TEDxChicago Salons 2020
X-Change
At the heart of our success as human beings is our ability to exchange ideas; to communicate. TEDxChicago’s X-changeis a place to come together with others in your community to unleash new ideas and to challenge our beliefs, which is exactly what we need in order to inspire, grow and evolve.
Speaker Lineup
Dr. Alex Leow
Tracking the Fitness of Your Brain
While playing the piano one day, Dr. Alex Leow had an idea – if she could assess her own mood and concentration by the speed and accuracy of her keystrokes on the piano, she should be able to do the same by studying the keystrokes of typing on a smartphone.
Dr. Wayne Giles
A Model for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Only 8% of people receive important clinical preventative services recommended for them. What if public programs could be put in place to address risk factors before severe illness sets in?
Dr. Steven Parkes
Improving Your Mindset to Improve Your Health
According to E.R. physician Steven Parkes, our thoughts are making us sick. Fear and stress, which evolutionarily kept us safe from physical dangers, are causing many chronic inflammatory syndromes, which are now at historic highs.
Justin Jesso
Bigger Than
Artist and songwriter Justin Jesso shares with the audience how writing helps him process his feelings. Writing about his fears, his depression, his dreams, and his emotions allows him to work through his issues and connect with his audience.
Nicole Dreiske
Screen Smarts for Kids
Nicole Dreiske spent 30 years watching children’s films. What she learned and developed over this time was a methodology to change kids’ brain chemistry around screen time. By priming children’s minds before they turn on screens, she has been able to help children be mindful users of technology.
Liz Dozier
Decolonizing the Mind to Change Lives
In her talk, Liz Dozier describes how “decolonizing” her mind from others’ ideas about culture and behavior allowed her to bring positive change to the lives of her students. As principal, she learned that replacing her rules-and-consequences mindset with a trauma informed outlook led to improved graduation rates, and reduced dropout rates and arrests school-wide.
Frances Crable
Becoming an Arctic Ocean Scientist
Frances Crable, marine biology PhD student at University of Illinois at Chicago, takes us on her journey from high school student volunteer at the Shedd Aquarium to studying Arctic Ocean currents and how they are affected by climate change.
Tomoko Ichikawa
Information Designing
In her talk, information designer and Illinois Institute of Technology Institute of Design professor Tomoko Ichikawa encourages end users to question why things look the way they do. She sees her efforts, in work and in life, as a translator, deciphering important information to provide context to those who need that data.
Stefan Al
Reinventing Cities with Timber
Architect and urban designer Stefan Al believes buildings and cities should integrate nature and timber to become more sustainable and green. He points to New York City today as an example, when the city reclaimed asphalt streets and parking spaces for outdoor dining amid the first wave of COVID-19 during the summer of 2020.
Karim Nagi
The Tambourine, My Partner In Diplomacy and Disruption
Artist Karim Nagi introduces his audience to the Riqq, the Arab classical tambourine. Nagi uses music emanating from his Riqq as a tool to disrupt, challenge, and make one examine stereotypes. Through music and dance, Karim Nagi humanizes and creates visibility for a vilified culture.
Performer Lineup
Sam Trump
We Know the Way
Musician Sam Trump shares his song, “We Know the Way” as a message for the generations before and after him. The message: learn from each other. Bringing his trademark style of uplifting sophistication, multi-instrumentalist & trumpeter Sam Trump has become a mainstay of the Chicago music scene.