February 24, 2024
Team
Noah Caplan
Noah is a second year student studying political economy with a track in economics. He is from the United States, and has previously worked in conference organization under Georgia Thespians and in technical sales within China. His favorite TED talk is, “How to make stress your friend” by Kelly McGonigal, and is strongly looking forward to the upcoming conference!
Colden Johnson
Colden is a second-year student studying Computer Science. He is from Washington, United States, and outside of TED enjoys ice hockey and hiking. His favorite TED talk is “How to stay calm when you know you'll be stressed" by Daniel Levitin.
Michael Cornell
Michael is a sophomore studying Computer Science, also interested in active transit and city design. He strives to use computers to solve old problems in novel ways, and has a background designing technological solutions for nonprofits. His favorite TED talk, from Tim Urban, is “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator” and he strives to make TEDxDKU the best it can be!
Gavin Huang
Gavin is a second year student studying data science at Duke Kunshan University. He is from the United States, and has a background in computer science image processing research with UC Davis and the University of Science and Technology of China. His favorite TED talk is “This is what happens when you reply to a spam email” by James Veitch.
Abdullah Javed
Abdullah is a sophomore, studying Neuroscience at Duke Kunshan University. He has an immense passion for chasing new experiences, listening to stories, and learning about the world. He has ample experience in curating and organizing events that have brought people together from across the country, both in China and his hometown, Pakistan. TEDxDKU is one of his biggest projects alongside some of the most talented people worldwide, and he hopes to see you all there!
Annie Tong
Annie is a second year student from the United States studying media and arts with a track in digital culture and communications. She focuses on the art of storytelling through the photography medium. Her favorite TED talk is, “The agony of trying to unsubscribe” by James Veitch.
Mateja Bokan
Mateja is a sophomore studying Ethics and Leadership. He is from Serbia and Hungary, and has been working in conference organizations across Europe. He's also a musician, so his favorite TED talk is "There are no mistakes on the bandstand" by Stefon Harris.
Kamila Meija Ley
Kamila is a second year student studying political economics. She is from San Pedro Sula Honduras, and is passionate about non-profits, story-telling, and social collaboration. She finds Ted to be a perfect intersection of the three, and is extremely excited for the upcoming conference.
Fatima Khan
Fatima Khan is a Sophmore studying Political Economics. She is from Lahore, Pakistan and when she isn't running Law and Debating she's overloading on coffee. Her favourite TED talk is Brené Brown's - "The Power of Vulnerability".
Speakers
Dominika Wilczok
Dominika is a Behavioral Neuroscientist in training and sophomore undergraduate student at Duke Kunshan University. She is focused on biohacking ageism: looking not only at how we can live a long life, but also a healthy and happy one. She aims to bring the principles of healthy longevity to everyone.
Davit Kavkasyan
Davit is a Global Leaders Scholar at Duke Kunshan. Originally from Yerevan, Armenia. he has been travelling the world since he was 17, and is passionate about the creative arts. Having lived in both Armenia and Israel, he has experienced the impact of conflict firsthand -- and the importance of how we respond.
James Miller
James Miller is the inaugural Professor of Humanities at Duke Kunshan University, Chair of the Faculty Assembly, and co-director of the DKU Humanities Research Center. Dr. Miller's research is based in the study of Chinese philosophy, theology, and religion, with an emphasis on philosophy of nature, environmental ethics, and the intersection of religion and ecology in China.
Luyao Zhang
Prof. Luyao "Sunshine" Zhang has dedicated her career to fostering interdisciplinary scholarship and innovation, with a strong commitment to open-sourcing multimedia intellectual properties to broaden global access to education. Her pioneering work at the intersection of computational and economic science embodies the profound traditional wisdom that progress in humanity is deeply rooted in empathetic understanding across boundaries.
Renee Richer
Dr. Renee Richer describes her work as a biologist in search of the mechanisms to life in extreme environments. Her work has taken place in some of the poorest countries to some of the richest countries in the world. From Armenia to Zimbabwe, her most important education came in the form of greater cultural understanding and appreciation. At a time when geopolitical tensions are on the rise and governments increasingly isolate themselves and their citizens, scholars and educators remain at the forefront of global cultural exchange.
Russel Cailey
Russell is the Managing Director of THINK Learning Studio (TLS) in Dubai and is at the forefront of revolutionizing the educational sector with an approach he calls “inspired fusion”. THINK Learning Studio’s unique educational approach blends a project-focused innovative curriculum with learning grounded by travel. Russell is dedicated to fostering environments that deliver tangible, real-world learning experiences.
Rocco Li
Rocco Li is passionate about designing and implementing talent development projects, contributing to talent cultivation and business resource allocation. Rocco has a global perspective and cultural awareness, having lived and worked in the U.S., China, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. He has a visionary and operational approach at the corporate, regional, and country levels.