Schrodinger's Cat

2025 conference speakers

Marcos J. Perez is a second-year aerospace engineering student at UC Irvine, passionate about understanding the mind as much as the mechanics of flight. When he’s not designing rocket propulsion systems, he’s diving deep into topics like consciousness, intuition, and how we learn. Outside of engineering, Marcos enjoys playing piano, soccer, and basketball—always exploring new ways to challenge the mind and body. His TEDx Talk reflects on the quiet intelligence of intuition, and how reconnecting with it can lead us to deeper understanding, more authentic learning, and a richer experience of being human.

Santiago Rivera (M.F.A.) is a dance artist, educator, and choreographer from Los Angeles, CA. They earned their M.F.A. in Dance from California State University, Long Beach, a B.A. in Drama with a minor in Educational Studies from the University of California, Irvine, and an A.A. in Dance with a Dance Instructor Certificate of Achievement from Orange Coast College. Santiago also completed the José Limón Technique Certification Program. Their work interrogates the erasure of closeted queer Latine and BIPOC identities in institutional dance spaces. Santiago teaches at Cypress College and San Bernardino Valley College, is on faculty for the Young Choreographers Project, and serves as a guest artist in residence at Irvine Valley College.

Currently studying neurobiology at UCI (on exchange) as a recipient of the Fulbright Killam fellowship, she's interested in all things to do with the brain and health policy. Back home in Toronto, she is the president of her school's Pre-Medical society and in 2023, revived a non-profit in her hometown of Edmonton, which serves and connects with the homeless community on Sunday evenings every week. She hopes to pursue an MD-PhD, advocating for free and accessible healthcare along the way.

Aneri Bhargav Patel is a fourth-year medical student at the UC Davis School of Medicine, currently completing a research fellowship in Oncodermatology at UC Irvine. She has developed learning resources for the medical curriculum relating to microbiology and mentored several students navigating the path from community college to medical school. Aneri was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society for her commitment to compassionate care and humanism in medicine. Her research interests include cancer immunotherapy, dermatologic toxicities, and AI in medicine, with work presented at medical conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals. Outside the clinic and lab, she finds joy in glass painting, photographing nature, and using improv to make medical education more engaging.

Dr. Kalaki Clarke is a board-certified Family Medicine physician and alumna of the UCI Family Medicine Residency Program. She returns to the very campus where she watched her first TEDx talk—and became aware of her ADHD diagnosis during medical training—now stepping onto the red dot with a story only she can tell. Blending science, story, and soul, Dr. Clarke challenges how we define potential and invites audiences to see the mind through a radically compassionate lens. Her talk doesn’t just inform—it transforms.

Resham Parikh is a UC Irvine alumna (class of 2011) and a Communications Manager in New York, where she helps scientific researchers share their discoveries with the world. She has a BA in international studies and a master's degree in gender studies from the London School of Economics. When Resham isn’t traveling, she’s usually at home in Brooklyn drinking more matcha tea than she should admit. She believes life is short, and we should live it completely, courageously, and authentically.

Amrit is a Business Operations professional who has worked with global technology companies, driving strategic projects and large growth initiatives. A chemical engineer from Indian Institute of Technology and an MBA from UCI Paul Merage School of Business with a stellar academic record, she has always loved reading and writing fiction. When she’s not driving her daughters to golf on busy freeways, and sometimes even while doing so, Amrit contemplates deeply, and often restlessly, about the world we live in and about the next book she will read. Her debut novel, Gilded Spirits, will be released in Fall 2025. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and twin daughters.

Jen Chiou 趙燕妮 is an educator, entrepreneur, and advocate for creativity and social connection in a tech-driven world. She is the founder of CodeSpeak Labs, which has taught over 25,000 students to code, and the co-creator of Quest Craft, a program she designed with her two sons that uses role-playing games to help kids build social skills at school and at home. Quest Craft fosters creativity and empathy, immerses students in diverse cultures, and can be aligned with K-12 academic standards. Jen loves to create learning experiences that spark imagination and empower kids to build a better world.

x = independently organized TED event

You’ve heard of the talks. Now take that concept and center it in UCIrvine.

Voila! That’s us.

We’re one of many branches of the TEDx program, which seeks to uplift voices within local communities. Our events are self-organized, but sponsored by TED and embody the same spirit of sharing ideas worth spreading. With live speakers taking the stage, we aim to provide platforms for those who may not always get the opportunity and spark meaningful discussion to be remembered.

This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.

We bring together our community’s leading thinkers and doers to share ideas that matter in any discipline.