News

Rob Gorham of America Makes to Speak a TEDX Youngstown Event

January 22, 2014 | Categories: America Makes News

Youngstown, Ohio — January 22, 2014. America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, is proud to announce that Deputy Director of Technology Development Rob Gorham will be speaking at the inaugural TEDx Youngstown Event on the topic of innovation to be held on Friday, January 24, 2013, at the Williamson College of Business Administration on the campus of Youngstown State University.

“I consider it a real honor to be participating in and speaking at TEDx Youngstown,” said Mr. Gorham. “I have been watching TED’s for many years and I have used the talks as inspiration in different aspects of my life. Knowing that I have the opportunity to give something back is an incredible feeling. My TEDx presentation is titled ‘Collaboration Innovation: Making America Work’ and I will be discussing personal experiences and real life examples of collaboration and relating them to the passion that exists with the America Makes movement to advance additive manufacturing and 3D printing technologies.”

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TED has created a program called TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.

The goal of the TEDx Youngstown event is to bring people together to share a TED-like experience where TEDTalks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. Of the TEDx Youngstown theme, TEDx Planning Committee Member and Director of Development for the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI) commented “Innovation is everywhere in Youngstown right now so it makes sense as our theme for the first TEDx Youngstown.”

The TEDx Youngstown planning committee is made up with representatives from the Mahoning Valley Young Professionals, Park Vista of Youngstown, The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, the Youngstown Business Incubator, and the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber. Representatives from FirstEnergy, Roof Rite and O’Donold’s Irish Pub are also serving on the planning committee.

Additionally, there are several speakers participating in the TEDx Youngstown event that are considered friends of America Makes. They are:

• Leslie A. Brothers is the Director of the McDonough Museum of Art, Youngstown State University’s Center for Contemporary Art. Ms. Brothers is also an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Art. Last summer, Ms. Brothers curated the immensely successful, free exhibition, Re-Shaping Ideas, Ingenuity in 3D Technology, at the McDonough Museum. In summarizing the event, Ms. Brothers stated “Our intent with the exhibit was to build public awareness, understanding, and interest in advances in additive manufacturing that are changing the world we live in.” Ms. Brothers’ TEDx Youngstown presentation is titled “Mattering is Key to Innovation: A Model for Civic Engagement in the University Art Museum.”
• Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-17), along with former Congressman Jason Altmire, was a co-founder of the Cleveland to Pittsburgh “Tech Belt” Initiative and was instrumental in securing funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for America Makes—National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. He remains a staunch supporter of America Makes and is resolute in his position that Congress formally create a national network of manufacturing innovation institutes. Congressman Ryan’s TEDx Youngstown presentation is titled “Igniting a Quiet Revolution: Taking Mindfulness Mainstream.”
• Rose Shaffer is currently the Director of Marketing at Lightning Grader, the flagship product of The Learning Egg, LLC, a Youngstown, Ohio, technology company that develops impactful, Web-based applications to enhance the teaching and learning process. Ms. Shaffer was previously a Project Manager of Innovative Research and Communication at YBI. While with YBI, Ms. Shaffer provided support to the America Makes team as it established itself in the YBI Boardman Street complex. Ms. Shaffer’s TEDx Youngstown presentation is titled “How to Make a Movement, Innovation within Communication.”