreaking research energizes oxygen with visible light to create singlet oxygen, tackling antimicrobial resistance head-on. Outside the lab, she champions women in science through initiatives like chemistry magic shows and the Women's Global Breakfast in Calgary. Recognized with numerous awards, including the Immigrant of Distinction Award, her contributions to science and her community are widely celebrated. Originally from Belgium, she earned her Ph.D. at the University of Liège and honed her skills in Canada with the renowned Prof. J.C. Scaiano. Since 2007, she embarked on her independent career at the University of Calgary and now proudly leads the Department of Chemistry as Head.

Dr. Kori Czuy

Dr. Kori Czuy is passionate about bringing together multiple ways of knowing, being, and doing science, which she gets to do as an Indigenous Science Education and Experience Consultant and through conversations on the podcast "Ancestral Science." Her PhD, in Indigenous Mathematics, brought together local Indigenous Elders and Children to bring back to light the depth of science within Indigenous Knowledges and Stories. She has published a few poems, articles, and a book, but prefers to embrace experiential, in-person, and relational methods of teaching and learning. Kori continues this journey of reconnecting with and learning from the knowings of the Land and Cosmos, as well as helping others connect with the complexities of these knowings alongside global science.

Dr. Rachel Lauer

Rachel's journey in earth science began with a profound curiosity about the inner workings of our planet. Her career has carved a unique niche, delving into the fascinating intersection of the seafloor and Earth's mysteries—an area we know less about than the surface of Mars. Her research focuses on the dynamic relationship between life and the ocean/earth interface. Her research in submarine hydrogeology, specifically the movement of fluids beneath the oceanic crust, has led her to explore the ocean's depths aboard Alvin, a deep-water submersible, reaching depths of 4.5 km. This unique perspective has granted her profound insights into the intricate connections between geoscience and biology in the Deep Ocean. Most recently, she played a critical role in an international collaboration, working alongside biologists, policy researchers, artists, and others, focused on understanding fluid exchange and it’s support of life in the deep ocean.

Dr. Sanaa Ahmed

Sanaa Ahmed is an assistant professor of law at the University of Calgary, where she teaches courses on money laundering and criminal law. A former journalist, her research takes an interdisciplinary approach to money laundering and focuses on the intersection of law, public policy and economics. A Killam Laureate, Ahmed holds a PhD from Osgoode Hall Law School York University, an LLM from University of Warwick and a BA LLB from University of Karachi. She is the author of several peer-reviewed articles as well as book chapters and frequently speaks about money laundering issues at public fora and universities as well as in the media.

Frank Frigo

Frank is a water resources engineer and applied hydrologist with the City of Calgary, focused on water supply, dam and reservoir design and operations, floodplain management, flood forecasting, stormwater, water quality and riparian management. For the last 16 of his 26 years environmental and water resources career Frank has gotten to "really know the Bow" studying the Bow River and its watershed, tributaries, water quality and habitat. The Bow has taught Frank about flood, drought, climate shift and ultimately about resilience.

Meredith Preston McGhie

Meredith Preston McGhie is a peacemaker and pluralism ambassador working to build societies that recognize, respect, and value diversity. She is the Global Centre for Pluralism’s Secretary General since October 2019. Born and raised in British Colombia, Canada, she has lived and worked most of her life in East and the Horn of Africa and devoted nearly 30 years to facilitating dialogues to address violent conflict in different places in Africa and Asia. From working with the Naga in Northeast India and Indigenous communities on the Thailand-Myanmar border, to supporting UN efforts in Kosovo, Northern Iraq, South Sudan, Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Kenya, Meredith’s work has straddled frontline negotiation, policy and diplomacy. Ms. Preston McGhie provides strategic leadership and represents the Centre externally as an ambassador of pluralism to develop strong relationships with leaders in civil society, governments, communities and other institutions around the world, through knowledge exchange and dialogue.

Michael Wernick

Government Expert, 23rd Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada

Michael Wernick spent nearly four decades close to the centre of government in Canada as a senior public servant working with Ministers and Prime Ministers. From 2016 to 2019 he was Clerk of the Privy Council, serving as Canada’s top civil servant. His 2021 book “Governing Canada” is a popular guidebook to “how it really works”. He is now the Jarislowsky Chair in public sector management at the University of Ottawa, paying forward to students and pushing forward an experienced practitioner’s perspective on the tougher issues in how to make government work better for Canadians. He is a frequent contributor of articles, podcasts, webinars and conference talks.

Morag Northey

Morag Northey is a multimedia, multi-genre artist, cellist, and composer who draws on classical and theatrical traditions. Her work concerns itself with healing; inner, outer, and invisible landscapes; and the land and our relationship to it.

Nicole Tritter

Interdisciplinary Artist

As artistic director for RiverFestYYC, Nicole Tritter is an interdisciplinary artist with a contemporary dance background. She focuses on publicly accessible artwork/experiences inspired by the natural world.