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Harrison Blake-Goszyk spent his entire life searching for an explanation as to why others found him strange. After being diagnosed with autism and learning about the stark inequalities those in the community face, Harrison sought ways to mend the gap of belonging between autistic people and their peers. Drawing from professional and lived experience, he illustrates practical methods for carving a place in the world for people like himself while discussing the power of not explaining yourself and existing as you are. I am an Astrophysics PhD candidate at Vanderbilt studying black holes and gravity as well as doing mission prep for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which will be launched in the 2030s. I also work for the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt on many projects relating to incorporating autistic people into the workforce. In my spare time, I enjoy writing science fiction, cooking, longsword fighting, and reading. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Professor Abigail André's passion for helping people inspired her to pursue a career in environmental law and environmental justice. In 2010, she joined the Department of Justice, and achieved success in high-profile cases. Despite her success, André continued to encounter situations where the law fell short in addressing the needs of the people it was designed to protect. After nearly a decade of litigating on the federal level, André returned to school to study this disconnection. Through her study of the impact of disasters on marginalized people, André explains how there is no singular solution, no “silver bullet” to achieve disaster justice, rather, action and coordination at multiple levels is needed. I am an artist, a mom, a lawyer, and a social scientist in training. I am interested in how connections between diverse disciplines, processes, and ways of thinking can be fostered to tackle complex problems. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Tens of thousands of Mexican-style restaurants dot the American landscape with common imagery, menu items, alcoholic drinks, and atmosphere. Have you ever stopped to think about the harm that cartoonish stereotypes about Mexican culture can cause when these are massified and perpetuated by restaurants geared toward non-heritage consumers? Dr. Paloma Martinez-Cruz delves into this issue while also uncovering the anti-Mexican sentiments that non-heritage-owned Mexican restaurants perpetuate. Paloma Martinez-Cruz is an interdisciplinary, decolonial scholar in the field of Latinx cultural studies at The Ohio State University. Her work interrogates the consequences of colonization and patriarchal orderings across expressive cultures of the Americas. She is the author of the poetry chapbook Other Bombs (2023); Trust the Circle: The Resistance and Resilience of Rubén Castilla Herrera (2024 Latino Book Award winner), Food Fight! Millennial Mestizaje Meets the Culinary Marketplace; Women and Knowledge in Mesoamerica: From East L.A. to Anahuac; and the editor of A Handbook for the Rebel Artist in a Post-Democratic Society by Guillermo Gómez-Peña and Saúl García-López. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Hey did you catch the latest episode of…? TV and media have been known to generate a sense of community around those who follow the same series or sagas, however, recent research has shown that media may hold a greater influence on our personal schemas. Dr. Matthew Grizzard is exploring how our judgment of story characters mirrors the way we assess real-life moral situations. He suggests that we apply similar moral frameworks when evaluating fictional characters’ actions and that by analyzing characters’ choices and motivations, we reveal the underlying moral assumptions that guide our broader ethical decision-making. Matthew Grizzard (PhD, Michigan State University) is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication at The Ohio State University. Situated within media psychology and communication, his research program examines moral judgments processes as they relate to evaluations of narrative characters and narrative plots. Current projects explore how viewers come to like or dislike story characters, why viewers prefer some types of narrative endings over others, and what types of media content elicit moral emotions such as anger and guilt. Dr. Grizzard is a member of the editorial boards for Human Communication Research, Media Psychology, and Psychology of Popular Media, and he is an associate editor of Journal of Media Psychology. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx