Our 2026 Speakers
Madison ADams
Want to Change The World? Choose Engineering
Madison is a junior studying Civil Engineering at Missouri S&T and currently works as a Roadway Design Intern at Volkert. She took a nontraditional path to engineering, spending several gap years after high school working in nonprofit organizations and in blockchain technology before ultimately finding her way to S&T. On campus, Madison serves as Design Lead for the Engineers Without Borders Bolivia team and is actively involved in several student organizations, including the American Society of Civil Engineers and the S&T Gaming Association.
Debra Bourdeau
The Power of Thinking in Stereo
Dr. Debra Bourdeau is Vice Provost for Online Learning and Educational Innovation at Missouri University of Science and Technology. With roots in literary studies and a career spent working alongside scientists, engineers, and educators, she has become a leading voice for Humanistic STEM (H-STEM)—the idea that the humanities are not a rival of STEM, but an equal partner in understanding and solving the world's most pressing problems. Through her research, teaching, and leadership, she explores how bringing together multiple ways of knowing can spark innovation, deepen understanding, and help us navigate an increasingly complex future.
John Harris
I Don't Embrace Ambiguity but Ambiguity Embraces Me
John Harris is Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Missouri University of Science and Technology, with more than three decades of higher education experience as a faculty member, department chair, dean, and now provost. A graduate of MIT and Caltech, he built a research career in brain-inspired computation, mentoring 36 Ph.D. graduates and publishing more than 200 scholarly papers. His research places him among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists for career-long impact. He is also an avid chess player who learned early on that the best move is often the hardest to see.
GAry W. Hines
Energy Without an Agenda
Gary W. Hines is President of Switch Energy Alliance, a nonprofit advancing sensible and objective energy education for everyone, everywhere. A Civil Engineering alumnus of Missouri S&T and a credentialed Professional Engineer and Certified Association Executive, Gary has spent more than 25 years working with energy systems - from pipeline operations at Williams Companies and Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline to workforce development at the Southern Gas Association and global research investment at the Pipeline Research Council International. That career built a conviction: most energy debates fail not for lack of passion, but for lack of shared facts. His talk makes the case that understanding energy - its tradeoffs, its terminology, its scale - is the foundation everyone needs before opinions can do any useful work. Gary lives in Austin, Texas with his wife Nicole and they have three children, and is glad to be back in Rolla..
Isabel Kiser
Activate Your Default Mode Network: The Key to Aging Powerfully
Dr. Kimberly Johnson-Hatchett is a board-certified neurologist, Chief Medical Officer at a Veterans hospital, and proud wife and mother of two. With a background in finance and banking, she bring a practical, easy-to-understand approach to medicine. A life-long believer in the power of envisioning, Dr. Johnson-Hatchett encourages others to see themselves as vibrant, agile, and strong as they age - tapping into the brain’s Default Mode Network to promote healthy aging. Passionate about wellness and personal growth, she strives to use her God-given talents to help others become the best version of themselves.
Ed Koharik
Becoming Value Creators: Innovation for Everyone
Ed Koharik is a nonprofit product management leader, founder of Stargazer Innovations, and an adjunct faculty member at Missouri S&T for the Masters in Economics and Innovation program. His mission and TEDx talk are focused on how everyone can innovate, and how innovations large and small can create value in ways that cannot be calculated in terms of revenue. He is a 2019 graduate of Missouri S&T (Economics) and holds an MBA from the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. As a 2019 speaker, Ed is excited to return to TEDx Missouri S&T.
Meegan Kriley-Mackay
We Think AI Is the Future But Actually Human Intelligence Determines It
Meegan Kriley-Mackay is a Subject Matter Expert in Human Intelligence (HI) with more than 30 years of experience spanning the U.S. Department of Defense, leadership development, education, crisis response, and organizational consulting. A former Human Intelligence Specialist and Interrogator, she integrates neuroscience, psychology, communication, and real-world practice to explore how conditions that promote curiosity shape the way people think, learn, and lead. As the founder of the Human Intelligence (HI) framework and creator of the 5 WHYs of Soft Interrogation (5YSI)TM, Meegan’s book Leadership in the Age of AI: Rebooting Human Intelligence (HI) challenges conventional assumptions about intelligence, revealing that it is not hardwired but continually developed through the environments, relationships, and conversations that shape our lives.
Clair Parsons
Terms of Service: The Engineered Mind
Clair Parsons is an Information Science and Technology student at Missouri S&T specializing in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. She recently completed a supply chain analyst internship at O’Reilly Auto Parts and has served as a Senior Student Engagement Officer. Clair assisted in managing the Student Engagement team, helping lead Missouri S&T’s first ever inaugural Giving Days campaign raising nearly $200,000 for the university. Drawing from her experience in analytics, leadership, and AI, Clair explores how data shapes decision-making and challenges audiences to think critically about the algorithms influencing modern life.
Lisa Pavia-Higel
How to be a Professional Weirdo
Lisa Pavia-Higel is an Assistant Teaching Professor of English and Technical Communication at Missouri S&T. She joined the faculty in 2024 after more than fifteen years of teaching at colleges and universities throughout the St. Louis region. Before transitioning to higher education, Lisa worked in nonprofit public relations, bringing industry experience to her teaching in professional and technical communication. She holds two master's degrees from Webster University: an M.A. in Strategic Communication and an M.A. in New Media Storytelling. At Missouri S&T, Lisa teaches courses in communication and media, helping students develop the writing, communication, and storytelling skills essential for success in technical and professional fields. Outside of work, Lisa enjoys writing, performing in St. Louis regional theater, and sharing her love of science fiction with her family, especially introducing her teenage daughter to Star Trek as part of her ongoing "cultural education."
Chris Polly
The Power of One More Decimal Place: A Muon’s View of the Hidden Universe
Chris Polly is a Senior Scientist at Fermilab and an experimental particle physicist whose work explores the fundamental laws of the universe through precision measurements. Over nearly three decades in muon and neutrino physics, he has held leadership roles on major experiments including Muon g-2 and Mu2e, helping advance searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. A Missouri S&T alumnus with degrees in physics and mathematics, Chris is passionate about showing how one tiny particle—the muon—can open a window onto the hidden quantum world.
Lakshmi Yeragudipati
The Missing Space in Our Overstimulated Lives
Lakshmi Yeragudipati is an IT Professional, Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, and wellness advocate who explores how modern life can better support mental clarity and restoration. Trained in Computer Science and grounded in years of work in meditation, breathwork, and community well-being, she bridges structured thinking with human-centered healing. A Missouri S&T alum, Lakshmi is passionate about reimagining the everyday environments we move through - so that pause, cognitive reset, and resilience are supported by design, not left to willpower alone.
James Zboran
You're Not Limited. Your Map Is.
James Zboran is an author and independent thinker who studies how the mental models we use shape the choices we make and the opportunities we recognize. As founder of the Applied Philosophy of Human Systems (APHS), an interdisciplinary framework for understanding how people think, decide, and change, he develops practical models that draw on systems thinking, complexity science, and philosophy. His TEDx talk introduces a more accurate model for understanding time, possibility, and decision-making, revealing three hidden perceptual traps that quietly limit the choices we make, the actions we take, and how we can consciously expand both.