Theme: Pathways to Tomorrow

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).

Green Center
1500 Illinois Street
Golden, Colorado, 80403
United States

Ethan Palay

Ethan Palay is a clean energy scientist driven by a vision of a truly sustainable world, which is enabled by a paradigm shift in the way we generate, distribute and use energy. He has worked on next generation, printable solar cells, and on sustainable hydrogen production for fuel cell cars. Throughout his education, he experienced first-hand the mysteries which a research grant can unlock, and became compelled by a mission to help provide the urgently needed resources to the clean energy research community. Shortly after graduating from the School of Mines, he teamed up with other clean energy scientists and experts to create a mechanism for concerned citizens to fund clean energy research directly: the Alt-E Fund.

Gus Grievel

Professor of Applied Mathematics

Gus Greivel is a Teaching Professor of Applied Mathematics and Statistics at the Colorado School of Mines. He has taught courses in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, as well as within the Interdisciplinary McBride Honors Program at Mines. He is interested in developing strategies to effectively teach mathematics within the STEM environment.

Jahi Simbai

Jahi Sauk Simbai is the Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies at Colorado School of Mines. His responsibilities center on the recruitment, retention, and graduation of graduate students. Mr. Simbai started at Mines in 2000 as the Associate Director of the Minority Engineering Program (MEP). Before moving to higher education Mr. Simbai worked as a Structural Analyst for Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corporation. He has an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management from the Leeds School of Business and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Outside of Mines, Mr. Simbai is known as Providence “The Verse” Lione, lead MC for the electro/hip-hop group “Reverb And The Verse” headquartered in Denver, CO. His overall passion is combining his love of education and love of entertainment to reach the community through ‘edutainment.’

Jess Ellis

Jess Ellis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at Colorado State University. Her work is focused on dramatically increasing the number and diversity of people who succeed in undergraduate mathematics-especially introductory mathematics courses that often function as a roadblock for STEM intending students, increasing the number of qualified and prepared undergraduate mathematics teachers, and increasing the number and diversity of people who use science to improve the teaching and learning of undergraduate mathematics.

John Leyden

Jon A. Leydens is Associate Professor of Engineering Education Research and Communication in the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies at the Colorado School of Mines, USA. He is co-author of Engineering and Sustainable Community Development (Morgan and Claypool, 2010) and editor of Sociotechnical Communication in Engineering (Routledge, 2014). Dr. Leydens’ current research focuses on rendering visible the social justice dimensions inherent in three components of the engineering curriculum—in engineering sciences, engineering design, and humanities and social science courses. That research, conducted with co-author Juan C. Lucena, has culminated in Engineering Justice: Transforming Engineering Education and Practice (Wiley-IEEE Press, 2017).

Justine Metz

Justine Metz is a strategic marketing and product management executive with more than 25 years of leadership in the consumer packaged goods and financial services industries. She has developed a strong reputation as a visionary leader, with deep experience leading marketing, sales support and product management teams. Ms. Metz most recently served as Chief Marketing & Products Officer for SRS Acquiom. Prior to that, she led Bank of America’s Marketing & Sales Support teams for the Wealth Management businesses, Merrill Lynch and U.S. Trust. Ms. Metz earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BSBA) degree from Georgetown University as well as academic All-America honors as a member of the Women’s Division 1 Volleyball team. She is FINRA Series 7 and 24 licensed, Six Sigma Greenbelt Certified and a strong advocate for Diversity and Inclusion.

Lauren Cooper

Lauren Cooper is a passionate educator at Colorado School of Mines and loves teaching classes in both the first-year design program and the Humanitarian Engineering program. She holds a B.S. in Engineering from Colorado School of Mines, an M.S. in Building Systems Engineering from CU Boulder, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Education from CU Boulder, where she researched project-based service-learning and student motivation. She has industry experience in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and workforce training.