TEDxLaf - Ben Towne - From "Why not?" to "What if" October 4, 2011

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W. Ben Towne '09 earned a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a BA in Community Development, combining sociology, psychology, economics, and related fields. He studied abroad in Germany and [Interim] South Africa, and traveled to over two dozen countries in the time between. While at Lafayette, Ben was very active in student groups especially in the area of sustainability, and served as chair of the Solar committee through a number of efforts at the college. He won the Udall scholarship, a national award for student leaders in environmental or native American healthcare and public policy. Ben was a Lafayette nominee for the Rhodes, Marshall, and other scholarships, and a national Honorable Mention recipient in NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship program. A month before graduating, he represented the youth of the developed nations at the World Telecommunications Policy Forum in Lisbon. Days before graduation, he presented similar concepts at a workshop, his first research publication on a continuing interest in "how computers are changing society."

He is now combining his undergraduate majors as a PhD student in Computation, Organizations, & Society at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science. His recent work examines ways to enhance the work of large multidisciplinary teams doing novel or complex work, such as designing a moon rover or setting policy for healthcare information technology. This January, he won Pittsburgh's first Industry Academic Clinicians Together entrepreneurship contest, in the field of healthcare technology innovation.

AboutTEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)