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).

Martinos Auditorium, Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts
174 Angell St.
Providence, Rhode Island, 02912
United States

Aaron Mayer

Founder, Impact Labs

Aaron Mayer is passionate about three things: technology, social impact, and normative ethics! Before studying philosophy at Brown, he traveled extensively around the world, witnessing firsthand the disparities between developed and developing nations. He later became involved with the Effective Altruist community, where he began to see social entrepreneurship as one of the fastest and most effective ways to bring about global change. His area of expertise surrounds the ethics of emerging technologies, as well as political and economic philosophy. While at Brown, he founded Impact Labs, which seeks to empower young computer scientists with the skills they'll need to build a more equitable, sustainable world!

Adrien Stoloff

Brown University Ph.D. Candidate in Religious Studies

Adrien Stoloff is a doctoral candidate in Asian Religious Traditions. He is interested in Chinese religious beliefs and practices from the late Warring States period to the Early Han Dynasty (approximately 5th-2nd centuries BCE). Specifically, Adrien's research focuses on the Classical Daoist phenomenon of wuwei. Translated as "effortless action," wuwei is a state of being in which one acts effortlessly yet efficiently in a given situation. His dissertation project uses an approach informed by tools in the field of religious studies - textual and historical analysis - as well as by the fields of philosophy and cognitive science.

Alexa Chukwumah

Co-Founder of Sanitary Aid for Nigerian Girls, Brown University student

Alexa Chukwumah is a final year student at Brown University studying International Relations with a focus in Political Economy. She is Pan-Africanist and women's rights advocate from Lagos, Nigeria. Her work includes We Rise Initiative and Sanitary Aid for Nigerian Girls, which are both organizations focusing on women's development in Nigeria. She is also a writer at http://alexajohara.com/

Devyn Collado

Student and Co-Professor in the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing, Brown University

Devyn is a junior at Brown University out of Long Beach, California. During his time at Brown, he has worked with the University's curricular resource center to put together a new concentration in Environment and Enterprise, which studies the nexus of climate change, the private sector, and the sociocultural aspects of consumerism and capitalism. Currently, he is serving as the head of shareholder and community engagement for Brown’s Socially Responsible Investment Fund as well as interning with both the Office of Sustainability and the Brown Investment Office. He is also co-authoring a book chapter on the climate and economic resiliency of New England coastal cities.

Julian Jacobs

Writer and Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Brown University Journal of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Born in Ithaca, New York, Julian is the Founding Editor in Chief of the Brown University Journal of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and a journalist. He has published more than 35 articles and essays in 15 publications and has conducted interviews with Bernie Sanders, David Cameron, Noam Chomsky, Peter Hitchens, Tom Perez, and Reza Aslan among others. For over a year, his work has focused on emerging technology and the effects of artificial intelligence on US income inequality and American democracy. His research on the topic is being used to support his senior thesis, which is being supervised by political economy scholar Mark Blyth. He has also worked as an intern at The Brookings Institution and in President Barack Obama's post-presidency office, where he supported the 44th President's correspondence, communications, and speechwriting teams.

Katie O'Leary

Brown University attendee and an aspiring student of everything

As softball player, rock lover, and self described old soul, Katie claims her identity as an adamant pursuer of diverse interests. Raised in the central valley of California, her roots lay in the country with a loving and supportive family network. It’s there where she first learned to love everything from sewing to contact sports. This open ended exposure to so many different activities and ideas in such a safe and loving environment formed the core of her identity. Now, as a college student, she works to balance a varsity sport, a full academic workload, extra curricular activities, and her peace of mind. While her future path is focused on earning her Geo-Science degree and continuing to graduate school, she is open to the opportunities that life gives, and hopes to quantify success by fulfillment not accolades.

Tanushri Sundar

Brown University student

Tanushri Sundar is a California native. She loves being a student at Brown — working long hours in picturesque libraries, eating fries (with mayonnaise!) after midnight, and trekking across College Hill in the snow. When not typing furiously on her laptop, she is usually hiking, reading, or drinking hot tea. In the steadily-approaching future, she hopes to continue working as an Emergency Medical Technician and using her voice to empower others.