Theme: Expiration Date

"Expiration Date" explores the fleeting nature of existence, emphasizing how the passage of time brings both progress and decline. This reflection extends beyond the material world, touching on the expiration of ideas and societal norms. It prompts consideration of whether expiration is arbitrary or predetermined, urging proactive responses to time constraints. The ambiguity of expiration invites innovation and nuance, highlighting the balance between temporariness and timeliness. Ultimately, it invites contemplation on navigating life's transient journey amidst constant change. Join us for TEDxUCSanDiego’s 12th annual conference for provocative talks, interactive experiences, and to be a part of ideas worth spreading!

Price Center Theater
3135 Matthews Lane
La Jolla, California, 92093
United States

Justin Scher

Dog Behavioral Therapist and Master Trainer

Justin Scher is a Certified Dog Behavioral Therapist and Master Dog Trainer for International company, Bark Busters Home Dog Training out of Australia. He is the Greater San Diego trainer, the 2014 & 2016 International Trainer/Therapist of the Year, and the 2010, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, & 2020 US Trainer/Therapist of the Year. Dogs are his life’s passion, so these awards are both an honor and an acknowledgement of Justin finding his calling and mastering his craft. With over 15 years of experience as a dog behavioral therapist and working with thousands of dogs, he can essentially help ANY DOG with ANY PROBLEM! He believes there is nothing more gratifying than finding a solution for every single client. Every day, he continues to learn and improve and positively impact his clients and their beloved pets.

Maria Ho

Hall of Fame Poker Player / Broadcaster

Maria Ho is a Hall of Fame professional poker player and award-winning TV broadcaster who has amassed over $7,000,000 in live and online poker tournament earnings. She is one of the world's most recognized and successful players in the game and is currently ranked #3 on the World Series of Poker's All-Time Female Money Earners. Maria was inducted into the Women In Poker Hall of Fame in 2018, the very first year she became eligible and is the youngest ever to be inducted. World-renowned poker professional Maria Ho breaks down the most important factors to consider when time is of the essence and you are working with incomplete information. As our lives are defined by our ability to make decisions, but many of us have not optimized our decision-making process, discover how to make decisions effectively in high-pressure situations, much like a poker player would.

Megan Dickerson

Director of Exhibits, Birch Aquarium at Scripps

Megan Dickerson is a pioneering figure in the area of museums and play. As an experience designer, curator, playworker and play advocate, Megan currently leads exhibitions at Birch Aquarium, part of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. In this and her previous roles as Director of Exhibitions at The New Children’s Museum and Senior Manager of Community Partnerships at Boston Children's Museum, Megan brings artists, scientists and the community together to develop emergent experiences that push the boundaries of museum practice. Join Megan in her talk, “Play Our Mutant Survival Strategy”, where she discusses if play might be our most important “mutant strategy?” In this thoughtful, time traveling talk, Megan invites us to rethink long held definitions of play and consider how adults might begin to recognize the rich play cues all around us.

Pascal Gagneux

Professor of Pathology and Anthropology at UC San Diego

Pascal Gagneux is a Professor of Pathology and Anthropology at UC San Diego and serves as the Executive Co-Director at the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA). The Gagneux laboratory studies cell-surface molecules in closely related primates species and how glycan evolution is shaped by constraints from endogenous biochemistry and exogenous, pathogen-mediated natural selection, but can also have consequences for sexual selection. Dr. Gagneux has studied the behavioral ecology of wild chimpanzees in the Taï Forest, Ivory Coast, and population genetics of West African chimpanzees. In 2011, while Associate Director of CARTA, Dr. Gagneux helped to establish a graduate specialization in Anthropogeny at UC San Diego. This wholly unique graduate specialization is offered through eight participating graduate programs in the social and natural sciences at UC San Diego.

Tanya Taylor

Financial Coach / Author / Speaker

With over two decades helping people improve their financial lives, Tanya Taylor is on a mission to stop the cycle of poverty and build generational wealth. She is an award-winning author, and the founder and CEO of Grow Your Wealth, a financial education platform which empowers women to overcome financial barriers and build wealth, by meeting them exactly where they are. Tanya infuses her knowledge from learning and teaching about building wealth with her 24 years on Wall Street in the banking and insurance industries. She has been featured in publications such as Business Insider and Black Enterprise, sharing her story from an undocumented immigrant as an impoverished Jamaican traveling to the U.S. alone at 16 to capitalizing on the opportunity to build wealth and changing the trajectory of her and her family’s lives. Tanya’s core belief relies on the balance of wealth building and personal goals, in which she continues to jet-set the world with more than 60 countries visited.