Debra Hopkins - Healthy Kids

Debra Hopkins has been a national curriculum consultant and ESL product manager for major educational publishers, but is most proud of her years as a very enthusiastic classroom teacher. Debra has extensive experience as a teacher trainer, with a passionate focus on accelerating language and vocabulary development, engaging students with interactive strategies, and enhancing health literacy.

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Tom Dillehay - Building Local Capabilities in Anthropology

Tom D. Dillehay is internationally recognized for ground-breaking and highly interdisciplinary scientific research. His research focuses mainly on human migration and the resulting transformative processes that lead to political, economic, social and technological changes among populations.

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Douglas Vakoch - Earth Speaks

What Would You Say to an Extraterrestrial?

Douglas Vakoch is the Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute, as well as the only social scientist employed by a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) organization. Dr. Vakoch leads the SETI Institute's project to compose interstellar messages of the kind that may some day be sent in reply to a signal from extraterrestrials.

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Odessa Settles and her 6 brothers

Seven Brothers and One Sister: The Settles Family Tradition

We are Seven Brothers and One Sister, a family of siblings preserving and passing down the music tradition and heritage of our father – Walter Settles - a former member of the Fairfield Four. The music tradition which has survived over 400 years was born out of the institution of slavery where there was despair and shattered dreams and continues to speak loudly of hope and wholeness in modern times. 

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We are Seven Brothers and One Sister, a family of siblings preserving and passing down the music tradition and heritage of our father -- Walter Settles - a former member of the Fairfield Four.

Jeffrey Conn, Ph.D. - Treating brain disease & disorder

Dr. Conn is the Lee E. Limbird Professor of Pharmacology, and founding Director of the Program in Translational Neuropharmacology and the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery. Conn received the Ph.D. degree in Pharmacology from Vanderbilt University in 1986 and pursued postdoctoral studies in the Department of Pharmacology at Yale University.

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Meredith Perry - How to be a technology innovator without an engineering degree or Aspergers

Meredith Perry is the Founder and CEO of uBeam, a company that hopes to bring space age wireless charging technology to your cell phone and other wireless devices. Meredith graduated from the University of Pennsylvania this past May after studying rocks, of all things. 

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Barry Alexander & Cosmo Buono - The Classical Musician

With competitions for Piano, Voice, Strings and Flute, an annual music festival, and their own foundation, Barry Alexander and Cosmo Buono are showing classical musicians worldwide how to use technology and media to gain more control over their careers, while expanding performance opportunities in the process.

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Stephen Paletta - The Next Great Philanthropist

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Even before being chosen as “the biggest giver” and resounding winner of Oprah’s Big Give, ABC network’s competition reality series that focused on the philanthropic efforts of its contestants, Stephen Paletta had long decided to dedicate his life to helping others. “A few years ago,” he says, “Bob Buford challenged me to decide if my life was to be about significance or success.”

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Craig Havighurst - A life’s journey in listening

Craig Havighurst is an author, broadcaster and filmmaker who sees music as a vast, complex ecosystem. With a background in public policy and Capitol Hill journalism, he was drawn to Nashville in the mid 90s by its rich history and growing roots/Americana music scene. 

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Dave Stewart - How To Break All The Rules and Rule

A multi-media entrepreneur, Dave Stewart is recognized as one of the most respected and accomplished talents in the music industry today. Beyond his creative work as a musician, Stewart is a renowned producer, author, director, photographer, filmmaker, and philanthropist.

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Kevin Rhoads & Rachel Kice - Creative Process

We work ourselves wretched for one old wood coffin, if life doesn't get you, love will finish you off" sings K.S. Rhoads on his stunning debut album Dead Language, which American Songwriter Magazine declares, " is an exhibition in style, grace, and limitless possibilities." 

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Rachel Kice shares the creative process through the act of painting in real-time at cultural events. The act of completing an original work of art inspired by the events of life; liberates both artist and audience from concept. 

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