Program Speakers A-Z
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Jose Antonio Abreu Maestro |
Jose Antonio Abreu founded El Sistema ("the system") in 1975 to help poor Venezuelan kids learn to play a musical instrument and be part of an orchestra. 30 years on, El Sistema has seeded 102 youth orchestras -- and many happy lives. |
7: Dream (TED Prize) Thurs Feb 5, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Shai Agassi Green auto pioneer |
Shai Agassi wants to put you behind the wheel of an electric car -- but he doesn't want you to sacrifice convenience (or cash) to do it. |
6: Invent Thurs Feb 5, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Ray Anderson Sustainable-business pioneer |
Ray Anderson founded the company that makes covetable Flor carpeting. But behind the fresh design is a decades-deep commitment to sustainable ways of doing business -- culminating in the Mission Zero plan. |
2: Reframe Wed Feb 4, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Dan Ariely Behavioral economist |
It's become increasingly obvious that the dismal science of economics is not as firmly grounded in actual behavior as was once supposed. In "Predictably Irrational," Dan Ariely tells us why. |
11: Predict Sat Feb 7, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Yann Arthus-Bertrand Photographer |
With photography, Yann Arthus-Bertrand has captured the beauty of the Earth. Through video and film, his latest projects bind together ecology and humanism. For him, it's all about living together. |
3: Reconnect Wed Feb 4, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Bonnie Bassler Molecular biologist |
Bonnie Bassler studies how bacteria can communicate with one another, through chemical signals, to act as a unit. Her work could pave the way for new, more potent medicine. |
8: Discover Fri Feb 6, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Tim Berners-Lee Inventor |
Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web. He leads the World Wide Web Consortium, overseeing the Web's standards and development. |
2: Reframe Wed Feb 4, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Bruce Bueno de Mesquita Political scientist |
A consultant to the CIA and the Department of Defense, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita has built an intricate computer model that can predict the outcomes of international conflicts with bewildering accuracy. |
11: Predict Sat Feb 7, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Capacitor Dance troupe |
Pulling imagery from hard science (their latest work, Biome, studies the development of plant life), Capacitor uses the human body to explore the forces of nature. |
10: Dare Fri Feb 6, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Liz Coleman College president |
Liz Coleman radically remade Bennington College in the mid-1990s, in pursuit of a new vision: higher education as a performing art. |
12: Engage Sat Feb 7, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Jamie Cullum Jazz revitalizer |
Jamie Cullum stirs up a dizzying mix of beats, big band, funky swing, and oddball cover tunes to drag jazz vocals screaming and kicking (literally) into the 21st century. |
12: Engage Sat Feb 7, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Dickson Despommier High-rise farmer |
Your community garden is about to get off the ground -- as Dickson Despommier works to lift urban agriculture into the skies. |
9: Grow Fri Feb 6, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Sylvia Earle Oceanographer |
Sylvia Earle has been at the frontier of deep ocean exploration for four decades. She's led more than 50 undersea expeditions, and she's been an equally tireless advocate for our oceans and the creatures who live in them. |
7: Dream (TED Prize) Thurs Feb 5, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Jake Eberts Producer |
Film producer Jake Eberts has worked with some of the world's greatest directors on many award-winning films. Now, he's turned his attention to Jacques Perrin's film about the oceans. |
3: Reconnect Wed Feb 4, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Olafur Eliasson Sculptor of light and space |
The transparent simplicity and experiential nature of his work has built Olafur Eliasson's reputation as one of the world's most accessible creators of contemporary art. |
4: See Thurs Feb 5, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Juan Enriquez Futurist |
Juan Enriquez thinks and writes about the profound changes that genomics and other life sciences will cause in business, technology, politics and society. |
1: Reboot Wed Feb 4, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Louise Fresco Food and agriculture expert |
A powerful thinker and globe-trotting advisor on sustainability, Louise Fresco says it's time to think of food as a topic of social and economic importance on par with oil -- that responsible agriculture and food consumption are crucial to world stability. |
5: Understand Thurs Feb 5, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Robert Full Biologist |
Robert Full studies cockroach legs and gecko feet. His research is helping build the perfect "distributed foot" for tomorrow's robots, based on evolution's ancient engineering. |
6: Invent Thurs Feb 5, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Bill Gates Philanthropist |
A passionate techie and a shrewd businessman, Bill Gates changed the world once, while leading Microsoft to dizzying success. Now he's set to do it again with his own style of philanthropy and passion for innovation. |
1: Reboot Wed Feb 4, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Ueli Gegenschatz Aerialist |
Ueli Gegenschatz took flight just about every way a human can: paragliding, skydiving, BASE jumping (from the Eiffel Tower), and most breathtakingly: by donning a wingsuit and soaring. |
10: Dare Fri Feb 6, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Elizabeth Gilbert Writer |
The author of Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some large topics. Her next fascination: genius, and how we ruin it. |
5: Understand Thurs Feb 5, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Seth Godin Marketer and author |
Seth Godin is an entrepreneur and blogger who thinks about the marketing of ideas in the digital age. His newest interest: the tribes we lead. |
3: Reconnect Wed Feb 4, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Thelma Golden Curator |
Opening minds and showcasing new voices -- it's all part of the job description for Studio Museum in Harlem executive director Thelma Golden. |
8: Discover Fri Feb 6, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Herbie Hancock Jazz legend |
Herbie Hancock is an iconic jazz musician, known as much for his mastery of the traditional as he is for entirely changing the game. |
10: Dare Fri Feb 6, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Nina Jablonski Anthropologist |
Nina Jablonski is author of Skin: A Natural History, a close look at human skin’s many remarkable traits: its colors, its sweatiness, the fact that we decorate it. |
5: Understand Thurs Feb 5, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Sarah Jones Polymorphic playwright |
Tony Award-winning monologist, UNICEF ambassador, firebrand and FCC-fighting poet -- Sarah Jones assumes as many roles offstage as on. |
6: Invent Thurs Feb 5, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Kids' Table Collective |
At the end of every TED Conference, there comes a moment when we pause and reflect on the events of the past four days. And then make fun of them. Ladies and gentlemen, the Kids' Table Collective. |
12: Engage Sat Feb 7, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Lena Maria Klingvall Painter, singer, athlete |
Lena Maria Klingvall was born with no arms and only one full leg. Her story -- she's a gold-medal swimmer, a singing star, a painter, a writer -- is one of limitless determination and brilliant adaptation. |
10: Dare Fri Feb 6, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Golan Levin Experimental audio-visual artist |
Half performance artist, half software engineer, Golan Levin manipulates the computer to create improvised soundscapes with dazzling corresponding visuals. He is at the forefront of defining new parameters for art. |
4: See Thurs Feb 5, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Eric Lewis Pianist |
Eric Lewis channels the raw emotion of alternative rock into fiery, take-no-prisoners jazz piano arrangements. Before setting out to capture the voice of alt rock in the keys, he toured with the likes of music legends Wynton Marsalis and Elvin Jones. |
9: Grow Fri Feb 6, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Daniel Libeskind Architect |
Being a designer of breathtaking and sometimes confounding buildings seems almost a footnote to the amazing life of architect Daniel Libeskind. |
6: Invent Thurs Feb 5, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Pattie Maes Researcher |
At the MIT Media Lab's new Fluid Interfaces Group, Pattie Maes researches the tools we use to work with information and connect with one another. |
2: Reframe Wed Feb 4, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Jennifer Mather Psychologist |
Jennifer Mather studies the surprising minds of cephalopod molluscs like cuttlefish and octopuses -- making a fresh case for animal intelligence and, perhaps, unique emotions. |
8: Discover Fri Feb 6, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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David Merrill MIT grad student |
David Merrill works on Siftables, tiny computer blocks that interact with each other to make networks (and music). |
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9: Grow Fri Feb 6, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Catherine Mohr Roboticist |
Catherine Mohr works on surgical robots and robotic surgical procedures, using robots to make surgery safer -- and to go places where human wrists and eyes simply can't. |
6: Invent Thurs Feb 5, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Nalini Nadkarni Tree researcher |
Called "the queen of canopy research," Nalini Nadkarni explores the rich, vital world found in the tops of trees. She communicates what she finds to non-scientists -- with the help of poets, preachers and prisoners. |
8: Discover Fri Feb 6, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Naturally 7 A capella ensemble |
The group Naturally 7 practices vocal play -- the art of using the human voice to mimic instruments. It's as if a beatboxing troupe decided they could "-box" a whole orchestra: flute, horns, drums, guitar -- building a vocal wall of sound. |
1: Reboot Wed Feb 4, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Nandan Nilekani Technologist and visionary |
Nandan Nilekani is the author of "Imagining India," a radical re-thinking of one of the world’s great economies. The co-founder of Infosys, he helped move India into the age of IT. |
2: Reframe Wed Feb 4, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Deepak Ram Flutist |
Deepak Ram is a master of the bansuri (bamboo flute), used in classical North Indian music. He has played and taught around the world, and also composes music that fuses Indian and western traditions. |
4: See Thurs Feb 5, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Mary Roach Writer |
Death, the afterlife, and now sex -- Mary Roach tackles the most pondered and least understood conundrums that have baffled humans for centuries. (She's funny, too.) |
10: Dare Fri Feb 6, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Oliver Sacks Neurological anthropologist |
Since Awakenings first stormed the bestseller lists (and the silver screen), Oliver Sacks has become an unlikely household name, single-handedly inventing the genre of neurological anthropology. |
4: See Thurs Feb 5, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Barry Schwartz Psychologist |
Barry Schwartz studies the link between economics and psychology, offering startling insights into modern life. Lately, working with Ken Sharpe, he's studying wisdom. |
12: Engage Sat Feb 7, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Nate Silver Statistician |
Math whiz and baseball fan Nate Silver was mainly known for predicting outcomes in fantasy ballgames -- until his technique hit a home run calling the outcome of the 2008 election primaries. |
11: Predict Sat Feb 7, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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P.W. Singer Military analyst |
In P.W. Singer's most recent book, "Wired for War," he studies robotic and drone warfighters -- and explores how these new war machines are changing the very nature of human conflict. He has also written on other facets of modern war, including private armies and child soldiers. |
1: Reboot Wed Feb 4, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Willie Smits Conservationist |
Willie Smits has devoted his life to saving the forest habitat of orangutans, the "thinkers of the jungle." As towns, farms and wars encroach on native forests, Smits works to save what is left. |
9: Grow Fri Feb 6, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Regina Spektor Singer-songwriter |
Russian-born songstress Regina Spektor has climbed charts around the world with skillfully subtle songs and head-turning glottal stops. |
3: Reconnect Wed Feb 4, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Alex Tabarrok Economist |
With the hit economic blog MarginalRevolution.com, co-author Alex Tabarrok generates more hits than a summer hailstorm, and sheds light into the darkest corners of the dismal science. |
11: Predict Sat Feb 7, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Jill Tarter Astronomer |
SETI's Jill Tarter has devoted her career to hunting for signs of sentient beings elsewhere, and almost all aspects of this field have been affected by her work. |
7: Dream (TED Prize) Thurs Feb 5, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Natasha Tsakos Artist |
The president and founder of ZERO llc., Natasha Tsakos brings a creative, innovative vision, and the art of orchestrating and synchronizing various disciplines, to the execution of high-leveled productions. |
9: Grow Fri Feb 6, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Ed Ulbrich Visual storyteller |
At Digital Domain, Ed Ulbrich works at the leading edge of computer-generated visuals. On a recent project, filmmakers, artists, and technologists have been working at a breakthrough point where reality and digitally created worlds collide. |
4: See Thurs Feb 5, 2009 8:30 – 10:15 |
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Jacek Utko Newspaper designer |
Could good design save the newspaper -- at least for now? Jacek Utko thinks so -- and his lively, engaging designs for European papers prove that it works. |
5: Understand Thurs Feb 5, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Margaret Wertheim Figurer |
By masterminding a project to model a coral reef armed only with crochet hooks, Margaret Wertheim hopes to bring some of the most complicated mathematical models embodied in our universe into the minds (and hands) of the masses. |
5: Understand Thurs Feb 5, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Nathan Wolfe Virus hunter |
Armed with blood samples, high-tech tools and a small army of fieldworkers, Nathan Wolfe hopes to re-invent pandemic control -- and reveal hidden secrets of the planet's dominant lifeform: the virus. |
8: Discover Fri Feb 6, 2009 11:00 – 12:45 |
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Ray Zahab Endurance runner |
In January 2009, Ray Zahab broke the record for fastest unsupported trek across Antarctica, to raise awareness and money for kids' environmental education. In 2006, he ran across the Sahara to raise awareness of water shortages. (He started running 5 years ago.) |
10: Dare Fri Feb 6, 2009 5:00 – 6:45 |
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Rosamund Zander Therapist and coach |
Rosamund Zander helps people think and act in more creative ways, and to grow to see new possibilities in themselves and others. |
9: Grow Fri Feb 6, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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Gamelan X and ArcheDream Ensemble |
Gamelan X plays slinky melodies in unusual timbres, layered over sweet thumping grooves. Add the spectacular costumes and UV light dance-theater of ArcheDream and prepare to be blown away. |
2: Reframe Wed Feb 4, 2009 2:15 – 4:00 |
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