UP 2009 Speakers

October 15, 2009 - Houston, Texas

DAVID PLOUFFE DAVID PLOUFFE   On election night, President-elect Barack Obama singled out his campaign manager, David Plouffe, as "the unsung hero of this campaign, who built...the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America." David Plouffe rewrote the rules of politics as he organized and energized 13 million people to change the course of history. Now, he's sharing some powerful lessons in Building a Grassroots Movement for the 21st Century.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, PH.D. NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON, PH.D.   He's the Director of Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, critically acclaimed host of the PBS science magazine NOVA Science Now, author of eight bestsellers, member of the Presidential Commission on the U.S. Space Exploration Policy and People Magazine's "Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive." You'd have to be in a black hole to miss Dr. Tyson's cosmic perspective at The UP Experience.
JUAN ENRIQUEZ JUAN ENRIQUEZ   Can you imagine a future where new breakthroughs occur weekly and there is a new economy with boundless opportunities? Juan Enriquez can, and he's here to share his knowledge and excitement. Former Director of Harvard's Life Science Project and author of the global bestseller, As the Future Catches You, Juan sheds light on how the digital and genomic revolutions will create the wealth of the future. And just maybe we can get him to talk about "The Untied States of America".
BRENÉ BROWN, PH.D. BRENÉ BROWN, PH.D.   "The heart of my work is about the very human need to live with authenticity, resilience and a deep sense of love and belonging," says Brené. Dr. Brown is a researcher, author and award-winning teacher of graduate studies at the University of Houston, where her focus has been the areas of shame, empathy and vulnerability and the effect those powerful emotions have on the way we love, parent and build relationships.
DAVID M. EAGLEMAN, PH.D. DAVID M. EAGLEMAN, PH.D.   What if you could taste words and smell colors? How does time stand still? What happens when we sleep? David Eagleman, Founder and Director of the Eagleman Lab for Perception and Action at Baylor College of Medicine; pioneer in the fields of time perception, synesthesia and neurolaw; prolific author; and a guest on national television shows takes you on a trek of the brain's most mysterious and fascinating functions.
MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM   Under his energetic leadership, San Francisco's economy grew and jobs were created, the city became a center for biotech and clean tech, universal health care was made available to all of the city's uninsured residents, and Project Homeless energized volunteers across the city to help move 7,000 homeless individuals off the streets. With so much uncertainty in the world, Mayor Newsom brings us some powerful answers on how local initiatives can change the world.
DR. DAN ARIELY DR. DAN ARIELY  Buckle up as Dr. Dan Ariely unmasks the tricks that our minds play on us in daily behaviors such as buying (or not), saving (or not), ordering food in restaurants, pain management, procrastination, dishonesty and decision making under different emotional states. Dan is the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Behavioral Economics at MIT, a visiting professor at Duke University and the best selling author of Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape Our Decisions.
DR. ROBERT BALLARD DR. ROBERT BALLARD   It's estimated that 72% of the world is under water, yet we have better maps of Mars than of our own planet. Archaeological oceanographer Robert Ballard has been there and back and has the Titanic to prove it. As the most-renowned underwater explorer of our time, he has not only recovered fabled ships and treasures, but has discovered new life forms that make their habitat the deep. He's guaranteed to lift us UP as he outlines what's next in man's exploration of the ocean.
ANNE KORIN ANNE KORIN   Anne believes that one of the solutions to U.S. dependence on foreign supplies is choice and competition in the transportation sector. She will educate us on how manufacturers should be required to make every car a flex-fuel vehicle. Anne Korin is Chair of the Set America Free Coalition, an alliance of national-security, environmental, labor and religious groups. She's also the Co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS) and a frequently quoted expert in the media and on Capital Hill.
MICHIO KAKU, PH.D. MICHIO KAKU, PH.D.   Professor Michio Kaku of City University of New York and Princeton, continues Albert Einstein's quest to find the unified "theory of everything." He is the co-founder of string field theory, host of a live science radio talk show, a prolific author and a frequent guest on national and international television shows. This theoretical physicist will reveal some startling breakthroughs about the latest technologies of the future.
PETER DIAMANDIS, M.D. PETER DIAMANDIS, M.D.   Peter Diamandis's motto is "The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself." Peter created the X-Prize to spur innovative entrepreneurs and inventors around the world to find big solutions that unlock new ideas, inventions and markets. His first contest changed the way the world looks at space travel. Now the multi-million-dollar X-Prizes are focusing on oceanographic research, genomics, ultra-efficient passenger cars and solutions to global poverty.
BRUCE LIPTON, PH.D. BRUCE LIPTON, PH.D.   There is a mind-body connection, and Dr. Bruce Lipton not only paved the way for studies that defined the way molecular pathways connect the mind and body, he proved that the environment and how we live can control or override the genes. Dr. Lipton is an internationally recognized authority in bridging science and spirit, a guest speaker on dozens of TV and radio shows and one of the leading voices of the new biology.
JENIFER FOX, M.ED. JENIFER FOX, M.ED.   How can developing our children's strengths revolutionize our educational system, our businesses and our future? Jenifer Fox, an international, award-winning author and speaker and recognized leader in the Strengths Movement, unveils some exciting insights that promise to transform the way our children learn, think and transform themselves to prosper in the future. Jenifer's work has been in the spotlight on television, radio shows, magazines and newspapers.
TOMASZ TUNGUZ TOMASZ TUNGUZ   Tomasz Tunguz of Redpoint Ventures is the man to know. Tomasz was the Product Manager for Google's Social Media Monetization Team (including the Google-MySpace Partnership), managed the launches of AdSense into six new markets in Europe and Asia, developed systems for Homeland Security and founded the globally focused Perquimans Systems. Come to UP to find out about the consumer Internet, social networking, online marketing and digital media.
PETER SHEAHAN PETER SHEAHAN   What do Google, Coca-Cola, L'Oreal and Ernst and Young know that you don't? Peter Sheahan, author of FL!P, is here to show you how to transform traditional business practices and launch them in a changing global economy. Peter is an expert on workforce trends, generational change, and creative and lateral thinking, as well as a best-selling author and lecturer.
PATTI MAES PATTI MAES   Anyone who was fascinated by the technology in Minority Report will be immediately at home with the Sixth Sense, a portable device that finds and projects moving data on a variety of surfaces. Dr. Pattie Maes, professor at MIT is here to demonstrate, along with Pranav Mistry, a PhD student in her Fluid Interface Group.

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