TEDxPurdueU announces lineup for this season’s main event

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — TEDxPurdueU will host its main event for the 2016-2017 season, “unscripTED,” on March 25 from 1-5 p.m. in Loeb Playhouse at Stewart Center.

This event is open to the public and tickets are on sale now. Student tickets are $15, and tickets for the general public are $25. Tickets can be purchased online at https://tedxpurdueu.com/, at the Stewart Center Box Office or by phone at 800-914-SHOW.

The idea of reacting to unplanned circumstances is what this upcoming TEDxPurdueU event will tackle. Ranging from football coaches to CEOs to social workers, speakers will show how they have reacted to their varying circumstances. These speakers will share how they have lived life unafraid, unfazed, and unscripTED. Participants will hear from:

Dustin Grove, WLFI News 18: Named “Indiana’s Best Reporter” by the Associated Press twice and nominated for two Emmy awards, Grove will be unscripTED’s emcee. He has shared his vast experience in communication and media in numerous lectures at Purdue’s Brian Lamb School of Communication, ranging from his two-decade career in newsrooms to anecdotes from his travels around the world.

Raaja Nemani, co-founder and CEO of Bucketfeet: As he was fulfilling his lifelong dream of backpacking across the world, Nemani purchased his first pair of handcrafted shoes in Argentina. After receiving an overwhelming response from people across six continents, he tapped the potential of the hand-designed shoes and founded Bucketfeet in 2011. Nemani is focused on empowering a community of 40,000 artists from more than 120 countries to share their stories and perspectives using the universal language of art and shoes as their canvas. Today, Bucketfeet is redefining the $300 billion global footwear market by using new technology and its extensive artist network to increase the speed and demand for original, artist-designed footwear products.

Jada Hoerr, manager at Caterpillar Inc.: A proud Boilermaker, Hoerr has her degree in agricultural engineering. With almost 20 years of experience as a manager in Caterpillar Inc., she currently leads a team working with the Cat Dealer Network driving excellence in sales, marketing and customer experience. She has lived and worked in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Miami and Peoria, Illinois. The Peoria branch is Caterpillar's corporate headquarters. An advocate for diversity and an enabler of innovation, Hoerr is an integral part of the society of women engineers and involved in philanthropic endeavors on a local as well as global scale.

Don Heider, founder of the Center for Digital Ethics & Policy: Heider serves as the founding dean and professor at the School of Communication at Loyola University Chicago. He is a five-time Emmy-award winner for his work as a producer and reporter during 10 years he spent working in television news before entering the academic field. He has written or edited six books related to digital ethics and has been honored with three university teaching awards. Heider earned his Bachelor of Arts from Colorado State University, his Master of Arts from American University and his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado.

Shireen Hafeez, founder of Deaf Kids Code: Hafeez founded Deaf Kids Code after spending many years as an activist for the deaf on a variety of levels. Her efforts include lobbying for insurance companies to cover hearing aids for babies and children, following the deaf diagnosis of her own son. Based on the principle that the “digital age is the great equalizer,” she considers herself an “itinerant steam stimulator.” Hafeez started this nonprofit organization to help students and educators realize that computing skills will shatter the barriers that have prevented those from obtaining full economic and social participation in our society. She travels across a myriad of regions promoting science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to deaf and hard of hearing youth as a way to empower and inspire. She is cultivating the next generation of problem solvers and leaders.

Rayvon Fouché, director of American Studies at Purdue University: Interest in the history of technological invention and innovation are what led Fouché to Purdue. Having an experience teaching African-American studies, American studies, history and science and technology studies, Fouché explores the multiple intersections and relationships between cultural representation, racial identification and technological design. His first book, “Black Inventors in the Age of Segregation,” not only filled the large void in scholarly writing on black inventors and their experiences, but created a broader, textured understanding of black inventive experiences. Both as a scholar and a public speaker, Fouché has actively worked to clear away misinformation about black inventors.

Mike Asem, director at M25: Fueling his monumental passion for working with startup companies after graduating, Asem led business development at a nanotech startup borne out of Purdue. He then served as director of collaborative relationships for the Purdue Foundry, where he supported business development and talent-related activities for startups in the Foundry’s portfolio. While a student at Purdue, Asem championed The Anvil, one of the largest student-run co-working space and startup incubators in the world. Asem was also a student fellow for Chicago Ventures and was named the OnePurdue Scholar for making the largest impact to the Purdue community by a single student. He currently serves as a director with M25, a Chicago-based venture capital company.

David Cappelleri, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue: Prior to being assistant professor, Cappelleri founded Purdue’s Multi-Scale Robotics & Automation Lab that performs cutting-edge research on robotic and automation systems at various length scales. Receiving the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2012 is just one of his many awards and achievements. He participated in the National Academy of Engineering Frontiers on Engineering Education Symposium in 2011, is an elected member of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Technical Committee on Micro/Nano Robotics and Automation, the IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Mechanisms and Design, the ASME Design Engineering Division Mechanisms & Robotics Committee, and the ASME Design Engineering Division Micro/Nano-Systems Technical Committee.

Shawn Duncan, director of the Lupton Center: Duncan is the director of the training and consulting division of Focused Community Strategies, a Christian community development organization in Atlanta. He received his doctorate from Columbia Theological Seminary, where he focused on pedagogies for social engagement. He is the co-founder of EIRO, a nonprofit catalyst of local partnerships for the greater good. He serves as part of the strategic planning team for the Terminus Collective, which organizes and equips leaders for the flourishing of Atlanta and also as the advisory board for the International Journal of Urban Transformation.

Rod Williams, associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University: Before joining the Purdue faculty as associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Williams served as the vertebrate curator and coordinator of laboratory instruction for eight years. During that time he managed the vertebrate teaching collection, taught five courses related to ecology and systematics of vertebrates, and co-authored two field guides: the "Salamanders of Indiana" and the "Turtles of Indiana." His broad interests include the ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles.

Peter Fadde, professor and director for the Learning Systems Design and Technology Graduate Program at Southern Illinois University: Before his academic career, Fadde was a professional video producer and served for 13 seasons as athletic video coordinator at Purdue, where he earned master's and doctoral degrees. Fadde originated the expertise-based training method that has been used to train expert situation awareness in domains ranging from sports to firefighting to classroom teaching. He has presented research at a multitude of conferences, presented more than 60 academic papers, and has published more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles and chapters, along with the Amazon e-book “The Sixth Tool: Training Pitch Recognition.” Fadde co-founded and serves as chief science officer of “gameSense Sports,” a startup company that produces computer-based sports expertise training products.

Britni Eisenmann, director in foster care in Fort Wayne: Eisenmann has been in the social work field for about eight years, and is currently directing a foster care program in the Fort Wayne area. Eisenmann is an orphan care advocate and an avid supporter of caregivers and foster parents worldwide. She is passionate about the nonprofit sector, is motivated by her faith, and dreams of a world where healthy families open themselves up to care for at-risk children and others in crisis.

Jennifer Jones, president and CEO of Media Street Productions Inc.: As the president and CEO of Media Street Productions Inc., an award-winning television production company in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and the vice president of Rotary International, Jones has presented keynote addresses and training workshops at hundreds of conferences across North America and overseas. At Rotary International, she works as part of a team to oversee the policy, governance and fiduciary responsibilities of the organization's 1.2 million members in more than 35,000 clubs. She has been recognized with Rotary’s Service above Self Award and the Citation for Meritorious Service, the YMCA Peace Medallion, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and Wayne State University’s Peacemaker of the Year Award – a first for a Canadian. 

For more information, please like TEDxPurdueU on Facebook and also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter @TEDxPurdueU. 

About TEDx: 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, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection. 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.)

About TED: TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today's leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED's annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, and made available for free on TED.com. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Sir Richard Branson, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.

TED's open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; the Open Translation Project, which provides subtitles and interactive transcripts as well as translations from thousands of volunteers worldwide; the educational initiative TED-Ed; the annual million-dollar TED Prize, which funds exceptional individuals with a "wish," or idea, to create change in the world; TEDx, which provides licenses to thousands of individuals and groups who host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; and the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

Follow TED on Twitter at http://twitter.com/TEDTalks, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/TED or Instagram at https://instagram.com/ted. 

Source: Abby Eddy, Purdue Convocations director of marketing, 765-494-9712, aeeddy@purdue.edu